342 



JOUENAL OF HOBTIOOLTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ April 30, 1874. 



in the ripening of the plants by this method, while the labour 

 saved in watering and potting is something enormous. — 

 William Tavlok. 



ANEMONES FROM SEED. 



I CAN confirm what is said on page 296 on this simple and 

 beautiful garden plant. I have grown it from seed extensively, 

 sown principally in vacant spots in the front of shrubbery 

 borders. It there showed to particular advantage, and waa in 

 its season a dazzling sea of colour, and I am bound to say 

 that I never saw a mass of flowers give greater pleasure or 

 extort more real admiration than did these glowing masses of 

 dazzling, brilliant Anemones. It must, however, be said that 

 the soil was particularly well suited to them, being a rather 

 strong yellow loam. I have since tried the same plan in a 

 hotter lighter soil, and could not approach the old success. 



I always preferred saving last year's seed and sowing in 

 April, and was then certain of a fine display in the April 

 following, much better than was secured by waiting until the 

 seed was ripe and sowing then. The moisture of the ground 

 in April is generally much more suitable for the free germina- 

 tion of the seed than in June. 



My practice was to sow in shallow drills 4 or 5 inches apart, 

 and when the seedlings were sufficiently high, to thin-out 

 exactly after the manner of Parsley — that is, letting the plants 

 stand just decidedly clear of each other. The plants came 

 up year by year, and with a little care show no signs of de- 

 terioration. The little care was this : On clearing off the 

 matured growth about July, to sprinkle over a covering of 

 soil for the sake of neatness, and then in the spring another 

 slight sprinkling of salt and guano — -about an ounce per square 

 yard. If the weather was dry after commencing growth, a few 

 soakings of water were given, and the end was a display of 

 bloom more than worth the little care bestowed. 



For a cheering display of gardens and grounds in spring, 

 either under the partial shade of trees or in full sun, few, if 

 any, plants can impart the same glowing brightness so easily, 

 cheaply, certainly, and lastingly as the single Anemone raised 

 from seed — that is, if the ground is in itself naturally suitable. 

 A locality where Buttercups preponderate over Daibies in the 

 meadows will grow Anemones to perfection in the gardens 

 adjoining. They are calculated to brighten-up many an other- 

 wise dull spot in the cottager's plot, merchant's enclosure, or 

 nobleman's demesne. Indeed, they are worthy of any place 

 worthy to receive them. This will be readily acknowledged 

 when once seen in their best garb — not grown in long thin 

 lines, but in broad irregular clumps and bold masses, with 

 evergreens for a background. Clumps of seedlings will trans- 

 plant well in a growing state if taken up with balls of earth to 

 their roots in showery weather. There is no better time for 

 sowing than the present, but the seed should not be more than 

 one year old. At this age it will germinate as freely as when 

 sown on the day it is gathered. — W. 



A STRIKING EFFECT OF CLEMATIS MIXED 

 WITH GERANIUMS. 



Much has been written of these two popular flowers indi- 

 ■vidually ; allow me to draw attention to the exquisitely beau- 

 tiful appearance they present when grown together on pillars 

 in conservatories and similar positions. Geraniums seem jnst 

 now to be on the shady side of popularity, while the lovely 

 hues of the Clematis are most deservedly rising in public 

 favour. The only regret one feels on seeing such a mass of 

 Clematises as shown at the last meeting at Kensington, is the 

 want of some shade of scarlet. I do not despair of yet seeing 

 it ; indeed, I noticed one small plant in the collection referred 

 to which was evidently breaking into that colour. We have only 

 now to add as a companion to the Clematis some subject with 

 scarlet flowers to make a show of the most pleasing character. 



As a rule I do not advocate growing more than one plant to 

 a pillar, as both are generally spoiled. In this case, however, 

 after trying it, I have found it a positive advantage to have 

 both — each lending a charm to the other, and combining to 

 produce a more effective picture than either separately. 



