12 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  3,  1902. 
flowers  and  plants  inside  the  basket,  and  another  similar  bow  was 
effectively  attached  near  the  left-hand  bottom  corner,  outside 
the  basket.  These  London  florists  of  first  rank  always  bring 
broad  ribbon  bows  to  their  aid;  and  the  colour  of  the  bows 
always  harmonises  as  closely  as  possible  to  that  of  the  flowers. 
Displays  at  Regent’s  Park. 
In  their  endeavours  to  stimulate  attention  to  their  gardens, 
the  council  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Society  of  London  have  secured 
the  presence  at  Regent’s  Park  of  Messrs.  Barr  and  Sons,  who  are 
exhibiting  hardy  cut  flowers  and  Japanese  pigmy  trees  in  the 
corridor  of  the  Society’s  garden,  and  Messrs.  John  Waterer  and 
Son,  Limited,  of  the  American  Nurseries,  Bagshot,  are  now 
holding  their  annual  and  much  admired  display  of  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons  under  canvas  in  the  open  ground.  Both  displays  are 
interesting,  though  naturally  the  splendour  of  the  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons  eclipsed  the  brilliance  of  the  humbler  border  flowers. 
Taking  Messrs.  Barr’s  display  first,  one  cannot  omit  at  least  to 
mention  the  Japanese  pigmy  trees  which  for  three  years  now- 
have  engaged  such  considerable  attention  by  the  ladies  of  London 
society.  And  the  latest  lay  newspaper  reports  tell  how  the 
craze  has  extended  to  Paris,  which  is  surely  a  reversion  of  the 
proper  order  of  events,  the  Gay  Capital  usually  being  the  fore¬ 
runner  in  matters  fashionable.  Frequently  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  has  printed  paragraphs  detailing  the  price  of 
Japanese  pigmy  trees  as  sold  at  auction — prices  which  range 
from  two  guineas  up  to  twenty-two  guineas  and  beyond.  Larches, 
Pines,  Junipers,  Cupressus,  Japanese  Maples,  and  other  genera 
are  mostly  the  kinds  on  view,  and  all  of  them  are  in  fancy  vases 
or  pans.  Messrs.  Barr’s  collection  of  hardy  flowers  was  rich  in 
Bearded  and  Spanish  Irises,  amongst  the  former  being  varieties 
of  I  squalens,  I.  pallida,  and  I.  variegata.  Thus  if  those  who 
have  not  the  privilege  to  visit  a  good  Iris  collection,  and  they 
will  rely  on  our  judgment,  the  following  would  be  our  com¬ 
mended  selection  :  I.  pallida  Leonidas,  with  lavender  falls  and 
purplish  standards ;  I.  p.  rubella,  purplish-violet ;  I.  neglecta. 
Hannibal,  'blue;  I.  variegata  Louis  Meyer,  dark  violet  falls, 
yellow  standards;  Iris  germanica  Mrs.  G.  Darwin,  a  beautiful 
ivory-white  with  satiny-sheen  ;  I.  variegata  Gracchus,  violet  falls, 
rich  yellow  standards ;  I.  neglecta  amabilis,  lavender-violet 
standards  and  purplish  falls;  I  delicata,  lavender;  together  with 
squalens  Dr.  Bern  ice  and  variegata  Hector,  both  of  them  richly 
coloured. 
Amongst  the  Spanish  Irises  the  variety  Thunderbolt  stood  out 
most  prominently,  the  others  being  less  known  to  us.  The  great 
scarlet  flowers  of  the  Oriental  Poppy  were  much  in  evidence,  and 
the  noble  Delphiniums,  in  colours  blue,  purple,  and  violet,  were 
most  magnificent. 
Iceland  Poppies  are  now  in  season,  and  these  formed  no  small 
part  of  the  exhibit.  And  the  delicate,  beauty  of  the  Lady’s 
Slipper  Orchid — Cypripedium  ealceolus-4**  and  the  still  finer  C. 
spectabile  or  Mocassin  Flower,  obtained  much  admiration.  These 
are  charming  subjects  for  the  bog  garden.  Lilium  giganteum, 
noblest  of  its  race,  was  shown  in  huge  pots,  but  is  not  in  flower. 
Ixias  in  a  great  variety  of  uncommonly  lovely  tints  were  also 
included,  and  I  can  only  repeat  the  recommendations  formerly 
given,  to  the  effect  that  these  bulbous  plants  succeed  admirably 
on  open,  sunny  borders,  and  their  more  liberal  planting  in  the 
open  air  should  be  seriously  considered  by  lovers  of  choice  hardy 
flowers. 
