December  21,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
551 
NOTES  ON  CLIMBERS. 
Many  plants  of  climbing  habit  are  now  used  for  the  decoration  or 
pillars,  walls,  and  rafters  in  stoves  and  conservatories.  Some  climbing 
plants  require  an  exotic  heat  to  grow  them  well,  and  others  succeed  best 
when  grown  in  a  cool  atmosphere  ;  in  tact,  there  is  no  scarcity  of  choice 
plants  of  both  classes,  and  a  caretul  selection  from  both  will  add  beauty 
and  interest  to  all  kinds  of  plant  structures.  Some  plants  have  sweet- 
scented  flowers,  others  have  showy  leaves  without  flowers  of  any  import¬ 
ance  ;  but,  with  the  great  demand  for  cut  flowers  which  now  exists  in 
nearly  every  garden,  climbing  plants  that  will  supply  plenty  of  flowers 
suitable  for  cutting  arc  those  most  in  demand,  and  which  deserve  to  be 
grown  most  extensively. 
Amongst  stove  climbers  the  old  Stephanotis  floribunda  is  well  known 
to  be  of  great  value.  Its  green  leaves  have  no  special  attraction,  but  its 
flowers  are  unsurpassed  in  their  purity  of  colour  and  fragrance.  Cutting 
them  does  not  disfigure  the  appearance  of  the  plant,  and  there  is  no  kind 
of  floral  arrangement  into  which  the  flowers  cannot  be  wrought  with 
advantage.  The  Stephanotis  is  very  common,  yet  I  do  not  think  it  is  so 
much  grown  as  it  should  be  for  cutting  from.  Instead  of  growing  only, 
perhaps,  a  single  plant  of  it  up  a  rafter,  it  should  be  planted  in  every 
odd  corner  of  a  heated  structure  where  space  can  be  afforded. 
The  worst  feature  of  the  plant  is  its  dirty  nature.  There  is  no  plant 
in  our  gardens  to  w  hich  mealy  bug  and  other  insects  are  more  attaelnd. 
Still,  when  these  are  not  allowed  to  make 
much  headway,  it  is  surprising  how  little 
attention  the  plants  require  in  the  way  of 
being  kept  clean.  Frequent  sponging  is  the 
best  way  ot  cleansing,  and  syringing  has  a 
tendency  to  accomplish  the  same  end. 
Allamandas  are  useful  hothouse  climbers 
so  long  as  the  flowers  are  only  wanted  on 
the  plants,  but  I  have  never  found  them  in 
much  demand  in  a  cut  state.  All  the  flowers 
are  yehow,  and  rather  clumsy  in  iorm,  but 
they  are  generally  produce!  in  great  numbers, 
and  are  very  showy  on  the  roof  of  a  stove. 
A.  Schotti  does  not  p  oduce  such  large 
flowers  as  A  Henderson!,  which  is  the 
variety  most  to  be  preferred. 
Dipladenias  might  be  classed  with  Alla¬ 
mandas  so  far  as  the  form  and  general  cha¬ 
racter  of  the  flowers  is  concerned,  but  the 
former  are  much  more  attractive  than  the 
latter  ;  indeed,  the  Dipladenias  are  the  finest 
flowering  stove  climbers  we  possess.  I  have 
no  doubt  the  old  rosy  crimson  flowering 
D.  amabilis  will  be  the  best  known  to  many 
readers,  and  although  it  is  not  so  brilliant  as 
the  newer  D.  Brearleyana,  it  is  still  to  be 
preferred,  as  being  freer  in  growth  and  more 
likely  to  succeed  with  those  not  accustomed 
to  deal  with  shy-growing  plants. 
Were  I  restricted  to  one  stove  climber 
besides  the  Stephanotis,  I  would  have  no 
hesitation  in  selecting  Clerodendron  Bal~ 
fourianum.  Its  lovely  crimson  and  white 
flowers  are  not  only  highly  ornamental  on 
the  plant,  but  in  a  cut  state  they  are  ex¬ 
ceedingly  useful,  and  as  they  are  always 
produced  in  abundance  the  value  of  the  plant 
is  thereby  much  increased. 
