THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2, 10 July 1912, Page 39

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.

GREAT DISPLAY OF ROSES. CARNATIONS AND SWEET PEAS. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, May 31. The great International Exhibition came to the end of its brief but glorious span of life yesterday, more's the pity. Without doubt it was the greatest and grandest show of its kind that has ever been held. To do adequate justice to a tithe of the floral exhibits to be seen in the series of huge tents is beyond my pen. and anything like an adequate review of the show would occupy more columns than an ordinary daily paper has at disposal. The exhibition proved a wonderful success, in spite of the high prices charged for admission for the first fewdays of its existence, and it is pleasant to learn that not only will those patriotic and enthusiastic horticulturists who contributed to the guarantee fund find their pockets untouched, but that the several charities connected with the horticultural world in the United Kingdom will reap substantial benefit. Another pleasant feature of the show was the fact that it proved bevond doubt that the English horticulturists of today can hold their own with those of any nation on earth in almost every branch of this art. excepting only the purely

Japanese art of plant dwarfing. That there is nothing decadent about British horticulture was amply proved at the Chelsea Show. British horticulture, indeed, never stood in such a leading position as it does to-day. and though scarcely a nursery or garden establishment of any note in Europe was not represented, the British exhibits held their own in all directions. The exhibition was indeed a triumph for the Old Country in every way. A Wonder of Wonders. The orchid tent afforded a sight that will be indelibly fixed on the memory of all who saw it. Was there ever such a collection gathered under one roof before? I doubt it; and those who should know more about such things than I declare that the world has never seen such a sight before, and is not likely to see its like again for a generation. The huge tent. nearly a hundred yards in length, contained thousands of plants of every conceivable form and colouring, and worth collectively probably half a million pounds. We heard glowing reports beforehand concerning the orchids to be shown, but such reports failed entirely to do justice to the magnificence and splendour of even the first peep into the interior of the orchid tent. It was a feast of colour almost too much, so to speak, for one meal. To examine the individual groups at all closely would have taken hours on hours, but the ordinary visitor found half an hour in the tent as much as he could stand. The eyes grew weary of the seemingly endless succession of gorgeously coloured floral freaks and wonders. and this, coupled with the effects of the warm, scent-laden atmosphere, produced in most people a very tired feeling in a short space of time. Still, it was worth travelling a long way to see such displays as those staged by Sir George Holford, Mr Leopold de Rothschild. Sir Jeremiah Coleman, and such famous firms as Sander and Sons. Cypher and Sons. Charlesworth’s. and other noted orchid growers. Sir George Holford’s display of cattleyas and a multipliety of varieties of dendrobiums. cyinhidiums. and laeliocattleyas overhung with arching spravs

of golden yellow oncidiums against a background of stately palms, was a sight alone worth a long journey- Sir Jeremiah Coleman’s was. perhaps, an

even more wonderful display, embracing as it did a particularly splendid collection of the comparatively new race of orchids known as odontiodas. One of these plants, an odontioda bra lshewiae. alone carried over one hundred flowers.

There were a number of particularly beautiful orchids in Sir Jeremiah's collection of odontiodas. but the Bradshaw variety. “Vivid,” a splendid and unusual scarlet variety, was perhaps the king of all. His display of odontoglosstims, miltonias, Delias, ami cattleyas

