This section is from the book "The Gardener's Monthly And Horticulturist V28", by Thomas Meehan. See also: Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long.
Mr. W. H. Harris, first, for six Amaryllis. These were all of A. Johnsoni, in 8 inch pots, and had from two to four flowers on each scape.
First for Lily of the Valley, Mr. A. Warne. These were in 8-inch pots, plants about 12 inches high, and giving about twenty-five spikes of flowers to each pot.
Of general flowering plants there were quite a number of collections of Cinerarias. Without knowing the rules of the judges as to what would be regarded as "best "in these cases, we thought also the decisions fair. The first twelve, to George Redford, were about 12 to 18 inches high, and the flower mass about the same in diameter. There were no novel colors among the flowers. The second, to Thos. Fould, were not as compactly grown, though very tine plants, and two pretty double varieties among them gave additional attraction.
The best twelve Hydrangeas, Mr. W. K. Harris. These were in 10-inch pots, about 2 feet high, with about six heads to each plant, each head about 4 to 6 inches across.
There were not many competitors in Azaleas, but the plants were healthy and well flowered. The first twelve, to be confined to 6-inch pots, Mr. W. K. Harris took. They ran from 12 to 20 inches high, and were grown rather broad at the top, the heads of flowers being about 18 inches across. New kinds are usually looked for when the competition is limited to the small pots. In this collection, General Hartman, a white with red carnation flakes, and Elize Zieber, with purple flakes, and in each the lobes of the corolla large, round and leathery, were very much admired.
The first six Azaleas went to Mr. A. Warne. These were of various forms, some flattened at the top, some hemispherical, but generally about 2 feet by 2, and with hundreds of flowers. He had first premium for single specimen Azaleas. This was of the variety, Stella, and was about 2 1/2 by 4 feet high. It was somewhat oval in outline, drawing narrower, and rather flattish at the top. One variety in this collection - Mrs. Turner - a flaky pink and white, with the upper lobe crimson feathered, was much admired, as was also a perfect love of an unnamed kind, probably the old Phoenicia, which was about 3 feet high by 2 at the base, full of flowers from bottom to top, and showing how well adapted this style of training is for making pretty specimens.
First, for twelve plants of Astilbe or Spiraea Ja-ponica, J. Kift and Son. These were about 1 foot high, and with about a dozen spikes in each pot.
The first, for ornamental foliage plants, went to Mr. A. Warne. A very rare plant here was Araucaria Rulei. It has foliage somewhat in the way of the common Norfolk Island Pine, but shorter, or at least thicker, which made them seem shorter. A very pretty thing also was a fern, Da-valiia Mariesii, creeping over a conical block, which its creeping rhizomes covered, from these a dense mass of parsley leaved fronds proceeded.
A new contributor in flowering plants, Mr. John M. Hughes, gardener to G, W. Childs, had a special premium. The Chinese Primroses in this set showed how much this fine old plant has been improved in varieties of color and form. One was nearly crimson. Only two orchids were on exhibition, small plants of Dendrobium nobile and D. macrophyllum. Grand floral designs, so abundant when flowers are cheap, were scarce at this dear season of the year. Mr. Charles Fox had a "Funeral piece." It was a wicker basket about 4 feet high with begonias, ferns, palms, etc., planted around. Among the tall plants at the back was a cross with the arms oblique somewhat, Greek fashion, the flowers used being Cornelia Cook roses, deutzias and other white flowers. At the foot of the cross was a white lamb reclining. It was made of white carnations with sweet alys-sum for the nose and face. Certainly if ever floral designs are pardonable it may be here, for the carnations made an admirable curly fleece, and the face of sweet alyssum could not be better done. Among cut flowers, Mr. John Stewart, of Washington, D. C, showed what had been done to make variations in the pansy.
He must have had over a hundred varieties.
Griffin Bros, showed by a nice lot of seedling Carnations, that hopes of improvement still animate the floral breast.
Mr. Sturtevant, of Bordentown, New Jersey, had cut flowers of the blue Water Lily, Nymphaea Zanzibarensis. Cut roses were in some force, confined chiefly to the kinds now popular with florists. General Jacqueminot, from Lonsdale and Burton, showed that notwithstanding the efforts made to find something as good, it is yet without a compeer; and the collections of Pennock Bros, told but too well, that, with the exception of the Bennett and Sunset, the Perle des Jardins, Bon Silene, Niphetos, and similar veterans were still disposed to dispute possession of the field.
Mr. May had specimens of the new sport from the Catherine Mermet, called The Bride. It is very beautiful, though not a pure white. It has a slight lemon tint, somewhat in the style of the old Devoniensis.
A collection of Zonale Pelargoniums by J. W. Colflesh, had a first premium awarded. They were very nicely grown plants, about 2 feet high and wide, and had from eighteen to twenty heads on each plant. It is rarely we see these better grown.
There were numerous other good things by worthy exhibitors; our object in these notes is simply to supply distant readers with some idea of what Philadelphia exhibitors would consider good exhibition plants.
The Florists' Convention was held in the Hall of the Horticultural Society, on Broad Street, the use of which was freely tendered by the latter body.
At the last meeting a letter was read from Mr. Krelage, of Haarlem, thanking the Society for the honor of honorary membership.
This time honored institution resumed its annual exhibitions this season, they having been, as our readers know, suspended by the burning of the hall. It was, unfortunately, caught in the formidable equinoctial storm, and hence the attendance of visitors was much below the numbers of former occasions".
" Space will not permit of further notes. We can only say that President Schaffer, Secretary Harrison, Superintendent Andrews and the committee, deserve the thanks of Philadelphians for the very great efforts to re-introduce the wonderful attractions of the olden time. The exhibits were not what they might be if they had the full support of the many amateur ladies and gentlemen who abound about the city, and who, in the old times, did so much - but still there was room for encouragement, and for the hope that the old enthusiastic times would yet come again".
We delayed press as long as was practicable, in the hope of presenting a portrait of the present new building - the Phoenix which arose at the life-giving touch of the late Mr. Schaffer, and now the generous gift of his sister and the present fertile occasion of these notes. But unfortunately the cut was not at hand at last moment of waiting..
 
Continue to: