360 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 25, 19U3. 
but otherwise similar in the matter of Hewers. A remarkably 
pretty but little-known Heath is E. propendens, with bell- 
sliaped pink flowers, like Lily of the Valley, except in colour. 
Better known is E. ventricosa coccinea minor, with a charming 
profusion of pink flowers. A larger relative is E. v. magnifica, 
with large pink flowers. E. Cavendishii is an old favourite for 
exhibition purposes with massive yellow flowers. E. wilmore- 
ana, E. persoluta rubra and others also recall the extreme 
beauty and neatness of this much-neglected class of plants. 
Closely similar to the Heaths, though belonging to a. different 
family, is Tetratheca hirsute. 
There are several plants of large white-flowered and fragrant 
Rhododendron, veitchianum. Forced subjects, also flowering 
in great profusion are Indian and other Azaleas, Lilacs, Snow¬ 
ball trees, Laburnums, Wistarias;, Mignonette, Acacia Drum- 
mondi, Viburnum plicatum, Boronia. megastigma, surd many 
others. A large number of the subjects are sweetrscented, 
which gives the atmosphere of the house a very pleasing sensa¬ 
tion to those who; enter it, and indicates suitable subjects for 
conservatory work. 
The hybrid greenhouse Rhododendrons still maintain their 
reputation for- flowering. The five double ones, all originally 
obtained from one pod of seed, are in bloom at the present 
time, and show what a lucky hit tire raiser made when he first 
observed the potentialities of that abnormal flower produced 
by the parent. We refer to the doubles named respectively 
R. balsaminaeflorum Rajah, R. b. album, R. b. aureum, R. b. 
caraeum, and R. b. roseum. The flowers of the variety Rajah 
are’ orange, but the colours of the others are all indicated by 
the varietal name. Other types, in bloom at the present time 
are Cloth of Gold, with large yellow flowers; King Edward, 
large yellow flowers with red stamens ; and the’ Queen, blush- 
white. 
The Caladiums in another house are now coming into fine 
form, the leaves being veiy richly coloured. The collection 
here is very complete. In another warm house is a fine batch 
of Gardenias in pots, the plants being of large size and re¬ 
markably floriferous. Another choice old plant is Gloneria 
jasminiflora with -white flowers, resembling a Bouvardia or 
Jasmine. A veiy distinct Myrtle is that named Myrtus tomen- 
tosa, with rose flowers and large three-nerved tomentose leaves;. 
Veiy interesting also 1 is the house containing a collection of 
hard-wooded or New Holland plants. Mixed amongst them 
are a few hardy subjects now in bloom, including Prunus 
Pseudo-cerasus, James H. Veitch having very large double 
flowers of a. deeper rose- colour than any other of this species. 
Very interesting also is a batch of plants of Incarvillea Delavayi 
grown in pots, bearing rich rose flowers on stems already 12 in. 
to 18 in. high. Amongst the old favourites are fine plants of 
Brachysema lanceolata, Acacia, grandis, A. armata, Metro- 
sideros and various others grown in the 1 form of bushes or 
standards, and veiy suitable for brightening up conservatories. 
In a smaller greenhouse are’ found batches of Boronia me¬ 
gastigma, B. heterophylla, B. elatior, Hibbertia Reedii, Cytisus 
elegans and various other subjects. The Boronias particularly 
filled the atmosphere of the house with an aromatic fragrance. 
The rosy scarlet flowers of Haemanthus diadema are con¬ 
temporaneous with the leaves, and constitute a cheerful stove 
plant- in one of the warm houses. Keeping company with it 
are many fine Anthuriums, including A. rothschildianum, A. 
scherzerianum, A. Mme. Daliere, with soft pink spathe, and 
A duvivierianum. The last-named is the best white, and is 
one of the A. scherzerianum type. The spadix of this one is 
light yellow, so- that it is altogether very distinct. The large 
pyramidal plant of Epiphyllum makoyanum is just now a mass 
of flowers and veiy handsome. 
A Large Rtjdgea macrophylla.— A large specimen of this 
rare stove plant is now flowering in the Victoria House at Kew. 
