182 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Page for Ready Reference 



THE Hardy Passion Flower. 

 Passiflora caerulea, var. Constance 

 Elliott, is the hardiest of the Passion 

 Flowers, and it is a plant of vigorous 

 growth in the South Midlands and South of 

 England and in Ireland. It is an excellent 

 plant for walls, trellises, or even pergolas 

 in the warmer parts of the country. Quite 

 small plants cover a wall 15 to 20 feet 

 high and as much in width in two or three 

 years, whilst the white and blue flowers, 

 which are followed by golden egg-shaped 

 fruits, are borne in profusion throughout 

 summer. It thrives in any good garden soil,' 

 and should have all secondary branches 

 pruned back to within a bud or two of the 

 base in February each year. It is a good 

 plan to train in a young branch and remove 

 an old one now and then. 



Cuttings of Hardy Plants. Though 

 it is not a common practice to propagate 

 herbaceous perennials by means of cuttings, 

 in some instances it is a very desirable 

 method of increase. Take the herbaceous 

 Phlox as an example. The roots of a scarce 

 or new sort may not be large enough to 

 divide successfully in autumn or spring, 

 but it is often possible in April or May to 

 take off several cuttings and still leave 

 sufficient growth on the plant for late summer 

 flowering. Then from the general stock of 

 plants a few shoots may be inserted when 

 thinning the crowded young growths in 

 spring. If inserted in a propagating frame, 

 preferably slightly heated, a good supply 

 of young plants can be grown which will 

 bloom in autumn after the flowers on the 

 old roots are fading, and thus considerably 

 prolong the season of flowering. Other 

 perennials which may be propagated in this 

 way are Michaelmas Daisy, Helenium, Shasta 

 Daisy, Galega, Lychnis chalcedonica, Monarda 

 didyma, and Veronica. 



Cuttings in Sand. The fact may not 

 be fully understood that a large number of 

 plants may be propagated during spring by 

 inserting soft or green cuttings in moist silver 

 sand in a warm, moist, and close greenhouse. 

 The sand may either be made into a bed on a 



stage or used in boxes or pans. It must be 

 made level, pressed slightly, and the cuttings 

 inserted to about one-third of their depth. 

 Give them a good watering at once, and 

 subsequently when necessary, shade from 

 bright sun, and roots may be expected in 

 from one to three weeks. Fuchsia, Lobelia, 

 Bouvardia, Alternanthera, Irisine, Carna- 

 tions, and Mesembryanthemum cordifolium 

 variegatum are a few kinds to increase in 

 this way. The young plants must be potted 

 as soon as they are rooted. 



To Cover Ground Beneath Trees. It 

 is sometimes difficult to find a suitable plant 

 wherewith to cover the ground beneath the 

 branches of trees where the shade is too dense 

 or the drip too great to allow grass to flourish. 

 But the difficulty may be solved by planting 

 the common or Irish Ivy or the green or sil- 

 ver-variegated forms of Euonymus radicans. 

 These plants thrive excellently in shade, and 

 need little attention save an annual cutting 

 over in spring. St. John's Wort (Hypericum 

 calycinum) and Periwinkle (Vinca minor) 

 are two useful flowering plants for the same 

 purpose. The former bears yellow flowers, 

 and requires cutting to within 3 inches of 

 the ground each spring, the latter produces 

 blue flowers and needs no pruning. The 

 ground must be forked up before planting. 



Transplanting Evergreens. Evergreen 

 shrubs cannot be transplanted so success- 

 fully as deciduous kinds between October 

 and 'March, although it is often done during 

 mild weather. The best time for the work 

 is either early in the autumn or in April 

 and May. Favourable weather should be 

 chosen ; a mild, showery day is preferable. 

 When cold winds prevail the roots are dried 

 up if exposed for a few minutes only, which 

 is the very thing it is important to avoid. 

 It is usually possible to judge pretty nearly 

 the size of the roots before actually lifting 

 the plants, and thus there is nothing to 

 prevent the holes being prepared before- 

 hand. Tread the soil firmly after planting, 

 and finally give a thorough soaking of water ; 

 during dry weather repeat this watering 

 frequently throughout the season. 



