September  12,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
237 
Lselio-Cattleya  Digbyano  x  C.  Mendeli,  Veitchs’  var. 
“  Veitcbs’  variety  ”  of  the  above  cross,  which  we  figure  this  week, 
is  one  of  the  very  best  and  most  beautiful  of  the  Digbvano  hybrids.  It 
was  shown  in  grand  style  at  ths  Royal  H  rrticultural  Society’s] meeting 
in  the  Drill  Hall,  Westminster,  on  August  27 th,  and  was  honoured 
with  a  first-class  certificate.  Our  figure  ^describes  all  but  the  colour, 
which  is  a  most  beautiful  rosy  lilac,  tinted  mauve,  with  a  yellow  spot 
at  the  base  of  the  lip.  The  figure  was  sketched  by  Mr.  Geo.  Shayler, 
our  artist. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
Cooler  nights  and  shorter  days  render  fire  heat  necissiry  in^  the 
Orchid  houses  now,  but  it  must  be  judiciously  applied.  Too  much 
will  bring  insects  in  plenty,  and  make  the  plants  grow  unseasonably, 
but  by  keeping  the  pipes  just  warm  the  air  is  kept  moving,  and  in  the 
buoyant  atmosphere  late  or  backward  plants  will  finish  their  growth, 
and  those  that  have  done  growing  will  be  hardened.  A  minimum 
registering  thermometer  should  always  be  used  by  inexperienced 
cultivators,  as  it  is  then  quite  easy  to  see  whether  the  temperature 
has  dropped  to  an  unsafe  point  during  the  night.  Those  who  are 
early  in  their  houses — and  all  should  be — cat  form  a  pretty  good 
idea  as  to  how  things  have  gone  in  the  night  without  a  thiruiomiter 
at  all. 
Although  still  rooting  freely  most  of  the  distichous  leaved  Orchids 
will  by  now  be  needing  less  moisture,  especially  in  the  atmosphere. 
Even  Angrsecums  and  Phalaenopsis  that  are  still  in  active  growth  are 
easily  overwatered,  and  on  occasional  days  drying  will  do  them  all 
good.  Vanda  ccerulea,  again,  liking  as  it  does  cool  treatment,  will 
become  badly  spotted  if  allowed  to  remain  constantly  moist,  the  moss 
swelling  and  keeping  out  the  air  from  the  roots.  All  this  section,  in 
short,  are  far  more  likely  to  be  overwatered  than  under  from  now 
onwards. 
Shading  cannot  yet  be  entirely  dispensed  with  where  a  miscel¬ 
laneous  collection  of  plants  aro  grown.  There  are,  it  is  true,  many 
Orchids  that  need  every  my  of  1  ght  possible,  such  as  the  Dendrobiums, 
most  of  the  Epidendrums,  Cattleyas,  and  Lselias,  but  when  these  are 
grouped  with  such  sensitive  plants  as  Phalaenopsis,  for  instance,  there 
are  even  now  bright  bursts  of  sunshine  that  will  be  too  much  for  the 
latter.  Sometimes  it  is  possible  to  so  arrange  the  plants  that  the 
necessary  position  can  be  shaded  with  an  ordinary  garden  mat  or  a 
piece  of  tiffany,  and  this,  of  course,  is  an  alvantage,  as  it  a'lows  of  the 
.proper  shading  being  removed. 
Thunias  may  now  be  shaken  out  of  the  compost,  tied  up  in  loose 
bundles,  and  labelled,  and  suspended  from  the  roof  of  a  light  house  in 
an  inconspicuous  position.  This  will  be  found  preferab'e  to  placing 
them  under  stages,  where  they  are  apt  to  catch  the  drip,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  saves  stage  room.  The  pretty  Coelogyn^  cristati  requires 
plenty  of  moisture  now,  both  at  the  rootB  aud  in  the  atmosphere,  to 
develop  the  new  pseudo-bulbs  and  insure  strength  to  the  plants  when 
the  flower  spikes  are  forming,  but  overhead  syiinging  can  only  be 
permitted  on  warm  sunny  mornings. 
