416 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Odds and Ends of Interest 



THE Value of Regular Hoeing. 

 If for some unthinkable reason it 

 became necessary during the summer 

 to confine oneself to one tool only, we 

 should select not the water-pot but the 

 hoe. During the summer there is no more 

 useful tool than this. Its regular em- 

 ployment not only prevents weeds from 

 growing, but by keeping the surface soil loose 

 acting as a mulch it reduces the labour 

 of water-carrying not a little, and the benefit 

 to the plants is almost without limit. Firm 

 soil cracks under a powerful sun, and moisture 

 escapes faster than it can be supplied, but 

 by keeping the hoe going cracking is im- 

 possible. Therefore our advice, especially 

 in dry seasons, is to hoe unceasingly. 



Goboea Scandens. The green-leafed 

 Coboea and the handsome variety with 

 variegated leaves are very useful climbers 

 for draping the roof of a cool greenhouse 

 or conservatory. Being remarkably quick 

 growing, they need frequent attention in the 

 regulation of the growths during the spring 

 and summer, or they quickly become a 

 tangled mass. Where propagation is con- 

 templated, it is best effected by inserting 

 cuttings of the young growth in sandy soil, 

 and placing them in a propagating case until 

 rooted. 



How to Catch Wasps. Wasps are one 

 of the worst enemies of the fruit-grower, and 

 will soon ruin a crop of ripening fruit if 

 means are not taken to combat them. When 

 all the known nests have been destroyed they 

 will still come in plenty, so that the only 

 way is to destroy them on the spot. The 

 following method will account for hundreds 

 in a day or two : Procure some jam jars with 

 rims that enable string to be tied round them, 

 to secure the jars to the branches, or to nails 

 in the wall. The jars are half filled with 

 sweetened beer (diluted with water if neces- 

 sary) and secured with the string. The 

 smell of the mixture will prove irresistible 

 to the wasps, and dozens will be drowned 

 in each Jar. It is advisable to refill the jars 

 daily, or at all events every other day. 

 Probably any sweet smelling mixture would 



be equally effective, but the above I am quite 

 sure of. 



Hardy Fuchsias. The hardy Fuchsias 

 might be planted to a greater extent than at 

 present, for a few large specimens are a 

 veritable attraction in any garden. Although 

 they succeed best in gardens situated in mild 

 districts, or in proximity to the sea, yet in 

 more unfavourable places they can be relied 

 on to shoot strongly from the base in spring 

 if cut to the ground by frost. The two best 

 varieties are Ricartoni and gracilis, the 

 latter especially being very graceful, while 

 both are remarkably free flowering. 



Begonias for Hanging Baskets. Though 

 not yet extensively grown probably through 

 not being known so widely as they deserve 

 the trailing Begonias are a distinct change 

 from the usual plants grown in hanging 

 baskets, and should be tried by all who 

 possess a greenhouse and care for plants in 

 baskets. They are started in the same way 

 as the ordinary tuberous kind these also are 

 tuberous rooted and when good progress 

 has been made they are transferred to the 

 baskets, which are previously lined with 

 moss. Watering must be carefully attended 

 to, as with all Begonias. The following varie- 

 ties are suitable : Golden Shower ; Fleur de 

 Chrysantheme, pink ; alba fimbriata, white ; 

 Alice Manning, yellow ; and Gladys, dark red. 



Chimney Campanulas. Campanula 

 pyramidalis, blue, and the white variety, alba, 

 should be grown in every garden where room 

 can possibly be found in the borders, while 

 half-a-dozen plants in pots will give a grand 

 display in a cool greenhouse during the 

 summer a display, incidentally, that may 

 be considerably prolonged by the simple 

 process of removing every blossom as it 

 fades. Seeds are sown about midsummer, 

 and the plants may be wintered in small pots 

 in a frame. In the spring they may be 

 planted out or potted on, as the case may be. 

 Pots not less than 8 inches in diameter are 

 necessary to flower the plants well, as they 

 root freely, and attain an average height 

 of 5 feet. Frequent feeding i 

 when the flower spikes are forming. 