These  four  distinct  stove  climbers  may  all  be  grown  to  perfection 
under  the  same  circumstances.  The  plants  are  often  placed  in  pots  and 
trained  round  small  trellises  :  but  their  attractions  are  never  seen  to  the 
greatest  advantage  under  this  restricted  system  of  growth.  To  develop 
their  beauty  to  the  fullest  extent  every  one  of  them  should  be  planted  out 
and  allowed  plenty  of  room  for  extension  and  development.  A  mixture 
of  loam,  peat,  and  sand  suits  them  well,  and  good  drainage  and  liberal 
cultivation  in  every  way  I  always  find  to  be  most  remunerative. 
Hoya  carnosa  is  a  quick-growing  plant,  which  does  better  in  a  warm 
stove  than  in  a  cool  greenhouse.  It  delights  in  plenty  of  peat  and  sand. 
The  flowers  are  produced  in  clusters,  are  pinkish  white  in  colour,  and  of 
a  waxy  texture.  They  are  admirably  suited  for  bouquets  and  buttonholes. 
The  best  of  the  Bassifloras  for  general  purposes  I  consider  to  be  alata, 
amabilis,  tulgecs,  and  quadrangularis.  all  the  flowers  of  which  are  very 
attractive,  and  the  fru  t  of  the  last-named  is  of  considerable  merit  for 
dessert.  Like  other  climbers  thty  do  best  planted  out,  and  a  little 
decayed  manure  may  be  added  to  the  loam  and  peat  in  which  they  are 
placed. 
Those  selecting  greenhouse  climbers  must  never  think  of  leaving  out 
the  two  Lapagerias,  L  rosea  and  L.  alba.  The  finest  plants  of  both  kinds 
I  have  ever  seen  were  planted  out  in  rough  loam,  peat,  and  sand,  with 
plenty  of  drainage,  and  ihey  were  perfectly  saturated  with  water  while 
making  their  young  wood.  The  white  one  is  rather  slow  of  starting  into 
growth,  but  when  it  does  begin  it  grows  as  freely  as  the  red  one. 
I  have  long  found  Fuchsias  and  Roses  excellent  in  the  conservatory, 
and  when  they  cannot  be  planted  out  in  borders  they  should  be  grown  in 
boxes  or  tubs  of  a  good  size.  Plumbago  capensis  is  also  useful,  espe¬ 
cially  after  it  has  become  established,  as  then  enough  flowers  are  produced 
t-o  make  the  pant  ornamental,  and  plenty  to  cut  from  besides.  Acacia 
Riceana  is  a  grand  climber.  Large  quantities  of  its  graceful  shoots  can 
always  be  cut  away  when  in  flower  without  being  missed.  What  the 
Passifloras  are  in  the  stove  Tacsoma  Van-Volxemi  is  in  the  greenhouse — 
free-growing  ani  excellent.  The  old  Coboea  scandens,  which  is  a 
favourite  in  some  greenhouses,  often  grows  too  rampantly,  and  it  supplies 
nothing  for  the  flower  vases.  Its  variegated  form,  however,  is  attractive 
from  its  pendent  sprays  of  lively  foliage,  and  is  suitable  for  drooping 
from  the  roof  of  a  lofty  conservatory. — R. 
THE  ROYAL  NURSERIES,  NEWTOWNARDS. 
It  was  in  1819  that  the  late  Mr.  Alexander  Dickson  came  over  from 
Lasswade,  Wigtonshire,  and  settled  at  Newtownards,  to  build  up  the 
great  business  which  is  now  carried  on  by  his  son,  Mr.  George 
Dickson,  J.P.,  who  is  in  turn  assisted  by  his  widely  known  and  respected 
sons.  In  Roses  alone  the  firm  has  become  world  famed,  but  readers  must 
not  infer  that  thess  are  the  only  commodities  to  which  attention  is  turned, 
for  everything  that  goes  to  make  up  a  successful  horticultural  under¬ 
taking  is  grown  in  such  a  thorough  manner  as  to  compare  with  the 
best  of  what  we  have  in  England.  If  this  were  disputed,  a  short 
run  from  Belfast  would  soon  land  visitors  into  the  fine  old  town,  with 
its  broad  streets  and  primiiive-looking  houses,  there  to  see  the 
successful  work  of  this  noted  house. 
Roses. 
