THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



119 



quite at rest, and keep them in sand till the 

 next April or first week in May, when they may 

 be planted out in the open ground. We are 

 very bad off for blue bedders : if you want to 

 edge the geraniums, then LobeUa speciosa is the 

 best ; if yon want a taller plant, then Delphinium 

 Ibrmosum, but this blooms in efforts, aud it is 

 not every one who can make it bloom more than 

 once. Petunia Madame Schmidt, Verbena Blue 

 Bonnet, and Andre, bed well with Tom Thumbs 

 and Calceolarias ; but there is no blue bedder to 

 match scarlet Geraniums in height and cha- 

 racter. The best we have must be adapted by 

 management. The other query we have an- 

 swered elsewhere. Thanks for your commen- 

 dations. 



Gins OP Seed, &c.—Jolin Lt/le. — Mr. Hibberd 

 does not undertake to grow plants for anybody. 

 He would require the Chiswick Gardens to grow 

 half the things that are sent him for trial. Of 

 course, among the many gifts of kind friends 

 some are useful, but to make a rule of trying 

 everything would be a sheer impossibility. This 

 is not said in any but a kind spirit; and only to 

 caution friends against expecting information 

 which it may cost much trouble to obtain, and, 

 in the majority of cases, be worth nothing in the 

 end. The Japan pea promises to be an excep- 

 tion, and will be fairly tried ; thanks for it. The 

 Chinese sugar-cane is a fine ornamental grass, 

 if sown in heat in April or May, and got strong 

 in pots before planting out. With us it made 

 tme tufts of seven feet high, but was sown too 

 late to do justice to it as an ornamental grass. 

 Miller's "Gardener's Dictionary" is worth its 

 weight in gold. The plan of dividing orders 

 among neighbours is good, but as so few neigh- 

 bours are neighbourly, it is generally impracti- 

 cable. 



XiME Teees. — IF. 31. C. C. — TNTserever a tree is 

 planted, it should be possible for an ordinary 

 sized man to walk round it, no matter to what 

 size it may hereafter grow. Therefore, we 

 should never plant Limes at less than two feet 

 sis inches from a wall. True, they are not of 

 formidable growth ; and if you want them as 

 near the wall as possible, then eighteen inches 

 should be the least distance. Men who would 

 plant Limes at three inches from a wall, would 

 have planted them on the wall itself if it had 

 been equally convenient. Kot that the trees 

 would be likely to throw down a stone wall, 

 they would bend from it, and in a few years 

 lean over as elm-trees do on the side of a ha-ha 

 fence. 



Beddiitg Plants. — L.L. — AVe don't know enough 

 of Tropajolum Tom Thumb to say exactly what is 

 the best Calceolaria for a centre to it. These 

 things are not to be guessed at, and are to be de- 

 termined only by actual experiment. The slight- 

 est shade of the wrong tint will often spoil a 

 bed, and we suspect Tom will show more orange 

 in tiis face than his name would lead many to 

 suppose. The best hint we can give you is to 

 try Amplexicaulis, which we thirik will be just 

 the colour for this Tropieolum, with Flower of 

 the Day, and edging of blue Lobelia. For " a 

 pretty centre to Hydrangeas," GaUlavdiagrandi- 

 flora would do ; or, for quite a different effect, 

 KoUisson's Unique Geranium, or Calceolaria 

 Beauty of Montreal. We suppose yours to be 

 dwarfed by striking the bloom-shoots, as they 

 do at the Crystal Palace. If the plants are to 

 be of full height, as turned out of pots com- 

 plete, then Dahlia Royal Purple will m.ike a 

 respectable centre ; but Hydrangeas never make 

 good beds, treat them how you will. The tank 

 you propose to use is on just the right pla'.), 

 and will be most useful for propagating. The 

 glass panels will give plenty of light Ibr ferns. 



Zinc Boxes fob Cuttings.— T. Jr.— We never 

 knew zinc to injnre plants, and we have used it 



largely to line wooden boxes, and various other 

 purposes. The oblong boxes you propose will 

 answer weU, and economize space. We have 

 no knowledge of the value of zinc and copper as 

 a galvanic antidote to slugs. Can any of our 

 correspondents say if slugs are shocked so 

 easily ? We always considered the scheme as a 

 parallel to galvanic rings and magnetic cures 

 for rheumatism— an affair of the imagination, 

 through which humanity may be affected, but 

 not vermin. We are quite open to conviction, 

 however. 



Teichomanes badicans.— £■. A. C— This is the 

 slowest-growing fern in the whole list. We 

 have a plant iu our own collection which has 

 not made any growth during three years, and 

 the fronds it had when first planted are as fresh 

 and healthy as ever. It is now putting out a 

 new rhizoma, and will this season make a new 

 move. If Tunbridgenso is growing fast in the 

 same case, then the other is sure to fare well, 

 for they require the same degree of moisture ; 

 but the Trichomanes likes warmth as well. A 

 case covered with oiled silk or oiled paper suits 

 it well, with greenhouse temperature and plenty 

 of water. You know, of course, that the root 

 stock should be pegged down on a block of 

 sandstone, not planted in soil at all, 



TEOp.TOLrii spECiosrir.— ^. P.— This requires 

 a hght, rich soil in which there is plenty of sand 

 and leaf-mould. Abelia floribunda will stand 

 the wmter under a warm wall in your cUmate, 

 if m peat. The bulbs of all the choice Tropa- 

 olums should be taken up in autunm, and stored 

 in sand. Your letter came too late for answer 

 last month. It reached us on the 28th, by 

 which time the " Floral Woeld," and everu 

 other monthty, is printed. 



Cheap Green Paint.— Wanted, by several cor- 

 respondents, a receipt for a cheap green pamt. 

 That reccommended by Mr. .Jones, and quoted 

 by us when noticing the " Gardener's Receipt 

 Book," IS evidently wrong somewhere ; at which 

 we are the more surprised, seeing that this 

 work IS so much admired for its accuracy and 

 practicability, and has gone through four edi- 

 tions in a few months. 



HrjiEA ELEGANs.— TJ>'.— This beautiful gi-ass-lilce 

 plant generally goes bare at the foot, and the 

 best way to hide its legs is to plant Fuchsias 

 round it, which harmonize well with its gi-aceful 

 form. Fuchsia coraUina is one of the best for 

 the purpose. Sow Humeas for next year's 

 blooming next month, and give gi-eenhouse 

 culture aU winter. 



Speegula piLirEHA.— C. C. and others.— Onr 

 stores of seedlings promise well, and we shall 

 shortly commence putting it out on our experi- 

 mental lawn. At present we cannot add to 

 what has ah-eady been said respecting it. Hose 

 asks if it wiU do "where grass will not grow ?" 

 We must know »'.% gi-ass will not grow ere we 

 venture a reply. 



Boiler fob Conseetatoet.— i. ^.— Use a three- 

 inch pipe along the six-feet length, and cover 

 ;,^,^\t'^.*elt. With half-inch wood-work outside. 

 Ihe boiler is quite large enough for the house. 



Vaeious.- Vines in Pots.— C. JB. X.— Fully and 

 ably treated in the " Floeal Woeld," Deeem- 

 ber, 185S. Y'our Fern is probably Polypodium 

 virginianum. It is not usual to name Ferns from 

 barren fronds ; there must be more or less of 

 guess-work about it. Budding.— J'. .H".— See 

 pages 165, ls3, and 188, of last year's volume. 

 The Number for August, 1858, will initiate you. 

 CcEBo Guano.— ilfm M'lir.—'We do not know 

 what agencies are appointed. Why not write 



