529 
June  13,  1903. 
I 
JOURJS'AL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Great  Orchid  Sale. 
Three  thousand  separate  lots  of  Orchids,  including  25,000 
specimens  of  the  Odontoglos.snm  crispum  variety,  were  put  up  for 
sale  at  the  Cheapside  Central  Auction  Rooms  on  June  11.  This 
is  probably  the  largest  consignment  ever  submitted  to  public 
competition  in  one  da.y.  The  plants  were  brought  over  under 
the  personal  supeiwisioii'  of  the  collectors.  Most  of  the  noted 
Orchid  connoisseurs  were  represented  at  the  sale. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
When  well  cultivated  the  Burlingtonias  are  very  pretty 
Orchids,  and  I  have  often  wondered  why  they  are  not  more 
grown  ;  but  these  and  the  nearly  related  Rodriguezias  are  much 
neglected  by  growers,  for  when  one  comes  across  a  few  plants 
they  are  usually  hanging  out  of  their  baskets  or  starving  on 
wood  blocks,  instead  of  being  regularly  attended  to  in  the  matter 
•of  giving  fresh  compost  annually.  Any  such  neglected  plants 
may  be  much  improved  now  by  a  little*  attention.  The  oldest, 
shrivelled  p.seudo-bulbs  may  be  cut  away,  and  the  straggling, 
rhizomes  pulled  into  shape  ;  then  fill  up  around  to  the  base  of 
the  bulb  with  clean  sphagnum  mos.5  three  parts,  peat  fibre  one 
part,  and  a  plentiful  sprinkling  of  broken  crocks  and  charcoal. 
The  roots  will  enter  this  freely,  and  much  stronger,  stouter 
pseudo-bulbs  and  flower  spikes  will  result.  The  temperature  of 
the  Cattleya  house  suits  them  nicely,  and  they  should  be  placed 
in  such  a  position  that  they  may  be  treated  to  freciuent  light 
•dewings  of  water  from  the  sjminge,  this  serving  to  keep  down 
insects  and  tending  to  free  growth.  Light,  too,  is  very  neces¬ 
sary  to  their  well-being,  and  the  baskets  or  pans  in  which  they 
are  grown  must  be  suspended  near  the  roof  glass.  It  seems 
liardly  necessai*y  to  say  keep  the  foliage  free  of  in.sects ;  they 
are  very  subject  to  attack  from  the  white  woolly  scale  that  is 
such  a  pest  in  Orchid  houses. 
That  superb  Orchid,  Cattleya  Mo.'sige,  has  been  making  a 
grand  show,  and  will  sown  be  over.  When  the  flowers  are  past, 
the  plant  must  be  given  every  consideration,  for  they  have  their 
new  growth  to  produce  and  mature,  differing  in  this  from 
C.  Gaskelliana  and  C.  labiata,  that  flower  upon  the  current 
year’s  growth  ;  or  from  C.  Trianse  and  C.  Mendeli,  that  produce 
their  blossoms  earlier,  and  have,  therefore,  more  time  to  grow 
in.  The  plants  should  not  be  unduly  disturbed  at  the  roots, 
though  a  little  top-di’essing  may  be  given  if  seen  to  be  necessary. 
Give  them  the  warmest  and  best  position  in  the  house,  and 
attend  regularly  to  their  wants  in  the  way  of  watering  and 
.shading. 
C.  Dowiana  and  its  A'ariety  aurea,  C.  gigas  and  C.  Hardyana, 
are  all  advancing  for  flower.  Should  any  show  a  disposition  to 
root  freely  at  the  base  of  the  new  bulbs  they  should  be  repotted 
or  top-dressed,  whichever  seems  necessary,  but  if  not  they  will 
be  better  left  until  after  flowering.  C.  Dowiana  aurea,  as  a 
rule,  begins  to  grow  again  immediately  after  flowering,  but  if 
it  can  be  induced  to  rest,  the  plants  will  be  all  the  better  for  it. 
Watch  for  signs  of  damping,  especially  when  the  weather  is  dull, 
or  when  bright  mornings  follow  a  spell  of  dull  days,  and  avoid 
much  overhead  moisture. — H.  R.  R. 
BonningtoD,  Ware,  Herts. 
This  is  an  estate  of  great  natural  beauty  in  Hertfordshire, 
and  which  was  recently  acquired  as  a  private  residence  by 
W.  James,  Esq.,  who  is  renovating  and  altering  the  charming  old 
house  prior  to  settling  within  its  walls.  The  acreage  of  tha 
grounds  amounts  roughly  to  320,  consisting  entirely  of  garden, 
lake,  park,  and  woodland,  but  no  arable  land.  The  situation 
is  ideal.  Lying  back  from  the  country  lanes  that  bound  the 
south  and  east,  the  old-fashioned  house  reposes,  as  it  were,  on 
the  confines  of  a  great  park — a  waving  sea  of  green  grass  and 
yellow  Buttercups  at  this  season ;  between  this  park,  as  one 
might  say,  and  the  sloping  garden  grounds  that  gently  recede 
to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  itself  an  enchantingly  beautiful  sheet 
of  placid  water  three  to  four  acres  in  extent,  and  somewhat 
^‘serpentine”  in  contour.  This  lake  is  overhung  on  the  far 
side  by  a  handsome  woodland  belt  containing  a  great  variety 
of  trees  and  .some  really  magnificent  timber.  A  group  of 
patriarchal  Grey  Poplars  (Populus  canescens)  stand  boldly  out 
from  amid  the  varying  greens  of  Elms,  Chestnuts,  and  Oaks. 
