iuiie  11,  18&S. 
531 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
numbered,  and  no  corresponding  record  could  be  found  of  their 
names,  the  result  being  that  several  of  the  best  now  in  flower  at 
Chiswick  are  without  any  authentic  names.  Though  one  cannot 
help  regretting  the  loss  of  the  names  of  Mr.  Hibberd’s  best  varieties, 
yet  there  are  sufficient  at  Chiswick  without  them  to  make  the 
collection  a  representative  one,  the  greatest  difficulty  being  that 
one  is  apt  to  get  confused  in  attempting  to  describe  them. 
Anyone  with  a  taste  for  dwarf-growing  plants  would  pay  close 
attention  to  the  forms  of  Iris  variegata,  which  found  its  way  from 
Hungary  to  this  country  in  1597.  I.  variegata  minor  is  a  charming 
flower,  with  orange  yellow  falls,  and  standards  veined  with  violet. 
I.  variegata  Conqueror  has  falls  of  the  same  colour,  but  with  black 
velvety  edges,  making  it  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  section. 
I.  variegata  Chenedolla  is  very  striking,  with  dwarf,  compact  habit, 
and  large  yellow  falls,  distinctly  marked  with  dull  red  lines.  The 
palm  of  the  variegata  section  is  here,  however,  given  to  PriDce  of 
Orange.  The  predominating  colour  of  the  flower  may  be  gathered 
from  the  name,  being  of  the  richest  orange  yellow,  with  very 
distinct  markings  ;  the  blooms,  which  are  large,  and  borne  on 
sturdy  stems,  are  very  striking.  I.  variegata  Ganymede  has 
yellow  falls,  with  standards  of  the  Bame  tint,  laced  with  lines  of 
dark  purple.  Similar  characteristics  run  through  the  whole  of  the 
variegated  section,  though  each  form  has  some  distinct  feature  of 
its  own. 
Turning  to  the  varieties  of  I.  squalens,  which  is  of  later 
date,  being  introduced  in  1768,  we  have  1.  squalens  The  Moor, 
a  tall-growing  purple  flower  of  striking  beauty  ;  I.  squalens 
Exquisite,  a  charming  flower,  with  creamy  white  standards  and 
falls  of  light  purple,  and  I.  squalens  Harrison  Weir,  which  has 
large  rounded  falls  of  a  deep  purple,  and  standards  of  a  dullish 
yellow.  One  of  the  most  striking  in  the  squalens  section  is  Bronze 
Beauty,  a  fine  flower,  the  predominating  colour  of  which  may  be 
gathered  from  its  name.  I.  squalens  Yan  Geerti  has  falls  of 
almost  slate  colour,  with  standards  of  orange  yellow.  Amongst 
others  worthy  of  mention  are  I.  squalens  Mrs.  Shaw,  latifolia, 
Yincent,  and  mamora. 
One  of  the  most  charming  of  the  family  is  Iris  pallida,  which 
hails  from  Turkey,  and  was  introduced  in  1596.  The  flowers  are 
pale  blue,  though  the  varieties  of  pallida  differ  somewhat.  I.  pallida 
Walneri  is  a  charming  flower,  tall  in  habit,  and  of  a  most  delicate 
sky  blue.  I.  pallida  Celeste  is  similar  in  character  though  varying 
slightly  in  shade,  and  I.  pallida  Mandraliscse  is  a  dark  blue.  The 
beauty  of  the  flowers  in  the  Iris  neglecta  section  makes  one  wonder 
why  they  should  be  termed  neglected,  for  here  we  have  the  most 
distinctly  lined  blooms  in  the  family.  I.  neglecta  Fay  Queen  is  a 
beautiful  variety  of  dwarf  habit,  with  flowers  of  dull  white  laced 
with  numerous  blue  stripes.  I.  neglecta  Nationale  is  a  taller 
grower  with  pretty  striped  blooms.  The  flowers  of  Kitty 
Kingsbury  are  white  with  purple  markings,  and  in  Marion  we  have 
a  plant  of  dwarf  habit,  and  flowers  closely  Btriped  with  lines  of 
light  blue. 
Iris  amoeaa  or  delicata  was  first  grown  in  England  in  1821,  and 
the  varieties  in  this  section  are  very  beautiful.  Amongst  the  best 
are  I.  amoena  Morpheus,  with  numerous  blue  stripes  on  a  white 
ground,  and  I.  amoena  reticulata  alba,  the  main  colour  of  which 
it  white  with  lines  of  violet.  I.  amoena  Juliette  is  a  distinct 
variety,  inasmuch  as  instead  of  being  striped  the  white  flowers  are 
washed  as  it  were  with  violet.  I  amoena  Donna  Maria  is  an  almost 
pure  white  flower,  and  I.  amoeaa  Comte  de  St.  Clair  is  white,  with 
most  elegant  violet  markings. 
