516 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  14  1899. 
WHAT  I  SAW  AT  THE  SHOW. 
I  AM  not  going  to  give  myself  away  by  telling  where  the  show 
was  ;  it  is  quite  sufficient  to  mention  it  was  held  in  a  prosperous 
cathedral  city,  a  city  full  of  rich  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  and  also 
full  of  rich  manufacturers;  the  surrounding  neighbourhood  abounds 
in  country  seats  where  as  yet  the  owners  are  able  to  maintain  their 
gardens.  Knowing  all  this  I  went  to  the  much-vaunted,  .widely 
advertised  Chrysanthemum  show,  only  to  come  away  rather  dis¬ 
appointed. 
Having  frequently  visited  the  November  show  in  an  adjacent 
seaport  town  I  expected  something  on  the  same  lines.  Well,  of 
course  there  were  “  Mums,”  but  least  said,  soonest  mended — no  great 
variety,  nu  novelties,  and  no  great  quantity  ;  all  looked  a  bit  passe. 
The  groups  were  the  prettier,  but  they  were  so  stiff ;  the  bamboo 
cane  was  so  obvious,  in  many  cases  supporting  only  a  very  s- cond 
class  bloom.  Some  plants  ought  really  to  have  been  kept  at  home, 
the  blooms  were  in  cudain  cases  ragged,  in  others  undeveloped.  I 
can  never  believe  that  a  mirror  thickly  wreathed  with  flowers  is  in 
good  taste,  one  so  wants  to  take  off  the  poor  flowers,  cut  the  stems, 
and  give  them  a  liberal  supply  of  water. 
There  is  one  thing  that  always  strikes  me  about  “Mums;”  can 
no  one  invent  a  better  way  for  exhibiting  cut  blooms  ?  There  is 
nothing  artistic  about  the  arrangement;  stiff  and  formal  as  a  Yew 
hedge,  without  a  suggestion  of  greenery  to  relieve  the  eye.  You 
might  just  as  well  exhibit  some  handsome  ribbon  or  paper  rosettes 
as  far  as  effect  goes.  There  was  a  time  when  Lilies  were  forced  sans 
leaves  ;  well,  that  was  soon  altered.  Cannot  something  be  done  to 
make  the  gorgeous  flowers  more  like  realities  than  they  are  ?  Their 
own  green  is  so  good,  and  so  in  harmony  with  all  the  colours,  it  seems 
a  pity  to  leave  it  out  of  the  scheme  of  decoration.  The  pot  plants  are  a 
better,  save  where  they  are  trained  to  death ;  trained  out  of  all 
natural  grace  and  beauty. 
Is  it  not  time  the  shower  bouquets  were  seen  no  more  ?  The  maker 
knows,  the  buyer  knows,  the  wearer  knows,  and  possibly  the  flowers 
know,  what  a  tremendous  part  wire  plays  in  their  construction.  I 
do  not  advocate  the  stiff,  hard,  round  posy,  but  surely  something 
lighter  and  more  natural  could  be  done.  To  my  mind  too  many 
flowers  are  used,  fewer  would  look  better,  to  say  nothing  about  the 
difference  in  weight. 
Then  there  were  the  stands  of  decorative  plants  for  winter, 
excluding  Mums  and  Orchids.  Some  of  the  foliage  plants  were 
beautiful  trailing  variegated  things  that  would  always  be  a  pleasure, 
but  there  was  such  a  lack  of  brilliant  colour,  too  little  Poinsettia,  no 
Winter  Cheer  Carnation,  no  really  good  “Geraniums.”  What  was 
wanted  were  some  really  good,  compact,  well  grown  “  Geraniums,” 
full  of  bloom,  such  as  a  country  parson  I  once  knew  could  always  get 
in  his  greenhouse  for  November;  he  could  teach  these  professional 
gardeners  a  thing  or  two,  and  give  them  a  sermon  into  the  bargain 
which  they  would  not  forget.  I  noticed  the  prizes  in  this  class  were 
given  by  a  worthy  gentleman  whose  father  long,  long  ago  was  the 
first  suggestor  and  first  prizegiver,  and  I  thought  of  a  grand  Maiden¬ 
hair  that  at  the  first  exhibition  had  stayed  at  home. 
There  was  a  delicious  table  of  royal  Violets,  royal  in  colour  and 
perfume,  and  some  royal  by  name.  No  wonder  that  stand  was 
thronged.  How  sweet  in  November  to  get  such  a  whiff  of  spring. 
