July  30,  1903.  . 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
97 
when  the  once  popular  inimitabilis  flore-pleno  won  this  honour 
for  Messrs.  Veitoh  and  Sons.  That  M'US  followed  by  Butterfly 
(Holland),  Mrs.  Ferguson  (Ferguson),  a  charming  variety  in  those 
days ;  Emma  (Bull),  and  Eliza  Mathieu  (G.  Smith),  &o.  In  those 
days  the  small,  finely  formed,  striped  and  self  varieties  found 
most  favour.  Now  we  have  a  race  of  large,  ill-shapen,  flabby 
varieties  of  Continental  origin,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  florists’ 
type ;  but  there  is  evidence  that  these  well-formed,  stout,  small- 
flowered  varieties  are  coming  to  the  front  once  more.  The 
Petunia,  formerly  a  popular  exhibition  plant,  has  ceased  to  be 
so.  The  specimens  seen  at  our  large  flower  shows  are  in  the  form 
of  market  grown  stuff,  but  they  are  of  great  service  in  the  garden 
in  summer,  their  great  freedom  and  continuity  of  blooms  being 
one  of  their  chief  recommendations. 
Philadelphus. — The  Floral  Committee  had  been  in  existence 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  an  award  was  made  to  a  member 
of  this  genus,  a  species  named  mexicanus  being  so  recognised. 
mittee  was  to  a  variety  named  Orion,  in  1860.  Of  late  years 
several  fine  standard  varieties,  such  as  Avalanche,  Coquelicot, 
Eclaireur,  Iris,  Lord  Rayleigh,  Torpileur,  &c.  In  addition  many 
awards  have  been  made  to  varieties  growing  in  collections  at 
Chiswick.  Most  of  the  new  varieties  of  recent  years  have  come 
from  abroad.  The  growth  of  these  is  generally  dwarf  and  bushy, 
the  individual  flowers  large,  and  the  trusses  of  bloom  bold  and 
striking.  New  varieties  also  emanate  from  Scotland,  especially 
of  the  P.  suffruticosa  type.  The  Phlox  is,  in  many  parts  of  the 
country,  a  favourite  subject  for  exhibition. 
Phyllocacti. — Seeing  that  all  the  awards  made  to  new 
varieties  of  this  group  have  been  made  within  the  last  twelve 
years,  it  is  obvious  the  improvements  which  have  been  made  are 
of  comparatively  recent  date ;  or  at  any  rate,  it  is  during  this 
period  they  were  submitted  for  recognition.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  about  1870,  Colonel  Charleton,  Farm  Hill,  Isle  of  "Wight, 
bloomed  a  series  of  beautiful  hybrids,  obtained  by  him  from  cross- 
Cattleya  x  Oweniana. 
Other  species,  such  as  the  scentless  Virginian  inodorus,  the  hybrid 
Lemoinei,  and  microphyllus,  a  small  leaved  form,  were  similarly 
recognised.  The  latter  is  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  Mock 
Oranges,  and  is  quite  distinct  from  all  other  species,  the  pure 
white  flowers  being  produced  in  great  profusion.  Of  the  sweet 
scented  coronarius  group,  Boule  d’ Argent  and  Mont  Blanc  are 
very  fine  additions  to  our  hardy  flowering  shrubs ;  and  no  garden 
can  be  said  to  be  complete  unless  this  group  is  well  represented. 
Phlox. — Here  is  a  genus  which  comprehends  several  types, 
ranging  from  the  dwarf est  forms  of  P.  subulata  to  the  tall  growing 
varieties  of  P.  suffruticosa  and  P.  decussata,  and  the  large  group 
of  annual  varieties  headed  by  P.  Drummondi.  P.  divaricata, 
shown  under  the  name  of  P.  canadensis,  and  P.  subulata  Vivid, 
obtained  awards  ;  but  the  great  bulk  of  those  given  by  the  Floral 
Committee  to  new  varieties  went  to  the  progeny  of  the  her¬ 
baceous  types.  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge  informs  us  that  “  The  her¬ 
baceous  Phlox  of  our  gardens,  of  which  we  have  now  so  many 
forms,  appears  to  have  descended  from  P.  decussata,  P.  pani- 
culata,  P.  suffruticosa,  P.  Carolina,  and  other  old  species  of  the 
tall  growing  section.”  It  would  perhaps  be  difficult  to  define 
exactly  upon  what  lines  the  first  award  made  by  the  Floral  Com¬ 
ing  Cereus  speciosissimus  and  Phyllocactus  crcnaius;  and  in  the 
same  year  the  late  Mr.  C.  M.  Hovey  produced  a  race  of  hybrids 
between  the  creamy  white  P.  crenatus  and  some  scarlet-flowered 
form.  But  it  remained  to  Messrs.  Veitch  and  Sons,  of  the 
Chelsea  Nurseries,  to  produce  the  latest  developments,  and  of  the 
'  seventeen  awards  made  to  new  forms  which  find  a  place  in  the 
list  of  certificated  iilants,  all  were  for  varieties  shown  by  the 
Chelsea  firm . 
Polyanthuses. — The  first  form  of  the  giant  Polyanthus 
(P.  elatior)  to  obtain  recognition  was  Golden  Prince,  which  was 
exhibited  by  Messrs.  E.  G.  Henderson  and  Son  as  far  back  as 
1868.  Since  then  several  others  were  similarly  honoured,  but  the 
practice  of  giving  awards  to  individual  varieties  is  now  practi¬ 
cally  abandoned,  and  any  recognition  is  now  made  to  strains,  as 
they  are  generally  very  good,  and  much  in  demand  for  spidng 
gardening.  Of  the  gold-laced  section  a  new  variety  rarely  finds  , 
its  way  to  the  table  of  the  R.H.S.  What  new  ones  are  produced 
— and  they  appear  only  at  intervals— are  from  the  north  of 
England ;  the  cooler  and  moister  character  of  which  is  more 
favourable  to  their  well  doing. — R.  De.vn. 
(To  be  continued.) 