in almost endless variety was s unething to marvel at: but th? judges gave Sir George Holford th? Kings Cup for tho best exhibit in the show. One wonderful plant shown by Mr Harry Dixon, was a specimen of th? spider orchid (onridium phymatochilum) which has four floriferous spikes carrying no less than 320 flowers. Among Messrs Mansell and Hatchers’ grand vollection were two particularly line plants of vanda teres, each carrying seventeen spikes. The biggest display of all was Messrs Sander's, which occupied a thousand square feet and contained almost every known species of orchid in cultivation staged in a masterly manner. The special feature of this truly remarkable exhibit was. perhaps, the bold and glorious display of miltonia vexillaria Empress Augusta, a conspicuous variety with lar’ r e deep pink-coloured flowers. Among the orchids were many more remarkable for weirdness than beaut\. and others, again, showing flowers so minute that only the closest inspection gave one any idea of their true form and colouring. Two plants that roused much amused interest were masdiallia. xipheres. which has a sensitive lip which gives a jump soon after being touched: and the peculiar B. lobbii. with its ever moving lip. This is sometimes called the “lady orchid." for a reason fairly obvious. But of weird and wonderful forms in orchid growth there were hundreds of specimens. By common consent, indeed, the most wonderful sight of a most wonderful exhibition was tin* orchid tent. Still, to most people it was a relief to leave this inimitable display of colour and form ami take a turn Among the Ferns. In its way the display of ferns was almost as wonderful as the orchid exhibits. though, of course, lacking the diversity of colour which bewildered the eye in the latter department. In the matter of form, however, the ferns were marvellously varied, and their soft and delicate greenery came as a grateful and comforting optical refreshment after the “<rorgeosities" of the orchid tent. One of the most notable collections was that of May and Sons, occupying 2500 superficial feet of space and embracing every green-

house fern worth growing, from huge tree ferns to tiny filmy ferns. so delicate in constitution that they had to Im* shown under bell glasses. Of the latter no less than 30 distinct species ami varieties were shown, whilst of the Stag's Horn fern, superb specimens of varieties of

Davallia. Poly|H)diums. Blechnums. Adiantums. Osmundias. Nidus. Phityceriunis. they staged scores. Equally fascinating was the wonderful collection of exotic ferns shown by Messrs. Veitch, and the comprehensive exhibit of hardy ferns by Amos Perry, whilst no lover of shade loving plants could pass by the gold and silver ferns (Gymnogranimas). ami the climbing ferns and coral ferns staged by Ellison's, of West Bromwich. Also, among tin* American exhibits was a noteworthy novelty shown by M. Manda. of New .Jersey, namely. Pol\q>odium Mandaianum. which has handsome fronds from six to seven feet long. Six Acres of Rock Garden. The rock-gardens cover several acres, and one reflects that surely every flower that ever flourished in any rock-garden in the universe has its representative here- Water hurls itself in miniature cascades over ferns that bend to each deluge, then raise their leaves for another, or it ripples eagerly over grey stones, or lazily over a sandy bed full of flowering treasures, or lying still, reflects the delicate hues of the lotus, of majestic white lilies, purple and yellow’ iris, or perhaps modest forget-me-not growing on its banks, or the colour of the bright fish flashing their beauty gaily. That the whole thing is made up for a few days, that all the poppies, tidips, lupins, orchids, azaleas, pansies, clematis. spirea, the bamboos, lilies, ferns, will all disappear in a few days, seem to lesser mortals, as to the King and Queen, a tremendous pity, ami there is—so marvellous the power of a royal whisper already a movement afoot to try and arrange that they he made permanencies. Indisputably the greatest feature of this portion of the show was Messrs. Wallace's exhibit, a masterly conception carried out in a masterly manner. It covered some SIMM) square feet. situated in a natural valley between trees. Therein has been fashioned ro.-k and water gardens, an old English terrace garden, gaily furnished herbaceous borders. wood hut and lily plantations, with waterfalls and tin* like. It was a great piece of work splendidly conceived and carried out. The iiiiiiilht and variety of plants employed to furnish this ideal

ruck and water garden render it impossible to enter into any details concerning them. This tine piece of work was nun-competitive. but without doubt it was the finest of its kind that has ever appeared at an exhibition. But it was only one of scores, each *u|* rb in its way. Possibly Maurice Prichard’s 3000 square feet rock and water garden and moraine ran Messrs Wallace’s exhibit most closely. The latter alone was enough to keep the attention of the lover of Alpines fixed for .in hour, for it contained gems of th? fii>t water in helichrysums. omphalodes. >t*duins. arena rias. thalacritums. saxifrages. and the like, with funkias. irises, and tr«dliu- in lx>ld masses, occupying congenial places. It is really unfair, however, to pick out any particular exhibits in this section of the exhibition There were scores of alpin** ami rock and water gardens, tach lull of the most interesting and beautiful old plants and novelties, and each in its way a masterpiece of construction and artistic and ingenious rangementTrees and Shrubs. If one is to judge by the fate of the vlip|»ed trees and bushes shown at the exhibition, there is to be a big revival

