April 26, 1877. ) 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDRK AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



317 



attached to a private residence belonging to Mr. AdatOB — pro- 

 dnced vegetables, fruit, and flowers until five years ago, when 

 that also was built upon. The majority of the houses sprung 

 up between 1820 and 1830, but one angle formed by the old 

 burying ground was taken off the garden laud by Sir Hans 

 Sloane at an earlier date, perhaps about 1740. — C. 



Peat for Ferns. — Notwithstanding many examples proving 

 the contrary, peat is considered by many growers to be indis- 

 pensable. Good peat will grow Ferns admirably, but bad peat 

 is not nearly so good for them as loam and old leaf soil. Ferns 

 in nature are far more frequently found growing in loam than 

 in peat, and some of the finest under artificial cultivation have 

 a great proportion of loam in their compost. The excellent 

 examples of Adiantum gracUlimum recently exhibited at South 

 Kensington by Messrs. Staudish appeared to be growing in 

 almost all loam, and there was evidence that copious supplies 

 of manure water had been given to them. We shall be glad 

 to have the experience of others on the question of giving 

 liquid manure to Ferns, as many growers consider it to be fatal 

 to those plants — a few ruling to the contrary. It is almost 

 certain that the splendid plants of the Gauze Fern referred to 

 had been supported with liquid manure. 



NOTES ON VILLA, and SUBUBBAN GARDENING. 



" Ble that loves a garden loves a greenhouse too." Those are 

 the words of the poet Cowper, and apply as forcibly at the 



S resent time as they did a century ago. Horticultural science 

 oes not retrograde, but love for the garden and greenhouse is 

 the means of bringing enjoyment as well as health to many. 

 Almost every villa possesses a greenhouse of some kind, and in 

 this house a variety of plants are expected to grow. There are, 

 as a rule, no specialities here. It may coutain a few Geraniums, 

 a few Ferns, or a few of something else. Just a Uttle of every- 

 thing is cherished with tender care ; something that will bring 

 gayness and enjoyment all the year round. Just now extra at- 

 tention is needed in the greenhouse as well as in all other de- 

 partments of gardening. A good and varied selection of plants 

 was given last week in answer to a correspondent ("A Lady 

 Gardener "), and if this selection is cultivated with anything 

 like success there will always be something in bloom as the 

 proper time comes round for the different kinds of plants. 



The principal matters at the present leading to success are 

 watering and shading, and it the greenhouse is not covered with 

 Vines sufliciently to break the rays of the fierce midday sun 

 some kind of shading must be provided— a blind erected so that 

 it can be palled up and let down as required is the best ; but 

 a cheap kind of shading is made by covering the glass with a 

 mixture of skim milk and whiting, applying it with a common 

 paint brush. 



It is not an easy matter to mention all the little requirements 

 necessary to the well-being of plants, or to lay down any hard- 

 and-fast rule for watering them ; but watering repeated too 

 often when the plants are in a young state or in cold qaarters 

 is very injurious, for it sours the soil, and constant driblets is 

 the worst kind of watering of all. Moisture through the whole 

 ball of soil is of the utmost importance, and in watering you 

 must be guided partly by the state of the outside atmosphere 

 (for some days are more drying than others), the growths of the 

 plant, and the quantity of roots to receive the moisture. At 

 this season much encouragement may be given to the gi'owth 

 of plants by watering and damping the stages and paths and 

 closing the house early in the afternoon. The temperature may 

 appear high at the time, but it will fall rapidly as the sun goes 

 down, and the extra heat husbanded is highly beneficial to 

 most plants, and, with the moisture, is preventive of some kinds 

 of insects. If Vinos are in the same house they will dehght in 

 BUch treatment. 



Any cnttiogs of Fuchsias inserted last month may now be 

 potted singly; they will soon grow and make healthy Uttle 

 blooming plants. Repot any plants that are potbound, and if 

 the ball is very dry give it a good soaking in a pail of water, 

 giving the soil time to drain before potting. Use plenty of 

 drainage, and press the soil well down around the ball. 



Hyacinths and Tulips which have done blooming should not 

 be tamed out to "rough it," sometimes being saturated and at 

 other times parched, but they should be planted-out in any 

 spare piece of ground where they will take care of tiiemselves, 

 and bo of some service in the borders in future years. A lady 

 of our acquaintance always served her Hyacinths, itc, in that 

 way after they had flowered in pots and glasaes, and her beds 

 were very gay every spring with Hyacinths, Tulips, Anemones, 

 and Turban Uanunculuses. As soon as these wont out of 

 bloom they were taken up and laid in a border to rijien ; during 

 the summer they were cleaned and stored away in paper bags 

 for the following autumn, when they were planted again and 



bloomed in the spring with the same results as before. It will 

 only be right to say the soil was light, sandy, and fertile, and 

 the place in the south-west of England. 



