November  2,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
387 
E.  Molyneux,  Phoebus,  C.  B.  Haywood,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Palmer  and  Fair 
Maid.  Mr.  H.  Hurst,  gardener  to  W.  T.  Holland,  Esq.,  The  Gables, 
Bexley,  was  second,  and  Mr.  C.  JordaD,  gardener  to  H.  Horkier,  Esq., 
Hayes  Common,  was  a  good  third. 
Six  stands  of  twelve  varieties,  distinct,  were  staged,  the  first  prize 
falling  to  Mr.  C.  Payne  for  an  excellent  board.  His  varieties  were 
Australia,  Madame  G.  Debrie,  .Tames  Bidencope,  Mrs.  White  Popham, 
E.  Molyneux,  John  Bridgeman,  General  Paquie,  Purple  Emperor,  The 
Wonderful,  Phoebus,  Pride  of  Madford,  and  Mad.  G.  Marin.  Mr.  E.  Dove 
was  a  good  second,  and  Mr.  H.  Hurst  third. 
The  incurved  classes  do  not  appear  popular,  and  there  were  only  two 
entries  for  twelve  blooms,  distinct.  Mr.  J.  E.  Poole,  gardener  to  A.  G. 
Hubbuck,  Esq.,  Chislehurst,  was  first  with  good  blooms  of  Jeanne  d’Arc, 
Emile  Nonin,  Globe  d’Or,  Madame  Darier,  and  Mr.  Jas.  Murray,  while 
Mr.  J.  Lyne,  gardener  to  H.  F.  Tiarks,  Esq.,  Chislehurst,  was  second 
with  smaller  flowers. 
There  were  three  competitors  for  twelve  reflexed  blooms,  Mr.  J.  E. 
Poole  being  easily  first  with  fine  examples  of  Dorothy  Gibson,  Cloth  of 
Gold,  Chas.  Tutt,  and  Amy  Furze.  Mr.  J.  Lyne  was  second,  and  Mr. 
Russell,  Crayford,  third. 
For  six  Japanese,  one  variety,  white,  Mr.  W.  Tebay  was  well  ahead 
with  excellent  blooms  of  Emily  Silsbury,  followed  Dy  Mr.  C.  Jordan, 
who  staged  Madame  Carnot,  and  the  same  exhibitor  was  third  with 
Mrs.  J.  Lewis.  For  six  coloured  blooms,  one  variety,  Mr.  C.  Payne  was 
first  with  grand  blooms  of  Mrs.  White  Popbam.  Mr.  G.  H.  Meggs, 
gardener  to  C.  T.  Tapp,  Esq.,  Bromley,  was  second  with  J.  E.  Clayton, 
and  Mr.  J.  A.  Baker,  gardener  to  F.  G.  Boot,  Esq.,  Mottingharo,  was 
third  with  Col.  Smith.  The  incurved  blooms  were  good,  Mr.  J.  E.  Poole 
winning  first  place  with  a  good  six  of  Globe  d’Or.  Mr.  Russell  followed 
witn  Baron  Hirsch,  and  Mr.  G.  Evans,  gardener  to  Mrs.  T.  Penn, 
Lewisham,  was  third  with  the  same  variety.  Mr.  Russell  was  the  only 
exhibitor  of  Pompons,  and  was  awarded  first  prize.  The  best  were 
Black  Douglas,  Fremy,  W.  Westlake,  and  Emily  Rowbottom. 
For  a  group  of  foliage  and  flowering  plants  Mr.  Lyne  proved  the 
victor  with  a  group  of  Crotons,  Palms,  Ferns  and  Grasses,  with  a  few 
Orchids,  Begonias,  and  Anthuriums  ;  and  Mr.  E.  Dove  was  awarded 
third  prize. 
Mr.  Jas.  Williams,  College  Park  Nursery,  Lewisham,  arranged  two 
groups  of  market  Chrysanthemums.  The  plants  were  growing  in  5-inch 
pots,  the  majority  carrying  from  nine  to  twelve  good  flowers.  The 
varieties  employed  were  Souvenir  de  Petite  Amie,  Ivory  (both  the  pink 
and  white  forms),  Phoebus,  John  Shrimpton,  Philadelphia,  and  Mdlle. 
Lacroix.  Messrs.  Jas.  Yeitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Chelsea,  contributed  an 
artistic  group  of  foliage  plants,  including  some  fine  Dracsenas,  Crotons, 
Palms,  and  Eerns,  while  the  flowering  plants  comprised  a  fine  basket  of 
Lily  ot  the  Valley,  Cattleya  labiata,  well-grown  plants  of  Ericas  gracilis 
and  hyemalis,  with  clumps  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  The  entire 
group  had  a  groundwork  of  Adiantums  and  Gymnogrammas. 
Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  was  represented  by  a  group  of  dwarf  Chrysan¬ 
themums,  backed  with  some  Bamboos,  Palms,  and  other  foliage  plants, 
with  a  beautiful  surrounding  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine,  edged  with 
Adiantums  and  Panicum  variegatum. 
Fruit  was  extensively  staged  by  Messrs.  Cutbush  &  Son,  who 
arranged  over  100  dishes  of  Apples  and  a  few  Pears,  excellent  dishes 
heing  staged  of  Lady  Sudeley,  Baumann’s  Red  Reinette,  Blenheim  Pippin, 
Emperor  Alexander,  and  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch.  Relief  was  given 
by  some  well-grown  Oranges  and  Palms  in  pots.  Messrs.  J.  Laing  and 
Sons,  Forest  Hill,  also  staged  a  large  collection  of  well-grown  Apples, 
the  culinary  varieties  being  especially  clean  and  bright.  A  few  plants 
relieved  the  bareness  of  the  table. 
MERTENSIA  V1RGINICA. 