:n the old formal style of gardening. ’ >f the hundreds of box and yew and bay specimens, trained and trimmed to represent peacocks, tables, crowns, stags and other devices, the greater number bore last Saturday a “Sold” ticket. But to the lover of the beautiful these things * '»uld not appeal as did the splendid display «»f acer-. of golden oaks, Japanese maples, purple and other oaks, and other • rnamental trees, and the glorious displ ty of rhododendrons ami azaleas of all xarieties. Both of these were plentifully shown in bush and standard form, and made a particularly pleasing -how. So. al-o. did the lilacs and the wonderful display of conifers, ceanothus. y-ti-us. bamboos, laburnums, kalmias. aucubas. -ilver hollies, and clematis ou \ iew. But perhaps the most interesting feature of this section was tlie wonderfully varied group- of new trees and -hrubs -h«»wn by the lion. Vicary Gibbs, which have l>een raised from seed collated by Mr E. IL Wil-on during hi-i-t two journeys in China. Sweet Peas. I he dt-play of -u«*et |»eas wa- wonderful for the time of year. It was. indeed, marvellous that -uch colour. -ize and -üb-tanw could lie imparted to flowers at -m h an early date. Some of the Melba blooms shown were nearly 3in in diameter, and there were -pravs of Mrs.

W . i uthb'it-»»n and Elsie Herbert which bore -eight or nine dowers. Messrs. Dobbie and Co.. Roi>eri Sy den ham and Co.. C. W. Breadmore an I other- set up some beautiful stands. Many new varieties not yet in commerce were staged. The best in Messrs. Dobbie ami Co.’s stand included Lady Miller. Decorator. Thomas Stevenson. Mark* Tey. Brunette. Inspector. Mrs. Cuthbertson. May Campbell and Melba., which was very striking. Mr. Robert Sydenham's collection included Barbara, m glorious colour: Iris, very tine: Lilian. Scarlet Emperor, the finely-waved Helen Pierce Spencer. Thomas Stephenson. Charles Foster. Elfrida Pearson, and other-. Mr. C. \V. Breadmore set up lovely bunches of King Alfred, an improves! Helen Lewi-: Lord Curzon. Elsie. Mrs. C. W. Breadmore. Flossie Jeffrey. Aggie Elder and Princes-. A new double variety. Annabel Lee shown by Mr. Alsen, has a pleasing lilac shade with ? lighter centre, ami Frilled Cream, a seedling of the present vear. is well described by its name. As mentioned, the sweet-pea display was truly -plendid for the time of year, but in spite of its beauties it onlv drove home the fact that there are to-day a vast number of “too much alike” varieties

in commerce, many of the so-called new varieties being quite indistinguishable from older sorts, ami the “improvement’’ in other- a very open question. Roses. The display of roses surpassed ail previous efforts in th? old Country without ioubt. I mt here, again, the ‘•novelties*’ bore a surprising resemblance to old friends. Perhap- the best of them was Paul ami Sons* Freda, a superb rose, which may be fairly described as a glorified Be-sie Brown in pink. It is. perhaps, a trifle more elongated than Bessie Brown, hut apart from colour, it is alike that popular ro-e as the proverbial “two pea- in a pod.” Another go«»<l novelty is F. C. Seton, a deliciously sweet and shapely rose of cherry red colour, and Mr. Charles 1 urner. the introducer of the crimson rambler, introduced to the public two new varieties which ought to liecome as ]w»pular a- our old friend. One is named Ethel, a light ami graceful rambler of the Dorothy Perkins type. which conies into flower rather earlier than that established favourite. The other is also a rambler of the Hiawatha type of growth, it- flowers being large ami fairly double, but showing a clear white centre with a la** of golden stamens. In colour it is brighter than Excelsa when that rose is