Enough  has,  however,  been  said  to  give  some  idea  of  the  beauty 
and  variety  to  be  found  in  the  Iris  family,  and  an  illustration  of 
their  adaptability  for  blooming  during  hot  dry  weather  is  given  in 
the  collection  at  Chiswick.  A  perfect  mass  of  bloom  they  presented 
a  few  days  ago,  and  if  the  pleasing  charms  of  a  collection  of  Irises 
were  more  widely  known  then  would  the  family  be  more  extensively 
cultivated,  at  least  so  thinks— G.  H.  Hollingworth. 
HARDY  RHODODENDRONS. 
Since  the  remote  date  when  these  showy  evergreen  shrubs  were 
first  employed  in  the  adornment  of  British  gardens  they  have  been 
Bteadily  increasing  in  popularity.  This  is  scarcely  a  matter  for 
surprise  seeing  how  greatly  superior  in  point  of  attractiveness  the 
numerous  hybrids  are  over  the  older  forms  of  R.  ponticum.  This 
species  is,  however,  still  valuable  for  planting  in  dry  positions,  and 
under  the  shade  of  trees  where  the  more  showy  hybrids  do  not 
thrive,  but  it  is  a  decided  mistake  to  plant  R.  ponticum  in  pronr- 
nent  positions,  where,  with  a  little  care,  up-to-date  hybrids  may  be 
firmly  established.  Nearly  all  the  older  species  and  varieties  of 
Rhododendrons  lacked  brightness  of  colour,  but  now  we  have  them 
bearing  flowers  of  delightful  pink  and  rose  shades,  at  well  as 
crimson  and  brilliant  scarlet.  Among  the  new  spotted  varieties,  too, 
the  markings  are  yearly  becoming  more  clearly  defined,  and  the 
grand  deep  trusses,  perfect  in  Bhape,  seem  to  leave  nothing  to  be 
desired  in  that  direction.  Until  recently  a  really  pure  white  might 
be  sought  for  in  vain,  but  in  Helene  Schiffner  we  have  a  gem  which 
should  be  in  every  collection. 
One  regretable  fact  in  connection  with  the  culture  of  these 
“kings  among  flowering  shrubs”  is  that  they  will  not  thrive  in 
soils  where  lime  or  chalk  is  present  ;  to  plane  in  such  is  a  waste 
of  time  and  money,  though  of  course  they  may  be  cajoled  into 
growing  satisfactorily  in  any  garden  provided  the  natural  soil — 
where  unsuitable— is  removed,  and  a  suitable  compost  substituted. 
This  of  course  entails  much  labour,  and  many  owners  of  extensive 
gardens  never  cease  to  regret  that  it  should  be  necessary  to 
take  so  much  trouble  to  accomplish  what  can  be  done  so  easily 
in  gardens  they  visit,  where  the  natural  soil  grows  Rhododen¬ 
drons  to  perfection.  Nature,  however,  will  have  her  way  in 
these  matters,  it  is  for  us  to  study  and  apply  her  laws.  I  have 
touched  upon  these  cultural  difficulties  to  show,  although  the 
beautiful  shrubs  under  notice  may  be  grown  in  almost  any  garden, 
it  is  nevertheless  necessary  to  bring  knowledge,  skill,  and  energy 
to  bear  upon  the  work,  in  order  to  achieve  success  where  failures 
have  previously  been  recorded . 
It  is  usual  to  recommend  planting  to  be  carried  out  in  autumn 
or  early  spring,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  those  seasons  are 
favourable  for  the  work  ;  but  I  have  proved  that  planting  may  be 
done  during  the  summer  months  with  equal  certainty  of  success. 
To  insure  this  two  conditions  are  necessary — viz.,  that  pot  plants 
are  employed,  and  that  watering  is  carefully  attended  to  for 
several  weeks  after  planting  is  done.  In  places  where  peat  can 
be  easily  and  cheaply  obtained  I  prefer  planting  in  that  alone, 
but  all  gardeners  are  not  in  a  position  to  obtain  this.  When 
such  is  the  case  a  compost  formed  of  three  parts  sweet  half- 
decayed  leaves,  and  one  of  fibrous  loam,  with  a  little  sharp  sand 
added,  is  one  which  may  be  confidently  employed  for  them.  A 
compost  of  this  nature  I  find  settles  considerably,  and  after  several 
months  sometimes  leaves  a  few  surface  roots  around  the  stem 
exposed.  When  this  is  the  case,  it  it  important  to  mulch  with  leaf 
soil,  and  repeat  the  operation  whenever  surface  roots  are  visible. 
