1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



83 



florists bestow imicli importaiioe upon set- 

 ting in their plants early in the fall, and 

 before the cool nights set in ; a check to the 

 plants is sedulously ganled against. 



Ornamental Shrubbery. 



The fear that planting shrubs, etc., for 

 home ornamentation would entail an un- 

 reasonable amount of fussing, care, and per- 

 haps expense, prevents many who otherwise 

 would, from making much efTort in this di- 

 rection. Too much encouragement could 

 therefore not well be given to these hesitat- 

 ing proprietors of dreary and desolate 

 country homes. 



There is no way in which the external at- 

 tractions of a residence may be increased so 

 perfectly, and at so little expense, as by the 

 planting of ornamental shrubbery, says the 

 Country Gentleman. Unlike architectural 

 structures, it docs not require the labor of 

 the hand to bring out every part, but na- 

 tural growth develops into beautiful forms. 

 It requires only a good soil, planting in the 

 first place, and training into the most effec- 

 tive shape. A certain amount of smooth 

 lawn in connection with the shrubbery, 

 serves to develope its charms. 



But the surroundings must be kept in a 

 neat condition. We sometimes see planted 

 grounds which have l)een entirely neglected 

 afterwards. Weeds and grass have grown 

 among the ornamentals and converted them 

 to "brush '" They have been allowed to 

 grow into straggling and neglected forms. 

 It is a simple and easy task to give them all 

 the necessary attention. A selection of the 

 best shrubs is of course important, and such 

 a selection was made at a horticultural 

 meeting in Rochester by those present, who 

 placed the following at the head of their 

 lists: The first foiir were Deutzia gracilis, 

 Wiegela rosea. Purple Fringe and .Japan 

 Quince. These had the greatest number of 

 votes. Xext in order were Persian liilac, 

 Deutzia crenata and Spira-a lanceolata. 

 After these were White Fringe, Snowball, 

 Plum-leaved Spirfea, Tartarian Honey- 

 suckle, Double-Flowering Almond, For- 

 sythia and Crimson Currant. The follow- 

 ing had fewer votes: Purple Barberry, Rose 

 Acdcia, .Siberian Lilac, .losikea Lilac, Double 

 White Lilac, Magnolia obovata, Deutzia 

 scabra. Tree Peouia and Silver Bell. Plant 

 these in natural groupings, with a due pro- 

 portion of smooth shaven lawn between, 

 and a natural beauty may be produced ex- 

 ceeding anything which formal architecture 

 can give. 



Expanding Plant Collar. 

 A London firm now manufactures and 

 offers for sale the contrivance shown in 

 engraving, consisting of a band of metal 

 bent in ring form, 

 which is inserted inside 

 the pot so as to allow 

 ■ of surface feeding. 

 Where Pineapples, 

 fruit trees, etc., are 

 grown in small pots, 

 a device of this sort 

 comes very handy. The 

 space gained above the 

 pot itself may be filled 

 with some rich soil or 

 fine compost, the nutritive elements of 

 which in course of time, and in conse- 

 quence of the water .soaking through it, are 

 imparted to the soil beneath, and utilized in 

 feeding the plant. 



The Double Primula. 

 Among winter-blooming plants there are 

 none that, if well-grown, give more genuine 

 pleasure to the amateur cultivator than the 

 Primula chinensis. The single sorts being 

 of sturdier growth, greater hardine.ss, and 

 easily grown from seed, are perhaps more 



satisfactory in most instances than the 

 double ones, but they are of far less value 

 for cut flowers. For this purpose the double 

 sorts, especially double white, a good speci- 

 men of which is shown in illustration, can 

 hardly be dispensed with. Kven as green- 

 house or window plants, they retain their 

 beauty much longer than the single forms. 

 Otherwise they require about the same 

 treatment. But while the single kinds 

 can easily and speadily be raised by the 

 hundreds from seed, only a small precent- 

 age of the high-priced "double" seed gives 

 double and semi-double flowers, so they 

 are usually propagated from cuttings. 



The best time for propagating double 

 Primulas, says Amateur Gardening, is as 

 soon as the plants have 

 finished flowering. The 

 cuttings should be t,aken 

 off with a sharp knife, and 

 close to the stem. In.sert 

 them singly in small pots 

 of sandy soil ; tie to a 

 small stick to prevent 

 them toppling over, and 

 plunge in a brisk bottom 

 heat. Water must be ap- 

 plied sparingly until the 

 cuttings are rooted. Those 

 who have no bottom heat 

 in which to plunge the 

 cuttings may remove a 

 few of the bottommost 

 leaves and place some 

 leaf-mould or Cocoanut 

 fibre refuse around the 

 plants, heaping it up care- 

 fully until the stems are 

 completely hidden. Keep in a close frame 

 or the warmest end of the greenhouse for a 

 few weeks, by which time roots will be 

 emitted from the stems of the shoots. A 

 portion of the leaf-mould can then be re- 

 moved, the plants divided carefully, and 

 each division potted and grown on without 

 further trouble. 



