6 
Pot Plant in Flower—J. Yorke, 1; A. 
Tymms, 2; R. C. Cummings, 3. 
Of recent years a practice that is finding 
much favour with several of our leading 
gardeners who possess lawns is the planting 
of clumps of Sparaxis and Freezias, &c., in 
the grass. The plants thrive exceedingly 
well, and the effect produced is very 
beautiful. 
Owing to the scarcity of rain during the 
winter the outlook was not very bright for the 
success of gardens during the ensuing 
season, but thanks to the recent showers our 
gardeners have brightened up, and conse- 
quently buckled to with greater zest. 
O— 
Victoria. 
[From cur own Correspondent. ] 
“Melbourne, September. 
The event of the month in Melbourne was 
the Royal Agricultural Society’s Daffodil 
Show. Beautiful as the harbinger of Spring 
the Daffodil may be, it would be a mono- 
tonous display without the variety lent by 
flowers of equal beauty in their own spheres 
of art display. Hence it is that the Show is 
made up of flowers in season, and as such 
was arich display of beauty. The Azaleas, 
Cinerarias, and Cyclamens were a charm of 
colour, and the surrounding Palms and 
ornamental foliage plants created a paradise 
of beauty which as a display in Nature’s 
handiwork of art defies any attempt at 
description. 
But the Daffodils were given pride of 
place, and without elaborating upon any 
special features of the exhibits we quote the 
report of the champion prizes from the Argus. 
The writer of this expresses the opinion that 
it was the best spring display yet seen in 
Melbourne, and we are inclined to agree 
with him. Speaking more particularly he 
goes on to say that Mr Leonard Buckland, 
of Camperdown, an amateur enthusiast, who 
has year by year become more prominent 
with his exhibits, has this time reached the 
height of his ambition by simply sweeping 
away the first prizes in both the open and 
amateur classes. Such a perfect lot of 
Daffodils has never before been seen in 
Melbourne—all luxurious and robust, and 
with a perfect glow in the varying colours, 
that can only have been achieved by endless 
attention and intelligence, coupled with a 
great love for the flower itself, as well as 
appreciation of the honours of competition. 
Mr. Buckland won for the third time the 
amateur champion cup, presented by several 
leading members of the Society, and the 
Challenge Daffodil Vase, presented by Dr. 
and Mrs. Garnet Soilleaux, for a collection 
of 24 blooms, and both these trophies now 
become his property. : 
The champion prize for a collection was 
another feather in his cap, and he won Mr. 
James Long’s special for the best single long 
trumpet, with a glorious specimen of King 
Alfred, and Mr. William Anderson’s special 
for a medium trumpet bloom, with a beauti- 
fully delicate Poeticus Almira To go in 
detail through Mr. Buckland’s collection 
would be but the repetition of the same note 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER 
OcTOBER I, 1902. 
of warmest praise. There was hardly a weak 
bloom amongst the lot, but those likely to 
catch the eye, both of the specialist and the 
ordinary lover of beauty, are Maximus, King 
Alfred, Empress (really magnificent), Mimie 
Hume, Madeline de Graaf, Praecox Grandi- 
flora, Innocence, Dr. Fell, and Poeticus 
Almira, the last the finest specimen of the 
Poeticus Narcissi ever seen in this Show, 
Mr. Paton, Mr. Boyce, and Mr. Arthur 
Yates, of Sydney, had all good collections, 
and prominent, in a small collection sent for 
exhibition by Mr. Walter Clarke, of Glenara, 
were Plenipo, Brunett Poe, Flambeau, and 
Golden Spur. 
Oo— 
South Australia. 
[From our own Correspondent. | 
Adelaide, September. 
The month of September being the first 
of our spring months, when many of our 
gardens were expected to show signs of their 
coming glory from the comparative dulness 
of autumn, one might fairly have expected to 
see more than the gardeners presented, beau- 
tiful as they are. 
