May  23,  1901 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
451 
Tne  Temple  Show. 
May  22nd,  23rd,  and  24th 
Times  are  changed  since  the  martial  Templar  swaggered  about  his 
domain  upon  the  rural  banks  of  the  Thames,  and  the  rival  partisans 
of  the  Houses  of  York  and  Lancaster  quarrelled  in  the  garden  there, 
and  chose  for  their  respective  emblems  Roses  white  and  red.  But 
Templars  we  still  have,  and  not  merely  men  of  big  words,  as  the 
muster  roll  of  the  C.I.V.’s  can  prove,  and  the  weekly  evolutions  of 
the  “Devil’s  Own”  before  the  admiring  crowd  of  gamins  on  the 
Thames  Embankment  bear  witness.  Thanks,  however,  to  the 
mollifying  course  of  events,  the  Templar  at  home  is  now  a  pacific 
person,  distinguished  by  a  top  hat,  patent  leathers,  and  walking-stick, 
and  the  partisans  of  the  white  and  the  red  Roses,  though  imprecating 
the  awards  of  the  judges,  and  muttering  words  of  dark  and  hidden 
meaning,  do  not  proceed  to  the  extremity  of  civil  war.  With  the 
new  revolving  spring  we  again  welcome  the  vernal  tourney  of  flowers 
held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  and  the 
marquees,  with  their  clouds  of  ebullient  canvas,  once  more  rise  in 
Temple  Gardens,  exciting 
the  curiosity  of  the 
waterside  population,  and 
fluttering  the  hearts  of 
London  Society. 
It  is  well  known  that 
no  more  tents  than  the 
"five  that  have  hitherto 
been  erected  to  shelter 
the  exhibits  which  form 
the  Temple  Flower  Show 
are  allowed  by  the 
Treasurer  and  Benchers, 
by  whose  courtesy  it  is 
that  the  Inner  Temple 
Gardens  are  for  three 
days  each  year  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society. 
This  being  so,  the  visitor 
who  has  once  seen  this 
great  horticultural  exhibi¬ 
tion  finds  each  succeeding 
show  much  the  same  as 
its  predecessors.  The 
tents  and  their  arrange¬ 
ment  are  absolutely  the 
same ;  the  only  difference 
that  can  be  made  is  in 
the  disposal  of  space  and 
the  ingenious  arrange¬ 
ment  of  the  varied 
collections  that  the  tents  oover.  The  main  features,  however,  never 
alter,  yet,  like  the  old  Sabbath  school  hymns  and  the  Gospel  of  Peace, 
though  they  are  “  ever  old,”  yet  we  feel  also  that  somehow  they  lay 
claim  to  the  other  part  of  the  quotation,  which  infers  that  they  are 
“  ever  new.”  New  plants  or  new  varieties  are  certainly  always  being 
brought  forward  ;  herein  lies  the  seoret  of  the  Temple  Show’s 
attractions.  This  is  the  southern  Mecoa  to  where  all  devout  and  good 
British  (and  continental)  gardeners  bend  their  Bteps.  Plants,  fruits, 
and  vegetables,  that  have  been  almost  guarded  for  weeks  past  by 
jealous,  yet  withal,  thoroughly  free-hearted  nurserymen,  gardeners, 
and  amateur  cultivators,  are  staged  for  the  fullest  inspection  by 
whosoever  careth.  And  do  not  the  doughty  champions  wrangle  and 
“haggle”  (in  a  good-natured  manner,  of  course),  when  glasses  have 
been  exchanged  and  friends  have  inspected  friends’  collections  ?  Yes, 
the  old  scenes  are  again  gone  over,  and  if  the  Temple  Show  was 
identically  the  same  every  year  of  the  decades,  we  would  find  the  man 
from  the  South  coming  to  meet  the  man  from  the  North,  and  this  event 
would  be  still  an  outstanding  feature  of  the  horticulturist’s  year.  But, 
as  we  have  just  said,  though  the  exhibits  are  similar  year  after  year, 
yet  improvement  is  slowly  and  surely  taking  place,  and  newer  and 
better  plant  subjects  are  always  being  brought  forward. 
Orchids  were  specially  distinctive  this  year,  for  there  was  a  special 
amateurs’  competition  for  the  Sherwood  cup.  The  leading  southern 
growers  staged  tnagnificent  groups,  which  our  report  describes.  Roses, 
Paeonies,  Irises,  Lilies,  Carnations,  Begonias,  Ferns,  inseotivorous  plants, 
Caoti,  and  fruits  and  vegetables,  together  with  interesting  groups  of 
shrubs  (clipped  and  unclipped)  out  of  doors,  plus  numerous  grand 
foliage  and  flowering  arrangements  under  canvas,  formed  a  splendid 
new  century  exhibition.  The  anxious  weeks  of  dull  and  dismal  weather 
have  passed,  and  though  plants  were  backward  in  some  oases,  yet 
unanimous  opinion  described  this  year’s  Temple  Show  as  “a  wonderful 
exhibition.”  Tuesday  afternoon  turned  out  hot  and  breezy,  so  that  the 
work  of  arranging  groups  was  particularly  trying  for  the  men.  The 
plants,  too,  keenly  felt  the  excessively  drying  conditions. 
Orcljids. 
