31G 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[May 11, 1912 





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The Week' s Work. 



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[%.• C vi 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., 



Gatton Park, Surrey. 



Stan hope a. — Plants of Stanhopea tigrina 

 and its variety superba, S. Wardii, S. nigro- 

 •violacea, S. Amesiana, and others that require 

 fresh rooting materials should receive attention 

 in this respect. The plants do best in shallow 

 teak-wood baskets, as their pendulous in- 

 florescences push downwards through the bottom 

 of the receptacles. For this reason a layer of Fern 

 rhizomes should be placed at the bottom of the 

 basket for drainage in preference to crocks. Any 

 hints that require increased rooting space should 

 e afforded larger receptacles, such as will accom- 

 modate them for at least two seasons, as these 



plants resent root disturbance. Remove as much 

 as is necessary of the old materials from about the 

 roots with a pointed stick. Use a compost com- 

 posed of equal parts CKsmunda fibre or Al fibre 

 and Sphagnum-moss, cutting both materials 

 rather roughly and well mixing them together; 

 work the compost well between the roots and 

 press it moderately firm. Plants that have 

 sufficient Tooting space and with compost in a 

 .good condition should have a portion of the 

 soil picked from the surface and be top-dressed 

 with fresh materials. The plants should be sus- 

 pended from the roof-rafters in a moist, shady 

 position in the Cattleya or intermediate house. 

 They should be watered sparingly during their 

 -earliest stages of growth, but when the new 

 pseudo-bulbs begin to form they should be 

 afforded liberal supplies of moisture and sprayed 

 frequently, wetting the undersides as well as the 

 upper surfaces of the leaves to combat red spider. 



Acin eta.— Plants of Acineta Humboldtii, A. 

 Barken, A. H. rubyana, and A. chrysantha are 



developing their inflorescences, and care should 

 be taken that the soil is not overwatered or the 

 flower-buds may drop. Any necessary attention 

 at the roots should be done after the plants have 

 passed out of flower when new growth will have 

 ■commenced. At that stage they should be 

 treated in a similar manner to that advised for 

 Stanhopeas. 



Vanda Kimballiana.— If plants of Vanda 

 Kimballiana require attention at the roots the 

 work should be done now, but the soil should not 

 be disturbed unless it is absolutely necessary. 

 The plant does best grown in teak-wood baskets, 

 using clean crocks for drainage purposes and 

 clean-picked Sphagnum-moss as a rooting 

 medium. If the old compost is sour and decayed 

 it should all be removed and replaced by fresh. 

 Plants that have lost many of their bottom 

 leaves, and have thereby become leggy and un- 

 sightly, may be made into shapely specimens. 

 They should be taken out of their receptacles to 

 allow portions of the stems to be cut away below 

 some of the aerial roots, so that they may be 

 placed lower down in the baskets. Plants 

 treated in this manner should be afforded a 

 shady position in the house for a few weeks 

 afterwards and frequent syringings. This Vanda 

 grows best when suspended from the roof-rafters, 

 and during the season of active growth in a night 

 temperature ranging from 60° to 65° with a rise 

 of 5° or 10° by day. 



Chysis.— Plants of Chysis bractescens, 0. 

 aurea, C. Limminghii, C. Sedenii, and others 

 having passed out of flower may be repotted. 

 The plants are best grown in pans without side 

 holes or in pots that may be suspended. Plants 

 that have sufficient pot room and compost in a 

 good condition may have some of the soil re- 

 moved from the surface and be afterwards top- 

 dressed with fresh materials. Any specimens 

 that are growing in sour soil or require more 

 root space should have the old compost removed 

 from the roots and be potted up afresh. The 

 pots should have plenty of materials for drainage 

 purposes.. Use as a rooting medium a mixture 

 consisting of equal parts Osmunda fibre and Al 

 fibre cut up moderately fine with a liberal addi- 

 tion of crushed crocks, mixing the materials well 

 together. Pot firmly, and keep the base of the 

 plant a little below the rim of the receptacles. 

 They should afterwards be suspended in the 



lightest position in the intermediate house, which 

 should be frequently fumigated to destroy yellow 

 thrips. When well established in their pots the 

 plants should receive copious supplies of water at 

 the roots during their season of active growth. 



