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JOURNAL OP HOETIOULTUBB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 27, 1875. 



as much variation as possible, because variety, even in a small 

 place, has a charm of its own. 



A few simple modes of arrangement may here be noted ; for 

 instance, a bed of any shape having yellow Calceolaria for a 

 centre surrounded with Scarlet Geranium Tom Thumb, and 

 edged with Cineraria maritima or Cerastium, would look well. 

 As another example take the Scarlet Geranium for a centre, 

 and put the Calceolaria next, and edge the whole with Purple 

 King Verbena or Lobelia speciosa. In either of the above, 

 if Calceolarias are not grown, the yellow Tagetes will answer 

 well. Another arrangement is to plant Amaranthus melancho- 

 licus, Coleas Verschaffelti or Perilla for a centre, surrounding 

 these with Geranium Christine (pink), with an edging of 

 Golden Pyrethrum, and there will not be much wrong. Among 

 Silver-variegated Geraniums we may take Bijou or Flower of 

 Spring as a type ; place either of these in the centre of a bed sur- 

 rounded by a band of any dark-foliage plant, such as Perilla or 

 Beet, and then edged with Golden Chain. The above are all 

 contrasting colours, and if the beds are large enough so as to 

 admit of a good quantity of each being planted they will be par- 

 ticularly gay. But it may be that there is not space for these 

 colours, then two must be used, taking care that the bed is pro- 

 perly divided for each colour to be shown off to advantage. The 

 centre colour ought to occupy fully two-thirds of the bed; 

 arranged thus they woald look well. Scarlet Geranium, such as 

 Cybiater or Stella, edged with Calceolaria or Golden Chain ; 

 Cdleus Verschaiielti edged with Cineraria maritima; or make 

 Centaurea candidissima a centre, and edge with Mrs. Pollock 

 Geranium ; or take either of the last-named and plant in the 

 centre, and they will be pleasing with an edging of blue Lobelia. 

 Again, I admire a bed planted with Silver-leaved Geranium 

 Manglesii and edged with Verbena pulchellum, or yellow Calceo- 

 laria edged with Purple King Verbena or Viola cornuta. 



Now, if we come to a more harmonious arrangement we may 

 place a pink in the centre, such as Christine, and edge with 

 scarlet ; or a pale yellow in the centre, such as Calceolaria 

 angustifolia, and edge with the deep yellow Gazania splendens ; 

 or a blue Lobelia edged with the light-flowered Lobelia Pax- 

 toni. Such arrangements are very necessary at times in a 

 design to bring out the principal features in an arrangement of 

 a more complicated nature. 



Speaking generally, the plainer the shape of the bed the easier 

 it is to plant, and the better will its arrangement be seen. For 

 my part, though I like strong contrasts which can be seen at 

 once, I have also a special liking for soft combinations of colour. 

 There seems to be in these something to study, and which the 

 more one examines the more does their beauty come to light. 



The amateur, who must at times be sorely puzzled to know 

 what is best to grow in his small place, will find some consola- 

 tion in knowing that there are now many plants used for bed- 

 ding of a dwarf habit, such as Golden Pyrethrum, Golden Chick- 

 weed, Mesembryanthemums both variegated and green, Lavender 

 Cotton, the golden and silver variegated Thyme, and several 

 others which occupy but little space during winter, and some of 

 which are comparatively hardy. I ought also to mention Sedum 

 elegans and the Variegated Grass, Dactylis glomerata variegata. 



Now, if an arrangement totally different from that named 

 above be wanted, by the addition to the above list of Alternan- 

 theras spathulata and magnifica, the amateur may work out 

 almost any design his taste may lead him to in what is called 

 carpet bedding, and thereby add an extra charm to his place, 

 giving also a kind of relief to the blaze of colour produced by 

 the ordinary flowering plants. These few remarks are intended 

 as a guide or starting point for the amateur's use, not by any 

 means exhaustive of the general system of bedding. — Thomas 

 Recobd. 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR THE 

 PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GABDEN. 



U.NTIL last Thursday the weather had been warm by day, the 

 thermometer ranging from 70° to 80° in the shade, and the 

 nights were comparatively mild, so that all growing crops in- 

 cluding the Potato have made much progress. In earthing-up 

 rows of Potatoes the mould should not be drawn-up with the 

 hoe from each side to form a ridge close to the stem of the 

 plant, as this plan throws all the rainfall into the bottom of the 

 trench. The proper way is to draw-up the mould to form a 

 ridge on each side of the row, so that a shallow furrow may be 

 formed where the Potato plants are growing. 



Asparagus is now producing abundantly, the beds requiring 

 to be cut-over every morning. It has been recommended by 

 some to water the beds at this time, but unless the season has 

 been exceptionably dry but little benefit would result from it, 

 and if the weather should set in cold the water would do harm 

 by chilling the ground, which would certainly check the growth. 

