6;6 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Notes of Practical Interest 



PERPETUAL Carnations Out of 

 Doors. The Perpetual-flowering Car- 

 nation is thought by many to be a 

 greenhouse subject pure and simple, but 

 this is very far from being the case. It 

 has proved to be at home in the open 

 garden to such an extent that many 

 prophesy that the Border Carnations are 

 likely to be almost superseded in the future. 

 Of course, the value of the Perpetuals lies 

 in their continual blossoming, for whereas 

 Border Carnations add to the attractiveness 

 of the garden for a month or so, the perpetual- 

 flowering varieties will bloom from the time 

 they are planted until the arrival of frost. 

 It is advisable in order to secure the best 

 results to have well-developed plants, pre- 

 ferably showing buds, ready by planting 

 time in May, and they must be hardened 

 prior to being put out if they have been 

 growing in a greenhouse. These Carnations 

 will thrive in most soils provided they are 

 well cultivated, and they may be grown 

 either in borders or in beds. Those who have 

 not as yet tried growing Perpetual Carnations 

 outside might do worse than fill a bed 

 (usually planted with ordinary summer 

 bedding plants) with them as a trial, and I 

 think the result can hardly be anything but 

 satisfactory. It may be added that the 

 plants will stand ordinary winters without 

 being harmed in southern gardens. 



Sterilising Soil for Sowing. The 

 value of sterilising soil for potting and other 

 purposes is now generally recognised, but 

 unfortunately there are many who, while 

 admitting the benefits to be derived from 

 the operation, are yet prevented from 

 practising it owing to lack of convenience. 

 No doubt this difficulty will be surmounted 

 in the future, rendering it possible to sterilise 

 small quantities of soil with but little ex- 

 pense. It is, however, quite simple to steril- 

 ise the soil of seed-pans and boxes after they 

 are prepared for sowing. These are usually 

 watered by immersion before the seeds are 

 sown, and if instead of placing the pans in 

 cold water they are stood in boiling water, 

 all the harmful contents of the soil will be 



destroyed. The soil must be properly soaked, 

 and it is best to allow the pans to stand aside 

 for a couple of hours before seeds are sown. 

 Seedlings will thus possess the advantage of 

 growing in soil which is not harmful, and a 

 good start in life is thus assured them. 



Overcrowded Growths of Herba- 

 ceous Plants. In the early spring, when 

 new growths appear on herbaceous peren- 

 nials, it will be noticed that these are very 

 thick on such plants as Phloxes, Michaelmas 

 Daisies, etc. If the clumps are vigorous, 

 not having been divided for some years, the 

 number of growths on one plant is very large. 

 Now, it is hardly reasonable to expect that 

 these shoots can develop properly and 

 flower as they should when they are so 

 crowded ; yet very few ever think of thinning 

 them out in the early stages. This must be 

 done, however, if fine blossoms are looked 

 for. Old clumps will need to have a good 

 many of the young growths removed, par- 

 ticularly those situate in the centres, where 

 the plants are usually weakest, because 

 oldest. Even recently-divided plants will 

 be the better for having a few shoots taken 

 out. Those who are afraid of lessening the 

 display of flowers by this means should try 

 growing a few of the Michaelmas Daises with 

 three stems, or even with one, and note the 

 difference in the blossoms compared with 

 clumps carrying a couple or three dozen 

 growths. 



Manuring Flower Beds. Flower beds 

 which are " bedded-out " twice yearly, in 

 May and October, should always be manured 

 in the spring, never in the autumn. Bulbs 

 are seldom satisfactory if their roots get into 

 new manure, while Wallflowers are induced 

 to make a lot of soft growth which hard 

 weather will probably cut down. For the 

 same reason these latter should always be 

 planted very firmly. On the other hand, 

 summer-blooming plants need something 

 to maintain them during periods of drought, 

 but the manure used should always be old 

 and decayed, and must be applied in moder- 

 ate quantity only, for excessive manuring 

 leads to gross growth. 



