October. 31, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
683 
The Giant Helleborine. 
Epipactis gigantea. 
Several species of Epipactis are natives 
this country, and although not very 
owy Orchids, they would appear to be 
easy cultivation, judging from the suc- 
ss which attends the cultivation of E. 
sjantea in the rockery at Kew. This one 
ows from 12 in. to 18 in. in height, 
,d although not taller than the wild 
latifolia, it gets the name of E. gigan- 
a on account of the size of its flowers 
,d the length of its leaves. The latter 
ther thicklv clothe the stem, and are 
need ate and plaited. The sepals are 
eenish yellow. The petals are rather 
ss highlV coloured than the sepals, but 
ey are suffused and veined with red. 
re lip is more ornamental, being much 
ied with red on the inside, and tinted 
th orange bn the blade. 
ow to Grow . . 
Violets in Frames. 
The sweet Violet is considered the 
reen of winter flowers, because it lends 
self to various uses. The way to obtain 
e best results in its cultivation is to 
art by selecting strong, healthy, double 
■ treble crowns; single crowns will also 
ve good results, but I prefer the double 
■ treble, because they produce better and 
uch more compact clumps. In prepar- 
g the frames, thoroughness, at the 
Our illustration shows a large clump 
of this plant more than a yard in length, 
and merely planted in a bay or recess at 
the base of the rockery nearly on a level 
with the path. It does not get much of 
the afternoon sun, but otherwise it is well 
lighted, and gets the sun in the fore part 
of the day. Beyond being planted in 
sandy loam in a well-drained position, 
and being well watered occasionally with 
the hose, it does not get any special at¬ 
tention, yet it grows and flowers freely, 
as may be seen by our photograph, which 
was taken on the 8th July last. Many 
people have difficulty in growing hardy 
terrestrial Orchids, but evidently a num¬ 
ber of them are amenable to cultivation, 
including this one. 
start, is the watchword. It is a mistake 
to suppose that an ordinary potting ma¬ 
terial will suit the Violet, for without a 
sound compost the plants will never be 
vigorous. 
In the first w'eek in September com¬ 
mence preparing the frames. First of 
all give them a thorough cleaning by 
washing the lights and removing any soil 
adhering to the insides. The next thing 
is to see that the drainage is good, as 
this is an important factor in successful 
cultivation. On the top of the drainage 
place a good layer of cow manure, say 
about four inches. The compost should 
consist of a heavy loam, adding sufficient 
leaf-mould to make it livht, and a six- 
inch potful of soot to every three barrow¬ 
loads of soil, and fill the frame to such 
a height that the leaves of the plants will 
be within from four to six inches of the 
glass. Lift the plants carefully with a 
good ball of soil, and plant them mode¬ 
rately firm, eight to twelve inches apart. 
Give them a good watering and spray 
overhead during the evening for a week 
or two, and provide a light shading until 
they are established. 
They should be looked over every 
second week and cleaned, and stirring the 
soil frequently will benefit them greatly. 
Give very little water during the winter, 
or they will commence to damp off. Pro¬ 
tect the plants from becoming frozen by 
covering the frames with mats, but if a 
frost should gain admission some night 
do not expose them to the sun to thaw 
out, as it would injuriously affect them, 
but keep them covered with mats for a 
few' days, when the plants will be little 
the worse. The chief cultural require¬ 
ments will be to give them plenty of air 
on all favourable occasions. 
J. W. Forsyth. 
-- 
Cactus Dahlia Indomitable. 
The blooms are large and have very 
slender, incurved and slightly twisted or 
whorled florets of a rosy mauve. First- 
class certificate by the London Dahlia 
Union on September 10th. The exhibi¬ 
tors w'ere Messrs. J. Stredwdck and Son, 
St. Leonards-on-Sea. 
l 
Show Dahlia Tasmania. 
The above is a very handsome variety 
of good exhibition size, compact, neat, 
and of a beautiful rose colour. First- 
class certificate by the London Dahlia 
Union on September 10th. The exhibi¬ 
tor wns Mr. S. Mortimer, Rowledge, 
Farnham. 
Epipactis gigantea. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