Single  and  double  Pseonies  afforded  a  feast  of  the  most 
pleasing  colour  harmonies.  What  at  this  season  is  there  prettier 
or,  indeed,  handsomer  than  the  single-flowered  mauve-pink 
Pseony  Beatrice?  Many  others  were  there,  and  all  were  good. 
Genista  Andreanus  is  much  cultivated  indoors  in  pots,  but  it 
succeeds  as  well  as  the  common  Broom  w-hen  grown  entirely  in 
the  open  air.  The  red  and  white  forms  of  Dictamnus  Fraxinella 
here  and  there  in  the  group  added  to  its  interest  and  effectiveness. 
Waterer’s  Rhododendrons. 
Messrs.  Waterer  and  Sons’  display  included  some  scores  of 
large  Rhododendrons  in  full  bloom,  and  planted  in  circular  and 
crescent  shaped  beds  and  borders.  Here  and  there  the  grass  mar¬ 
gin  ran  out  to  a  point,  and  was  made  use  of  for  a  standard  Rhodo¬ 
dendron.  In  such  positions  we  found  the  splendid  variety  named 
Lady  Eleanor  Cathcart  densely  clustered  with  its  deep  rosy- 
cerise  flowers.  Then  Sappho,  which  was  recently  figured  in  our 
pages,  stood  forth  conspicuously  from  amid  a  host  of  other  very 
good  competitors.  This  variety  is  white,  darkly  blotched  with 
deep  purple  on  the  upper  segments.  The  loveliest  of  all,  and 
seemingly  very  vigorous  in  growth  as  well,  w-as  the  new  Pink 
Pearl,  a  variety  which  Journal  readers  have  also  had  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  seeing  by  illustration.  The  flowers  are  individually 
immense,  and  larger  clusters  of  bloom  have  never  been  seen  on 
any  hardy  Rhododendron. 
To  name  a  number  of  the  sorts  of  greater  excellence  one  must 
include  the  showy  John  Walter,  with  deep  yet  glowing  crimson 
cerise  flowers  with  wavy  edges.  R.  concessum  has  moderately 
sized  trusses  of  well-shaped  flowers  with  a  peach  centre  and  rosy 
edge;  very  showy.  J.  H.  Agnew,  though  not  quite  so  intense  as 
John  Walter,  yet  very  closely  resembles'  it.  Gloriosum  is  peachy 
lilac  coloured,  and  seems  to  be  exceedingly  floriferous.  Per- 
spicuum  is  paler  and  not  so  taking  as  the  last  named;  but 
Marchioness  of  Lansdowne  should  certainly  not  be  overlooked. 
The  mass  of  pretty  flowers  reminded  me  of  Dendrobium  nobile 
when  at  its  best,  though  of  course  the  Rhododendron  was  far 
larger  in  character.  It'  is  a  showy  and  beautiful  variety.  Mum 
is  nearly  white,  but  with  yellowish  upper  segments.  Then 
Michael  Waterer  (all  the  Waterers  are  good)  is  a  rich  deep  crim¬ 
son  with  black  spots  on  the  upper  segments.  Princess  Mary  of 
Cambridge  possesses  finely  built  conical  trasses,  and  is  bold  and 
showy.  The  centre  is  white,  broadly  edged  with  deep  purplish 
mauve.  Helen  Waterer,  with  small  but  neat  trusses,  has  a  light 
centre  and  deep,  rich  crimson  edge. 
.  Strategist  furnishes  a  good  red — a  brilliant  rosy-cerise,  and 
has  large  conical  flowers.  Mrs.  Tom  Agnew  one  always  loves — 
it  is  so  distinctive :  colour,  white,  with  yellow  on  the  upper  and 
inner  part  of  the  throat.  Everstianum  follows  the  colour  of 
R.  ponticum,  so  thoroughly  well  known,  but  the  trusses  are 
more  magnificent.  And,  lastly,  there  is  Lady  Hillingdon,  with 
enormously  large  inflorescences,  each  finely  built.  The  colour  is 
a  delicate  peach  (the  hue  of  the  Peach  flowers),  with  greenish 
yellow  shading  on  the  upper  segments.  The  foregoing  list  may 
not  have  comprised  all  the  choicer  sorts,  but  it  certainly  repre¬ 
sents  varieties  of  unchallengeable  merit.  A  group  of  Kalmias 
in  flower  greatly  assisted  the  general  exhibition. 
The  Society’s  gardens  themselves  had  little  to  interest  the 
visitor,  as  bedding  had  only  been  completed,  and  so  few  subjects 
were  in  flower  in  the  open.  Within  the  Lily  house  the  Victoria 
Regia  furnished  the  chief  object  of  interest,  and  a  fine  healthy 
plant  it  is,  with  one  large  flower. 
Mill  Hill  District. 