Now  I  want  to  appeal  to  my  friends  on  a  matter  of  taste.  Usually 
this  end  of  the  year  presents  few  attractions  out  of  doors.  True  there 
is  sport,  but  the  most  ardent  sportsman  is  really  only  too  glad  to  get 
in  out  of  the  fog  and  the  mist,  the  dripping  hedgerows,  and  the 
clinging  fallows — only  too  glad  to  meet  the  brilliant  warmth  of  the 
dining-room,  with  its  crimson  colouring  and  well-spread  table.  Do 
you  not  think  the  table,  too,  should  be  radiant  in  colour,  to  counteract 
the  dreary  outside  ?  There  should  be  a  glow  on  it — a  rosy  hue  ;  and 
that  cannot  be  attained  by  white  flowers  and  masses  of  green.  Leave 
the  white  and  the  green  for  the  dog-day  decoration  or  the  sweltering 
heat  of  an  August  evening,  and  then  do  not  hang  trails  of  Smilax  at 
the  table  corners.  No  man  or  maid  can  possibly  wait  without  putting 
them  off.  Do  not  decorate  with  little  bows  of  ribbon  of  uncertain 
colour,  and  with  queer  little  fancy  vases,  that  hold  neither  flowers  nor 
water  satisfactorily.  Choose  “  coloury  ”  fruit,  there  is  plenty  of  it 
this  season  ;  or  if  you  cannot  get  it,  use  some  of  the  bright  crystallised 
confections.  If  you  have  candle  shades,  let  them  add  to  the  general 
warmth  ;  and  do  not  make  so  high  a  centrepiece  as  to  effectually  cut 
off  intercourse  between  host  and  hostess,  and  guest  and  guest.  I  once 
saw  late  in  the  year  long  trails  of  the  tiny  A.  Veifchi  used — passing 
from  caudle  to  candle,  stand  to  stand.  A  table  wholly  white  is 
ghastly,  and  reminds  one  of  a  funeral  feast.  That  leads  up  to  the 
wreaths.  Flowers  are  all  very  well  for  the  young,  but  for  the  middle 
aged  and  old  an  evergreen  wreath  is  best,  teaching  of  the  immortality 
of  the  soul.  Add  a  cluster  of  flowers  at  one  side  if  you  will,  to  preach 
of  our  mortality. 
It  may  be  people  will  say  I  am  too  severe  in  my  strictures,  but 
this  is  just  how  the  show  struck  me.  I  know,  indeed,  what  labour  is 
necessary  to  produce  a  single  stand,  but  I  felt  surprised  that  wealthy 
people  were  so  poorly  represented.  Perhaps  I  expected  too  much. 
I  certainly  was  struck  by  the  lack  of  taste  in  the  table  decorations, 
and  the  flatness  of  some  of  the  stands  of  foliage  and  decorative  plants. 
— The  Missus. 
THE  CHRISTMAS  ROSE. 
Few  are  the  flowers  yielded  by  the  outdoor  garden  in  the’depth 
of  winter,  and  among  the  few,  the  Christmas  Rose,  as  Helleborus 
niger  is  called,  holds  perhaps  the  highest  place.  Its  pure,  though  cold 
beauty,  its  shapely  form,  and  the  scarcity  of  other  flowers,  giveRt 
value  in  our  eyes.  It  is  a  plant  of  some  antiquity,  for  we  are  told 
that  it  was  named  Melampodium,  in  honour  of  a  famed  physician, 
Melampus  by  name,  who  lived  in  Peloponnesus  some  1530  years  before 
Christ,  and  who  used  it  largely  in  his  art,  curing  by  its  aid,  among 
others,  the  mental  affection  of  the  daughters  of  Prcetus,  King  of 
Argos.  This  led  to  the  plant  being  looked  upon  with  a  superstitious 
reverence  by  the  people.  To  us  in  the  present  day,  however,  it  is  of 
interest  because  of  its  uses  in  the  garden.  The  Christmas  Roses  now 
number  a  good  many  varieties,  which  differ  considerably  in  vigour  of 
growth,  in  size  of  flowers,  and,  to  some  extent  also,  in  purity  of  colour. 
In  the  following  notes  only  a  proportion  of  the  varieties  now  available 
are  mentioned.  There  are  others  deserving  a  place  in  goo  I  gardens. 
