218 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE aARDENER. 



[ March 14, 1885. 



Allamandagrasdiflora. asdTmpatiessHookeriana Culture (A Dart- 

 ford Jteader).— The Alhimanda had better be potted at once, RivinR it a 

 Ubenil shift, say from an S-inch into a 12-tnch pot, drainlng:*the pot wfll. 

 Impatiens Hookeriana shouM be putted, when it commences to grow, in 

 i compost of turfy peat, loam, anri loaf mould, in equal parti*, with a tree 

 admiitnre of silver sand. It should be prown in a moist atmosphere, bo 

 kept near the pla«ii, and never have a so Jden and sour soil about it. Whilst it 

 iiffrowlnc the soil should be kept well supplied with water, tnd g'ood drainagi? 

 should be provided; but when it hiia bloomed it ehould not be so freely 

 watered, and water should be pradually witbheld until the plant zoed to 

 rest, when the soil ehould be keptmodcrateiy dry until growth recommences. 

 It is a itove plant. 



Datura, arborea Phuning (.V. J^.).— This fine old plant should have the 

 shoots well cut in, and if the wood was well ripened they may be cut to 

 two eyes, alvrays pruning bo as to secure a well-shaped plant. 



Fernery Adjoining DwELLiNr.-nouaK (M. I. J*.).— Judfiinj: from your 

 plan, we think your proposed situation for a fernery for half-hardy Ferns 

 would answer admirably ; but instead of having it 8 feet square we would 

 carry it 4 feet towards the garden, or to the end of tbe Tiouse in that direc- 

 tion. The circle, we presume, is intended to show the position of a pipe to 

 conduct the water from the roof, which we would carry into a cistern within 

 the honee, so as to have water always at hand ready aired to water the 

 house. In the direction of the door from the house it might be extended 

 4 feet more, making it IG feet long, and by adding 2 fret to the width there 

 would be room for a walk 4 feet wide for access to the garden. We would 

 have the walls of brick or stone, to correspond with the house, no front 

 lights, a lean-to roof, and glass ends. Two lights or windows, one at each 

 end at the highest point, and hung in the middle, would be ample ventila- 

 tion, and there would be a saving in having the roof without moveable lights. 

 The front might consiet of rock stones as high a^ the wall, and extend- 

 ing Into the house a distance of 3 feet, and with a little taste in the forma- 

 tion this would be a plensing feature. The openings between the stones 

 being filled with a suitable soil, would hold more and a greater variety of 

 Ferns than four times the space were it shelved or etsged and the plants 

 grown in pots ; the rockwork would be, besides, a much more natural feature. 

 Opposite the drawing-room window you could introduce a dropping well, 

 small cascade having water dripping over the stones, or a fountain with a 

 basin for gold fish. This would be an admirable place for the le?s hardy 

 and more desirable kinds of the Briiish and hardy exotic Ferns. The 

 rockery would extend along the front and both ends of the house, itUowing 

 for the door at one end as proposed. A three-feet walk nest this will leave 

 a space of 4 feet at back to dispose of. Were it not contiguous to the 

 house we should have no hesitation in forming a rockery there to corre- 

 spond with tl at in front, and this would look best though it might render 

 the wall damp. We should therefore advise you to have a stage there, and 

 grow the plants in pots, taking the hot-water pipes beneath it. If the space 

 at back were formed imo a rockery we would not heat It at all for half-hardy 

 Fe^n^ there being many of the British and hardy exotic Ferns thtU would 

 do well in it. With hot-water pipes under the stage you could grow many 

 greenhouse Ferns on the stage at back, und the hardier ones in front planted 

 in the rockery. Provided FerLs have light they do not need sun, and your 

 house would require no shading in summer— in fact it is just the place for a 

 fernery, and is calculated to give twice tbe gratification of a Wardian cato, 

 which, however, is very well when there is no room for anything larger. 



Manueino foe Potatoes (A Ber/inne?-). —Giyq the ground, previously to 

 digging, a hea\'y soaking with the contents of your cess-pool ; and if the 

 plants during their early growth seem weakly, pour another good soaking 

 between the rows, and repeat it after a fortnight if apparently needed. In 

 a poor soil we bhoald prefer thii treatment to a heavyapplicalion of stable 

 mannre. 



Vines in Pots Bleeding (IF. 5.).— You have pruned your Vines after 

 they had commenced growing. If not started much move the pots to a 

 colder place to arrest the flow of the sap, then take a hot iron and scorch 

 the point* of the shoots, and then daub them with red or wliite luod as 

 soon as it is done. A little oozing will do no harm, but a Tree flowing will 

 weaken the Vines. As soeu as tbe leaves break they will take up all the sap. 

