562 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
July 9, 1904. 
as William Townsend Aitoo, Dr. Lindley, Sir Joseph Paxton, 
the Duke of Devonshire, and others. Sir Joseph Paxton was 
of immense service to it after the renown which hei gained in 
connection with the International Exhibition of 1851, this 
being brought about chiefly by his influence in procuring 
gentlemen renowned in various walks of life to take; the chair 
at the annual festivals. 
In 1861 a present of .twenty plants of Disa grandiflora was 
made on behalf of the institution, and this being disposed of 
at the auction-rooms realised £14 9s. In those days that 
would be considered a, very substantial sum, and we think it 
is a practice that might v©ry well be imitated in these days', 
when much higher prices are being given for rare or beautiful 
Orchids. For instance, there are many gentlemen in the 
country who have fine collections of choice varieties of Odonte- 
glossum crispum who might be grilling to give a. duplicate by 
way of a donation to be sold for the benefit of this institution, 
as well as the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. 
We frequently have complaints of the small number of 
gardeners who subscribe, and, indeed, of the number of sub¬ 
scribers. It is an old form of complaint, however, for even 
in 1862 there were only 294 subscribers on the list. We make 
the above remarks simply with the view of pointing out the 
interesting fact that the history of the institution has now 
been put in a form in which it will be widely distributed 
throughout the country, and although it is not expressly stated, 
we believe the secretary at 175, Victoria-street, London, S.W., 
will be pleased to send copies while available to those in¬ 
terested in the institution, and who might wish to become sub¬ 
scribers. 
Anemone nemorosa major. 
{See Supplement.) • . 
In April last we noted a- large and handsome patch of the 
above variety of the Wood Anemone in the nursery of Messrs. 
Barr and Sons, at Ditton Ilill, Surrey, and we w'ere so pleased 
with it that we had the' supplement for this week prepared 
to represent it. 
Alreadjr there are several more or less beautiful varieties of 
this Anemone in cultivation; that under notice is chiefly 
characterised by its vigour and the size of the flowers', which 
are pure white, and made up of seven, to nine sepals surround¬ 
ing a great brush of stamens with pale yellow anthers. The 
leaves are also highly developed, and stand about 9 in. to 
1 2 in. high, with the flowers just over-topping the leaves. We 
may here mention some of the more ornamental varieties 
which have been utilised with good effect in gardens, merely 
to show our readers that some British plants at least are 
worthy of a place in the most select collections of hardy plants. 
The varieties differ chiefly in’the colour of the flowers, their 
use, and in being single or double. 
Two double varieties are more or less known in gardens, and 
undoubtedly the finer is that named A. n. flora pleno. In this 
the flowers are pure white, and are made up of the ordinary 
sepals outside, forming a, sort of guard to the numerous small 
white petals which fill up the centre. Another double’is named 
A. n. bra.cteata, and this is chiefly distinguished by the outer 
segments being developed in the form of green leaves more or 
less perfect, and forming a background to the rest of the 
flower, which is white. 
Perhaps the most popular of all the coloured varieties is 
A. n. robdnsoniana, which has delicate light blue flowers of 
large size, and is very popular in, various parts of the country 
for planting on the rockery, as edgings bo beds, or for the 
filling of small bedsi, especially those in which deciduous trees 1 
or shrubs may be planted. Another coloured variety that is 
much less known is A. n. rubra, which in its best form lias 
bright rosy-red flowers, but there are'many in which the'colour 
can only be described as rose, more or less bright, but never¬ 
theless distinct and pretty. In a wild state the rose or red 
variety is of much more frequent occurrence than, the blue one. 
We note that frequent" attempts have been made by different 
people to solve the question a,s to why some of the flowers 
should be red or blue, but hitherto no satisfactory solution has 
been given. The idea, is that there must be something in the 
soil which inclines these flowers to become red or blue, as the 
case may be, and that such dolour variation would 
become permanent. It is probable, however, some other 
factor is at. work than the soil, and that the plant, 
which is widely distributed over the northern hemi¬ 
sphere, is constitutionally adapted to vary. It is more likely 
that this wide geographical distribution is responsible for 
variation than a mere question of locality. We note that the 
red, rose, and white varieties occur together, very frequentlv 
.in various widely remote parts of Great Britain, and in soils 
of quite different geological formations. 