The  Giant  Cheistmas  Rose. 
One  of  the  finest  of  the  Christmas  Roses  is  H.  niger  maximus,  the 
Great  Christmas  Rose,  which  is  a  vigorous  plant  with  large,  deep  green 
leaves,  and  having  white  flowers  with  a  slight  rosy  tinge,  which  is 
absent  if  the  plants  are  opened  under  glass.  It  may  be  had  in  bloom 
from  the  end  of  October  to  January.  It  is  now  reasonable  in  price, 
although  a  little  more  expensive  than  the  ordinary  form. 
The  Oedinaey  Cheistmas  Rose. 
This  can  now  be  bought  at  a  low  price.  Import' d  roots  can  often 
be  had  very  cheaply,  but  those  who  want  a  nice  effect  had  better  buy 
home-grown  clumps.  The  common  Helleborus  niger  has  smaller 
flowers  than  the  variety  already  spoken  of,  and  is  less  vigorous  in  _ 
habit.  It  also  comes  into  bloom  rather  later. 
The  Bath  Cheistmas  Rose. 
This  is  altogether  a  superior  form,  with  large  flowers  of  great 
purity  and  beauty.  They  are  produced  in  succession  from  about 
December  to  March.  This  is  a  very  desirable  Christmas  Rose,  which 
is  well  worth  the  few  pence  more  that  it  costs  over  the  ordinary  type. 
St.  Beigid’s  Cheistmas  Rose. 
This  is  a  favourite  with  many  who  have  not  been  deterred  by  its 
rather  higher  price  from  becoming  its  happy  possessors.  It  comes 
into  bloom  in  December,  and  produces  its  flowers  in  great  numbers 
from  that  time  until  February.  These  flowers  are  prettily  imbricated,, 
and  the  plant  is  distinguished  by  its  large  pale  green  leaves. 
Othee  Yaeieties. 
Varieties  of  the  Christmas  Rose  become  more  numerous,  and  this 
accession  to  their  ranks  is  likely  to  increase  as  the  taste  for  hardy 
flowers  grows.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  this  plant  has  yet 
attained  perfection,  and  seedling  raisers  yet  hope  for  further  improve¬ 
ment.  A  good  variety  is  Madame  Fourgade,  a  good  Helleborus  with 
pure  white  blooms.  Yal  de  Ledio  is  also  a  pretty  variety,  much  of 
whose  beauty  consists  in  the  length  and  purity  of  colour  of  the  bud. 
Baskin  Hill  is  also  a  form  of  considerable  merit.  One  could  add 
several  oth  rs,  but  to  do  so  appears  unnecessary  for  the  scope  of  these 
notes.  Those  already  named  will  form  a  fair  nucleus  for  a  collection.. 
Cultivation. 
In  many  gardens  the  Helleborus  is  not  a  success,  a  circumstance- 
largely  due  to  the  lightness  and  poverty  of  the  soil.  To  insure  good 
results  it  is  essential  that  the  plants  be  well  treated.  They  ought  to 
have  a  good,  rather  stiff  soil,  with  the  addition  of  plenty  of  manure. 
Where  the  soil  is  naturally  of  a  light  character  it  should  be  improved 
by  the  addition  of  a  stiffer  compost.  Another  cause  of  the  comparative 
or  total  failure  of  the  plants  is  the  want  of  water  in  summer.  They 
should  not  be  allowed  to  suffer  from  deficiency  in  this  respect.  For 
my  part,  I  advocate  planting  in  August,  although  it  may  be  done  in 
spring  or  even  in  summer  il  care  be  taken  that  the  plants  do  not  suffer 
from  drought  afterwards. 
In  winter,  when  the  plants  are  coming  into  bloom,  it  will  be  found 
profitable  to  cover  them  with  a  hand-light  raised  on  a  few  bricks. 
This  will  add  to  the  purity  of  the  flowers  and  keep  them  from  being- 
splashed  with  earth  during  heavy  rains.  Although  rather  tedious, 
raising  Christmas  Roses  from  seeds  is  interesting  work.  The  seeds  are 
best  sown  whenever  ripe,  but  this  is  not  essential,  although  older  seeds 
are  longer  of  germinating.  They  may  be  sown  in  the  open  or  in  pots 
or  seed-pans. — S.  Arnott. 