Dendrobium  Dearei. 
It  is  close  on  twenty  years  ago  that  Colonel  Deure  found  this 
pretty  Dendrobium  on  one  of  the  islands  of  the  Philippine  group, 
where,  judging  from  the  immense  number  of  specimens  sent  hom  \  it 
is  very  abundant.  Just  now  it  is  in  fine  condition  in  many  collec¬ 
tions,  its  pure  white  flowers  being  abundantly  produced  on  six  or  seven- 
flowered  peduncles.  When  first  introduced  many  growers  found  some 
difficulty  in  cultivating  this  plant,  but  fortunately  it  is  now  found 
more  amenable  to  culture.  I  have  an  idea  that  many  of  the  earlier 
plants  were  collected  at  a  bad  season,  and  this  may  in  a  measure 
account  for  some  fdlures,  but  where  sufficient  heat  is  at  command 
growers  miy  take  up  its  culture  with  every  prospect  of  success.  Heat 
and  very  abundant  atmospheric  moisture,  with  all  the  sunlight  possible 
in  autumn  after  the  flowers  are  past,  are  what  the  plants  delight  in. 
They  flower  upon  the  young  green  stems  principally,  though  some¬ 
times  a  few  flowers  occur  on  toe  older  growth.  S  me  of  the  finest 
plants  I  ever  had  were  grown  on  a  shelf  at  the  back  of  a  Pine  stove, 
the  moist  heat  arising  from  the  tan  suiting  them  well.  Moderate 
:sized  p  its  or  baskets  are  most  suitable. — H.  R.  R. 
Walk  Edgings. 
As  the  various  Roman  causeways,  which  intersected  the  cultivated 
parts  of  this  country  during  the  time  that  world-renowned  people 
held  possession  of  it,  have  all  a  row  of  larger  stones  at  the  edge  than 
in  the  centre,  an  “  edging  ”  was  not  unknown  at  that  early  period. 
From  that  time  down  to  the  present  period  highway  footpaths,  street 
pavements,  and  causeways  of  dwellings,  from  the  palace  down  to  the 
cottage,  some  sort  of  margin  bounded  and  still  bounds  them.  Confining 
my  remarks  to  garden  edgings,  it  seems  agreed  on  that  a  “  live  ”  edging 
is  most  agreeable,  and  of  subjects  Box  stands  pre-eminent.  Its  hardi¬ 
hood,  durability,  general  appearance,  and  not  least  its  association  with 
the  home,  from  that  of  the  children’s  garden  up  to  the  artistic  terrace 
parterre,  for  generations  place  it  by  general  acclaim  in  the  front  rank 
and  foremost  therein.  The  Box,  like  many  other  plants,  has  divided 
itself  into  varieties,  differing  in  their  dwarfness  or  robustness  of 
habit,  the  extremes  being  denominated  “tree”  and  dwarf  or  “edging 
Box.”  Between  these  extremes  there  are  intermediate  kinds,  too 
coarse  for  edging  purposes  in  many  places,  though  not  in  all  ;  and  in 
those  situations  where  the  very  dwarfest  refuses  to  grow,  this  stronger 
growing  one  may  be  utilised  with  advantage.  The  grand  secret  in 
making  a  Box  edging  is  to  make  sure  that  all  the  edging  planted  in 
one  place  be  of  a  kind.  Cutting  and  trimming  will  not  make  up  for 
the  unevenness  of  growth  that  takes  place  where  the  dwarf  and 
robust  kinds  are  intermixed,  nor  will  the  appearance  be  good  if  half 
one  and  half  the  other  are  placed  in  the  same  line.  It  is  necessary, 
therefore,  to  be  very  exact  in  having  the  Box  true. 
Another  very  important  point  in  connection  with  forming  an 
edging  of  Box  is  that  of  being  careful  that  the  ground  on  which  it  is 
planted  be  all  alike  in  quality,  and  not  to  have  the  roots  of  one  piece 
luxuriating  in  the  rich  soil  of  the  kitchen  garden,  and  another 
struggling  for  existence  amongst  the  gravel  or  other  material  the  walk 
may  be  made  of.  Neglect  of  these  matters  results  in  a  diversity  of 
growth,  an  eyesore  for  all  time,  or  until  such  time  as  replanting  is 
effected  on  a  sound  principle.  Of  course  Box  has  its  likes  and  dislikes. 