In gardens the plant offers no difficulty whatever in th« 
matter of cultivation, provided a situation is selected that : s 
not too dry, and that it contains plenty of decaying vegetable 
matter. In a state of nature it, often covers! the woods undei 
trees and in copses with white sheets, varied somewhat in the 
matter of colour, and that these places are usually plentifully 
supplied with humus as a result of the decay of the leaves 
which are shed upon them annually as a, sort of natural top- 
, dressing. Those who would grow this beautiful flower in one 
or other of its various forms may therefore select a shady place 
if their garden is at all dry. But in any case they should make 
sure of plenty of leaf mould in the soil. A beautiful effect, can 
be produced by growing all of the above varieties in broad 
patches contiguous to' one another, or even in mixture. 
Rhododendrons in Hyde Park. 
Anyone who has had the extreme pleasure (as has the 
writer) of visiting the extensive nurseries—exceeding 200 acres 
in extent—of Mr. Anthony Waterer at, Knap Hill, Woking— 
a veritable land of Rhododendrons !—where American, plants 
are made a great speciality of, would not at all be surprised 
at the fine, display, in, Standards, of these beautiful and gor¬ 
geously-flowering hardy shrubs now being made in this Rcval 
Park—an annual event, it, may be mentioned in passing. "Of 
course, in a general way, all American plants revel in what is 
called peat soil ; the old idea, however, that, they will thrive 
in nothing else lias been, exploded—as experience has shewn. 
Rhododendrons; will succeed in almost any soil that does not 
contain lime or chalk; in, many sandy loams they grow with 
as much vigour and luxuriance as. they do in peat. Any loamy 
soil may be rendered suitable for them by a general admixture 
of leaf-mould, or any fibrous material, such as, the parings of 
pasture land. 
To lovers of hardy Rhododendrons!—and happily their name 
is legion-—it may prove of practical interest to. put on record 
the names; of some of the best varieties recently noted at Hyde 
Park. For the purpose of a little method, one will keep, the 
different colours: together: White—The Queen, blush, chang¬ 
ing to, white, fine shape; and the same descriptions: apply to 
Ingramii, Album elegans., and Madame Carvalho. Picturatum 
is a cream colour, with a chocolate blush, distinct and very 
showy ; Princess Mary of Cambridge, light blush, deeper edg¬ 
ing ; Francis, B. Hayes, white, with black spots ; Minnie, blush- 
white, spotted with chocolate; Duchess of Connaught, white, 
yellow spots, veiy showy ; Helen Waterer, centre white, edged 
with crimson ; Sappho, white, distinctly blotched with maroon. 
Pink : Concession, clear pink, light centre, a beautiful variety : 
Mrs. John Walter, light centre, edged pink ; W. E, Gladstone, 
a variety bearing fine trusses of flowers; Mrs. Mendel, each 
petal rayed white, yellow centre, distinct. Crimson : Michael 
Waterer, a fine spotted variety; Frederic Waterer, very 
showy; J. Marshall Brooks, rich scarlet, with a bronze spot, 
distinct; Mrs. Thomas Longman, fine rose-crimson,. Mauve: 
Fastuosum flore pleno, bearing immense trusses of double 
flowers,; Yauban, rich yellow blotch, bearing very fine trusses, 
a grand variety. Rose : Kate Waterer, yellow centre, very 
showy; Everestianum, rosy-lilac, spotted and fringed, a fine 
free bloomer; Lady Eleanor Cat-heart., a grand variety, spotted 
chocolate ; Mrs. Charles Leaf, light, centre. Salmon : Mrs. R. 
S, Ho,If of d, richly coloured, trusses of flowers 1 large and beau¬ 
tiful. ‘ • ' Ti R 
Chiswick. 