The  Virginian  Lungwort  is  not,  as  “  W.  Palmer”  suggests,  a  new 
plant  in  English  gardens.  It  has  a  fleshy  rhizome-like  root.  Flower 
stems  12  to  18  inches  high,  with  numerous  ovate  smooth  leaves  and 
terminate  clusters  of  flowers,  each  an  inch  or  more  long,  tubular,  with  a 
spreading,  basin-shaped  limb.  Before  the  flowers  expand  they  are  of  a 
reddish  purple  colour,  and  afterwards  change  to  rich  porcelain  blue, 
which,  contrasted  with  the  still  unexpanded  buds,  is  very  pleasing.  It 
flowers  in  April  and  May,  and  has  been  known  in  this  country  for 
nearly  200  years,  being  first  raised  from  seed  sent  from  Virginia  in  the 
garden  then  belonging  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  at  Fulham,  and  was 
highly  esteemed,  and  it  is  still  regarded  as  one  of  our  best  hardy 
plants.  It  is  found  in  all  the  mountainous  districts  of  the  eastern 
United  States. 
It  grows  fairly  well  in  ordinary  border  soil,  but  it  delights  most  in 
a  mixture  of  peat,  leaf  soil,  and  sand  in  a  damp  and  shady  border  ;  a 
partially  shaded  position  ;  and  if  protected  from  strong  winds  so  much 
the  more  likely  is  it  that  the  period  of  beauty  will  be  extended.  Soon 
after  flowering  the  stem  dies.  In  this  particular  it  differs  greatly  from 
the  Siberian  species,  as  the  stems  from  that  plant  are  much  more  per¬ 
sistent.  Tne  only  way  to  propagate  it  is  by  division,  unless  seed  is 
imported,  but  that  is  unnecessary,  as  it  rapidly  increases  ;  and  this 
should  be  done  in  early  autumn  or  very  early  spring  before  the  plants 
are  in  active  growth,  so  as  to  cause  as  little  check  as  possible  to  them. 
THE  FLORAL  SEASON. 
The  closing  year  of  the  century  has  been  one  of  weather  surprises ; 
a  seed  time  so  cold  and  wet  that,  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  humbler 
class  of  gardeners,  who  likes  to  use  a  big  word  on  occasion,  “  The 
*  degeneration  ’  of  seeds  could  not  have  been  worse.”  All  plants 
usually  put  out  in  early  spring  were  retarded  through  late  planting. 
In  the  case  of  Carnations  the  soil  was  so  hopelessly  bad  that  some  of 
the  commoner  sorts  were  not  planted  at  all,  and  the  better  varieties 
were  grown  in  pots  and  planted  out  in  early  summer.  Newly 
planted  herbaceous  “stuff”  made  practically  no  growth  till  July,  and 
summer  blooming  plants  that  had  not  been  established  the  previous 
year  were  of  only  slight  account.  The  resulting  effect  generally  was 
an  accession  of  labour,  as  many  flower  seeds  that  were  sown  where 
it  was  intended  the  plants  should  bloom  having  failed  to  germinate, 
it  was  necessary  to  transplant  seedlings  to  make  good  the  blanks. 
However,  with  the  flowering  of  the  early  summer  plants  which 
had  been  thoroughly  established  previously,  the  earnest  of  a  season 
remarkable  for  the  wealth  and  the  bright  colouring  of  its  flowers  was 
given.  German  Iris,  English  Iris,  and  the  species  such  as  pallida, 
aurea,  florentina,  and  others  which  bloom  about  the  same  time, 
followed  by  early  Liliums,  croceum,  elegans,  and  Martagons,  were  all 
surpassingly  beautiful.  Roses  of  all  sections  have  been  wonderfully 
profuse  in  bloom  ;  the  delicately  chaste  colorisation  of  the  old  double 
Scots  Roses,  with  buds  and  expanded  blossoms  gemming  the  gracefully 
recurving  branches,  anew  giving  rise  to  wonder  that  a  race  so  charming 
should  have  been  allowed  to  sink  into  obscurity.  Along  with  these 
the  earlier  climbing  Roses  yielded  the  eye  a  harvest  of  quiet  beauty, 
though  to  the  most  charming  of  all,  Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar  Rose, 
“  brilliant”  is  the  adjective  that  ought  to  be  employed.  Day  after 
day,  and  week  after  week,  until  six  of  the  latter  had  passed,  the 
brilliance  of  its  quaintly  shaped  blooms  continued,  their  glory  varying 
with  the  morning,  midday,  and  evening  light. 
The  advent  of  the  H.P.’s.  and  Teas  was  heralded  by  drought  and 
heat  that  was  beginning  to  tell  prejudicially  on  vegetation,  but  a 
dressing  of  chemical  manure  first  hoed  deeply  into  the  surface  soil  and 
then  washed  down  with  water  exerted  an  influence  for  good  that  has 
continued  till  now.  The  foliage  and  buds  were  cleansed  of  aphis  by 
means  of  quassia  extract  in  water,  and  an  early  attack  of  mildew 
stayed  by  spraying.  I  do  not  remember  the  colouring  to  have 
been  brighter  or  purer  than  in  this  year’s  Roses,  but  in  size  of 
bloom  they  were  less  bulky  than  last  year.  The  season  has  been 
further  remarkable  in  emphasising  the  sterling  qualities  of  Gloire  de 
Dijon  as  a  garden  Rose,  and  in  raising  one’s  estimate  of 
W.  A.  Richardson,  which  has  bloomed  continuously  since  May,  so 
placing  it  alongside  the  first  named  as  being  equally  indispensable ; 
while  Alister  Stella  Gray,  though  not  coming  into  flower  till  late, 
has  proved  itself  one  of  the  freest  to  bloom  of  all  Roses  in  autumn. 
