May C, 1B75.] 



JOUKNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



343 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day Day 



of I of ■ 

 MoDth Week. 



MAY 6—12, 1875. 



6 

 7 



8 

 9 

 10 

 11 



la 



TH 



F 



S 



SnH 



M 



To 



W 



London Institation at 7 p.m. 

 Koyal Ingtitution at 8 P.M. 

 Roya; Botanic Society at 3.45 P.M. 



SUNDW AFTER ASCENSION. 



Geograplaioal Society at 8. tO. 

 Boyal M. (lical and Chinirgical Society at 8.30. 

 Royal nuiticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Com- 

 [mittoe— Pot Rose Show. Society of Arts at 8 p.m. 



Average 



Temperature near 



London. 



Sun 

 EiaeB. 



Snn 

 Sets. 



Moon Moon 

 Rises. ! Sets. 



Day. 



62.3 



60.8 



64.8 



66 



65.7 



66.2 



67.0 



Night, 

 88.5 

 39.4 

 407 

 43 3 

 41.0 

 42.2 

 42.7 



Mean. m. h. 

 50.4 2i a( 4 



49.8 

 62.7 

 64.1 

 63.4 

 542 

 64.9 



23 

 21 

 19 

 18 

 16 

 15 



m. h. m. h 

 28 a( 7 I 29 al 4 







46 6 



61 6 



9 8 



82 9 



65 10 



m, h. 



25 9 



64 10 

 niorn. 



6 



68 



32 1 



64 1 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Days. 

 1 

 2 

 S 

 4 

 6 

 G 

 D 



Clock 

 after 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 

 Year. 



8 34 



3 89 



8 42 



8 46 



8 49 



8 51 



S 62 



126 

 127 

 128 

 129 

 130 

 131 

 182 



41.1' 



From obaeryationB takea near London daring forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 64.6° j and its night temperature 



HARDY EABLY SPRING FLOWERS. 



P late yeai's one of the most popular pursuits 

 in gardening has been the cultivation of 

 spring flowers, and to such an extent has 

 this been followed by some, that as much 

 trouble is taken and as much interest is 

 centered in the " spring bedding " as in that 

 which follows in the summer. I find no 

 fault with its being so, and where the means 

 are forthcoming both may be accomplished 

 pretty well. Furthermore, there is some- 

 thing especially cheering in the presence of spring flowers, 

 and the earlier they can be had the better ; and if those 

 ■who cater for us could increase the number of really 

 early-flowering plants of a pleasing colour and easy cul- 

 ture they would accomplish an object of more value than 

 by issuing new varieties of Golden and other bedding 

 Geraniums. Really early-flowering plants are but few, 

 and the spring gardening, as it is often miscalled, is 

 allowed to straggle on into the early summer, many of 

 the plants now used for the purpose not flowering until 

 May. In the country spring flowers may be met with in 

 every coppice or hedgerow — the wild Hyacinth, Gorse, 

 May, Cuckoo-flower, and many others, which all tend to 

 lessen the value of the parterre at that time, however gay 

 it may be with Pansies, Forget-me-nots, Silenes, Violas, 

 and the m.any interesting annuals that flower at this sea- 

 son ; so that it is more important for cultivators in rural 

 districts to patronise the earlier class of flowering plants, 

 leaving it to the caterer for town or suburban flower beds 

 to cultivate the later- blooming kinds, as he will have less 

 immediate competition from Dame Nature, and will have 

 the field more to himself. 



Of course the requirements of certain places point out 

 what has to be done, but I have often thought that spring 

 gardening as it is frequently met with is not so important 

 as it is often thought to be when trees and shrubs of 

 80 many kinds are all in their best garb, and Nature's 

 flowers competing for floral honours at the same time as 

 the beds of the parterre which they surround. But I 

 fear it is something like sedition to speak against spring 

 gardening in any form ; I will therefore urge on all to 

 try and encourage the cultivation of earlier-flowering 

 plants, and see if by cultivation flowers cannot be coaxed 

 to precede those which are growing wild. Here I admit 

 our materials are as yet limited, but I hope to see them 

 augmented by plants not yet thought of. I should like 

 to see something like a system or plan of providing flowers 

 from January down to the time the cuckoo makes its 

 appearance. Of such early flowers my list is a meagre 

 one, and is no doubt capable of being supplemented by 

 many readers. 



I have never been able to make much of the Christmas 

 Rose (Helleborus niger), which with me seems to flower 

 best when nestling underneath some tree or shrub, and 

 has not been disturbed for some years. Winter Aconite 

 (Eranthis hyemalis) is more convenient, and bears re- 

 moval much better ; but that I have also grown mostly 



Mo. 7S6.-VOL. XXVIII., New Sebieb. 



as edgings to Rose and other beds, where it enjoys a per- 

 manent position ; still it is available for the temporary 

 purpose of ornamenting the beds, for even after it has 

 done flowering its foliage presents an agreeable appear- 

 ance, which is not the case with all plants. 



We next come to the Snowdrop ; and I am much sur- 

 prised this plant is not more patroni.sed both in pubhc 

 and private gardens than it is, for it is certainly one of 

 the most convenient of all early spring flowers, and bears 

 transplanting at any period of its growth. With us it is 

 mostly planted when it is in a growing" state, tufts of it 

 being taken up soon after it makes its appearance above 

 ground, as well as when it is in full flower or afterwards ; 

 but where it is intended to do duty the same season I 

 would recommend its being planted in tufts that may be 

 about an inch or so high, when it will flower and do well 

 at once. Having so many masses of shrubs edged with 

 it, very often on the turf, as well as walks through shrub- 

 beries or under trees where nothing else will grow, we do 

 not use it much for beds ; still it may be available for that 

 purpose. I may add here for the information of those 

 who have not tried the Snowdrop under trees, that it is 

 an excellent plant to form embroidered figures and any 

 kind of fancy work, which lotjks very pretty on places 

 where the herbage is confined to Pilewort and a few other 

 weeds of a like kind, which scarcely present any signs of 

 life when the Snowdrop makes its appearance. If planted 

 thinly it does not require altering for some years. Where 

 walks lead through shrubberies or under trees where only 

 a few bulbs make their appearance, and where the edging 

 of the walk is defined by a stone or brick kerbing, the 

 Snowdrop may be planted in a line about a foot from the 

 side of the walk, and answers admirably ; neither is it 

 unsightly after flowering, for the foliage curving grace- 

 fully over to both sides looks both fresh and orderly. 

 When grown on grass it is better not to mow until it 

 shows tokens of decay setting in, which is usually about 

 the middle of May or earlier. 



I have never been able to make much of the Crocus, 

 which with me has always fallen a victim to mice or 

 other enemies, that excepting in some detached patches 

 (and these every now and then being destroyed), I have 

 done very little in outdoor decoration with them. I re- 

 gret this much, for the many colours we have of this 

 bulb would make it very acceptable. I may add that 

 rabbits are fond of the foliage when it is in a growing 

 condition, although they do not meddle with the Snow- 

 drop nor common Daffodil further than mischievously 

 scratching them up occasionally. 



We now come to the important Primula family, amongst 

 which are some of the most serviceable of all our spring- 

 flowering plants. Notably so is the single .white Primrose 

 and the single mauve, both being early, the first-named 

 often flowering profusely in the autumn and up to Christ- 

 mas if the weather be mild. The two varieties above 

 mentioned may be classed amongst the early-flowering 

 plants of the year. Next follows the wild or common 

 Primrose, after which the single crimson, violets, and 

 other intermediate colours, most of which, especially the 



No. 1388.— Vol. LIII., Old Sesiks. 