There  are  soils  as  well  as  places  where  it  almost  refuses  to  grow. 
Naturally  it  affects  a  calcareous  soil,  and  yet  thrives  on  sandy  land, 
almost  so  light  as  to  drift  before  the  wind  ;  succeeds  on  all  good  loams, 
and  even  on  retentive  land,  always  provided  it  is  well  drained.  Stiff, 
heavy,  unctuous,  wet  ground  does  not  suit  Box,  and  where  Sorrel  is 
found  very  abundantly  it  does  not  appear  to  be  at  home.  The  adage, 
“Good  gardening  is  not  where  Box  edging  will  not  grow,”  has  no 
confirmation  in  practice,  for  excellent  and  well  kept  gardens  exist 
where  Box  has  been  tried  repeatedly  and  perished  piecemeal.  Such 
cases  prove  that  the  soils  do  not  possess  in  sufficient  quantities  the 
necessary  ingredients  in  which  Box  lives,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  some 
which  it  dislikes,  consequently,  alter  dragging  out  a  miserable  existence, 
it  dies,  piece  after  piece,  until  the  edging  becomes  no  edging.  But 
Bax  may  fail  from  effects  of  posi  ion.  Its  reputed  hardihood  is  often 
severely  taxed  in  low-lying  situations,  where  spring  frosts  often  nip 
and  even  blacken  the  young  growths.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  sun 
acting  on  the  frozen  Box,  as  in  lines  running  north  and  south  the 
eastern  side  of  the  edging  suffers  more  severely  than  the  western. 
Nevertheless,  Box  thrives  in  exposed  situations,  therefore  no  one  need 
be  afraid  to  plant  it  at  elevations  of  500  feet  above  sea  level,  or  even 
higher,  for  I  have  had  splendid  edgings  to  garden  walks  at  that  altitude 
in  North  Yorkshire. 
Box  edgings  are  perhaps  best  made  in  the  early  autumn,  and  in 
early  spring  not  later  than  April.  The  middle  of  the  growing  seas  >n  is 
the  worst  for  planting  Box,  and  it  cannot  or  should  not  be  planted  in 
frosty  weather.  In  moist  soils  the  Box  slips  are  often  put  in  without 
any  root,  especially  when  early  planting  is  practised.  It  is  always 
advisable,  however,  to  have  some  roots  to  each  division  of  the  Box, 
always  keeping  the  plants  well  down  in  the  soil,  and  so  that  little 
trimming  will  be  required  at  planting.  This  should  OQly  be  performed 
to  form  an  e^en  width  and  regular  height  of  the  edging.  It  should 
be  plantei  firmly,  in  order  to  keep  it  dwarf.  Whenever  it  is  planted 
in  dry  weather  it  should  have  the  advantage  of  water  for  some  time 
afterwards,  and  it  will  seldom  fail  to  grow,  even  when  its  roots  have 
been  much  curtailed. 
Established  edgings  of  Box  may  be  successfully  trimmed  into 
order  during  August  and  September.  For  this  purpose  damp,  dull 
weather  is  the  most  suitable  time.  Its  mutilated  leaves  are  not  then 
subjected  to  the  scorching  influence  of  the  sun  until  a  partial  rec  >verv 
takes  place,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  those  interior  leaves  which, 
having  been  long  concealed,  are  not  aide  to  bear  exposure  to  hot 
sunshine  with  impunity.  By  cutting  Box  at  this  season  a  part  of  its 
summer  growth  will  also  be  retained,  which  will  look  well  the 
remainder  of  the  year.  When  much  manipulation  has  to  be  performed, 
as  is  necessary  where  the  cutting  has  been  neglected  annually,  the 
late  spring  is  the  best  time,  choosing  mild  and  damp  weather,  then 
the  plants  will  push  new  growth  from  even  bare  wood,  and  become 