grown in the open, and it is earlier in bloom than Hiawatha. Another rambler likely to win popularity is Eileen Low. one of Levavas-eur’s novelties. This is a rose somewhat after the style of Jessie, but of a soft pink tint peculiarly pleasing. Mrs. H. Stevens is a beautiful white rose. Im mud to become a favourite, and the new climbing Souvenir de Pierre Notting is one that will l>e particularly welcome on account of its beautiful Marechi ei Niel like blooms. The famous French grower. M. PernetDucher. played a strong hand with display of novelties containing some seedlings not yet in commerce. These embrace "Mrs. George Beckwith.” a rose that may siirpass even Rayon d’Or ami Madame Heriot. an erect growing rose with the lovely colouring of Beauty of Lyons with the shapely buds of the hybrid teas. Altogether the roses made a marvellous display, especially those adapted for pergola and wall decoration. Gems of the Greenhouse. The exhibit of stove and greenhouse plants was marvellously good in every direction, but fine as were some displays of malmaisons and tree carnations, cinerarias. begonias, calceolarias, gloxinias, and other familiar subjects, the glory of

tins section lay in the magnificent arrays of hippeastrums. Several eminent firms contributed remarkable displays of these gorgeous flowers, but those made by Ker and Sons, of Liverpool, and Sir George •Hol ford. were really startling. the blooms embracing a very wide range of colour, from white to deepest purple, many of them being lined, suffused or netted with charming effect. The oniy colour wanting was a pure yellow. Th-* nearest approach to this colour, which specialists have been trying to get for years, was - Ophir.” a yellowish buff shown by Messrs Ker. Other new hippeastrums were “ International.” a warm • •range netted with red. with a white ventral band and a metallic suffusion of violet in the centre of each segment: Midnight.” a very dark velvety crimson: “ Brilliant.” a particularly rich scarlet self: ami King George V.. a glowing x-arlet. Of salmon and rose varieties there were scores of examples on view, ami taken altogether, the display of hippeastrums forme<l one of the most notable features of the exhibition. Time ami -pave will not permit of any d«*tailed description of the vast array of ♦he commoner forms of flora on view in this -ection. or of the general decorative plant*, and the striking display of crotons, anthurinums. caladiums. and dracaenas. Brief mention must, however. be made of the begonia exhibits.

which included a most glorious lot of doublv-tlowered varieties of every imaginable hue. The most striking were, perhaps. Lady Cromer, a magnificent pink of huge size and splendid form: May Queen, a brilliant orange salmon; King Edward, a peculiarly rich crimson: and Mrs Whitelaw. a vivid orange: Madam: Tetrazzini, a beautiful colour vailed orange Sill mon: and two new varieties, red cactus and rose cactus. The flowers in these varieties are made up of a number of long petals, which give to the bloom very mmh the appearance of a cactus dahlia. The plants are loose in habit of growth, and are most suitable for growing in suspended baskets. The show of pelargoniums and cannas. though very choice, appeared to contain comparatively few real novelties, and in the cinerarias the latest introductions were by no means improvements on their immediate forerunners, though in one variety, a vross between Senecio auriculatisimus and Feltham Beauty, there was the promise that ere long a clear yellow cineraria will be forthcoming. Of Hardy Herbaceous Subjects Alpines and annuals were, of course, in strong force, but here, again, real novelties were no: much in evidence. Still it was a truly sumptuous gathering of the best hardy flowers, and the Alpines emit aced such a range of varieties and such splend d specimens of the rarer sorts as sent lovers of this class of plant into raptures. For the lily lover, too. there was -an optical feast, for the s|»ecimens of ransonii. batemanniae. leucanthemum, and a seore of other varieties were par ticularly tine. The display of ixias. Irises, gladioli, sparaxis, and the like, though \ery fine, was not. perhaps, up to the highest possible watermark, but the violas -hown in a growing state embraced a wonderful range of colouring and marking, and a profusion of bloom truly remarkable. The border carnations staged in lud?d many splendid specimens of the choicest recent varieties and some quite new introductions. Among the blooms th it appealed to me most were Jean Douglas, a tine scarlet variety of good form with large, smooth-looking, unserrated petals; Mr- Henwood (white». and Mis- Willmott i pink’, which are almost counterparts to Jean Douglas in all respects save colour, and Elizabeth Shiffner. a splendid orange buff. In the yellows the old t'ecilia still stood out as one of the very best of its colour among border varieties, and in the maroons Queen May was conspicuous. On the whole, however, the display was not quite so good as one might reasonably have expected at such a show. New Fruit. In the fruit section there was a remarkable collection of fruiting trees in pots, including apples, pear-, grape fruit, figs, nectarines, currants, cherries, and grapes in full bearing, and a splendid range ef strawberries growing also in pots. The new strawberries included King George V.. which is said to be a finer variety for forcing than Royal Sovereign, being a better flavour than the latter, coming earlier to hand, and being a robust grower. Ma incrop, a large wedge-shaped fruit of particularly fine flavour, an 1 the Queen, are also new comers with splendid characters for robust nes< and bearing qualities, and the Earl i< a decided advance on Vicomtesse. the fruit being much larger and its cropping quality quite as good as its predecessor. The most discussed novelty. however, was the Laxtonberry, a hybrid between the loganberry and the raspberry. This plant bears fruit which is quite as sweet as the raspberry and separates readily from the core, but in habit the plant takes after the loganberry. In the grape section nothing very new was sliown. Foster’s Seedling and Black Hamburg. Madresfield Court, and Buckland Sweetwater being most in evidence among all exhibits. New Zealand Scores. The magnificent New Zealand shrills, shown by the Rev. A. T. Bosca wen. of Long Rock. Cornwall, achieved much distinction. They were awarded a gold medal and a first-class certificate, and t«» hi< Leptospermum Scaparium Nicholii fell the 25-guinea cup presented by the “Gardeners’ Chronicle.” for the -best new plant, -pecieri. hybrid, or variety not previously exhibited. The judge- were a long time deciding the de-tination of this handsome trophy, for there was another floral Richmond in t’ne tented field at Chelsea, in the shape of a splendid new orchid, Sir

