126 



JOURNAL OF HOETIOULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ Angnst 20, 1868. 



weather, ami the bed must be kept clear of weeds. lu October 

 the plants will be strong, and fit to plant out in their blooming 

 quarters, or they may be left where they are, only every alter- 

 nate row and plant must be removed, and either planted in the 

 borders or in another bed, which will, of course, be equal in 

 extent to that of the bed in which the plants are left undis- 

 turbed. Between the rows a mulching of half-rotten leaves or 

 manure should be given early in November, and in spring fork 

 that neatly into the soil, if the plants are left to bloom in the 

 beds ; or the plants may be taken up carefully, and planted 

 ont. 



Seed sown during June requires the same treatment — i.e., to 

 be sown in the open ground, and when the seedlings have two 

 rough leaves, take them up, and plant-out G inches apart every 

 way in bods, shading and watering until established. The 

 planting-out will cause the production of fine fibrous roots 

 for taking up early in October, and the plants should then be 

 placed in pots large enough to hold the roots without cramping. 

 The pots ought to be set on coal ashes in a cold frame, giving 

 abundance of air, and protection from frost and heavy rains 

 by drawing on the lights at such times, with an occasional 

 covering of mats in severe frost. The plants should be shifted 

 into larger pots as may be necessary — that is, before they 

 become potbound, and being well-hardened ofi, may be planted 

 out in April. 



The seed may also be sown as soon as ripe in pans of good 

 light soil, and be placed on a mild hotbed of from 70° to 75°. 

 When the seedlings appear, keep them near the glass, and give 

 air plentifully. When they have two rough leaves pot them 

 off singly in cJ-inch pots, in a compost of light turfy loam two- 

 thirds and one-third leaf mould, keeping them close in the 

 frame with proper moisture and shade till established, and then 

 harden them off, and remove them to a cold frame, where they 

 are to remain during the winter, being shifted into larger pots 

 as may be necessary, and planting-out at the end of April. 



The seedlings will bloom in the year following the sowing of 

 the seed, and should have proper care with respect to staking, 

 tying, and watering. The object being to preserve good va- 

 rieties and to discard the bad, remove every single or semi-double 

 flower, and pull up the plant unless a new colour or some- 

 thing worth perpetuating be seen, also every plant with thin- 

 petalled flowers. By discarding worthless seedlings as soon as 

 they bloom you prevent the flowers of the good kinds being 

 impregnated, for these, as a rule, come last. Any thought 

 worth propagating should be labelled, and if seed be saved 

 ramove the pods as they become brown, out the stalks off to 

 within 2 or 3 inches of the ground, and stir the soil about 

 them with a fork, but not so deeply as to injure the fibres. 

 This will encourage growth for propagation, which may be 

 effected by eyes or by division, and the plants obtained in 

 either way will the following year show whether the flower is 

 worth adding to the general cellection, or does not maintain its 

 character. 



Cuttings may be taken off at almost all seasons. Those put 

 in during the spring afford a late bloom, and those plants pro- 

 pagated from cuttings in summer and autumn flower early 

 and late in summer. The young shoots when from 2 to 

 3 inches long are to be taken off close to the old root, and after 

 paring the base of each cutting smooth with a sharp knife, pot 

 them singly in 3-inch pots, using a compost of two-thirds 

 sandy fibrous loam and one-third leaf mould, with a liberal 

 admixture of sharp sand. Pot firmly, give a gentle watering, 

 place them in a cold frame, shut it up closely, and shade them 

 irom sun. In the course of a week or ten days according to 

 the time of year — a week in summer, ten days in spring and 

 autumn — a little air may be given, but not much until the 

 cuttings are rooted. Avoid excessive watering, but keep the 

 soil moist, and when the cuttings have rooted well admit air 

 freely, and expose them fully when the weather is mild or not 

 excessively wet. The plants should be potted as thfy require 

 more room, and should be wintered in a cold frame as described 

 for seedlings. 



Cuttings put in from September to April should have the 

 benefit of a bottom heat of about 70°, and should be kept close 

 and shaded. Care should be taken not to overwater, and to 

 prevent damp a little air may be given. The cuttings rooted, 

 they must bo well hardened off and removed to a cold frame. 



Propagation by division is performed in autumn after flower- 

 ing, generally in September or early in October. The root 

 should be dug up and di\ided into as many pieces as there are 

 shoots, and these pieces ought to be potted singly in 4} -inch 

 pots. Any shoots without roots may be potted in 3-inch pots 



and treated as cuttings, they and the divisions being wintered 

 in a cold frame. 



