300 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[October, 



When they commence to grow they should be 

 , gradually exposed to the air and sun, and no 

 shade used afterwards except for a day or two 

 after re-potting. The plants may be re-potted up 

 to the end of August or beginning of September, 

 but not later. 



The back wall or the spare end of a succession 

 Pine pit will be found a most suitable place for 

 the successful growth of the Euphorbia. A 

 wreath of Euphorbia, intermixed with some neat- 

 ly wired bells of Roman Hyacinth, has a charm- 

 ing effect in a lady's hair at a ball or dinner 

 party.— Oardenei-'s Record. 



AsTiLBE.— The well-known AsHlbe japonica, 

 which is, perhaps, better known as " Spirxa 

 japonica," is eminently valuable to furnish green- 

 house flowers early in the spring, though it is 

 a cheap hardy herbaceous plant. When forced 

 slowly in a damp pit, close to the glass, it is one 

 of the loveliest plants in the world, and well 

 worthy to be made a feature of in any private 

 garden where beautiful plants are valued by 

 some other scale than their money value in the 

 market. They should be potted in September 

 or October, in a mixture of turfy loam, leaf- 

 mould, decayed manure, and sand, and started 

 in a temperature of about 55°. From this 

 allow the temperature to rise gradually to 75°. 

 They should be supplied liberally with water 

 when growing freely, and may be placed in pans 

 of water to advantage. It is a matter of no con- 

 sequence what sized pot is employed, but for 

 ordinary decorative purposes, five, six, and eight- 

 mch pots will be most serviceable; the two 

 former for the drawing-room jardinets, and the 

 latter for the conservatory. Strong clumps ready 

 for forcing may be purchased at nurseries and 

 seed houses. Those who prefer growing them 

 for forcing iu after years may do so with but 

 little trouble. Early in May or June they may 

 be planted out in an open quarter previously 

 well prepared for their reception. They should 

 have two or three liberal waterings and a mulch 

 of short litter, or partly-decayed leaves, placed 

 between the rows if it can be spared. They will 

 then require no other attention, and by the 

 autumn will have formed strong crowns and be 

 in grand condition for forcing. If considered de- 

 sirable, they may be divided into single crowns 

 in May, each of which will form a nice little plant 

 by the end of the summer. Those who have 

 not convenience for forcing may have a fine 

 display early in the season by simply keeping 



them in the greenhouse from the time they are 

 potted until they come into bloom. Of course 

 they should be placed in an out-of-the-way 

 corner until the young growth begins to push, 

 and then they should be placed in a position 

 near the glass.— Journal of Horticulture. 



A Vase of Simple Floavers. — A few days 

 since I arranged a vase of flowers for the 

 breakfast table which was much admired 

 by several friends, indeed, so much so, that I am 

 induced to give a description of it, as the effect 

 was produced by the arranging of the flowers 

 not the quality, for they were only common gar- 

 den varieties. The shape of the vase was a flat 

 tazza, out of the centre of which rose a tall glass 

 trumpet, and from the base of the trumpet 

 sijrang three curved branches ; round the edge 

 of the trumpet were fronds of the Lady Fern, 

 and in the tazza were grouped white Water Lilies, 

 Scarlet Geranium, leaves of Dells Beet, Ribbon 

 Grass, hardy Ferns, and Wild Grass. In the 

 three carved branches were yellow Roses and 

 Delphiniums, the latter a very pale shade of blue. 

 In the trumpet was a yellow Rose, some scarlet 

 Geraniums, white Honeysuckle and blue Lobelia 

 intermixed ; with these were wild grasses and a few 

 blades of Ribbon Grass ; round the mouth of the 

 trumpet drooped a few fronds of the Lady Fern, 

 while twined amongst the glass branches were a 

 few young shoots of the variagated Periwinkle. 

 As will be observed on reading the above, the 

 flowers themselves are only common kinds, such 

 as are to be found in almost any garden, but if a 

 little trouble be taken in the arranging of them, 

 few I think will feel disappointed with the effect 

 produced. Other effective arrangements could 

 be made in different colors with the same class 

 of flowers, say for instance the light blue Delphi- 

 iniums used in place of the Scarlet Geraniums ; 

 pink Christine Geraniums in place of the Delphi- 

 niums in the curved branches, and the same in 

 the trumpet; again, mauve-colored Clematises 

 might be used in the tazza, and Violas in the 

 curved branches and trumpet; by the change of 

 these few flowers quite different stands could be 

 produced, though the principal flowers and foli- 

 age would remain the same all through. It is 

 in this way that variety can be produced where 

 there are few flowers to cut from. A great mis- 

 take often made is, that because the flowers at 

 hand may not be perhaps of very choice kinds 

 they are not worth arranging, but most effective 

 decorations can be made with very simple ma- 



