HUSH GARDENING 



45 



III- in liiiir-frtT lurks ill lull ,-un. lli-ir wi' iiiu.st 

 luoteet it in winter, but it is liardy in En}:;li.sli iiml 

 Irisli gardens. 



Xuthoiliina Velhva (lanrujinoxa) is a litllr 

 jewel of 10-20 cent, high, quile villose and woolly 

 with its stem not creeping as in ,V. M<iniHt:r, but 

 forming small tufts of greyisli foliage, delicate in 

 texture with ovate lanceolate fronds. It belongs to 

 ilie Mediterranean region. It is common in Corsica, 

 and wants sun and a hot pnsition in a wall or 

 rockery. 



The rest of the southern ferns are but curious. 

 S( olopciuh-iiim Tloniionitis iSc. f:a(jiHatum) very 

 dwarf and small (not exceeding 10 cent, high) in 

 nature at least, forms dense tufts of shining green 

 foliage. The fronds are arrow-head shape, and very 

 thick; it grows on shady rocks in two parts of 

 fliQ littoral and in Corsica. Here, at Florairc, 

 vvp must plant it in a perpendicular position on the 

 side of the pot in which we make a hole and insert 

 the roots. In such a position it grows freely if 

 placed in a shady place and protected against 

 winter frost. 



Floraire, Geneva. H. Cohrevon. 



Vegetable Notes. 



Portugal Cabbage (Couve Trouchudi). 



Almost any kind of Brassica can be purchased 

 when it is time to plant out in spring, but seldom 

 is it that the one under notice is asked for or even 

 offered for sale. It is, however, one of the most 

 useful vegetables of early autumn, coming to its 

 best condition about October. Unlike other cab- 

 liage, however, Cinire Tiour)iiula will not stand 

 very much frost, neither must those who are un- 

 acquainted with it expect a cabbage with a good 

 lieart like the spring sorts. Katlier is it of a 

 l)ranching habit, and therefore needs plenty of 

 room in which to grow; nearly all the leaves are 

 edible, and the flavour is rather delicate. It is 

 not a cabbage to " cut and come again " whicli 

 sprouts after the first cutting, and the stumps should 

 therefore be pulled up when the crop has been 

 gathered. Mercaston. 



Winter Greens- The Necessity for Winter 



Culture. 

 In many localities the long season of drought in 

 1921 had a most disastrous effect upon Winter 

 Greens of all kinds, but on none more so than 

 Brussels Sprouts. If ever the necessity arose for 

 growing a supply of green vegetables for use during 

 winter in as liberal a manner as possible, surely 

 last year of all others demonstrated it. Gardeners 

 are beginning to realise the fact more and more 

 that Winter Greens to give the best results must 

 lie grown by themselves on well cultivated and well 

 manured ground, and that it is unreasonable to 

 expect this when they are planted in close prox- 

 imity to another crop — between rows of Potatoes 

 for example. There is no real gain in robbing the 

 soil intended for one crop l)y introducing at a 

 later date something else which will deprive it 

 of fertility, and prevent the proper growth of the 

 vegetable first planted. Last year, with its many 

 weeks' absence of rain, proved that Winter Greens 

 planted between other things did very little good. 

 and is certainly no encouragement for a repetition 

 of the practice. The best way of all is, we submit, 

 to give winter green food every ounce of support, 

 and as much room as possilVle, unhampered by 

 any other crop. Experience corroborates this. 



W. T.INDERR Le.\. 



Old Forms of Polyanthus — Reply to 

 Amaranthe. 



'I HE I'll ntiii'jijii 01 old garcli'iis, common al one 

 time all over this country, but now, apparently, 

 extinct here, is only one of tlie forms of these, 

 though apparently the best. A very old writer— 

 I cannot trace whom — says that I'antaJoons are 

 forms " having green leaves about the blossoms, 

 whicli are sometimes variegated with the same 

 colours as the flowers they encompass." The 

 Jackanapes forms are those with leaves, not only 

 around the flowers, but also at the top of the main 

 (lower stem, just where the small flower stems 

 branch out. Parkinson calls these " the Franticke 

 or Foolish Cowslip, or Jack-an-apes on Horseback." 

 GaU'ujimkins, again, are described by Parkinson 

 thus : " The flowers are folded or crumpled at the 

 edges, and the huskes of the flowers bigger than 

 any of the former, more swelling-out in the middle, 

 as it were ribbes, and crumpled on the sides of 

 the huskes, which doe somewhat resemble men's 

 hose, that they did were, and tooke the name of 

 Gallegaskins from thence." The forms I have 

 seen had very large green leaves about the 

 flowers. 



As a fancier of all the old-fashioned flowers of 

 the border, it has pained me to note the disappear- 

 ance of so many of the grand old species and forms 

 once common. Fifty years ago th(> gardens of the 

 farmers and cottagers in this district were full of 

 these; during the late seventies and eighties, they 

 seemed to go off — during, 1 think, adverse seasons. 

 Whatever the reason the Primula nivalis, old 

 yellow auriculas, double auriculas, double prim- 

 roses of all colours, except double lilac, the Pan- 

 taloon, Jack-in-the-Greens, etc., now hardly exist 

 in these same gardens. The bedding craze does 

 not explain the loss either. 



J. Stokmonth. 



Kirkbride, Carlisl'. Cumberland. 



Hollyhocks : A Vanishing Race. 



" Hollyhocks are a vanishing race, and they are 

 becoming so because so few understand them." 

 That was the opinion of one who used to grow 

 them well. Is it a fact that they are grown less 

 now than they used to be, and if so, what is the 

 cause? Their height is such that it is not always 

 convenient to accommodate them in moderate-sized 

 gardens to any extent, but their imposing spikes 

 are so particularly attractive that it is worth while 

 even to plant a few. But we fear that we must 

 admit of another explanation why these stately 

 beauties are now so seldom seen, and we have no 

 hesitation in saying it is largely because of disease 

 which plays havoc amongst plants left too long 

 to themselves. The disease prevalent in Holly- 

 hocks, and known as " rust," unfortunately spreads 

 with great rapidity once it has presented itself. 

 It mostly occurs in old plants which have occupied 

 the same portion of ground for years, and have 

 really become little more than masses of suckers. 

 Disease has also been known to perpetuate itself 

 when propagation has been effected by cuttings or 

 off-shoots from old plants. The only safe plan in 

 keeping Hollyhocks free from disease is to be at 

 the trouble to replant with fresh plants every other 

 year, or, in other words, to practically treat them 

 as biennials instead of perennials. 



