200 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[July, 



me a pot of Dwarf Ageratum, complaining that 

 it had stood all Winter without growth. I ex- 

 amined the dish in which it was planted and 

 found it without any drainage ; then I turned 

 out the soil and found two large lumps each as 

 large as my fist of rank raw cow manure half 

 filling the pot or earthen dish. The water had 

 settled into this vile stuff where the roots abso- 

 lutely refused to travel. The poor plant had 

 squatted on top of the dirt and waited for better 

 times. I gave it a respectable pot, good drainage 

 and proper soil, and it has already smiled up its 

 thanks in the way of charming blue blossoms 

 and rapidly growing leaves. The good lady who 

 owned it had succeeded easily with rank eating 

 geraniums, and supposed all plants would endure 

 the same outrages. 



Much more is 'dependent on proper soil than 

 is generall}' supposed. This is more true of fo- 

 liage then of flowers ; and foliage is half at least 

 of plant beauty. All plants are foliage plants 

 by good rights, and should be grown as such. 

 A friend wished me to look at his Begonias and 

 prescribe for them. I found them in rich barn- 

 yard compost ; of coarse the leaves were blis- 

 tered and the plants dying. I found near his 

 house, an old apple-tree hollowed in the side, 

 and an abundance pf decayed lumps and rotted 

 wood. A few half-decayed lumps for drainage, 

 and the plants set in the wood dirt mixed with 

 a little sand and they soon showed vitality. 



Another mistake in potting is the use of these 

 immense crocks that hold a gallon or more. 

 Four to six-inch pots will suffice for nearly all 

 that should find a place in a window or small 

 conservatory. A plant will do very little up- 

 ward work until it has done below ; it wishes to 

 touch the pot with roots on all sides first of all, 

 for this reason your plants will absolutely die in 

 a too large crock. I have just dumped a rose, a 

 very large Lamarque which I had shifted into a 

 twelve-inch pot, but which grew sickly in spite 

 of all attention. I found the roots nestled in 

 the centre of the soil, while the outer roots had 

 perished in the vain attempt to fill the space al- 

 lotted them. It was a five-year-old smothered 

 in his grandfather's overcoat. The poor son 

 now enjoys a five-inch pot. 



Another error is tp avoid too frequent repot- 

 tings. For instance the Hoya or Wax Plant 

 should not be disturbed for years. I have one 

 that grew over one himdred clusters in Spring 

 that has not been shifted for nine years. It 

 IS simply set very high up in the conservatory, 



and kept well supplied with water. The drain- 

 age must be excellent. Begonias, Azaleas, Ca- 

 mellias, do not like to be often disturbed. 



Let the plant grower be sure to have his soils 

 well composted and rotted before using. For 

 the large majority of plants, good garden soil 

 is sufficient. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Darlingtonia Californica. — This now 

 famous American plant plays an important part 

 in the frontispiece to Linden's new catalogue. 

 He seems to grow it under a huge bell glass, 

 thereby retaining for it a moist atmosphere, and 

 it might have been for this purpose that the 

 water pitchers were formed, as much as for the 

 purpose of catching insects for food. 



Ammonia for Flowers. — A lady corres- 

 pondent of the Country Gentleman does well in 

 reminding window flower growers of an old but 

 nearly forgotten fact, that a few drops of harts- 

 horn in the water given to plants is an excellent 

 fertilizer. It is worth all other " concentrated" 

 manures for this purpose. 



Perennial Mignonette. — That the Mig- 

 nonette is truly a perennial plant, is forgotten by 

 those who grow it every where from seed. The 

 following from the London Garden is an index 

 of its true perennial character : 



"The common garden Mignonette is now 

 flowering freely on the vertical face of a wall 

 on which it is established in the Garden of 

 Plants, Paris, and no doubt it is established in 

 various similar positions elsewhere. In such a 

 situation it becomes perennial, but the flowers 

 are not so fine as when grown in rich ground." 



Daphnes for Window Culture. — The 



Gardener''s Chronicle says: "Few plants are 

 more worthy of culture for conservatory decora- 

 tion during the winter months than Daphne in- 

 dica rubra. The glossy green foliage and rich 

 rosy fiowers are alike attractive ; but the chief 

 claim of this plant to notice is its powerful and 

 delightful perfume. The flowers are also re- 

 markable for their lasting quality, continuing 

 fresh and enjoyable for three months. Small 

 l^lants in four and five-inch pots are pai'ticularly 

 valuable for various purposes of decoration in 

 rooms and greenhouses during the months of 

 December, .lanuary, and February. This varie- 

 ty is not only the best in color, but is the most 



