May 29, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



389 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



MAY 29— JUNE 4, lfl66. 



jAcksouia ^randidora. 

 Kennedya prostrata. 

 Abelia fluribunda. 

 Acacia grandis. 

 Adenandx-a fragrans. 



1 SCNDAV AFTER TRINITY, 



Boronia serrulata. 



Snn 

 Risea. 



m. h. 

 53aJ8 

 62 



61 



Snn 

 Seta. 



Moon. 

 Riees 



Moon 

 Sets. 



8 2 

 S 



m. h. 

 Iat8 



b.: m. h. 

 49af7 1 UBf4 





43 



81 9 



12 10 



49 10 



23 11 



52 11 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Days 

 O 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 19 

 20 

 21 



Clock 

 after 

 San. 



Day 

 o( 



Year. 



149 



150 

 151 

 1.72 



1.0:; 



154 

 LIS 



From observations taken near London innng the last thirty-nine years, the average day temporataro of the week is 68.3° ; and its night 

 temperature 44''.5. The greatest heat was 83", on the 3rd, 1846 ; and the lowest cold 25°, on the 29tb, 1864. The greatest fall of rain was 

 0.97 inch. N.B. — The Calendar contains the names of plants flowering in the gi-eenhouse. 



sil\t;ry edging plants. 



N compliance with various 

 applications I will enume- 

 rate as many as I remember 

 of sD very or gi-cyish-looking 

 edging plants, and add a 

 few notes on their culture. 



1. Achillea Ciavenn.e. — This is a neat tinely-cut-leaved 

 plant, growing to the height of inches, yielding wliite 

 flowers ; but iif these are pinched oft' the plants make a 

 dense silvery edging. The plant is easily propagated by 

 cuttings and divisions of the root, and is quite hardy, ex- 

 cept in wet places and very stiff soil. It likes sandy loam 

 Lest, and is there quite at home. 



■i. Antennaria MARG.utiTACEA. — The flower-stems and 

 flowers, which are wliite Everlastings, grow about 18 inches 

 in height, but when these are nipped off a dense white 

 greyish carpet is produced by the hoary shoots. The plant 

 is quite hardy, and is easily propagated by cuttings and 

 divisions. It does best in a di-yish soil, and the finest 

 edgings are made when the plant is fresh planted every 

 year early in the spilng. 



:?. Antknnariatomentosa.. — AstUl lower-gro-ning smaller- 

 leaved plant, producing beautiful yellow everlasting flowers, 

 which are sold dyed of many colom-s in Co vent Garden. 

 When the flowers are removed, or not allowed to gi-ow, the 

 plant makes a neat greyish edging. Propagated as above, 

 but the plant delights in a dry sandy loam. 



1. Arctotis reptans. a creeping plant with wliitish leaves, 

 does better for carpeting than for edgings, and does also 

 well for suspended baskets. Propagated by cuttings, and 

 requires to be kept dryish and seciu-e from frost in a cool 

 greenhouse in winter. As it carpets the gi'ound it grows 

 about inches in height. 



5. Arctotis arcextea. — This also has silvery leaves, but 

 it is stronger and more upright in growth. 



(i. Artemisia arge.ntea, an elegiint plant with silvery 

 grey tripinnate leaves that grows rather strong, but by 

 cutting once or twice will form an elegant edging of from 

 7 to 12 inches in height, ftopagated by cuttings and cU- 

 visions. I believe it is pretty hardy in some places, but in 

 general it requires protection in winter. 



7. Ce.NTADREA (IVMNOCARPA, CAXDIDISSIMA, AND RAGUSINA 



coMPACTA are all very beautiful, and produce fine white 

 foliage in drj-ish ground and when fully exposed to the 

 sun. Last season I might say I had hundreds if not thou- 

 sands of them, and this season I have not so many scores, 

 and it is entii'ely my ovm fault in not liking to distiu-b the 

 beds and lines to take cuttuigs in time. If plants are 

 taken up, and divided m July and August, or even cuttings 

 are taken ofl" at that time, every bit will stiike, if oriUnary 

 care be taken to prevent damping, and one of tliese little 



No. 2W,— Vi-.i, X,, New Series. 



bits stnick wUl have a better chance to pass through the 

 whiter than old plants taken out of the ground, however 

 carefully managed. Small bits will also strike freely in 

 spring in a little dryish heat. It is a good plan where 

 there are some old plants to top them in Febniary, iuid 

 then in March they will throw out a lot of shoots i or 

 .'i inches long, wliich strilce freely round the sides of a 

 pot. My past success, however, leads me to place the 

 most dependance on .July and August cuttings, and to 

 keep the plants in but Uttle room as to pots and soil, and 

 rather dryish aU the winter, and so that the frost cannot 

 reach tliem. I went on from day to day last autumn, some- 

 tliing or other keepuig me from putting the cuttings in, 

 and then I tliought I could not be much amiss witli so 

 many old plants in the ground : but I was so late in taldng 

 them up that I did little good witli tliem. The great secret 

 of success is to divide or strike early, so as to have the 

 plants well rooted and established before winter. Young 

 plants do best for edgings. If kept dryish they \vill stand 

 plenty of air and cold in winter, if frost be excluded. 



8. Cerastiu.m tomentosum. — This is the best dwarf, gi'ey, 

 silvery-edging plant we have, and, except in damp places, 

 is perfectly hardy. I have frequently cut-in and dressed 

 for the present year the edging that was formed last year, 

 and cliicrty to save time ; but in general, and in lightish 

 soil in particular, tlie best effects are produced by planting 

 the edgings afresh every year. Tliis ma}' be done by 

 chbbhng in thicldy the little bits of uniform size without 

 roots ; better still by divi(Ung the plant and planting with 

 a bit of root: and, perhaps, best of all by selecting an out- 

 of-the-way border in autumn or winter, forking it over, 

 beating it level, and dibbling little bits in rather closely 

 together. These by April and May will be nice compact- 

 rooted plants, and if planted regularly, and once watered 

 will requu'e little more trouble during the season, except 

 cutting ofl' the beautiful white flowers, and trinuning the 

 plants to keep them in shape. 



i). Cerastii-ji Biebersteisi. — Tills is a stronger-growing 

 plant, and the little shoots are stronger, and not quite so 

 upright and pearly as tomentosum, but it is a very deshable 

 edging plant. In duU damp weather on strong land it is 

 not quite so pearly as Cerastium tomentosum ; it may be 

 managed in the same wa}-. but it is even less tolerant of 

 damp in whiter. In damp places I find it has gone during 

 the last winter, whilst in drier places it shows how soon it 

 would CiU'pet the whole ground. 



10. Cineraria maritima. — This, on account of its beauti- 

 ful, cut. hoary, and, in fine seasons, frosted silver foliage. 1 

 like as well as tlie Oentanrea. and it is much hardier, 

 stancUng in dryish positions tlirough our common \\-inters. 

 Such plants if let alone will gi-ow from i to S feet in heigiit, 

 and produce their coarsish yellow composite flowers, and 

 yield abundance of seeds ; and from tliese, if sown in a hot- 

 bed m March, seedlings in plenty may be obtained for 

 planting-out in May. It is rare, however, that these seed- 

 lings give in tlie first year the bright silvery fohage of 

 older phmts, or tliose raised from cuttings taken from older 

 plants. When old plants left in the ground are to be re- 

 tained as edgings, they should be cut down almost close to 



Vo. 122.— Voi.XXXV., Old Series. 



