AcorsT23.i9i3. THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. “ C 3 i 
SHREWSBURY FLORAL FETE. 
❖ ♦♦♦ 
We have often written that the exhibi¬ 
tion of the Shropshire Hortieultural Society 
wa.s better than ever, but we have never 
written it with such ready emphasis as on 
this occasion. The Quarry Grounds were 
at their best, the avenues of trees in full 
leafage, the beautiful little Dingle at its 
gayest with summer flowers, and the weather 
was behaving splendidly on the opening day 
of the show—Wednesday, August 20. The 
sun shone brightly, but a little breeze tem¬ 
pered the heat, although the latter was al- 
mo.st overpowering in the great tents when 
the visitors crowded in during the early 
part of the afternoon. It was a gaily-dressed 
crowd, and the ladies took full advantage 
to nearly ^1,000. So far as we could judge, 
and also so far as we could gather from the 
gate-keepers, the gate was a record one for 
a first afternoon. 
GROUPS AND PLANTS. 
There were three competitors in the great 
class for a group of miscellaneous flowering 
and foliage plants. Here Messrs. Jas. Cypher 
and Sons, Cheltenham, occupied their accus¬ 
tomed first place, winning the £2o prize with 
a very charming arrangement. The high 
background of palms was particularly light 
and elegant above an arch of crotons, ixoras, 
and liliums. In the foreground the use of 
Oncidium flexuosum, 0. phymato chilum, 
Peter Blair, Mrs. W. L. .\in.slie, the hang¬ 
ing baskets of I^ena, Golden Shower, and Mrs. 
Bilkev, and the erect spikes of B. Martiana 
f randiflora commanding attention. Messrs. 
hos. S. Ware, Lim.. Ftltham, came second, 
and in their display the lovely pink variety 
I.ady Cromer was a central feature, and a 
reat attraction; theirs was a grand ex- 
ibit, but arranged a little too flatly. 
A magnificent exhibit of fifteen stove and 
greenhouse plants from Messrs. J. Cypher 
and Sons, Cheltenham, secured for tliat firm 
the first prize. We thought last year the 
Cheltenham firm had reached high-water 
mark for specimens, but they were even 
better on this occasion. They staged huge. 
PRIZE COLLECTIONS OF CHOICE DESSERT FRUITS AT SHREWSBURY FLORAL FETE. 
Mr. S. Barker’s first prize collection of twelve dishes on the right; Mr. D. McIntosh’s 
second prize collection on the left. 
usutl^ 
«ni€ lartr^’extra tent a 
of quality ;+ ***'^*^® of doors. In po 
fho Ben.;!] superb, “never better” ^ 
r<^ CJroups, grapes, ve: 
«ias deserve' peas, and be; 
One mention. 
“>« pMsentation*^^^’^ ^ 
and Iff” ® testimonial to Mess 
^"^swe^hon thirty^if 
Pf'oident niad ^^e show; i 
ll*® the presented diplon 
from tho%„-ff 
Crazier tb Memorial Truste 
UTxfn tb ®^^^tary, is to be o 
1 and^fb^^® success of his first y< 
T^^^ttees chairmen of si 
Corbett A D^akin. B 
^mleyaigv » H. \\ . Hughes, and Jk 
done wc 
may add that in no y,( 
f^ohased beW ^^m'ssion tickets ^ 
“^^come from tb^ trei 
® this source alone amount! 
O. oblongatum, 0. Forbes, and 0. incurvum. 
with Francoa ramosa, was particularly pleas¬ 
ing ; in the basal portion, cattleyas, crotons, 
and odontoglossums gave colour, and Ner- 
tera depressa was used as an edging. Mr. 
J. Y. Macdonald, gardener to Sir J. H. Ken- 
rick, ^Vhetstone, Edgbaston, came second 
with a grand group in which crotons, ixoras. 
and cattleyas were very fine, and Nandina 
domestica "gave colour to the foreground; 
Mr. W. R. Manning, Dudley, third, with a 
group that lacked finish towards the baek. 
Five entrants came forward in the county 
class for a group of miscellaneous plants, and 
here Mr. Bernard Howson, Market Drayton, 
was first with crotons, Humea elegans, and 
campanulas as chief subjects; Mr. F. Brum. 
mell, gardener to A. M. Barber, Esq., Mil¬ 
lington, second, and Mr. Edwards, gardener 
to Mrs. F. Burd, Shrewsbury, third. 
In a very close competition Messrs. Black- 
more and Langdon, Bath, secured first prize 
for a group of begonias, the space allowed 
being 25ft, by 4ft. They had a superb lot 
of plants and charming varieties; their 
Princ?ess Victoria Louise, Royal George, Mrs. 
freely-flow^ered, fresh examples of Allamanda 
nobilis, Bougainvillea Sanderiana, Statics 
Gilberti, S. profusa, Erica Aitoniana, E. 
Eweriana, a superb plant six feet through; 
Ixora Duffi, Clerodendron Balfouri, and Ron- 
deletia speciosa, with Croton Countess, C. 
Warreni, and Kentia Fosteriana. Mr. ’W. R. 
Manning, Dudley, second with much smaller 
plants. Messrs. J. Cypher and Sons also led 
for thirty stove and greenhouse plants ar¬ 
ranged on a space of 250 sq. ft.; here the 
leading kinds were Ixora Regina, I. Duffi, 
Croton Sunset, and Statice Gilberti; Mr. 
W. R. Manning again second. 
HARDY PLANT AND ALPINE GROUPS. 
The schedule required a group of hardy 
flowering plants and aquatics (cut flowers 
staged in water allowed). Artistic arrange¬ 
ment, and the most natural presentment of 
established growth to count; 300 sq. ft. al¬ 
lowed. Messrs. Gunn and Sons, Olton, were 
placed first, and their design was that of a 
broad, semi-circular border, grass verged, 
and a small semi-circular pool of water-lilies, 
rimmed with rockwork, in front. It was a 