PLANTS UNDER GLASS. 



By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., 



Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. 



Tr ache lium cceruleum. — This cool-green- 

 house plant is very useful during the summer 

 months for various forms of decoration, the light 

 panicles of blue flowers being very easy of 

 manipulation in groups and vases. A stock may 

 be raised easily from seed sown either in the 

 spring or autumn, those raised at the latter sea- 

 son giving the best results. Young plants should 

 be in a suitable condition for transferring to 

 4£-inch pots, which is the most convenient size to 

 use for decorative purposes, the receptacles being 

 sufficient for the plants' requirements. If the 

 plants are kept growing actively in a moist 

 house, specimens may be had up to 4 feet in 

 height, but in a cooler structure they grow 

 dwarfer, whilst the inflorescence is much more 

 branched. If large specimens are required, from 

 five to seven plants growing in 60's may be 

 placed in a 9-inch or 12-inch pot. 



Richardia africana. — Arum Lilies [may be 

 removed from the houses to a sheltered position 

 out-of-doors, where they should, for some little 

 time to come, receive a fair amount of water, 

 decreasing the supply as the foliage shows signs 

 of decaying. It is the practice with some 

 growers to plant these in the ground during the 

 summer months, and, where large plants are 

 required, this may be the bejst method, but for 

 growing in 6-inch or 8^-inch pots I prefer to 

 keep them in pots all the year round. They 

 may be rested for a time after the foliage has 

 died down, and be potted up again just as fresh 

 roots are forming during August or early in Sep- 

 tember. The yellow-flowered Callas are growing 

 freely, and should be assisted by liberally water- 

 ing and feeding. 



Stove and Greenhouse Climbers.— The 

 training and tying of climbers in plant-houses 

 should be done regularly, as they grow quickly, 

 and the shoots soon become a tangled mass, caus- 

 ing much trouble to place them where they are 

 required. Allamandas, Stephanotis, and other 



{)lants on the point of blooming must be regu- 

 arly fed with artificial manure; Clay's fertiliser 

 may be recommended for the purpose, as it 

 strengthens the flowers and causes the foliage to 

 grow strong and develop a good colour. Cleanli- 

 ness in climbers is a point that must be rigidly 

 observed; they are usually trained over other 

 plants, and once the climbers become infested 

 with insect pests the latter will soon spread to 

 the other plants. Mealy bug, thrip, red spider, 

 and aphis must be eradicated as quickly as pos- 

 sible. Fumigations will quickly destroy thrip, 

 red spider, and aphis, but mealy bug is more 

 troublesome to destroy. A slight infestation of 

 mealy bug may be combated without much 

 trouble, but where the pest is very numerous 

 thorough spraying or syringing with a strong 

 insecticide must be resorted to. There is no 

 better specific for mealy bug than paraffin emul- 

 sion, and this should be employed in all cases 

 where the plants will not be harmed by it. 

 Greenhouse climbers such as Heliotrope, Strep- 

 tosolen, Fuchsia, and Swainsonia, are growing 

 freely, and, as in the case of stove climbers, re- 

 quire plenty of water at the roots to ensure a 

 long season of flowering. 



Ventilation.— Though the sunshine has been 



helpful in forwarding the grow r th of many plants, 

 the cold winds have necessitated verv careful 

 ventilation, and where this has been neglected red 

 spider and aphides may give trouble. In many of 

 the cool-houses fire heat may now be dispensed 

 with, closing the houses before all the sun's heat 

 has departed where it is necessary to maintain a 

 moderately -warm temperature during the night. 

 In the stove and intermediate houses the valves 

 of the hot-water system may be turned off on all 

 bright days, thus insuring the plants a greater 

 immunity from insect pests. Where no valves 

 are provided, the dampers regulating the fires 

 should be almost closed and the fires banked down 

 early in the morning, so that the pipes may be 

 as cool as possible by the time the sun attains 

 sufficient power to maintain the houses at or 

 about the desired temperatures. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Nokthcotb. 



Eastwell Park, Kent. 