In  preparing  beds  the  soil  should  be  removed  to  a  depth 
of  at  least  2  feet,  3  or  4  inches  of  broken  bricks  or  clinkers 
being  placed  in  the  bottom  before  the  soil  is  filled  in  ;  this  of 
course  should  be  trodden  firmly,  and  the  surface,  when  completed, 
be  left  slightly  above  the  surrounding  ground  line.  When  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons  once  get  into  a  sickly  state — which  is  plainly  indicated  by 
pale  yellow  leaves  with  browned  edges — it  is  wise  to  consign  them 
to  the  rubbish  heap  and  start  afresh  with  vigorous  plants,  for  the 
labour  involved  in  bringing  such  to  health  again  is  a  more 
expensive  proceeding  than  buying  a  fresh  set  of  plants. 
The  early  flowering  hybrid  section  does  not  receive  the  attention 
it  deserves.  True,  there  is  danger  of  the  flowers  being  injured  by 
spring  frosts,  but  sheltered  positions  can  usually  be  found  for  a  few 
beds  or  clumps,  and  the  flowers  are  always  especially  welcome  in 
the  early  spring  months.  We  have  frequently  gathered  trusses 
by  the  end  of  March.  S)me  of  the  best  among  them  are 
altaclarense  (scarlet),  arboreum  Wellsianum  (bright  scarlet), 
Baron  Oty  (cream-white,  maroon  blotch),  Blanche  Superbe  (pure 
white),  Brilliant  (crimson  scarlet),  Broughtonianum  (rosy  red), 
Madame  Wagner  (bright  pink,  white  centre),  the  several  varieties  of 
Nobleanum  (give  flowers  of  rose,  scarlet,  and  light  pink  shades  of 
colour,  they  are  very  dwarf  and  free  bl'oming),  Russellianum 
superbum  (deep  scarlet).  In  the  catawbiense  section  rose,  pink, 
and  delicate  lilac  shades  of  colour  predominate. 
The  following  is  a  good  general  collection  for  flowering  during 
May  and  June  :— Alexandre  Adie,  deep  crimson  ;  Alexander 
Daney,  bright  rose,  lighter  centre  ;  Ascot  Brilliant,  deep  blood 
red  ;  Ayrshire,  purple,  rich  yellow  eye  ;  Baroness  Schroder,  white, 
finely  spotted ;  Bryanum,  vivid  rose  scarlet  ;  Charles  Bagley, 
cherry  red  (grand)  ;  Countess  of  Wilton,  bright  crimson  ;  Duchess 
of  Connaught,  white,  lemon  yellow  markings  ;  Edward  S  Rand, 
bright  scarlet :  Frederick  Waterer,  bright  crimson  ;  George  Paul, 
crimson,  finely  spotted  ;  giganteum,  bright  rosy  pink  (grand)  ; 
James  Bateman,  rosy  scarlet  ;  Kate  Waterer,  clear  rosy  crimson, 
yellow  markings  ;  Lady  Grey  Egerton,  silvery  white,  blush  tinted  ; 
Manglesi,  pure  white,  reddish  brown  spots  ;  Mrs.  Holford,  rich 
salmon  (large  truss)  ;  Mr9.  J.  Kelk,  clear  rose  ;  Mrs.  J.  Penn, 
bright  salmon  pink  ;  Princess  Christian,  white,  reddish  spots  ; 
Princess  William  of  Wurtemberg  (the  finest  spotted  variety)  ;  Sir 
Arthur  Guinnes?,  clear  rose  ;  and  the  Warrior.  Every  variety 
enumerated  in  this  list  is  a  good  showy  one.  The  dark  heavy 
coloured  ones  I  have  omitted,  as  I  maintain  we  must  aim  at 
brightness  or  softness  of  colouring  in  Rhododendrons.  Dull 
heavy  coloured  flowers  have  but  little  decorative  value,  for  they  are 
neither  very  attractive  when  growing  in  the  pleasure  grounds,  nor 
suitable  when  cut  for  brightening  the  rooms  of  the  mansion. — H.  D. 
