September 28, 1907. THE GARDENING WORLD . 
63T 
\ Fine Star of Bethlehem. 
The common Star of Bethlehem is the 
jest known of its kind, having been_culti- 
l^ated in this country for centuries. 
There are, however, several very fine ones 
fom South Europe or some part of Africa 
.vhich are just a little less hardy than the 
common ones, and usually succeed best 
n a greenhouse. Ornithogalum arabi- 
;um is usually grown in a greenhouse 
and sometimes forced, but it will succeed 
,n the. open air if the bulbs are kept dry 
and planted' out some time in spring. It 
is well worth attention in pots, however, 
for ^greenhouse decoration. The stems 
grow about 18 in. high, and terminate in 
a truss of large, pure white flowers, with 
a black centre. The seed vessel really 
is black, but it serves to give the flower 
character and a distinct appearance. It 
is a native of the countries lying around 
che Mediterranean. 
Montbretia Germania. 
Within recent years a considerable 
number of fine forms of Montbretia, more 
correctly named Tritonia, have been 
raised, and the above is one of the finest. 
The flowers are of a bright scarlet shade, 
passing into orange, with a crimson 
centre. These blooms are of large size 
and well expanded for this genus. It de¬ 
lights in sandy, fairly moist loam, en¬ 
riched with plenty of leaf mould, or peat 
may answer the same purpose if the 
natural soil happens to be peaty. The 
plants enjoy sunshine, provided there is 
a fairly good supply of moisture at the 
roots in summer when making their 
growth. This is chiefly in July when 
the foliage most requires the presence of 
moisture. The plants bloom in August 
and September, and a bed or clump of 
them is a most effective feature in a gar¬ 
den. The flowers are also well adapted 
for cutting and last well in water. 
-- 
London Dahlia Union. 
Exhibition at 
Regent’s Park. 
( Concluded, from fage 61j.) 
Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons had the best 
12 single varieties in bunches of six. 
Charming were Snowdrop, Hector, Kitty, 
Victoria, and Columbine. Rev. S. S. 
Pearce, Coombe Vicarage, V oodstock, 
Oxon, was second with Leslie Seale, Mi¬ 
kado and other charming varieties. 
Some very good exhibits were also 
staged by amateurs, and well worthy of 
the prizes. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Hobbies. Ltd., Dereham, Norfolk, 
staged an extensive exhibit of single, Cac¬ 
tus and decorative Dahlias, and a group 
of cut Roses. Very striking Cactus Dah¬ 
lias were Ajax, Wm. Marshall, F. M. 
Stredwick, and Fairy. Among the Roses, 
Dean Hole, Liberty, Billiard and Barre 
and Dorothy Perkins were very fine. 
Messrs. T. .S. Ware, Ltd., Feltham, 
Middlesex, had an extensive display of 
Cactus, pompon and decorative Dahlias, 
set up with Ferns and other foliage and 
backed with Bamboos. Grand Cactus 
Dahlias were Ruby Grinstead, Caradoc, 
Hamlet and Rev. Arthur Hall. 
Mr. A. LI. Gwillim, Cambria Nursery, 
Museari Heavenly Blue. 
The botanical name of the above plant 
is Museari conicum, but for many y-ears 
it has enjoyed the popular name of Hea¬ 
venly Blue, being both expressive and ap¬ 
propriate. It is one of the strongest 
growing of the Grape Hy'acinths, and one 
of the richest, if not the richest, blue of 
all of them. Lt has been described as of 
the richest shade of gentian_ blue, and 
alt-hough not the darkest amongst the 
species, it is of more value because the 
flowers are brighter. For this reason a 
bed or clump has a very' brightening 
effect, while in the nursery' beds at Long 
Ditton, where we have frequently seen it, 
it constitutes one of the most gorgeously 
coloured blue plantations in the grounds. 
We call attention to it on this occasion 
on account of its suitability for natural¬ 
ising in half-shady' situations, where the 
ground may be relatively' dry' and under 
the influence of the roots of trees or 
hedges. The illustration herewith, and 
which has been put at our service by 
Messrs. Barr and Sons, King Street, 
Covent Garden, shows an excellent use 
to which it may be put in brightening an 
out-of-the-way corner of the garden that 
might otherwise be simply filled with 
weeds. During March, April and May, 
some of the bulbs here represented are 
always in flower, and, of course, during 
April.it is simply a mass of the richest 
blue that one could desire. The racemes 
are also about 3 in. to 4 in. in length, 
while the individual pips or flowers are 
amongst the largest of the genus. These 
bulbs are somewhat similar in size and 
appearance ’to those of Squills, and it 
is only necessary to plant them some time 
in autumn, the earlier the better, and 
next season the planter will be rewarded 
with a most interesting display of colour 
which could be had in the garden. 
New Eltham, Kent, had a very fine dis¬ 
play of Tuberous Begonia flowers, 
gathered from the open ground. Both 
single and double varieties were of very 
high quality. Being only seedlings, they 
were unnamed. 
Messrs. J. Burrell and Co., Cambridge, 
had a long table of Gladioli, with a group 
of hardy border plants in the centre. The 
Gladioli were of the Gandavensis strain. 
Mr'. J. T. West, Tower Hill, Brent¬ 
wood, had a well-displayed table of show, 
Cactus, pompon and decorative Dahlias, 
backed up with Kochia scoparia tricho- 
phylla. 
Mr. G. H. Sage, 71, Manor Road, Rich¬ 
mond, Surrey, had a good exhibit of the 
Corona (non-rustable) Flou'er Displayer, 
wfith flowers, to show' the method of ar¬ 
rangement. 
Air. J. F. Groves, Ham, Surrey, had a 
group of border Chrysanthemums and 
scarlet Lobelias. 
Messrs. D. Dowell and Sons, Ravens- 
court Avenue, Hammersmith, had a stand 
of sundries, including ornamental bow'ls 
for bulbs in rooms. 
[Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons, Crawley, 
Sussex, besides their competitive stands, 
had a group of new varieties, including 
Mauve Queen and The Bride, both Cactus 
Dahlias. Charming single varieties w'ere 
Peggy', Glencoe, Brilliant and Sincoe. 
Messrs. S. Spooner and Sons, Houns¬ 
low', Middlesex, had a fine table of Apples 
and Plums. 
