FLOWER SHOWS. 
141 
of splendour and beauty was quite delightful to look upon, particularly the 
ladies, as— 
Without them, what scene could be gay? 
Without them, what heart could be glad 1 
As my object is to notice the plants, 1 must, in the first place, object to the 
plan of exhibiting plants without the name being attached to each specimen in 
a conspicuous manner. There were dozens of plants, many raie and beautiful^ 
without being named, which caused long delays in the onward movement around 
the tents; many ladies and gentlemen, anxious to know the names, stopped to 
inquire of the first person most likely to be acquainted with them, when a note 
was generally made in the memoranda books to order it from their nursery¬ 
man. At horticultural shows on the continent, printed catalogues are sold for 
about sixpence, and all the plants being numbered, easy reference is made ; or 
all are labelled with the names. 
The collections of Geraniums deserve first attention ; they were well grown, 
but it would be difficult to judge of the habits of the plants, as they were so 
well dressed and staked for the occasion:— 
Geranium —Jervis is an orange scarlet, with fine black spot on upper petals. 
Una, white, with scarlet crimson feather. 
Coronation (Garth), upper petals scarlet crimson, with extra fine spot, lower petals 
splendid rose. 
Victory (Garth), upper petals rich dark crimson, lower petals blush white. 
Evectum, beautiful scarlet crimson, with black spot. 
Discount, fine rosy purple. 
Cecilia, white, upper petals pink shade. 
Beauty of Ware, rosy purple, fine large truss. 
Climax, rose, with fine dark spot. _ 
There were three good seedling Geraniums from Mr. Gains; one from Mr. Field; and 
three or four others, possessing no properties particularly striking or beautiful. 
The Erica (Heaths) were the admiration of all persons; they are valuable 
for the varieties of colours, and for many of them being in flower to ornament 
the heathery or conservatory at all seasons of the year. The following were 
conspicuous for their beauty :— 
Erica depressa, green, 
elegans, pink and green, 
perspicua, white, 
vestita alba. 
gemmifera, transparent red. 
vestita fulgida, red. 
lineoides, superb pink, white mouthed, 
bruniades, pink, woolly, black mouthed, 
colorans verna, pink and white, 
odora rosea, white, bell shape, 
cerinthoides, red corolla, hairy, 
aristata major, white mouth, deep scar¬ 
let, tubed corolla, 
linea, fine white, tubular, 
melastoma, green, black mouthed. 
Erica propendens, bell flower, a perfect 
picture. 
paniculata alba, 
ignescens, fiery, 
intermedia, fine white. 
Hartnellii, glutinous, transparent deep 
crimson. 
Patersoniana, fine yellow. , 
transparens, light pink, 
purpurea, purple, 
suaveolens, rose, 
vernix, transparent red. 
Templeana, rosy flesh, 
fastigiata, yellow. 
seedling, good, like Andromeda flora. 
The Heartsease were many and various. The lover of these pretty and cheap 
flowers could feast his eyes on hundreds, in which were displayed nearly all the 
hues of the rainbow:— 
Heartsease, (Brown’s Countess of Orkney)....A pretty yellow; the two upper petals 
deep purple, and the others tipped with purple. 
Midas is a fine round thick petalled yellow. 
As the description of many other good ones would be too long for your pages, 
I will give you my notice of the Orchidea: plants 