 Flowee-beds {A Subscriber to (lie Journal). — We think your design will 

 look very well ; but as your four beds in the centre are yellow Calceolaria, 

 and the four beds next them are Lubelia, edccd with Cernstium, we would 

 be inclined to continue the same system v/ith the four outside or larger b8d« 

 — that ia, we would make each purple, white, and scarlet ; or two might be 

 purple, &c., and the crose-balunclng two mulberry, white, nnd scarlet 

 These would look very nice, either in lOws of colour, or oven if tbe colours 

 were mixed. Keeping the rows distinct in these large beds would look moat 

 artistic. If wide enough for five rows we would place purple in the middle, 

 white round it, and scarlet outside. 



Wedding Bocquets (A Comtant R>.adcr).— \n that for the bride there 

 should be little but white, the exception being a Utile dressing of Forset-me- 

 not. Lobelia, Uc. ,4t this sea'-on white Camellias, Epacris, Lily of the 

 Valley, white Primrosep, Deutzias, &c , will be in dcmaml, and of courao 

 will vary according to the senson. Fnr brdet-miiidH, Ac, the colour is not 

 so particular, but white should form a lartrc portion of their tiouquets. Wc 

 may before long refer to bouquet-making, but a glance at the ohops in 

 CoTcnt Garden Market would tell you more than a long urticlc. Our coad- 

 jotor Mr. Robson has much (xpcricnce in this matter, and may be induced 

 to help. 



BoLBs DONE FLOwEniio (77iow).— You had better keep the nyacinthF, 

 Tolipa, and Narciwus as long In the greenhouse after flowering as you can 

 so as to encourage Ihc foliage, then place them for two or three weeks in 

 your cold hou»c, and then plant out of doors, and shade and proSect the 

 foliage a little at first The Tulips if «o trcat*;d will bloom next sencon, and 

 many of the Narcissui will force, but the Hyacinths would be better of a 

 »caKia in a flower-bed before being forced a^ain. Plvcrythlng depenrin on 

 giving no check to the fuiiugc imtil It naturally turns yellow. Your 

 Tuberonefl would have done belter If tredtfd as Ilyacinthfi. It was wrong 

 to keep the hoil lo dry. Jf the pot«4 had been covered over the dryncBS 

 would have been prevented. If you could plunge the pots iri a very «liRht 

 hotbed, say about fi&> to 70', and cover th'j bulljs 2 or 3 iuclien deep, we havo 

 DO doubt the bulb!) would r-tart >-trong if ihry arc in good condition. Wc 

 ihoald be glad to have an account of your gas apparatun. Wo agree with 

 Toa that for an apparatus >.o heated copper or tin pipes arc better than cant 

 iron, but the latter wc believe to be the most economical as U» lasting, whilst 

 the copjjer, ftc.| are the caeicr heated, but do not keep the tu>at so long. 



BuzE OF Scarlet (J. aV.).-Good old plants of Tom Thumb Geranium 

 will not be surpassed by anything else for a blaze of scarlet in your window. 

 Stuikino CcTTiNGS OF Mus. PoLLOCK Okranium (E. T., Aittateur, Wilts). 

 —Mrs. Pdllock like most Geraniums, may be raised from leaves with the 

 eye attached, or, in other words, from eyes. Take the cuttings from tho 

 plant, and cut transversely below tho lowest leaf, and then, placing the 

 knife about half an inch above the eye, cut the stalk in a sloping direction 

 towards the basa of the shoot. The leaf ia not removed, and the eyes 

 having a flower-stalk opposite the leuf arc of no value for the purpose, as 

 there invariablv is no eve at the base of the leaf. The Urge leaves only are 

 available fur forming leaf cuttings. The extremities of the shoots should 

 be innerted, like ordinary cuttings, with one joint in the soil, and the growing 

 point above. There is this advantage, in propagating Geraniums from leaves, 

 that the lowest leaves, usually cutaway in preparinp the cutting for insertion 

 in the soil, ra.iy be converted into leaf cuttings. Tho cuttings being made 

 as described, draiu the cutting pois effectually, and till them to within half an 

 inch of the rim with sandy loam, leaf mould, and silver sard in equal parts. 

 A little silver sand is then placed in the pot, a quarter of an inch or so, and 

 the cuttings inserted about half an inch deep, each leaf being lied to a 

 small stick, with matting round the footstalk, to maintain it in an erect 

 position. A slight watering is tben given, and the pots plunged in a bottom 

 heat of 75°, a top heat of 60** or TO"* being nfforded. Tbe frame having a 

 moist atmosphere, there is little necessity to water; none should be given 

 so long as the soil remains moist, and the less water needed tho better, aa 

 the grfat evil is the liability of the footstalu of the leaf to rot, and the con- 

 sequent destruction of the eye before a callus is formed. Shade is given 

 for a few davs, until the leaves are able to bear the sun ; and in this position 

 thev remain'until the shoot from the eye appears, when they are gradually 

 harilcned-off, and finally potted-ofi' singly in small pots. 



