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443 



pjpUIi>'AL OF HQBTICULTUEE ASD COTTAGE GA1U>ENER. 



[ June 27, 1867. 



'■Antirrhinums ; Pfimroses, the sulphur, red, and crimson 

 ^"rieties ; Chrysantbemnms,' various colours j «Wanflower3, 

 •"eath (the piuk herbaceous), Hepaticas, single pink and blue 

 '''arieties ; Aconite, yellow; Cowslip, yellow, and varieties; 

 'Viola cornuta ; 'Eoses, monthly, *La Brillante, "Aunuste Mie ; 

 Pulmonaria. Those to which an asterisk is prefixed were 

 flowering throuyhout tho greater part of December. 



In the fourth week of .January I had the Hellebore or Christ- 

 mas Rose, Snowdrop, Arabis albida, garden varieties of Daisy, 

 and the yellow-striped Crocus. 



By the second week of February I had Hepaticas, the double 

 blue and pink ; AVood Strawberry in flower ; Crocus, white, 

 mauve, and Drapd'Or; Hyacinth, white or Koman. In the 

 third and fourth weeks of February : — Mezereon, Hound's- 

 tongue, or Cynoglossum, Aubrietia, and Polyanthus. 



March, owing to its severity, added little to the list ; it rather 

 indeed, diminished it. The Rosea, the Chrysanthemums, the 

 Antirrhinums, Laurustiuus, and Wallflowers, were cut off, and 

 others arrested in their growth. It produced, however, the 

 blossoms of the .\lmond. Apricot, and Peach, numerous Hya- 

 cinths, and the pale yellow Van Thol Tulip. 



These all grow on the slope of the high table land between 

 Grantham and Stamford, the highest table land in England, 

 according to the trigonometrical survey, notwithstanding that 

 the prejudices of some have led them to speak of Lincolnshire 

 as consisting only of fens, marshes, and bogs. Jly garden, 

 however, is greatly sheltered by evergreens, and the minimum 

 temperature in it is usually from l°to S° higher on the average 

 of a week than in the vicinity of London, as registered in Tue 

 Journal of HoRTicuLiur.E. The soil is generally loamy, and 

 filled with small fragments of magnesian limestone, the rock 

 being only from 3 to 5 or U feet below the surface. The soil 

 of the flower-beds is, of course, more of an artificial character, 

 having had various fertilising substances from time to time 

 thrown upon it. — Philokepos. 



ACKLAM HALL, MIDDLESE0R0UGH-0N-TEE8. 



Anril 



•.f? 



Aiiricots, Pcnches, par- 

 tially in bloom 

 Variegated Daisy 

 Lnngwoi't 

 Elm 



White T>ead Nettle 

 Wood Primrose 

 Shepherd's Purse 

 Willow 

 Asiien 



Ribfs santruiuenm 

 Daffodil, double 

 DoronJcnm austriacum 

 BeUis pereunis 

 Doc's-tooth Violets 

 Yellow Field Pansy 

 Oonble White Priniroac 

 Donble Sulphur Primrose 

 Vinca minor 

 Dandelion 

 Goise or Whin 

 Hyacinths in the border 

 Veronica ngrestis 

 Varipgated Arabis 

 Larch 

 Koniga luaritima 



April 3. <irape Hyacinth 



J)ouble S'arcissus 



Asarum europa;um 



Tulips 

 „ 9. Anemone apennina 



Auricula, various 



Common IJos 

 „ 18. Sweet Galo 



Corchorus japouicus 



Corydalis bulbosa 



Fritillnria meleaKris 



Almond tree 



Helleboruaniger 



Honesty 



Rhododendrons, various 

 „ 24. Hoop-petticoat Narcis- 

 sus 



Virginian Stock 



Wood S'^rrel 



Snowy Mespilus " 



Plums 



Pears , 

 „ 26. Cvdonia japouica 



W'hite Rihes 



Cerastium Eiehersteinii 



LEAFING OF THE OAK AND ASH. 

 I QUITE agree with Tou conceniirg the leafing of the Oak and 

 Ash. I have always found the Oak some days earlier. I take 

 my observations fi-om the same trees yearly where the trees are 

 growing together. Tliis has been the case for fen years. Vn- 

 fortunately I have not the former six years' register, but I 

 state the time of budding and leafing for the last four years. 



18G-1. 186.1. 186fi. 



Oak in Inid Apr. I'^tlj. . . Apr. Ifitli. . . Apr. IWh. 



Onlc in leaf .... Way ;"th. . . May 7th. . . ilay '2fith. 



Ash in Inid Apr. 29th. .. Apr. 12fh. .. May lOth. 



Ash in leaf .... May 16tli. . . May 20tli. . . May 2fltli. 



1S67. 



