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Gardening for Amateurs 



Round about the Garden 



E VENDER. Fortunately Lavender is 

 one of the old-fashioned plants which 

 are not in danger of extinction. It 

 is very easily propagated, pieces pulled off 

 the bushes with a heel attached during the 

 autumn root freely, and form quite good 

 plants the following year. Where the posi- 

 tion of the plants necessitates their being 

 kept restricted, they can be clipped annually 

 after flowering without harm. Treated in 

 this way the plants increase in size very 

 slowly. 



Japanese Anemones. The varieties of 

 Anemone japonica make quite a good show 

 in the garden during the early autumn, and 

 for this reason they should be largely planted. 

 Give them a position where frequent dis- 

 turbance will be unnecessary ; whether in 

 sun or shade is quite immaterial. Groups 

 in the shrubberies are very effective, while 

 in most gardens there are many corners that 

 could be filled with them. The various pink 

 varieties should be planted as well as the 

 white. 



Transplanting Wallflowers. Every- 

 thing possible should be done to make 

 Wallflowers strong and sturdy before the 

 winter, but do not imagine that transplanting 

 them into rich soil will effect this ; it will 

 do just the reverse, by causing soft growth, 

 which frost will make short work of. Prick 

 them out in good time, not less than 6 inches 

 apart, and on firm soil which has previously 

 carried a crop. 



Save your Apple Prunings. When 

 Apple, Pear, and other fruit trees are cut 

 back at the annual winter pruning, often a 

 good many of the growths are of considerable 

 length and strong as well. Instead of con- 

 signing these prunings to the rubbish heap 

 or fire, look them over, pick out the straightest 

 and strongest, tie them in bundles, and put 

 under cover. During winter, when work is 

 somewhat slack, trim them up and sharpen 

 them at one end, and you have a very 

 serviceable lot of sticks which can be used 

 for supporting plants in pots or in the borders. 

 In many ways they are preferable to bamboo 

 canes, although they last for one season only, 



but as by that time another lot is available 

 this is of no consequence. 



White Honesty. In addition to the 

 well-known purple-flowered Honesty, there 

 is a white variety which should be more 

 widely grown. Only those who have seen 

 this flowering in large, irregular masses, in 

 suitable positions can realise its true value. 

 In large shrubberies and under trees it is 

 very effective, but formality in planting 

 should be avoided. It is of the same easy 

 culture as the purple variety. 



A Hint on Transplanting. Seedlings 

 of Gloxinias, Begonias, and similar subjects 

 are very difficult to handle when small, and 

 yet they must be pricked out early if they 

 are not to be checked. To get over the 

 difficulty take an ordinary label, not too 

 thick or wide, and at one end cut out a small 

 piece so that a kind of fork is formed. By 

 this means the seedlings may be lifted and 

 transferred to the required positions without 

 fear of injury. 



Caution when Using Liquid Manures. 

 Never give liquid manure to any plants 

 that are dry at the roots ; water them first 

 very carefully with ordinary soft or tap 

 water, let this drain away for a short time, 

 then employ the liquid feeding as has been 

 advised. Such a method prevents damage 

 from any caustic matter in the fertiliser, and 

 protects the tiny feeding rootlets from being 

 injured by the strong liquid. As a general 

 rule weak liquids at short intervals are better 

 than strong doses at intermittent times. 



Kaffir Lily. This pretty Cape plant. 

 Schizostylis coccinea, is especially valuable 

 because it produces its blossoms, which are 

 of a bright red colour, during October and 

 November, when flowers are particularly 

 scarce in the garden. If given a warm posi- 

 tion, and lifted every few years to prevent 

 overcrowding, the plants are very free in 

 blooming. Should the autumn prove very 

 cold and wet, a frame light placed over the 

 plants will repay the slight trouble necessary 

 in fixing. If this is impracticable simply 

 cut the flowers before they expand, and they 

 will quickly open in water in a warm room. 