It  would  be  well  to  speak  of  these  first  , 
for  until  the  wonderful  Irish  Roses  came  into 
our  midst,  the  large  distinct  classes  at  exhi¬ 
bitions  had  many  times  to  be  filled  with 
inferior  varieties.  Now  this  i9  all  changed, 
it  being  no  uncommon  feature  to  see  more 
than  a  score  of  their  introductions  holding 
high  honours  in  one  class.  These  at,  the 
beginning  of  a  lovely  September  day  were 
seen  in  brilliant  condition,  the  stock  consist¬ 
ing  of  some  200,000  Hybrid  Perpetuals  and 
35,000  Teas.  Hardiness  seems  to  be  the 
great  thing  aimed  at,  and  certainly  the  strong 
sturdy  plants  growing  on  the  exposed  hill¬ 
sides,  open  to  all  the  winds  that  blow  from 
the  sea,  some  two  miles  distant,  were  an 
indication  that  with  proper  attention  in  pre¬ 
paring  the  plants  from  the  time  of  budding, 
results  are  more  than  satisfactory.  The  work 
is  faithfully  done  ;  every  Briar  and  Manetti 
is  budded  close  on  to  the  loot,  the  soil  being 
carefully  scraped  away  from  the  stem  until 
the  bud  starts.  Suckers  are  kept  removed, 
so  that  when  the  bud  starts  into  growth  the 
stock  may  be  planted  so  as  to  just  cover  it, 
the  idea  of  suckers  being  reduced  to  a 
minimum. 
Fruit  Teees. 
These  occupy  many  acres,  and  as  in  the 
Roses  the  same  generous  treatment  prevails, 
every  tree  not  being  allowed  to  remain 
longer  than  two  years  in  one  position.  In 
addition  the  pruning  is  done  most  systemati¬ 
cally  and  at  much  extra  labour,  the  cus¬ 
tomers  getting  the  benefit  in  trees  bristling 
with  fruit  buds  and  with  abundance  of  fibroin 
roots.  Stocks  of  all  kinds  are  used,  but  the  free  Apple  which  the  firm 
thinks  so  much  of  proves  itself  splendid,  judging  from  the  wonderful 
crops  on  trees  between  2  and  8  fee',  high.  Every  form  of  training  is 
beautifully  carried  out, the  horizontals  in  particular  being  perfect  models. 
The  best  tried  varieties  are  grown  as  well  as  many  local  sorts. 
Shrubs  and  Conifers. 
Many  acres  are  given  up  to  these,  nothing  old  or  new  likely  to  saiisfy 
public  opinion  being  omitted.  The  work  alone  in  planting — for  every 
plant  stands  clear  of  its  neighbour — must  be  enormous  ;  but  this  seems  to 
be  the  golden  rule  adopted  throughout  the  nursery,  consequently  the 
formation  of  the  plants  is  quite  perfect.  I  could  go  on  for  a  length  of 
time  in  describing  the  varieties,  all  so  well  represented,  from  the  tiniest 
pieces  to  the  splendid  half-specimens  and  specimens  ;  but  the  catalogues 
do  all  that.  Herbaceous  plants,  florists’  flowers,  bulbs,  and  indeed  every¬ 
thing  so  suitable  for  outdoor  culture,  could  not  have  been  seen  in  greater 
profusion.  Turning  from  the  many  good  and  choice  pictures  represented, 
we  come  to  the  trials  of  vegetable  and  flower  seeds  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  Hugh  Dickson.  Especially  interesting  they  were,  embracing  stocks 
from  almost  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  testing  them  with  our  best  intro¬ 
ductions.  By  this  means  the  cream  of  them  are  chosen. 
Glass  Department. 
This  is  kept  well  up  to  date,  huge  stocks  of  everything  good  being 
found  in  abundance.  Particularly  noticeable  were  the  well  ripened  Vines 
in  pots,  good  and  substantial,  in  all  stages.  Three  huge  houses  were 
devoted  to  climbing  Roses  in  pots,  and  I  looked  in  vain  for  a  weakly 
plant.  The  houses  of  seedling  Roses,  with  just  one  or  two  unfolding 
their  beauty,  made  me  long  to  see  the  whole  set  in  flower,  but  no  doubt 
the  public  will  have  the  pleasure  of  sharing  the  privilege  witn  me  at  the 
Fig.  9G.— Mr.  George  Dickson,  J.P. 