"1-w- HMCmM *fU King.” Finally, the Nev Zealand plant the day, but it aa understood that it was ®n]y' by the barest peaaUde aaajjrtty of rotes. If only they were hardy, these New Zealand shrubs would unc mbteJly quickly find a place in English oTleciions, and in any case, many will trv them in sheltered places, and feel •well rewarded if one year in ten they can achieve a display equal to Mr Boscswen’s, whose plants are grown in the cnen-air at Long Rock.

In the same group of beautiful plants of doubtful value out of doors, must be : laced Mr DorrienSmith’s unique collection of olearias, of which 30 distinct species are shown. Perhaps the most ornamental of the new ones is the New Zealand species O. dentata, which was awarded the Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society’s medal. Another New Zealand plant on view was Celmisia speetabilis argentea, which hide fair to become popular at Home. This plant, which has the large pure white flowers of an immense daisy and bold silvery foliage, secured an award of merit for its exhibitors, Messrs Bees, of Liverpool. On the whole it will be seen that little New Zealand scored pretty heavily, considering the competition its plants had to meet in the greatest horticultural show ever held.

Exhibits from Japan. The house from Japan is full of quaint garden screens and lattices, of all manner of extraordinary figures—galloping horses with riders, etc.—fashioned of ferns, of dozens of dwarf trees as old as Chelsea's glory, and of most exquisite dwarf wistaria, white and mauve; of giant lilies ; porcelain garden seats looking like huge pot-pourri jars; and fas- : nating miniature rock-gardens—things not more than a couple of feet square, f ill of grottoes with little streams, and ’ iby bridges, summer-houses no bigger than egg-cups, and steps not more than an inch long.

Australia's Exhibit. Australia has sent a splendid collee•..on which is housed in a picturesque green and white miniature cottage over which roses are trailing. An emu and a wallaby extend a welcome at the top of the steps at the entrance, and the large room inside has walls that are completely covered with a capital canvas representative of Australia’s principal industries—agriculture, fruit growing, and mining, etc. Pungas and cabbage trees decorate the centre of the apartment, and there are immense exhibits of apples, grapes, raisins, pears, almonds, bananas, and all manner of dried and bottled fruits, honey, ete. Canada.

The elegance of the Canadian display was the talk of the show. In a beauti-fully-furnished dent the Government staged huge glass urns, containing splendid samples of apples, pears, peaches, and grapes. It was an altogether marvellous display worthy of the great western country.

In future issues we shall publish illustrations of some of the principal exhibits.