It bears nine globose and very dense thyrses of fleshy, waxy 
flowers, which are four to five-lobed, white externally and 
creamy internally, but ultimately pure white when fully de¬ 
veloped. They do not last so long in prime condition as the tex¬ 
ture of the flowers w T ould warrant. 
Daffodils at Newington Nurseries, 
Edinburgh. 
A visit to these nurseries, belonging to Messrs. J. A A. 
Glass, will convince the most sceptical that Daffodils can be 
grown in Scotland as successfully as in Holland, or anywhere 
else, for that matter. The large breadths of the various lead¬ 
ing varieties show a vigour of foliage and a floriferousness that 
does one’s heart good to look at. 
When we inspected them in the middle of April, Golden Spur 
and Rugilobus were over quite a. rveek before, but the bulk 
of the varieties were either fully or partially in bloom. 
W~e shall deal first with the older and better-known sorts, 
and then make some observations on the newer and less-known 
ones. 
Trumpet Daffodils.—Emperor, although now an old variety, 
is still much in request with its soft yellow petals and rich, 
bright yellow tube. Maximus will be difficult to oust from the 
field, its rich golden flowers and perfect form making it an 
ideal Daffodil. Princops is as nearly a bicolor as a self, a 
good Daffodil, and one of the best for naturalising. 
N. bicolor Horsfieldi is one of the earliest of the bicolors, and 
is also useful for naturalising. Empress is a good second 
early, and b. imximusi (Grandee) is still a popular late variety. 
Mock Narcissus.—Most of the leading sorts of this section 
are to be found at Newington, but only two are grown to a 
large extent.; these are- Sir Watkin and Stella.. Of the forme- 
we saw immense breadths all in the best of form. Stella is 
still popular with many people, and is grand for naturalising. 
Poet’s Narcissus.—We saw large breadths of N. poeticus, 
N. p. ornatus, and N. p. fl. pi. or Gardenia Narcissus, but were 
too early to see them in bloom. 
We shall now make some observations on some of the less 
known and newer things we saw. Excelsior is an improved 
Golden Spur, the flowers being a much richer yellow. Wear- 
dale Perfection, with its white petals and sulphur-white 
trumpet, is> a magnificent variety, but dear yet. Madame de 
Graaff is another grand trumpet, having very large flowers with 
white segments and pale lemon corona, with white reflexed 
margins. This and a. fine batch of Madame Plemp were worth 
going many miles to see. Alida was not in bloom, but is a 
grand late “ trumpet ” of a soft canary shade. Shakespeare is 
a, magnificent flower of a rich deep yellow. J. B. M. Camm 
lias -white petals and a soft yellow trumpet, and is a model of 
form. Mrs. Walter T. Ware is in the same wav and quite as 
good. Glory of Leiden, of the Emperor type, is one of the 
largest Daffodils we have, and is- now sold at a popular price. 
John Davidson is not s-o well known as its merits deserve 
it has a nice cream-white perianth, with a rich golden trumpet, 
a model of form, and a vigorous grower. 
N. poeticus tripodalis is a real acquisition in its class, being 
at least a. week earlier even than N. p. ornatus ; it has beauti¬ 
fully long stems, rendering it highly suitable for tall glasses. 
The petals are more sharply pointed than the type. Another, 
recent addition to this section is N. p. Almira (King Edward 
VII.). It- is in the way of N. p. poetarum, but the margin of 
the cup is a- deeper red, and it is better in every way. 
A number of varieties that were not in full bloom at- the 
time of our visit may form the subject of some remarks at a 
future period. Charles Comfort. 
Broomfield, Davidson’s Mains, Midlothian. 
Iris iberica. 
This singular yet showy plant- is the largest flowered of 
spring-flowering Irises, deserving a position in every collection. 
The flower is about 4 in. to 5 in. deep and 2| in. across. The 
erect segments are of a dull white colour, while the reflexed 
ones, which are concave, nearly spoon-shaped, are yellowish- 1 
green, profusely lined with narrow reticulate dark purple lines, 
each having about their centre a depressed shining purple) 
blotch. Stigmas reflexed on the disc of the falls, dull yellow, 
mettled brown. 