Lily of the Valley, Deutzias, and Spirreas which have ceased 

 blooming should be turned out of their pots and planted-out. 

 They will take care of themselves unless the summer is very 

 dry, when they will need watering, and they can be lifted and 

 potted again in the autumn. 



Gladiolus should be planted at once in ground that has been 

 previously dug and manured, or in borders, as the case may be, 

 planting the bulbs about 4 inches deep and from 9 inches to a 

 foot apart. There are many varieties of G. Gandavensis which 

 may be purchased very cheaply, and the whole of them are very 

 effective when in bloom in the autumn. We plant many bulbs 

 of Brenchleyensis amongst Rhododendrons, where they do well, 

 throwing up their fine scarlet spikes amongst the deep green 

 foliage of the Rhododendrons, producing a very pleasing effect. 



Hardy ferneries are welcome additions to every villa residence 

 and many an out-of-the-way corner, but for the rockery and its 

 occupants would be very gloomy and unsightly. Rockwork can 

 be constructed of almost any material — rough blocks of stone, 

 bricks run together in burning at the kUn, or ordinary bricks 

 put together in irregular masses with Portland cement. Rock- 

 work should be built in the most natural manner possible, but 

 of course must suit the requirements of the place. Plenty of 

 room must be left for soil to grow the Ferns, and it is very im- 

 portant in planting the fernery to arrange the evergreen and 

 deciduous kinds so that in winter, when the deciduous kinds 

 have lost their fronds, the evergreen Ferns will give a cheerful 

 appearance to the rockery. The present is a good time for 

 planting, and the following are good usefiil British and hardy 

 kinds — Scolopendrium vulgare, S. v. crispum, S. v. cristatum, 

 S. V. marginatum, S. v. ramosum; Polypodium Phegopteris, 

 P. Dryopteris, P. vulgare, and P. v. cambricum ; Blechnum 

 Spicant; Osmunda regalis, 0. r. cristata; Allosorus crispus; 

 Lastreas Filix-mas, L. F.-m. crispa, L. F.-m. cristata, L. F.-m. 

 polydactyla, L. F.-m. pumila. Lastreas dilatata, spinulosa, 

 montana, and Thelypteris are all distinct and good. All the 

 Lady Ferns are very distinct and beautiful, and comprise a 

 large section. Athvrium Filix-fremina, A. F.-f.Fieldiffl, A. F.-f. 

 Frizellifo, A. F.-f. Vernonim, and A. F.-f. Victoriie are elegant. 

 There are numerous other varieties belonging to the original 

 species, but the above are attractive, and can be purchased very 

 reasonably and be grown with little oars and attention. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT "WEEK. 

 Last week we were writing of more rainfall and bemoaning 

 the saturation of the ground, but before the words appeared in 

 print the wind changed to east by north, and in leas than 

 twenty-four hours clouds of dust were drifting about with the 

 violence of the gale, and many plants were wrenched off at the 

 surface of the ground, while some Chrysanthemums that it was 

 necessary to place out of doors had their leaves greatly injured. 



HARDY FRUIT G-tRDEN. 



The surface of the ground was caked by the rains, and an 

 opportunity was offered to run the Dutch hoe through between 

 the rows of Strawberries. We never dig amongst the young 

 plants that are intended to bear fruit this season, consequently 

 the grouud only an inch or two below the surface is thoroughly 

 permeated with roots, and to drive the hoe deeply into the 

 ground would cut them to a considerable extent. The surface la 

 therefore merely stirred, and when the plants have made some 

 growth so that the flower-trusses can be seen, the ground be- 

 tween the plants will be mulched with manure. This may not 

 be done so early if the weather is dull and wet, as the object of 

 mulching is to prevent evaporation from the grouud in hot dry 

 weather, and especially if it has been necessary to water the 

 plants. Many persons plant-out those plants which have been 

 forced early, so as to secure a crop of fruit in the autumn. The 

 best varieties for this purpose are Black Prince and Keeus 

 Seedling. ., i , 



No plants should be saved for planting except those tbat nave 

 borne fruit. Some plants come barren and should be destroyed, 

 as they are not likely to bear fruit either in pots or planted-out. 

 Our first lot of Strawberry plants brought-in from a large 

 nursery were a source of considerable annoyance in this respect : 

 more than half of the plants of some sorts bore abundant healthy 

 leaves, but the time for fruit never came. We did not save 

 runners from these barren plants, but only from the strong, 

 healthy, and free-bearing plants, and the result of this care in 

 selection is that we could now show several hundred plants and 

 not one that is not showing flowers amongst them. 



If the plants have been carefully hardened- off by first being 

 placed in a cooler house or cold frames before placing them out 

 of doors, they may be planted in prepared ground at once. 

 ICach plant should be in a shallow depression, and the soil 

 should be placed very firmly round it. If the weather is dry 



