Sepbem1j9r 10, 1874. I 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTOEE AND COTTAGE GARDfiNHS. 



233 



a suitable poBitiou — not too dry a place would bo a desideratum, 

 the insect is partial to moisture. It would be a new feature in 

 a garden fr- te to have the grounds lit up at dusk with hundreds 

 or thousands of glow-worms. — J. R. S. C. 



THE PLANTING OF VASES. 



Vases and other sorts of Boulpture for the decoration of the 

 pleasure garden about the house or mansion are quite a leading 

 feature in many places. The villa garden in the suburb of 

 some manufacturing town ia often particularly rich in them, 

 exhibiting the genius of the brickyard artist in attractive 

 colours, generally shades of red or yellow, and designs rich 

 and original. Vases of good design are highly ornamental 

 when well filled and standing in positions suitable to them — 

 for instance, along a terrace wall, by the side of a flight of 

 steps, or in central positions in an architectural garden. Vases 

 seldom look well crowded too near the mansion ; they require 

 space. A garden must be of very considerable extent to admit 

 of the introduction of many vases ; a small garden, therefore, 

 can have but very few or none at all ; they are often seen 

 sprinkled about small gardens in glaring violation of good taste. 



Vases are now made of various materials : the best are made 

 of marble or a good sandstone ; next to stone we class cast iron 

 painted. There are also some exceedingly good qualities of 

 terra ootta, which look and stand well, and the designs of 

 some makers are very beautiful, chaste, and in good taste. 

 All cements, terra cottas, and compos are to our mind only 

 varieties of one general form, and that is included in the word 

 plaster ; and therefore we are prejudiced against them, though 

 we are quite aware that many fine specimens of art are made 

 in plaster and terra cotta ; for the present we object to vases 

 made of any variety of plastic material. 



Vases for flowers are made of various shapes ; the shape 

 will determine the way in which the vase will be tilled. There 

 is the flat shallow vase with wide brim, inviting you to hang a 

 fringe over the edge, and a little garden of plants gently swelling 

 over its surface ; then there is the tall deep vase, which a giant 

 might catch in his hand, pedestal and all, and out of it — for 

 giants are not Good Templars — take his morning nip of wine. 

 Such vases should be planted fountain-like, plants tall and 

 spreading. Then there are vases intermediate between a cup 

 and a bottle, tall, with a big belly and contracted neck, with 

 perpendicular-looking handles or ears ; these should be planted 

 with something tall in the middle, with dwarf and trailing 

 plants frothing over on the shoulders of the vase. Again, there 

 are vases of all intermediate shapes, some flattish, with swelled 

 bodies and rather contracted necks ; some are neither the one 

 thing nor the other, but capacious, with exaggerated freedom 

 of handle ; some are Tulips and Water Lilies in design, some 

 ornamented with goats' heads and griffins ; some are encircled 

 with the heads of divines and philosophers, with ample flowing 

 beards and eyes of sleepy gravity, expressive of great wisdom, 

 which ultimately get obscured when the tresses of Minnie 

 Warren or the sprays of L'Elegante fall over them. 



As a rule, flat vases should bo planted with dwarf plants, 

 giving the vase at a distance a flat rounded outline. Tall 

 vases should be planted with tall things in the centre, modify- 

 ing the manner of planting with the intermediate shapes. A 

 tail, cup-like vase would look poor with a short flat bouquet of 

 flowers growing on the top of it ; but with tall fountain-Uke 

 plants in the middle, with the rim gracefully covered with 

 some trailing plant, it will be a pleasure to look upon. A flat 

 shallow vase planted with tall plants would look even worse, or 

 propped up to a pyramid like the top of a wheat stack. 



We have tried various modes of planting vases; we have 

 had immense bouquets of one sort of plant, which were showy 

 enough from a distance, but vulgar ; planted in rings of 

 colour ribbon fashion is perhaps worse. In almost every in- 

 stance, except when the vase is very small, and a single plant 

 sufiicient, it is much the best to use a mixture of plants. 



We come now to say something about the materials for filling 

 Tases. Ours, like the flower-beds, are filled twice a-year, in 

 summer at the bedding-out time with summer-flowering plants, 

 and again in the autumn with hardy plants. The summer lot 

 are all of the same character as the bedding plants, of which 

 Geraniums are the staple for the vases ; but we find that as a 

 rule the cuttings of the autumn are not of nluch use. Large 

 plants in small pots are the best, the top fills out, when for the 

 time the root occupies but a small space. Lifted plants from 

 the beds in the autumn, of whatever sort, can always be put 

 into small pots and kept so throughout the winter ; thin 



applies to Mesembryanthemums, Ivy-leaf Geraniums, Abn- 

 tilons, Gazanias, Cineraria maritima, Centaurea gymnocarpa, 

 Tropajolum Miunie Warren, and others, as well as to the 

 general run of Geraniums. A special eye must be had to 

 plants for vases where there are many to fill, else there will be 

 disappointment when the time of filling comes. Much can be 

 got ready in spring and grown into the desired size, such as 

 common Tropajolums, Lobelias, Petunias from seed, Calceo- 

 larias, Verbenas, and cut-back Fuchsias ; there is quite a 

 wealth of plants suitable for vaees when prepared for the pur- 

 pose. But the chief point is the tasteful planting of the vase ; 