Supposing it to be the intention to grow the Clematis on 

 pillars in the border, if planted at once in the majority of 

 oases wo find that after a year or two it becomes naked at the 

 bottom. This is the natural course of things. We can cer- 

 tainly manage to bring down a shoot or two afterwards, but 

 not enough to fill np and make the mass one would desire ; 



there, then, is the Geranium's place — a fine strong-growing 

 variety left growing in the pot. We thus have the base of the 

 pillar, which would otherwise be naked, well furnished at once, 

 and we have only to study the different colours of both sub- 

 jects to secure any combination that may be desired. What 

 can be more pleasing than a scarlet Geranium with a few care- 

 lessly-hanging branches of a white Clematis intermingled, or 

 a white Geranium with a lavender or blue-shaded Clematis '? 

 I have supposed the Clematis to be planted out ; but if well 

 supplied with water in the growing season, and potted in a 

 rich mellow loam in a deep pot, with good drainage, its culture 

 will be simple enough. I think, however, that red spider and 

 green fly are more troublesome to pot plants than to those 

 which are planted out, and to some extent the former do not 

 continue to bloom so freely throughout the season, but when 

 so grown there is the advantage that it can be placed wherever 

 it may be desirable, and in positions where it is impossible to 

 plant-out. Another advantage is, the plants may be stored 

 during the winter in any out-of-the-way place free from ex- 

 tremes of wet, drought, and hard frost. 



In storing the plants for the winter we remove them from 

 the conservatory, in which a little higher temperature has to be 

 maintained than is conducive to the welfare of the Clematis, 

 and replace them with other subjects to flower during that 

 season. I find that if kept in heat they start into weak 

 growth and flower indifferently, the flowers being small, thin, 

 and badly coloured. This materially interferes with that suc- 

 cessive and massive bloom which they produce if afforded a due 

 amount of rest in the short days of winter. 



Nothing can have a finer effect in the conservatory than 

 masses of Clematises ; the flowers are soft but brilliant, of the 

 largest size, and consequently conspicuous at a distance. I 

 have had from one to two hundred expanded blooms on a 

 plant at once. I have them trained to the rafters with that 

 best of all chmbers for large buUJings, Tacsonia Van-Volxemi, 

 rambling from rafter to rafter amongst them, the brilliant 

 crimson flowers of the latter being very effective. 



There is yet another advantage in growing Clematises under 

 glass roofs — namely, they are well adapted for houses where 

 evergreen climbers are quite out of place ; being deciduous 

 they do not obstruct the light during the winter, a matter of 

 no little moment when flowers have to be produced at that 

 season. Those who have to contend with cold, damp, sunless 

 conservatories can alone fully appreciate this boon. I can well 

 understand the preference for evergreens as climbers, still they 

 are generally grown at the expense of other plants beneath 

 them ; but the display afforded by the Clematis for eight 

 months in the year, compared to the often ineffective one 

 made by subjects of an evergreen character, renders them 

 most desirable for covering roofs of glass structures. 



I may add that though the flowers like plenty of light they 

 should be shaded from strong sun.— John T'aylob. 



COCHLIOSTEMA JACOBIANUM. 



This, in my opinion, is one of the most effective plants 

 which has of late years been introduced into our stoves, and 

 certainly deserves a place in every collection. I see in the 

 "Gardeners' Year-Book" (1869) that it was sent out by 

 Linden in 1868, and is a native of Ecuador. The price of 

 this plant may be a great reason for its not being more gene- 

 rally cultivated ; but it is a matter of some surprise that so 

 little has been said of its merits, or that it is so seldom shown 

 at our exhibitions. 



Permit me to say a few words of one of these plants which 

 at the present time I have here blooming in the stove. I 

 purchased a small plant in July, 187'2. In August of that 

 year it was repotted in a soil made up chiefly of turfy loam 

 and sand, and I proceeded to give it the ordinary treatment of 

 stove plants. When the winter months came on I found that 

 it required but very little water. By the daily course of 

 syringing I also found that water lodged at the axils of the 

 leaves and remained there, which made me fear that it would 

 soon cause the base of the plant to decay ; I therefore several 

 times during the winter dislodged it by placing the plant on 

 its side. 



In April, 1873, the plant waa again repotted, treated aa 

 above stated, but I soon found that it required a liberal supply 

 of water, and its growth became very free. On the 20th of 

 May I observed four flower spikes emerging from the axils of 

 the leaves. A month later these flower spikes measured a 

 foot in length, and the first bloom expanded — a stage which 



