330 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



November, 



senting: a charming appearance when trained 

 carefully to the wire-work of the basket. 



Before closing, I cannot forhear speaking of 

 this class of plants as ornaments for the table 

 a feature of festive occasions, everyday becoming 

 more popular and meeting with the attention it 

 justly demands. It is not the wealthy alone 

 who may enjoy the rare delight of looking upon 

 beautiful flowers and foliage as they partake of 

 their repasts. It would be far wiser were people 

 with limited means to cultivate a few permanent 

 plants for this purpose that would be always 

 available, than to resort each time they have 

 visitors to the garden or conservatory, or perhaps 

 apply money required for other purposes to the 

 purchase of cut flowers from the florists 



I use for the purpose shallow pans of various 

 sizes, according to the table and occasion, and 

 the long sprays, thickly covered with rich foliage. 

 soon completely hide the sides, and droop from 

 the upper tiers in long festoons. A charming 

 stand for the centre of a table is thus made : 

 Four pans, ranging in size from fourteen inches 

 diameter and four inches deep, to a small one 

 six inches diameter and three inches deep 

 These must be placed one within the other in 

 progressive manner, each one elevated two to 

 four inches above the one below it. A few 

 pieces of broken crockerj- are strewn over the 

 bottom of each ; the remaining space is filled 

 with fibrous soil and silver sand, into which 

 rooted cuttings or established plants are thickly 

 set round the edges, the stand placed in a warm 

 corner and kept uniformly moist. 



For these purposes I have found Fittnnia ar- 

 gyroneura, F. gigantea, Gymostachyum Pearcei. 

 G. Verschaffelti, and the curious saxifrage, S. 

 Sarmentosa, are rarely beautiful for the upper 

 pans, and especially for the hanging baskets. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Lapageria eosea and alba. — The Lapageria is 

 seldom seen in such condition as it should be, 

 although it is one of the easiest-grown climbers 

 with which we are acquainted. We are about 

 to devote the greater part of the roof of a cool 

 division, thirty feet long, to the two varieties, 

 and expect they will nearly fill the allotted space 

 next summer; but we have good plants to begin 

 with. The red one, in fact, though in an unfavor 

 able place at present, has made some hundreds 

 of feet of young shoots altogether since it was 

 cut down in spring. It requires a cool, moist 



soil, and a perfectly cold house, in which the 

 shoots should be trained close to the glass, where 

 they will flower their whole length. The best 

 plan is to stretch wires four or five inches apart 

 for it, in the direction in which the shoots are to 

 be led, and they should be allowed to follow the 

 wires themselves, which fthey will do — twisting 

 ^long as neatly as possible — without the least 

 assistance, except that when more than one 

 shoot is allowed to a wire care must be taken to 

 prevent the leaves being caught in the twists. 

 To attempt training the shoots by ties is trouble- 

 some, and not a successful plan. Stopping the 

 -ihoots occasionally induces flowers to come 

 sooner than they otherwise would, and produces 

 little spurs, each of which furnishes several 

 flowers. The bpautifnl white variety is likely to 

 become a great favorite for various purposes, 

 and we would recommend those who liave it to 

 plant it out at once, however small their plants 

 may be, in a compost of peat, loam, and plenty 

 of sand, with a little rotten manure, and to give 

 it room and light, keeping the soil about the 

 roots rather wet than dry. Our large plant, 

 which grows so rampantly every year, though it 

 does not flower so freely, owing to the shade over 

 it, has never been otherwise than wet at the 

 root for three years, on account of the drip from 

 the other pots, and yet it is in fine health and 

 still growing rapidly. The Lapageria makes a 

 disproportionate quantity of large thick roots, 

 considering its habit and growth, though the 

 shoots of established plants are sometimes as 

 thick as small pot vines. — Garden. 



Cypripedium insigne. — Owing to the large 

 number of beautiful cypripediums that have 

 been introduced to cultivation within the past 

 decade, there is some risk of this fine old Lady's 

 Slipper being overlooked. It is not perhaps 

 necessary to institute comparisons between our 

 old friend and the newer kinds; but were a 

 comparison made it would be perfectly safe to 

 aver that in point of beauty it is equal to most 

 and superior to many of those at present at the 

 command of the cultivator. In usefulness it 

 certainly has no superior, and as nice little 

 plants can be purchased at from half a crown 

 to five shillings each, it may be truly said that 

 it is within the reach of the humblest amateur. 

 It is a great favorite with me, because of the 

 facility with which it can be grown in gardens 

 in which there is no house specially for orchids, 

 as it thrives in a much lower temperature than 

 any other of the species. We have no stove or 



