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JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ Ootober 17, 1867. 



well in such a epot ? I am especially anxious to know wriat 

 Boses will do best, and to know liow to proceed for next year's 

 blooming ; but beyond Roses, though I must have some sum- 

 mer flower-beds, my chief object is spring flowers and shrubs for 

 April, May, and the early part of June. The garden is behind 

 the house, which stands N.W.W. My only conservatory is also 

 a study, though it has lights on three sides, most to the north, 

 and it is heated by water in winter ; but I must trust to plant- 

 cases for my forcing. Will the present heat of this glass room 

 bring on Violets and the like ? — An Old Scbscrider and Lame 

 Gardener. 



[We regret that the want of anything like a plan renders us 

 unable to tell you how to make the most of your SO-feet-square 

 garden — that is, we presume, the side is 50 feet in length behind 

 the house, and more especially as we hardly know the exposure 

 of the garden. In the meantime, as herbaceous plants and 

 shrubs thrive well in your suburban district, we will unhesi- 

 tatingly recommend the following for making your garden gay 

 in April, May, and June, and yielding fragrance as well ;— 



Hcrhaceou.s Plants. — Daisies of all colours, Hepaticas of 

 kinds. Polyanthus of all colours. Primroses ; Violets, single and 

 double ; Heartsease, Anemones of kinds, Sa.icifrages of kinds, 

 Orobns vernus, Asperula odorata, Corydalis lutea, Arabis, 

 white, purple, and variegated ; Helleborus niger and fiftidus, 

 and Soldanella alpina, which will be in bloom in April. To be 

 followed by Epimedium alpinum, Saponaria ocymoides, Ajuga 

 leptans, Armeria of kinds, Dielytra formosa and spectabilis, 

 Dianthus, Potentilla of kinds, Kanunculus, Mimulus moschatus, 

 and others ; Anbrietia, Evergreen Candytufts, Tradescnntias, 

 Pffionias, herbaceous and tree, Veronicas of sorts, Aqnilegia 

 (Columbine), Iris, spring-flowering; Papaver, Cerastium tomen- 

 tosum, Valeriana rubra, Aconitum napellus. Digitalis, Lysi- 

 machia vertioillata, Thalictrum, dwarf kinds ; Campanula car- 

 patica, Gentiana acaulis, and others. 



Annuals. — By sowing now in a greenhouse, by sowing in the 

 ground in September, or early in March, and defending the 

 patch a little by a reversed flower-pot — Abronia umbellata, 

 Calliopsis bicolor, C. atro-sanguinea. Campanula speculum, 

 Clarkia pulchella, CoUinsia bicolor, Erysimum Peroffskianum ; 

 white, lilac, and crimson Candytuft ; Mignonette, Silene pen- 

 dula, ruberrima, Shafta, atocion, itc. 



Bulb/:. — The best plan would be to obtain red, white, and 

 blue Hyacinths by the hundred or fifty, instead of buying the 

 finest sorts at Is. or more per bulb : and these cheaper bulbs at 

 from 25.V. to 30s. per hundred will make a fine show in the 

 garden. If they cannot be planted soon in well-stirred soil, 

 they had better be put on a hard surface and covered with 

 rough soil and leaf mould, and he planted with balls after- 

 wards. Next to these for blooming, we would place single and 

 double Anemones, at so much per hundred, which will cost 

 about a fourth of the named kinds. Then for early flowering, 

 there should be a lot of Winter Aconites, Snowdrops, and the 

 beautiful Crocus, of all colours, most of which can be obtained at 

 from 2.'!. to 3s. Gil. per hundred, according to quality and novelty, 

 to be followed by the early and late, and single and double 

 Tulips, Polyanthus Narcissus, &c., and yellow and scarlet 

 Turban Pianunculus. 



Shrubs. — Besides the Laurustinus for a small garden, we 

 would try in such sandy soil the hardier section of Rhododen- 

 drons, and some of the following evergreen shrubs'; — Erica 

 carnea. Daphne collina, Vinca major and minor, Daphne laureola, 

 Ulex (Double Furze), Andromeda latifolia, Berberis glumacea, 

 Cotoneaster buxifolia, Olea angustifolia, Arbutus lucida, Cjtisus 

 scoparius (Broom), Berberis fasciculatus, and two or three Cy- 

 presses and Junipers. 



Of deciduous shrubs, these may have a place in the shrub- 

 bery — Amygdalus nana, Cydonia japonica. Daphne mezereum, 

 Eibes sanguineum, Spiraea Lindleyana, Tamarix germanica, 

 Hypericum calycinum, Genista triquetra. Honeysuckles, i-c. 