The  Poplars,  I  should  .state,  are  full  80ft. in  height,  and  some 
of  the  Conifers,  notably  Abies  Smithiana,  A.  granclis,  and  A. 
cephalonica  are  equally  as  tall.  Being  each  and  all  well  clotlied, 
they  furnish  a  verj'  fine  scene.  But  with  these  one  can  hardly 
Eremuri  at  Adhurst  St.  Mary. 
afford  to  overlook  the  few  specimen  Purple  Beech  trees,  and  a 
shapely  Negundo  aceroides  variegata,  of  30ft  in  stature. 
Rhododendrons,  Paeonies,  Mock  Orange,  and  suitable^  plants 
and  shrubs  already  adorn  the  banks  and  the  verges  of  the  wind¬ 
ing  woodland  walk.  While  this  semi-wild  portion  of  these  lovely 
grounds  affords  ample  .scope  for  the  effective  naturalising  of 
bulbous  and  other  plants,  and  also  shrubs,  it  would  be  entirely 
out  of  harmony  with  the  scene  or  surroundings  to  construct  tho 
usual  gravel  paths  throughout  ;  nor  would  it  be  correct,  we 
think,  to  ‘‘  dress  ”  this  part  of  the  ground  like  the  more  open, 
ornamental  grounds,  for  the  scene  lends  itself  wholly  to  informal 
treatment,  and  will  furnish  a  welcome  variety  from  the  purely 
gardene.sque  areas.  There  ai’e  abundance  of  large  fish  in  the 
lake,  and  fishing  can  be  enjojmd.  The  lake  has  an  overflow, 
besides  which  the  ram  is  continually  pumping  up  filtered  water 
for  the  house  supply  on  the  high  ground.  The  working  of  this 
ram  was  fully  explained  to  me  by  the  engineer  at  iiresent 
employed  there. 
The  fruit  and  kitchen  garden  can  be  seen  from  the  windovvs 
of  the  house,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  (proposed)  tennis 
and  another  lawn,  on  which  there  are  re.spectively  a  large  Tulip 
Tree  (Liriodendron  tulipifera)  and  a  Cucumber  Tree  (Magnolia 
acuminata).  The  garden  is  nicely  walled,  the  glass  hou.ses  being 
westward  outside  of  these,  and  facing  one  of  the  parks.  The 
plant  structures,  however,  are  in  course  of  renovation,  and  some 
new  ranges  will  most  likely  be  erected.  A  broad,  straight* 
central  path,  with  old-fashioned  flower  borders,  divides  the 
garden,  leading  from  the  house,  between  the  lawns,  to  wrought- 
iron  gates  in  the  garden  wall,  and  through  these  to  a  broad, 
moss-covered  path  at  right  angles,  and  which  overlooks  a 
rectangular  Lily  pond  with  straight  sides.  This  pool  is  a  mass 
of  Lilies,  and  is  surrounded  by  grass  banks  at  a  little  distance 
from  its  edge.  It  is  a  quiet  retreat,  and  the  visitor  can  view 
the  grand  panoramic  vista  of  the  lake  and  its  sloping  wood,  with 
the  park  in  front. 
The  Yew  hedges  and  the  gnarled  old  Oak  trees,  some  of  them 
20ft  in  circumference,  and  centuries  old,  are  ju.st  the  needed 
features  in  this  perfect  garden  scheme.  Formal  flower  garden, 
or  “bedding”  is  confined  to  a  few  beds  on  the  south  or  front 
side  of  the  house  :  but  these  appeared  out  of  hannony  with  the 
natural  beauty  and  disposition  of  the  scene,  and  would  be  better 
abandoned.  By  planting  choice  dwarf  shrubs  or  Rose  groups  on, 
this  side  of  the  house,  even  to  taking  a  goodly  slice  from  the 
park-land  which  comes  too  near,  the  mien  would  be  maintained, 
and  the  highest  effect  in  gardening  would  be  the  result.  Ati 
Mr.  H.  E.  Morse,  the  gardener — an  old  Blenheim  man — get.s 
his  present  undertakings  more  in  hand,  these  suggestions,  which 
he  himself  endorses,  will  doubtless  be  carried  into  practical 
operation.  I  shall  hope  to  visit  Bonnington  again  when  next 
•sojourning  amid  the  Hertford  lanes  and  fields,  and  meanwhile 
!  leave  it  with  very  happy  recollections. — J.  H.  D. 