Messrs.  Stanley  Ashton  &  Co.,  Southgate,  N.,  staged  Masdevallia 
ignea,  a  well-flowered  pieoe  ;  Miltonia  Bleuana,  Laelio-Cattleya 
Massangeana,  deep  purple  lip,  brown  sepals  ;  L.-C.  Highburyensis  var. 
superba,  and  Cattleya  Mossise  Maimuna.  The  latter  is  a  soft,  rosy 
lilac  variety,  with  yellow  lips  and  mauvy  throat.  Ada  aurantiaoa  was 
well  represented.  Among  Odontoglossums  were  0.  crispum,  0.  Adrianj® 
Hellen,  O.  o.  punctatum,  O.  triumphans,  and  others.  Coohlioda 
Noezliana,  brilliant  crimson  scarlet,  was  seen  in  ripe  style.  Cypri- 
pediums  were  liberally  included. 
Messrs.  Sander  &  Co.  of  St.  Albans  were  of  oourse  forward  with  a 
choice  group  of  Orohids.  Some  exceedingly  fine  pieces  were  on  view, 
including  Cattleya  Reineckiana  var.  MLs  Kate  Brazier,  which,  however, 
was  not  fully  expanded.  The  beautiful  Cattleya  Mendeli  Queen 
Empress,  figured  in  last  week’s  Journal,  was  exhibited  in  specially 
good  form,  the  beautiful  purple  lip  being  well  coloured.  Odontoglossum 
facetum  nobilior,  with  a  twelve-flowered  raceme,  was  a  specially  good 
feature.  The  flowers  were  brown,  edged  sinuously  with  yellow,  and 
each  were  large.  Cattleya 
intermedia  alba  was  re¬ 
presented,  The  flowers 
are  waxy  and  pure  white. 
Odontoglossum  Pescatorei 
Empress,  pure  white  with 
purple  spots  on  the  petals, 
was  conspicuously  fine ; 
O.  criBpum  album,  a 
srrongly  flowered  plant 
with  white  and  creamy 
flowers ;  Cattleya  Rei¬ 
neckiana  was  represented 
by  good  plants  in  pans, 
bearing  numerous  large 
flowers ;  Odontoglossum 
concolor  was  specially 
good ;  and  the  recently 
seen  0.  Adrianse  Canary 
Bird.  Dendrobium  thyr- 
siflorum  added  richness 
to  this  valuable  collection. 
We  cannot  by  any  means 
do  such  a  representative 
and  choice  group  full 
justice. 
Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams, 
Upper  Holloway,  London, 
were  strong  exhibitors  of 
Cattleya  Mossiae  and  its 
varieties.  Cymbidium 
Lowianum  was  used  as  a 
central  specimen,  and 
Vanda  suavis,  V.  trioolor, 
V.  t.  formosa  (with  beau¬ 
tiful  gingery  coloured  sepals  and  petals  edged  with  mauve)  were 
placed  on  either  side  at  the  back.  Odontoglossum  Halli  was  good,  as 
were  0.  orispum,  Dendrobium  crepidatum  (very  fine),  and  numerous 
choice  Cypripediums.  C.  Lathamianum,  C.  Harrisianum  superbum, 
and  C.  Lawrenoeanum  were  all  especially  fine. 
Ludwig  Mond,  Esq.  (gardener  Mr.  J.  O.  Clarke),  Avenue  Road, 
Regent’s  Park,  set  uo  a  varied  collection  of  Orchids,  with  which  were 
interspersed  green  foliage  plants.  Oncidium  Papilio  was  attractive; 
Odontoglossum  crispum  in  some  varieties  was  also  present,  as  were 
good  Cattleya  Mossiae,  Miltonia  vexillaria,  Dendrobium  thyrsi- 
fl  irum,  Lycaste  aromatica,  Lselia  purpurata,  Cymbidium  Lowianum, 
Odontoglossum  oitrosmum,  and  other  subjects  were  all  inoluded  in  this 
interesting  group. 
Mr.  H.  Claes,  55,  Rue  de  Champs,  Etterbeek,  Brussels,  showed  a 
group  of  Odontoglossums.  These,  naturally,  represented  only  the 
newest  and  most  improved  novelties  of  the  genus,  for  Mr.  Claes,  is  a 
specialist  in  this  particular  genus.  He  received  an  award  of  merit  for 
O.  crispum  var.  Captain  Hocken.  The  plant  bore  a  raceme  of  five 
flowers,  but  these,  if  scarce,  were  stout  in  substanoe,  and  very  richly 
coloured  with  reddish  mauve  bars  and  spots  on  a  white  ground.  It  was 
decidedly  attractive  and  good.  0.  crispum  itself  was  very  rich  and 
varied.  O.  Coradineri  Madouxianum  takes  after  O.  triumphans  form, 
and  was  especially  good.  0.  t.  latisepalum  is  muoh  darker  and  hand¬ 
somer  even  than  the  type.  0.  t.  1.  var.  Lighthouse,  with  very  dark 
brown  sepals  and  petals  tipped  with  brilliant  yellow,  was  conspicuous, 
and  attracted  considerable  interest. 
Messrs.  John  Cowan  &  Co.  put  up  a  very  pretty  and  lightly  arranged 
group,  an  example  that  may  with  advantage  be  followed  by  other 
exhibitors.  Fine  varieties  of  Odontoglossum  crispum  and  Cattleya 
Mossiae  formed  the  bulk  of  the  group,  with  many  other  fine  species  and 
Cypripedium  Gertrude  Hollington.  ( Exhibited  by  Messrs.  Stanley  Ashton  fy  Co.) 
