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Gardening for Amateurs 



Silver and Golden Ivies. Good silver 

 variegated sorts are found in marginata 

 media, Crippsii, marginata rubra, and Mader- 

 iensis variegata, whilst good golden varie- 

 gated kinds are aurantiaca, aurea elegant- 

 issima, chrysomela, chrysophylla, flavescens, 

 and palmata aurea, A strong-growing 

 variety with silver marbled leaves is seen in 

 maculata. This has leaves similar in size 

 and shape to those of the Irish Ivy, but they 

 are prettily marbled ; unfortunately it has 

 a bad habit of producing branches with 

 typical green leaves, which quickly out- 

 grow the variegated-leaved branches if not 

 removed. Few make the most of an Ivy- 

 covered wall ; hard pruning in spring is 

 much neglected. 



Ampelopsis. After the Ivy, the next 

 most useful self-clinging plant is Ampelopsis 

 Veitchii, or Vitis inconstans, as it is sometimes 

 called. This climbs by means of tendrils 

 which stick fast to the wall. It is too well 

 known to need description. Another Am- 

 pelopsis which came before the public a 

 short time ago is A. Lowii. This has many 

 characters in common with Veitchii, but 

 the leaves are quite distinct. The new Vitis 

 henryana, which is remarkable for its reddish, 

 silvery marbled leaves, possesses the ability 

 to support its branches by means of tendrils, 

 and is well worth planting. Its means of 

 support are very similar to those of the 

 Veitchian Ampelopsis. Vitis semicordata is 

 another Vine that is self -clinging and is worth 

 consideration. It is a Himalayan plant, and 

 belongs to the Ampelopsis section of the 

 Vines. It seems to be nearest to V. hima- 

 layana, but has much smaller leaves. The 

 leaves are three parted, and colour well in 

 autumn. It appears to be rare, and appar- 

 ently is not met with in nurseries. It is, 



however, in cultivation. This must not be 

 confused with the North American V. cor- 

 difolia, a Vine that does not climb in the 

 same way but has to twist its tendrils round 

 branches, etc., in order to reach a height. 



Climbing Hydrangea. Hydrangea peti- 

 olaris is a Japanese plant that climbs by 

 means of aerial roots similarly to the Ivy. 

 It is a neat-growing plant, and ought to 

 be more widely cultivated on walls than it 

 is at present. It is occasionally met with 

 under the name of H. scandens. An annual 

 pruning away of outgrowing shoots is all 

 that is required to keep it within bounds. 

 A point in its favour is that it blossoms well 

 during late summer. 



Other Self - clinging Plants. Two 

 plants allied to the last named are Schizo- 

 phragma hydrangeoides and S. petiolaris, 

 two Chinese and Japanese climbing or 

 trailing shrubs, both in cultivation but both 

 exceedingly rare. As they become better 

 known they will doubtless be planted 

 largely, for they possess the recommendation 

 of being able to support themselves by 

 aerial roots. As in the case of the Hy- 

 drangea, both have merits as flowering 

 shrubs. An evergreen plant known under 

 the two names of Ercilla volubilis and 

 Bridgesia spicata is sometimes recommended 

 as a self-clinging climber, but it cannot be 

 depended on, and more frequently than not 

 it has to be given assistance. Moreover, it 

 is not by any means showy, therefore it is 

 better to try one of the previously mentioned 

 subjects in preference to it. A peculiarity 

 of those shrubs which climb by means of 

 aerial roots is, that if pieces with aerial 

 roots are cut off and inserted in the ground 

 as cuttings, those roots rarely continue to 

 grow, and a new start has to be made. 



To Protect Seed Bed from Cats. 



Bury several small bottles up to the neck in 

 the seed bed, and put in each one a teaspoon- 

 ful of liquid ammonia. 



Preserving Edges of Flower Beds. 

 Where flower beds are cut in the lawn a 

 neat edging makes a wonderful difference in 

 the appearance, whereas it is often noticed 

 that edgings are bare and ragged. A fre- 



quent cause of this is planting too close to the 

 edge. When bedding out in May and June 

 do not overlook the fact that, although the 

 plants are almost insignificant at the time, 

 three or four months will make a great differ- 

 ence in their size ; therefore keep the edging 

 plants well back. I have particularly 

 noticed that White Alyssum is often planted 

 much too near the edges. 