A  pastural  and  grazing  district,  and  splendidly  wooded  in 
every  part,  though  rather  hilly  in  places,  is  the  district  around 
Mill  Hill,  which  one  reaches  on  the  way  to  Elstree  on  the 
Midland  Railway.  It  is  only  a  few  miles  from  the  City  of 
London,  and  furnishes  a  rural  haunt  for  a  considerable  number  of 
holiday  trippers.  It  is  from  the  fresh  green  pastures  and  the 
umbrageous  groves  that  much  of  the  London  milk  supply  is 
drawn.  I  looked  from  the  eminence  by  Mill  Hill  School  (a  large 
and  beautiful  building  for  middle-class  boys),  out  over  hundreds 
of  acres  of  undulating  meadows  and  grassy  slopes,  all  hedged 
over  and  dotted  about  with  Oaks,  Elms,  and  Beeches,  and  never 
a  rood  of  arable  land  met  my  eyes.  Mill  Hill  itself  is  a  straggling 
village,  which  seems,  indeed,  to  cover  the  entire  parish!  New 
highways  and  new  villas  are  being  largely  made,  the  place  being 
healthy,  interesting,  and  within  easy  reach  of  London.  It  is  here 
that  the  Member  of  Parliament  for  Hertfordshire — -Mr.  Cox — 
resides,  and  his  mansion  commands  a  beautifully  varied  prospect 
stretching  over  the  valley  southward  to  Harrow-on-the-Hill  and 
away  beyond  to  the  hazy  horizon. 
Moat  Mount,  the  name  of  the  estate,  possesses  a  garden  that 
could  not  but  be  charming  on  such  a  naturally  favoured  spot. 
Unfortunately,  however,  the  Parliamentary  duties  of  the  owner 
demand  so  much  of  his  thought  that  his  garden,  which  should 
afford  recreation,  is  little  appreciated,  and  it  happens  that  the 
splendid  features  are  not  developed.  The  glass  houses  are  in 
creditable  condition,  and  Mr.  W.  Ferris,  the  head  gardener,  evi¬ 
dently  brings  much  skill  to  bear  on  his  vineries,  peacheries,  and 
orchard  houses,  judging  from  the  fruitful  and  vigorous  state  of 
the  occupants  of  them.  Tomatoes,  Cucumbers,  Melons,  Carna¬ 
tions,  Streptocarpus,  and  stove  plants  are  each  exceedingly  well 
grown.  The  houses  are  situated  in  a  sheltered  spot  half  way 
down  the  slope  which  falls  from  the  mansion  and  continues  to  a 
valley  below.  They  are  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  smooth 
grassy  slopes,  on  which  are  beds  of  shrubs  and  plants.  The 
Sequoia  gigantea  flourishes  handsomely  all  over  the  estate,  and 
so  does  the  Redwood,  S.  sempervirens.  Araucaria  imbricata 
is  another  exotic  tree  whose  proportions  and  general  aspect 
augur  well  for  the  ameniable  conditions  obtaining.  The 
deciduous  Cypress,  Taxodium  distichum,  appears  perfectly  at 
home  on  the  damp,  mossy  slopes,  and  was  seen  abundantly  sur¬ 
rounded  by  great  towering  masses  of  the  common  and  named 
Rhododendrons  in  full  floral  array.  Add  to  these  darker  trees 
the  beautiful  grey  trunks  of  graceful  Beech  trees,  with  handsome 
Elms,  Tulip  Trees,  drooping  Birches  with  silvery  bark,  purple 
Beeches,  and  giant  Horse  Chestnuts.,  and  the  scene  must  be 
recognised  as  one  of  uncommon  diversity  and  charm. 
Woodland  walks  abound,  and  pathways  through  the  sur¬ 
rounding  meads  are  not  a-wanting.  Here,  too  are  water  pools 
for  fishing  and  boating,  and  where  aquatic  plants  are  husbanded. 
Passing  through  a  colony  of  Roses  and  old-fashioned  flowers,  the 
higher  grounds  are  scaled,  and  the  parterre  around  Moat  Mount 
appears.  But  there  is  no  need  for  formal  flower  gardening  here 
—the  bold  sweep  of  the  lawn  with  its  specimen  trees  and  sup¬ 
porting  belts  of  shrubbery  back  on  either  side,  are  beautiful  in 
their  simplicity.  The  house  itself  is  dignified,  though  perhaps 
not  handsome.  And  so  we  pass  out  along  the  winding  avenue 
with  its  tall  Bay  hedge,  its  tasteful  flower  beds  on  grass,  to  the 
lanes  outside  the  gates  and  the  steep  hills  that  lie  around  on  all 
sides. — Wandering  Willie. 