Boxes. — We would at first trust chiefly to China varieties, 

 as the common Belle de Florence, Abb6 Miolard, Cramoisie 

 Supfirieure, Fabvier, Mrs. Bosanquet, &c. These will bloom 

 far into the winter in mild seasons, and keep on all the sum- 

 mer. To these we would add such Perpetuals as Baronne 

 Prevost, Beauty of Waltham, Caroline de Sansal, General 

 Jacqueminot, Jules Margottin, William Jesse, and John 

 Hopper. 



With a plan and dimensions of borders and beds, it would be 

 seen how many of these you could plant. A dozen of Crocuses 

 may go in a square foot, or even three dozen ; large bulbs, as 

 Hyacinths and Narcissus, would require from 9 inches to a foot. 

 We shall be happy to give definite information on any point 



when desired. Meanwhile, though we cannot specify by name 

 those who would give honest plants for moderate prices, we do 

 believe that every one of the nurserymen in your neighbour- 

 hood would do his best for you if he knew what you wished to 

 spend on herbaceous plants, shrubs, and Boses. In nineteen 

 cases out of twenty this will be found the most advantageous 

 for all parties. 



We have not noticed Wallflowers, as it is now too late to 

 sow for next spring's blooming, but you might obtain some 

 hundreds of plants from some of the market gardens for a 

 trifle, and they make a place almost too sweet in spring. 

 Mignonette could be sown now or after the new year, in the 

 conservatory, and turned out in May so as to bloom early. 

 The conservatory might be rendered gay all the winter with 

 Camellias, Epacrises, winter-blooming Heaths, Chinese Prim- 

 ulas, Violets, itc, and if all the space is not wanted for these, 

 a place may be set aside for keeping small plants of Pelar- 

 goniums, itc, to go into the beds, when the blaze of bulbs is 

 over. We do not see, however, how you can do such things 

 and still retain a croquet ground. 



To be looked at from the window, we should prefer, if the 

 ground admitted of it, an irregular border all round except at 

 the entrance, and the beds on turf in the middle. To have the 

 greatest enjoyment from being able to go into such a garden at 

 all times, we would have no turf, but have the beds on gravel 

 with neat tile edgings, and then, unless when there was a down- 

 pouring rain, the garden would be always accessible. The 

 little lawn or grass plat, as a means of walking between beds, 

 is often a great drawback to beauty, because not well kept, 

 which it rarely is when not gone over three times in a fort- 

 night. Even an invalid may pull a weed out of, or use a broom 

 on a gravel walk, who cannot do anything to keep grass short.] 



THE THOMPSON TESTIMONIAL. 



It is now some time since this laudable object was brought 

 before the public, and although it has already met with a con- 

 siderable measure of success, the result has as yet fallen far 

 short of the reasonable expectations entertained by the Com- 

 mittee at the outset. Varioui) causes have contributed towards 

 this state of things. The testimonial was started at a season 

 of the year when those who are most likely to contribute were 

 on the wing for health and recreation ; and many who were 

 desirous of testifying their appreciation of the laudable object 

 held back, in doubt as to what amount they were to contribute 

 till they knew what others intended to do. 



The time has now arrived when both of these obstacles may 

 be removed. Health and pleasure-seekers are now settling 

 down to the quiet of the home circle, and of these a large pro- 

 portion of them to the enjoyment that the garden and their 

 gardening journal afford them. Let them, then, think 

 tenderly and lovingly of those who have contributed so much 

 to their pleasures, and especially on those in the down-hill of 

 life, after the best of their days spent in their service. Of 

 none can they do so more fittingly than him on whom it is 

 intended to bestow this testimonial. Let it be in reality a 

 testimonial — a thank-offering for benefits received, and a testi- 

 mony to the character of one whoso unblemished and guileless 

 life and industrious career have ever maintained him high in 

 the estimation of all who knew him, and whose services to the 

 horticulture of his time have secured him the admiration of 

 those who knew him not. 



There is one class to whom we would more directly appeal, 

 because it is they who have more directly benefited by what 

 Mr. Thompson has done. We mean the purely professional 

 gardeners. When we pass our eye down the list of the sub- 

 scribers we are disappointed to see so few of this class. We 

 are well aware that it is not from any inditTerence that they do 

 not contribute what it is in their power to do ; but we believe 

 it is from a feeling that the amount they can afford is so small 

 it cannot easily be contriouted, or if sent it would not be ap- 

 preciated. Let them banish such a thought. The first half- 

 crown received came in the form of postage stamps, in an 

 envelope sealed with the impression of a sixpence. It was 

 from a garden lad, and he said, " I send this for Mr. Thomp- 

 son's testimonial. It is all I can afford, but I know I owe him 

 much more than that for all the good I have got from his 

 writings." " And." says another, " I send you a trifle to help 

 to soothe the path of the veteran gardener in the last days of 

 an honoured life." What eloquence of the heart do these 

 " trifles " carry with them ! It is these we delight to see, and 