Watering should be most carefully per- 

 formed, for many failures occur owing to 

 this being done in a negligent manner. 

 During the summer enough must be given 

 to keep the soil always in a moist condition, 

 but not sodden. Keep the stems of the 

 plants as dry as possible, for if these are 

 made continually wet, damping off is inevi- 

 table. This is particularly so in winter, and 

 readers who desise to keep their plants in 

 good health should bear this in mind. 



tings or else a great portion of them would 

 be flowering ones that is, have flowering 

 buds, and thus could come to little good. 



In selecting the cuttings choose the strong- 

 est, cut the stem at the thinnest joint back 

 and set them directly into these pots, using 

 a compost of loam and sand, finishing off 

 with a layer of sand at the top. The cutting 

 should be set in the center of the pot and 

 have the soil firmly pressed against it. 

 Water them gently and plunge in propagat- 

 ing sand in which there is bottom heat, and 

 keep close and shaded for a week or ten 

 days. The cuttings should be sprinkled sev- 

 eral times daily. In about two weeks, if all 

 has gone well, they will commence to show 

 growth, and then more air must be given. 



Culture of Hydrangeas in Pots. 



S. E. GRAVES, ERIE CO., N. Y. 



There are few plants more attractive than 

 the common Hydrangea Hortensis, when it 

 is well grown; hence it is a great favorite, 

 both with the commercial florist and with 

 amateurs. True it may be not quite so easy 

 to manage in its early stages as is a Geranium 

 or Coleus, yet its culture is in no wise diffi- 

 cult. We propose in the present article to 

 throw some light upon this subject, our 

 remarks being based upon a rather extended 

 experience, some years ago, in growing 

 large numbers of Hydrangeas for market. 



To begin with the cutting it should be 

 stated that is impossible to start cuttings too 

 early after January flrst. To obtain early 

 cuttings some plants should have been 

 started two months ago, by cutting them 

 entirely down, and setting them in a warm 

 place, with a view to having them break 

 out new growth. In case no provision of 

 this kind was made in the fall, no time 

 should now be lost in bringing in some 

 stack plants for this purpose. 



The shoots that proceed from these plants 

 afford the material for propagation. Every 

 shoot that forms is suitable for a cutting. 

 If these shoots are allowed to grow at will 

 some care must be used in taking the cut- 



OF THE DOUBLE CHINESE PRIMROSE. 



In another week or two the young plants 

 will be ready for larger pots. Usually a 

 shift into 4-inch pots may be recommended. 

 Place potsherds in the bottom of each pot 

 with much care, in order that any excess of 

 water may readily pass off. For compost 

 use two parts of well decayed turf and one 

 of old manure with a good dash of coarse 

 sand. After they are potted place in a cool 

 house until spring, keeping them rather 

 close. Then move them to the open air for 

 the summer, and in a position where they 

 will get an abundance of air and some sun. 



About the middle of October plunge the 

 pots in a cold pit house, to remain until the 

 plants are wanted for forcing into bloom. 

 For early spring flowers a lot of plants may 

 be brought into heat as early as February, 

 and for a succession from that time on. It 

 is an advantage to give them the benefit of 

 some bottom heat at this stage. Air should 

 be given with moderate freedom up to the 

 time flower buds appear, when it may be 

 somewhat increased. The syringe should 

 be occasionally used in sunny days, but care 

 should be used not to overdo in this respect. 



When growth is fairly underway the 

 plants should have the benefit of a light, 

 warm position. An important point at this 

 stage is to freely provide water, of which 

 the rapid-growing plants require a great 

 amount. Always with alternate waterings 

 apply some liquid manure from now on up 

 to full bloom. The plants should be neatly 

 staked only in this growth. 



1,581. Golden Queen Baspberry. This is 

 nothing more or less than a yellow t'uthbert. of 

 same habit of growth and remarkable thrift, 

 hardiness and productiveness as the red Cuthbert. 

 For home use, to eat fresh, it is excellent, and 

 its golden color contrasts pleasingly with the red 

 varieties when mixed in a dessert dish. For 

 canning it is inferior, as the beautiful yellow 

 tnrns into an unattractive ashy gray; and tor 

 market it is absolutely worthless, as the berry 

 soon gets soft, and its beauty fades within a few 

 hours after picking. A sprinkling of red color 

 will occasionally appear in some berries, thus 

 proving it to be a sport from Cuthbert. The 

 plant has great suukering propensities. The 

 variety-loving amateur will be pleased with a 

 limited number of plants in his garden. 