Eyes are the side shoots taken from the plants close to the 

 roots as soon as they begin to become firm (which will be the 

 case in July, August, or September, according to the forward- 

 ness of the plant), cut into pieces with an eye to each. The 

 knife should be sharp, at least the cut must be clean so 

 as to give 1 inch or Ij inch of shoot to each eye. The leaf 

 should be removed with exception of the leafstalk, and the 

 pieces or eyes should be inserted in sandy soil as for cuttings, 

 placing them vertically, and covering them with an inch of 

 fine sandy soil. It will answer as well if the eyes are placed 

 horizontally. Cover them with a hand-glass after giving them 

 a gentle watering, and shade from bright sun. When struck, 

 as will be known by their growing strongly, pot them singly 

 in 3-inch pots, and place them in a cold frame. 



Soil and Situation.- — The most suitable soil for Hollyhocks 

 is a rich sandy rather than a heavy loam. In the former the 

 plants are more hardy, but do not grow so strongly. The 

 ground intended to be planted in spring should be trenched in 

 autumn, and thrown up as roughly as possible, in order to ex- 

 pose it to the action of frost, and a good dressing of manure 

 should be forked-in. In February or March the ground should 

 be forked over, and if no manure was afforded at the time of 

 trenching, it ought to be given now. If the soil is heavy leaf 

 mould will help to lighten it, and so will sharp sand. The 

 situation should be open, free from the drip and shade of trees, 

 and if sheltered from wind all the better. The more sunny 

 and open the situation the better will Hollyhocks grow and 

 bloom. 



Planting and After-treatment. — From the middle to the 

 end of April is the best time to plant for the general bloom, 

 whilst for a late bloom planting may take place a month later. 

 The distance apart may be 3 feet in beds, and in borders a 

 like distance may be allowed from plant to plant every way ; 

 but in the latter case I generally have the lines 4 feet apart, 

 and put in the plants at JJ feet from each other. In planting 

 make a good-sized hole, and fill it up, or nearly so, with a 

 compost of two-thirds loam from turves, and one-third rotten 

 manure or leaf mould. Put in the plants from pots in the 

 centre, Ughtly scratching the sides of the ball, so as to dis- 

 entangle the roots a little ; but if the size of the pots has been 

 sufficient, this will scarcely be necessary. Make the soil firm 

 about the plant, and give a good watering, and if the nights 

 are frosty cover the plant with an inverted flower pot, taking 

 it off in the morning and replacing it at night until all danger 

 from frost is over. In dry weather water must be liberally 

 supplied, especially in May and June, when the leaves are very 

 actively catering for the coming display. When the plants are 

 advancing towards flowering and are in flower, thorough water- 

 ings in dry weather are also necessary. 



Too many flower spikes should not be retained. Two or at 

 most three flower spikes are all that should be allowed on 

 strong plants, whilst one will be suiBcient for a weak plant. 

 All the others, or side shoots, should be cut away as they ap- 

 pear. The staking of the plants must be attended to early. 

 Stout, but at the same time neat stakes must be driven into the 

 ground close to each plant, and ought to be about 3J feet out 

 of the ground, and to these the flower spikes must be tied as 

 they advance. When the spikes have reached a height of 7 or 

 8 feet cut off their tops if you want them for exhibition, and 

 thin the flower buds, so that when expanded there will be no 

 more flowers than enough to cover the spike ; and if blooms or 

 spikes are wanted for exhibition they must be protected from 

 rain and sun ten days before the show. If not wanted for ex- 

 hibition the flower spikes may be allowed to grow as tail as 

 they will, and the blossoms need not be thinned ; but I like to 

 thin the flowers a little, even in gardens, and to have tbore as 

 good blooms as are seen in stands at exhibitions, cutting off 

 the tops of the spikes at some height. 



After flowering cut down the spikes to within 3 or 4 inches 

 of the ground, and at the end of October take up the roots, pot 

 them, and winter them in a cold frame. In sandy, well-drained 

 soil, however, they may be left in the ground, and this being 

 lightly forked over, put a dressing round the plants of leaf 

 mould, not very rotten, or short littery manure, and point 

 it neatly into the ground in spring. In winter the pots of 

 plants, whether from seed, cuttings, divisions, or eyes, should 

 be plunged to the rim in coal ashes, the plants being kept near 

 the glass, and afforded plenty of air in favourable weather, 

 with little or no watering at the roots— indeed, the soil should 

 not be more than moist. If fine flowers and large spikes of 