It was during this month, too, that our 
two Shows were to present the florists’ beau- 
ties in their most radiant perfection. We 
were not disappointed in the Shows, but re- 
garding the cottage and more pretentious 
gardens, especially in the suburbs, they were 
not looking so gay as they should. Almost 
every gardener joins in the ready excuse that 
the season is at fault, and one or two of them 
appear to be quite puzzled about it. Seasons 
have a way of varying their temperatures 
just enough to upset the calculations of even 
the best of our gardeners. One remarked 
the other day, while smarting under some 
disappointment about his blooms, that no 
man can be a gardener and a Christian at 
the same time. This gentleman was evi- 
dently a true lineal descendant of that bad 
old Adam, who, it would seem, suffered in 
like manner to. our friend. Adam evidently 
recognised the fact that no man could be a 
gardener and retain all the true instinct and 
virtures of heaven-born goodness as revealed 
later in modern Christianity. Be all this as 
it may, we sympathise with our mutual 
friend in his disappointments. And, not- 
withstanding that the September gardens in 
and about Adelaide (one expects to see. so 
much because of their reputation) were not 
so gay as they might have been, yet there 
was much beauty to be seen as evidence of 
faithful and happy work. ~ 
Speaking personally I have visited very 
many gardens both from the inside and also 
from ‘the outside of the front fence, and I 
must say the peculiarity about our cottage 
gardeners is their marvellous, versatility of 
style and taste. One may travel for miles 
and miles around the City of Adelaide and 
nowhere will be seen two’ styles and tastes 
alike. Nay, indeed, will they: be in any de- 
gree whatever alike. Certainly this marked 
variation has its pleasing aspects, but when 
one considers the extent of it there is a good 
deal to wonder at, particularly where condi- 
tions of opportunity, time, ‘situation, and’ en- 
vironment generally vary so little within 
given areas. or instance, one may walk 
along a terrace of suburban houses, or a 
whole street length, and in no two gardens 
will the observer notice anything like the 
same style of plan. Every plan possible 
and no plan at all are all represented there, 
Almost every flower may have its representa- 
tive, but hardly any will be seen under 
similar conditions. Some early, some late, 
some spread in confusion here and dotted 
indiscriminately there, and so on indefinitely. 
Fault must not be found with all this, it is 
hardly worth while, but the peculiarity is very 
striking. 
The Daffodil Show in the Town Hall was 
the first of its kind held in Adelaide, 
and as a show was very good, but the dis- 
play of Melbourne growers not for competi- 
- tion must have convinced Adelaide people 
that they have a good deal yet to learn in 
the matter of arrangement in exhibiting. 
There is little doubt but that the climate 
over the Border is more congenial to the 
perfection of the popular blooms, if 
we except Mount Gambier, from 
where we should be glad to see some 
exhibits in next year’s Show. Possibly 
the unusual dryness of the season was against 
the exhibitors, and perhaps with a better 
season and a little more experience the Ade- 
laide gardeners will do better next year. 
The principal prize-takers were Messrs. 
GC. F. Newman & Son, Mr. J. J. Gabb, Mrs. 
Laurence, Mr. W. Hackett, Mr. T. W. 
Babbage, Mr. E. Gries, Mr. W_ Rodgers, 
and Mr. H. J. Pearce. 
The display of Cyclamens from the garden 
of Mr. George Laughton was a marvel of 
beauty, and the exhibit of Hyacinths by 
Mr. W. Hackett was such that is rarely seen 
at any Show. ‘The spikes of bloom were 
perfect. 
The exhibition included a show of 
Pansies, Camellias, Carnations, and Violets, 
all of excellent merit. 
The Royal Agricultural Society's Show 
later in the month was one of the best in 
flowers that I have seen, and the large Exhi- 
bition Hall was certainly more tastefully 
arranged for the display than on any previous 
occasion. The Roses for this season of the 
year were good, and in every other depart- 
ment there was marked evidence of general 
improvement. The Camellia cut flowers 
were suberp. 
Labels for Plants and 
Trees. 
The best labels are those made of iron 
with the names cast in the surface. ‘There 
are concerns which make such labels. These, 
however, are expensive, and cannot always 
be used. For home-made labels, I have 
never found anything better for shrubs and 
low plants than stakes which are neatly let- 
tered with lamp black and oil. Stakes may 
be treated so that they will last a number of 
years. The zinc label, painted with lamp 
black and oil, makes a very excellent tree 
label, and will last several years. Some of 
the very fancy glass and porcelain labels are, 
of course, excellent when one can afford 
them, 