The Bamboo Garden.— Though it is pos- 

 sible to plant Bamboos at almost any time of 

 the year, the present month is especially suit- 

 able, as the plants are active, and the roots 

 should soon become re-established. Care must 

 be taken to damp the plants overhead regularly, 

 and the roots must be afforded water during 

 periods when drying winds prevail. The nature 

 of the soil presents very little difficulty; if the 

 ground is not suitable, holes 5 feet or 6 feet 

 across and 2 feet deep should be prepared, and 

 afterwards filled with a specially prepared com- 

 post, in which the plants will thrive for years, 

 with little attention beyond an annual top-dress- 

 ing of leaf-mould and manure to keep the roots 

 covered. Bamboos delight in a light, rich loam, 

 and, when the stations are prepared for them, 

 rotted dung and leaf-soil should be added in equal 

 proportions to the loam. When planting, do not 

 ram the soil so tightly as is done in the case of 

 shrubs; merely press it well together. Water 

 the roots well and apply a mulch of light ma- 

 terial to conserve the moisture about the roots. 

 Although Bamboos luxuriate in moist conditions, 

 they should not be planted in cold or badly- 

 dramed soils, or the roots will probably die dur- 

 ing the winter. Shelter from north and east 

 winds is of the utmost importance; Bamboos 

 should never be planted in exposed positions, or 

 failure is sure to result. In these gardens wo 

 grow between 20 and 30 varieties of Bamboos, 

 including species of Phyllostachys, Arundinana 

 and Bambusa, and, with a few exceptions, they 

 are perfectly hardy. Those named below have 

 been planted here at intervals within the past 

 seven years, and in most cases have formed well- 

 established clumps. Phyllostachys viridi glau- 

 cescens is one of the very best garden plants of 

 this fascinating family. The plant makes a 

 grand specimen, and is not so untidy in appear- 

 ance in the winter as some other kinds. Th« 

 handsome foliage is very persistent. P. aurea is 

 a strong grower, compact in habit, and very 

 hardy, P. Castillonis is a very distinct Bamboo 

 with golden stripes running down the canes, and 

 P. nigra may be recognised easily by the pro- 

 nounced colour of its canes. The plant takes 

 rather longer to become established than most 

 kinds. P. violascens and P. Henonis are both 

 highly decorative subjects. Our plant of P. Heno- 

 nis flowered during 1910, but seedlings will prob- 

 ably now be available. P. mitis and P. Quilioi 

 are two fine species, the latter being especially 

 good. Of Arundinarias, A. japonica, though 

 common in gardens, is one of the best Bam- 

 boos when grown as a specimen plant.. A. 

 anceps is a fine plant, which quickly spreads 

 and forms an imposing clump. A nitida has 

 finer leaves than the preceding : it is a grand 

 subject for planting in the rock-garden. A. 

 spathiflora resembles A. nitida, but has pinky- 

 coloured stems and a more drooping habit. 

 Other hardy Arundinarias are A. Fortunei, A. 

 Hindsii, A. H. graminea, A. Simoni, and A. 

 aristata, which is like a small form of A. anceps. 



A. Palconeri, A. insignis, A. falcata, and A- 

 nobilis are all choice species, but are not suitable 

 for planting out-of-doors except in the most 

 favoured districts. They provide splendid subjects 

 for planting in winter gardens. Bambusa fastuosa 

 is the best of its section. The plant is of rapid 

 growth, very hardy and distinct in appearance. 



B. palmata has the largest foliage of any Bam- 

 boo ; this plant does not usually grow very tali, 

 but it spreads rapidly, and should be planted W 

 the wild garden or woodland, where there i* 

 ample room for its extension. If grown in a 

 soft, rich soil, it will soon cover a large area. 



Weed Destroyers.— The majority of weed 

 destroyers are recommended to be used when tn 

 paths are moist after rain, but when fine wea ™ e . r 

 mav be expected afterwards I favour an appi 

 cation early in the spring. Where new gra^ei 

 has been put down recently, and w n0 * V 

 settled, the application of weed killer should oe 

 delaved till sufficient rain has fallen to allow o 

 the walks to be well rolled first. We ed-k uier 

 prevents the germination of weed-seeds, ana ^ 



stroys moss in damp places or under . trees V oU id 

 utensils used for poisonous preparations , s " u , 

 be kept specially for the purpose or scalded j 

 with boiling water, to which has been addea 

 quantity of common soda. 