 No amount of frost would be likely to injure the roots of Aspara 

 gua when dormant in winter, but the young succulent growth 

 are easily injured; cold weather checks their growth, and spring 



frosts kill them to the ground. Water may generally be applied 

 with advantage during the summer months when the plants are 

 in full growth; according to the strength of the plant in sum- 

 mer so may the quantity of the next year's crop be calculated 

 upon. Manure water may be applied with advantage. We 

 have seen excellent heads produced from gardens near the sea- 

 coast, and where annual dressings of seaweeds could be applied 

 to the beds. Salt has also been highly recommended as a 

 manure. 



We are thinning-out crops of Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, &c., 

 and hoeing between the rows. Wherever opportunity ofiera 

 ground is prepared for succession crops, and the ground is hoed 

 wherever there is the least appearance of weeds. Now is the 

 time to have the garden clean and in good order, as, if weeds 

 are allowed to make any headway now, there is little chance of 

 completely eradicating them during the season. 



I'INEKIES. 



The usual time to pot suckers is in August, from the plants 

 that ripen their fruit through the summer months ; but if a few 

 strong suckers can be potted now into Gand 7-ineh pots, the pots 

 plunged in a brisk bottom heat, and a minimum temperature of 

 70" kept up, the pots will soon become filled with roots, when 

 they may be repotted into 10 and 11-inch pots. These they will 

 fill with roots by the autumn, and the plan's will be of a fruit- 

 ing size by the end of October. After they have had a rest up 

 to the first week in January they may be started, and will pro- 

 duce fruit in June and July, and plants of this age produce 

 finer fruit and do not require nearly so much space as those 

 kept through two winters. When their management is under- 

 stood Pines are easily cultivated. The turfy part of medium 

 clayey loam five parts, one part rotted stable manure, two pecks 

 of charcoal broken into pieces from the size of a boy's marble 

 to that of a pigeon's egg, and one peck of half-inch bones, will 

 grow the plants well. 



Use clean pots, well drained ; over the drainage place some 

 turfy loam from which the finer particles have been beaten and 

 sifted. The compost must be rammed-in rather firmly with a 

 wooden rammer. The same treatment is again necessary when 

 repotting. When the plants are repotted it is an excellent 

 opportunity to add fresh material to the bed and to turn it over, 

 mixing the fresh tan well with the old. 



PEACH HOUSES. 



In the late house there is plenty of work now tying-down the 

 shoots to the wires. Avoid by all means crowding the trees 

 with too much young wood. It is the nature of Peach trees 

 that are trained on the fan system to become bare of young 

 wood about the centre of the trees. This may be remedied by 

 judicious cutting-back, and also by training the young wood 

 over the bare stems of the branches. The Peach trellis ought 

 to be furnished with bearing wood equally distributed over the 

 whole surface of the trellis. It is necessary to again draw 

 attention to thoroughly syringing the trees night and morning. 

 The house may generally be shut up about 5 p.m., and that is 

 the best time to syringe. In dull cold weather it may be as 

 well not to syringe at night, as mildew may attack the trees ; if 

 it does, dust the leaves affected with sulphur at once. When 

 the trees are in full growth they require as much water as Vines. 



Outside borders are not likely to suffer for want of water, but 

 should the roots be inside water must now be freely applied, and 

 dress the surface with rotted manure ; this causes the rootlets 

 to work up to the surface, where they receive the benefit of the 

 dressing. 



In the earliest house, where fruit is ripening, the work is now 

 pleasant enough if the trees have been well managed. Leaves 

 that are shading the fruit should be pushed aside or picked off 

 to allow the sun to act upon it. Plenty of air ought to be ad- 

 mitted night and day, and if the roots had a liberal supply of 

 water before leaving oft syringing no more will be required 

 until all the fruit is gathered. If red spider was left on the 

 leaves at that time they will play sad havoc with the leaves 

 before all the fruit can be removed, so that they may again be 

 syringed. 



PLANT STOVES AND OKCHID HOUSES. 



It is necessary to warn cultivators of the insect pests that 

 increase so rapidly at this season. Red spider is even more 

 insidious in its attacks than the dreaded mealy bug, and inany 

 plants are seriously injured before the enemy ia perceived. 

 Dracienas and Palms must be watched for it, and sponged if 

 necessary with soapy water. The Cocoa-nut Palm is a favourite 

 haunt of red spider, but the broad leaves can be readily washed 

 with a large sponge. But the plants ought also to stand in a 

 position where they can be syringed daily. Occasionally spong- 

 ing the foliage of Dracrenas, especially such useful decorative 

 sorts as D. terminalis and D. Cooperi, is adopted and recom- 

 mended, as the leaves are more brilliant by the cleansing. 



Attend to training the climbers trained to the roof. One of 

 the most useful of stove climbers is the Clerodendron Balfourii ; 

 this is never attacked by insects, and at the present time it ia 

 a mass of bloom. Stephanotis floribunda is another excellent 

 plant to train to the roof. The flowers are prized for all sorts 



