iSpi. 



POPULAR "GARDENING. 



^7Z 



and air prevail to induce a very strong 

 growth of wood during the first half of 

 summer. The object of this is to obtain a 

 batch of strong cuttings— the stronger the 

 better— by August. At this time, say the 

 second week of August, the ends of the 

 branches are made into cuttings and 

 rooted, the idea being that each cutting 

 grown into a plant will have a fine floral 

 head by Christmas. 



For cuttings, either side shoots about 

 three or four inches long, taken off with a 

 bit of the old wood attached, or else the 

 tops of strong shoots are used. I prefer to 

 set the cuttings directly into pots, instead 

 of into an ordinary sand bed. A cutting is 

 put into a two-inch pot, in each instance, 

 using for soil fine sandy loam, well enriched. 



The rooting should be done in a close, 

 warm house, the atmosphere of which is 

 kept constantly moist. If one has the 

 means of providing bottom heat, all the 

 better. Under favorable conditions, the 

 cuttings should be rooted in about three 

 weeks. After that more air and sun should 

 be allowed to the plants, and when they 

 can bear exposure without fiagging, they 

 may be re-potted. 



Only one shift of the newly-raised plants 

 is necessary, and that should be into five- 

 inch pots. It is important that the pots be 

 well drained. The soil should be of a light 

 loamy texture, rich, and have a liberal part 

 of coarse sand. To grow these plants on, I 

 have found a gentle hot-bed most useful. 

 With a congenial bottom heat and plenty 

 of light, each plant will develop a large 

 bract. There should be no let up in provid- 

 ing a brisk heat from the time the cuttings 

 are put in until the bracts are produced. 



By the above course I grow handsome 

 small Poinsettias that are the admiration 

 of all. They are perfect objects for table 

 or window decoration, at a period when 

 showy flowering plants are scarce. 



Home-made Trellises. 



GEO. B. DIEMER, HANCOCK CO., ELL. 



I would like to be told some way of mak- 

 ing good, pretty trellises, for I find we need 

 more of them. There are so many pretty 

 new vines offered each year, and, if we do 



I will tell of a few good ones, that almost 

 any man or boy, and perhaps even some 

 girls, young or old, could make. 



First get a stake, the height you want. 

 Allow enough for driving into the ground: 

 then bore holes at certain distances and put 

 'n pegs about six inches long, on top, and 



The Phlox Drummondl. 

 This, the only annual species of Phlox 

 and a native of Texas, still remains a favor- 

 ite summer flower. It is grown everywhere, 

 from the most extensive gardens to the 

 smallest town plat, where flowers are 

 grown. When we make its acquaintance 



A BED OF ABUTILONS AND ZONALE GERANIUMS. Be-engravei frum the London 

 Gardentr'a Magazine. 



then gradually longer downwards. Then 

 take hoops such as come from sugar barrels, 

 etc., and nail one around the bottom pegs, 

 and others in a spii-al manner up towards 

 the top, as shown at the left of illustration. 

 Paint any color, and it will look well. 



Another trellis is made like this. Take a 

 stake, and fasten a square frame at top and | 

 a larger one at the bottom, and drive nails 

 close together all round the frame, both at 

 top and bottom. Then take stout twine 

 and run up and down, all around, 

 and you have a fine trellis for Cypress 

 vine or Morning Glories. 



Some good Trellises for Ammal Climbers, 



not provide trellises, much of their beauty 

 will be lost. 



A trellis fastened to a stout stake, and a 

 neat vine trained beautifully on it, is quite 

 an ornament to a yard or garden. We can 

 not all afford to buy the fancy ones offered 

 by dealers in such things, and so would 

 have to go without unless we knew of some- 

 thing tasty that we could make at home. 



Abutilonsfor Summer Bedding. 

 The subjoined engraving of an 

 Abutilon and Geranium bed shows a 

 pleasing variation for planting a lawn 

 bed, from the ordinary style in which 

 plants of low habit are chiefiy em- 

 ployed. The original of this engrav- 

 ing was made from a photograph. 

 The centre plants were old specimens 

 that had been wintered in a green- 

 house or pit, and which had done 

 similar summer-bedding service in 

 previous years. 



In alluding to this bed, the corres- 

 pondent of the Magazine says the 

 photograph does not show the pro- 

 fusion of flowers on these plants, 

 although in the ordinary view of 

 them they are not so much con- 

 cealed by leaves as would appear. 

 ^ The yellows and whites are very 

 effective amongst the varieties of 

 Abutilon, and a good clear yellow 

 will generally be found the best 

 when only one is required for a mass or 

 specimen, the appearance being singularly 

 bright and cheerful. 



Any fairly good soil will suit these plants; 

 a rich soil they do not need, for a short 

 growth is rather to be encouraged. In the 

 bed, the outer circle consists of Zonal Ger- 

 aniums, which show up well against the 

 beautiful green leafage of the Abutilons. 



intimately we are attracted by its refined 

 beauty, and place it in the front rank of its 

 class, the half-hardy annuals. At the 

 present time there are many varieties of the 

 flower, some of which are great improve- 

 ments on the former types, while all are 

 interesting. 



Inexpensive packets of seeds yield flowers 

 of various colors, including ptire white, 

 lilac, purple, deep crimson and white, violet, 

 scarlet, pink, rose, &c. Some of the scarlets 

 and other bright colors have pure white 

 eyes. The only treatment required for this 

 species is to sow the seed in early spring, 

 where the plants are wanted, or they may 

 be started under glass and transplanted. 

 Peter Henderson used to claim that the 

 plants should be thinned to a foot apart for 

 best results. 



The Phlox bed should be well watered in 

 dry weather. Any slight shading, if at 

 hand, will benefit newly-set plants, which 

 will soon commence to grow. When estab- 

 lished, a little good soil can with advantage 

 be drawn round the base of the stem, and 

 the leader nipped out, thus inducing a more 

 robust and branching growth than will 

 generally be found in annuals. 



There are, perhaps, few annuals that will 

 better repay a little care in cultivation than 

 the one here dealt with. Clay soil will suit 

 them, but they prefer good loam. 



2,349. Building a Grapery. The form of the 

 house is of little consequence, so long as it is 

 built in a protected place, above ground of 

 course, and in full exposure to the sunlight. 

 Thorough drainage is indispensable. Thei'e is 

 no objection to having a number of houses side 

 by side. For cold Graperies smaller houses 

 would be preferable to large ones. The vines 

 are planted inside, one under each rafter, and 

 trained along the rafter. With ratters three 

 feet apart, the span house 22x100 feet would 

 hold about BB vines. The following varieties of 

 exoctic Grapes are best for cold grapery, viz.: 

 Black Hamburg, Muscat Hamburg, Royal Mus- 

 cadine, ChasSelas Musque, Golden Chasselas, 

 Grizzly Frontignair. We could not recommend 

 to plant any of the American sorts. More de- 

 tailed instructions about the management ol 

 graperies will be gi\en in future issues.— G. B. 



