FOREIGN NOTICES. 



145 



Villa and Suburban GARriENr-.o —The ob- 

 ject to be kept in view in arrani;in^ and plfiiiting 

 a small gainlcii is unquestionably Varieiy. At- 

 tempting too much in any one particular branch 

 leaves others either neglected or curtailed. It is 

 true that every one has his own peculiar taslcs 

 and prejudices, and these necessarily interfere 

 with the proper arrangement and division of the 

 dirterent parts of a garden ; but it must be al- 

 lowed that variety is the soul of gardening, and 

 not less so in small than in large places. The 

 peculiar taste of the proprietor should ilierefore, 

 in some measure, be reiulercd subservient to the 

 amount of plcasuse which his family and friends 

 ai^e to reap from a proper distribution of subjects. 

 When in flower a garden of roses alone is admit- 

 ted to be beautiful. Few will be found to detract 

 from the loveliness of the rose, but it would indeed 

 be a morbid taste that could see no beauty in the 

 rest of the vegetable kingdom. I apprehend, 

 therefore, that the majority of those who delight 

 in gardens — and who does not T^would prefer a 

 continued succession of bloom in all seasons, so 

 as to keep tlie eye always delighted, and ilic mind 

 ever gratified. The business of the villa gardener 

 then must be to consider well every step ho 

 takes; and every plant he commits to the soil 

 should have been previously well weighed, and 

 every point relating to its ultimate growth and 

 etFect maturely considered. The amateur is too 

 apt to plant without forethought, and many of the 

 objects he has looked forward to admire, arc 

 killed or smothered by others f)f more rajiid and 

 luxuriant growth. He should therefore know 

 something of the dimensions ])lants arc likely to 

 attain. His little space requires great economy 

 in the distribution of the subjects he cultivates, 

 and much judgment in the selection of them; and 

 therefore, instead of attempting to produce ipian- 

 titles of one kind of plant, to the exclusion of 

 others, it would be wise and more satisfactory to 

 limit the numbers of any particular kind, and there- 

 by afford space for greater variety. Ho ought 

 especially to avoid the too abundant introduction 

 of rude growing plants; but, on the other hand, 

 he need not confine himself to too small plants; 

 these would produce a monotonous effect. A 

 knowledge of t!ie size which plants are likely to 

 attain, together with the hints I have thrown out, 

 may enable him to distribute his subjects so as to 

 economise his ground, and, consequently, to pro- 

 duce a greater variety on the same space. Jb. 



Fancy Geramums. — A correspondent (T. W, 

 T .) inquires how he is to grow these beautiful and 

 interestinn; plants, "such as ^^nui';, Queen Victo- 

 ria, Ibiahtim Pacha, Statuesici, Reine de Fran- 

 cais, Bouquet tout fait, &c.,; the time for in- 

 serting the cuttings; the soil; the temperature, 

 top and bottom (if requisite;) if to be cut down 

 as other geraniinns in the autumn; when to place 

 them in their llowcrnig-pots; the most approved 



form to train to, .■50 as to get them largo, say from 

 eighteen to twenty-four inches in diameter, and 

 one mass of bloom; the difficulty consisting in the 

 facts, that the plai.ts root so much at the bottom 

 of the pot. with very few roots at the sides, and 

 show bloom in the earliest stages, when the plants 

 are extremely small, and when the bloom buds 

 arc pinched off again forming them, instead of 

 growth and wood," As it has been deemed ne- 

 cessary that something moie than a passing no- 

 tice to these matters in the correspondent's col- 

 umn should be given, I shall be happy to render 

 any little assistance in my power, merely pre- 

 misins that as there arc now many beautiful va- 

 rieties which I have not yet giown, the state- 

 ments I may make will be freely o])en to emenda- 

 tions from those coadjutors and friends who may 

 have had more kinds under their direct cultiva- 

 tion. I shall endeavor to meet the case, by 

 making the inquiries the ground work of my re« 

 marks; anil 



First. The time in which to take off and insert 

 the cuttings. — This may be effectcti at any period. 

 A (anting of a ten-shilling geranium plant is not 

 10 be slighted at any time; autumn and spiing, 

 however, are the best periods for striking these 

 fancy geraniums, and so far as present and ulti- 

 mate success are concerned, the spring is better 

 than the autumn; not but fine plants may be pro- 

 duced from autumn-struck plants, as from some 

 of the free crowing kinds we have had plants as 

 lar^c as that desired by our corrcsfiondent in the 

 following summer; but then there is greater risk 

 of failures and disappointments, The reason of 

 this is owinsr to the dillcrcnce in habit of these 

 jjlants when contrasted with the other favorite, 

 but more succulent-stemmed geraniums. In the 

 case of the latter, it is reciuisitc, both for the en- 

 suring of the breaking of the old plant when cut 

 down, and also for the producing of healthy 

 young plants from the cuttings, that the shoots 

 should be well matured, by exposure to sun and 

 air, and a diminished supply of water for some 

 time previously. Fancy geraniums, from their 

 profusion of blossoms, their compact growth, and 

 less succulent stems, require less of this maturing 

 before the cuttings are removed ; but if no at- 

 tention to maturing the wood is given, then, in 

 all likelihood, many of the cuttings will damp off 

 at once; and even when they strike root they can 

 only be preserved during the winter by keeping 

 them in the most favorable circumstances, where 

 all danger of damp and a stagnant atmosphere 

 are provided against, by the ability to maintain 

 when necessary a dryish atmosphere, and a tem- 

 perature of from 40" to 45° in the coldest wea- 

 ther. If, on the other hand, the wood of the cut- 

 ting is over-matured, that is, if its juices are high- 

 ly elaborated, there is a likelihood that its or- 

 ganized material will be developed more in the 

 production of bloom than of wood buds. This is 

 still more likely to be the case if the young plant? 