. Mav 7tli. 



. May loth. 



. May 29tb. 



Juno 5th. 



i saw it stated a few weeks ago, that the Ash and Oak always 

 come into leaf simultaneously. I think locality must have 

 something to do with tlie trees from which that conclusion was 

 derived.— E. Hawkixs, fiunderland. 



Mascuester Horticultubal ExniBiTiox. — We are informed 

 that the money taken at the gates in half-crowns and shillings 

 will more than cover expenses ; but beyond this 2.50 new two- 

 guinea subscribers have been obtained, and there is no doubt 



but that a very large number of these will continue members, 

 thus contributing to the permanent good of the Society. £500 

 obtained by extension of membership is of very much more 

 importance than the same amount received for entrance to the 

 Show. 



DUTY-FFtEE TOB.VCCO. 



Fon fumigating-purposes, I think an admixture of Cayenne 

 pepper would be better than sulphur, and protect the revenue 

 at least equally well. — G. S. 



[We think so too. If sulphur is peremptorily required to 

 be mixed with tobacco duty-free for gardening purposes, it 

 will prevent its being employed for fumigating.] 



JOTTINGS ABOUT FLOWER GARDENING. 



There is often some difficulty in arranging plants in flower 

 gardens, and even after many years' practice the task of arrange- 

 ment is not always satisfactorily completed without much 

 mental balancing of the plants employed. For instance, should 

 we plant a flower garden of eighteen or twenty-four beds with 

 a variety of colours, in all probability lecourse will be had to 

 Pelargoniums with variously coloured foliage. Now, here arises 

 a difliculty. If Flower of the Day, or any of the varieties of 

 which it may be taken as a representative, be employed, the 

 colour of the leaves and that of the flowers will cause perplexity 

 at once, as one or the other will not come in well in forming a 

 proper arrangement with the Tom Thumb and the Nosegay 

 sections. 



If, on the contrary, regard is paid only to the colour of the 

 flowers without reference to that of the leaves, the matter is 

 more easily settled. Were I confined to one class or section of 

 Pelargoniums in order to produce a pleasing result in a mode- 

 rate-sized flower garden, I would decidedly choose the Nosegay 

 varieties, for these offer a great variety of colours ; still their 

 foliage in general partakes more or less of a dark green hue, 

 especially when viewed from a short distance; and I hold 

 that a flower garden is seen to most advantage from a moderate 

 distance if it is of some extent, has pleasing surroundings, and 

 is of an appropriate form for displaying to advantage the 

 living picture within. Where flower gardens are placed close 

 to mansions with terraces where architectural embellishments 

 are largely employed, from the architect studying only the dis- 

 play of his professional talent very often when the gardening 

 artist has to perform his part towards the adornment of the 

 residence, he is embarrassed by the massive surroundings. 



I have often found a more pleasing effect produced in a 

 flower garden by principally employing the Nosegay Pelargo- 

 niums, along with Calceolarias and two or three of the most 

 distinct and compact-growing Verbenas, than when I availed 

 myself of any of the light and Variegated bedding Pelargoniums. 

 Between twelve and sixteen years ago I often encountered a 

 similar dilHoulty in respect to the tartan-looking varieties of 

 Verbenas which were then planted. Examined individually 

 they may have been pretty, but no frame to the picture, how- 

 ever refreshing to look upon of itself, could compensate for, 

 or cure the muddy appearance which many of them presented 

 to a person at 40 or .50 yards away. 



No colour can show off flowers to greater advantage than 

 green, which affords relief to the eye, and a pleasing contrast 

 to the colours of most tho plants now used so extensively in 

 flower gardens. 



When 1 have wished to produce effect by the foliage, and not 

 by the flowers, I have frequently never permitted Flower of the 

 D.iy and similar Variegated Pelargoniums to flower, cutting oft 

 the blooms as soon as they appeared. Indeed, one of the most 

 effective ribbon-borders I ever had owed its beauty entirely to 

 the foliage. In it I had Flower of the Day and Golden Chain, 

 with between the two a row of Perilla nankinensis, always kept 

 to the proper height. Golden Chain was next the grass. 



What I said respecting standard sorts and former favourites 

 may apply with more or less force to Mrs. Pollock and similar 

 beautiful varieties. If there were a greater contrast between 

 their foliage and flowers, to what advantage could they be em- 

 ployed — for instance if any of them had flowers of the colour 

 of Christine instead of red, salmon or flesh-coloured ones, which, 

 being borne above such a glossy leaf-surface of rainbow hues, 

 greatly diminish the effect, especially when seen from the 

 distance of only a few yards. I never .saw Mrs. Pollock look 

 better than in alow-roofed greenhouse, where the range of vision 

 was limited, and where all the flower-stems were removed. la 