 these, like flower-pots, should be provided with a hole in the 

 bottom to take off superfluous water, although it is seldom 

 they get overwatered ; a small pot may be put over the hole, 

 mouth downwards, or a few large crocks, just to prevent the 

 hole becoming stopped up. Many crocks are objectionable, 

 except when the vase is very deep and bottle-shaped. 



The soil used should be a mixture of fresh fibrous loam and 

 rotten dung, the richest which can be had, the soil to be put 

 into the vase as the work of planting proceeds. It is con- 

 venient for the work and for comparison to collect all the 

 moveable vases to one place where the heap of soil is, and the 

 plants at hand for selection as wanted ; the work of filling 

 goes on more expeditiously. In planting, begin at the rirn 

 with the plants which are to hang over the edge. Willsii 

 rosea, Ivy-leaf, L'Elegante, Duke of Edinburgh, Minnie Warren 

 Tropffioliim, and Lobelia, make a fine mixture for a bottom 

 row to hang down ; the old pink Ivy-leaf Geranium, Mangles' 

 Variegated Geranium, long plants of Gazania and Abutilon 

 vexillarium marmoratum, with Cineraria maritima and 

 Lobelia, also make rim plants. The nest inwards may consist 

 of Coleus, Centaureas, Calceolarias, Fuchsias, and various Ge- 

 raniums, choosing the plants as to size untU the vase is 

 finished. But wo do not care for finishing a vase with one con- 

 spicuous staring plant Lu the centre, as is sometimes done. It 

 ia often necessary in planting vases with a bulging shoulder to 

 run two or more thin wires round on which to tie on the hang- 

 ing plants to prevent them being chafed to pieces by the wind ; 

 they also look much better regulated and tied down ; some 

 done in that way here are much the most effective, for al- 

 though tied they still appear to hang. For the centres of tall 

 vases Acacia lophantha is very useful with a piece of bare 

 stem, to which can be tied the long sprays of Abutilon vexil- 

 larium marmoratum. The variegated Japanese Maize also suits 

 well ; pyramidal-shaped Fuchsias, the narrow-leaved Dracaenas, 

 Humea elegaus ; also fur such vases long plants of the semi- 

 trailing Geranium Orange Nosegay, Centaurea gymnocarpa. 

 Salvia patens, with a few plants of Petunia to fill up the 

 bottom and hang gracefully over. Few plants are better 

 adapted for vases than Petunias ; they flower more profusely 

 when pinched for root room, but water must be suppUed 

 liberally ; indeed, the question of watering must always be 

 particularly attended to, and with a Uberal hand. Sometimes 

 it will be necessary to soak the vases thoroughly twice a-day ; 

 if once allowed to get too dry their beauty is marred for the 

 season. After midsummer weak Uquid manure should be 

 given every time they are watered ; it allowed to get seedy and 

 be starved, instead of an ornament they are a decided eyesore. 



Vases for winter can be fiUed in various ways : first of all, 

 dwarf shrubs can be used entirely ; one shapely Rhododen- 

 dron will fiU a vase at once, or a mixture of small things may 

 be used. The pretty Erica herbacea makes a nice winter 

 edging, and the various Viucas and Ivies for hanging over ; we 

 used Aucubas and Retinosporas largely last winter. Retino- 

 spora pisifera aurea, Euonymus radicans variegatus. Erica 

 herbacea, Iberis sempervirens, and Iberis Tenoreana, are 

 stocky little plants which work well together in filling vases. 

 Festuca glauca in thick tufts also works well with these, but it 

 loses its blue colour in winter. None of these seem to suffer 

 much when the soil is allowed to be dry. They were never 

 watered ; and if the soil is raised in the middle and made hard 

 on the surface, much of the rain runs off. The chief feature 

 last winter, however, in the way of vase-filling was in the use 

 of hardy succulents for low flat vases, such as Sedums glaucum 

 and lucidum, Sempervivums ealifornicum, montanum, and 

 the common Houseleek ; Saxifragas ; also variegated Thyme, 

 Pyrethrum Golden Feather, &c. 



In planting vases at all times we never make any allowance 

 for growth, but plant thickly and make them look fuU at once ; 

 the plants then support each other, they have plenty of room 

 to extend themselves outwards, and the effect improves as they 

 get interlaced. If possible it ia always better to group the 