Geranium? -Verbenas ( rorA:s/iire).— Best two white Variegated Bedding 

 Oeraniums: Flower of the Day, Queen of Queens. Best golden ditto: 

 Mrs. Pollock, Mrs. Eenyon. Bedding Geraniums: Clipper, Miriam, Editor, 

 Lord of the Isles, Herald of Spring. Nosegay : Cybiater, Stella, Osalan 

 Fifteen, good Verhenna : G(5ant des BatalUes, Foxhunter, Madame Matras, 

 Fantastic, Admiral Mitford, Faust. Beauty. General Simpson, Lord Raglan, 

 Mrs. Holford, Madame Lefebvre, Nemesis, L'Avenir de Ballent, Peep o' Day, 

 Ruby King. 



Potting Rose Cdttings {FeUxsCo\oe).—1\^<s cuttings inserted In a frame 

 last July, which you wish to remove to your new garden, had better be 

 potted now, and returned to the frame, keeping olose for a short time, and 

 then harden-off bv the time you remove. They will remove much more 

 safely than were 'they taken up and planted in the new garden at once, 

 planting them out in May, with the ball entire. 



Size of Pot,'* at Ft.ower Shows {A Sf/^.^cnfrer). —There is no settled 

 rule among horticultural societies as to the size of pota in which plants shall 

 be exhibited It would generally militate at first against the success of an 

 exhibition if tbe size of pots all" over were to bo individually of ao many 

 Inches in diameter ; but if the size of pots were restricted to 8 inches in the 

 case of some thing", as Cinerarias, Calceolarias, Geraniums, &c., it would, 

 be a better test of the relative skill of the exhibitors, and also render it 

 easier for the j udges to decide as to the merits. We recollect being a little 

 in doubt as to Cinerarias in seven-inch pots, and great bushes In 14-mca 

 pots, but on moving the raosa garnishing we found three plants in the large 

 pots, so that the exhibitor showed eighteen instead of six plants. In a amall 

 country flower show it would not be wise to restrict too much, but the 

 majority of the members must decide. If you want more heat add to t^e 

 flow-pipe by all means. We have seen four or five pipes placed horizontally 

 as flows and one to act as a return. The flows will be about the same temper- 

 ature. 



Net^ over Wall-fruit Trees [A Subscriber, BaHhia sloe), —Keep the 

 nets over the trees until all danger of frost is past. If your trees are 

 vigorous they need no liquid, or any other manure. 



Fuddling witu Buy Clay (iV.).— Our own experience coincides with the 

 advice given by "Upwards anu Onwards," second column, page 168, as 

 to ramminc hard dry clay outside tho wall of a tank. For manure water or 

 pewage water only such ramming will often be effectual for holding water 

 without any other wall whatever— at least so long as it is covered by water. 

 Being placed inside, or fronted by a wall of 4;^ inches built with cement, 

 the dry clay, but wet enouiih to be rammed, would answer for such a pur- 

 pose much better than wet puddling. 



Stoppino Cracks in Cbmi-kt (/rfcm). -In clay grounds where the tanks 

 are large, though built in the usual manner with brick and cement, extra 

 wetness and extra dryness in the surrounding soil will affect the walls at 

 times and cau^e fissures and cracks, through which the water will escape. 

 In such c.iscs the cracks are generally too smalt to admit enough of cement 

 to make all sound, but if the opening Is chipped on both sides, say for an 

 Inch or more of an openlnp, and the sides are left rouRh and these a^ well 

 wetted before tbe applicaUon of the cement, wo never found any difficulty 

 in the matter whatever ; and mo far our ospenonce favours that ofthe writer, 

 and Is opposed to the opinion of tho plasterer. A timall opening, say of 

 an eighth or a quarter of an inch, cannot bo stopped so efficiently. The 

 mode of connecting the pipes by means of a one inch lo..d pipe, page 177, is 

 merely Riven as a matter of economy. It would be better If all were 

 uniform ; but tbe smaU connccting-pipca do lUtle to arrest circwlation. We 

 have heated larso tanks by taking a onc-hich load pipe from a fonr-inch 

 flow-pipe, oven though the Inch-pipe was regulated by a common beer tap, 

 to let the beat in when dchirable. 



Flowru-oauden Plan (5. 5. 5.). -Tho design Is so pretty that we cannot 

 well improve it, and of the planting we may say the same. To make the 

 plan complete, however, tho two ends should he chuin-bordcred, aa well as 

 tho bides, if the position will admit of it, and then an opening could be left 

 at each end in tlie centre. The little circles might also bo planted with 

 Mmiill upricht evergreen Hhrubrf. &c. No fault can be found with the 

 arrangt-mtnt of each of the four scrolls, but it is difficult to ploaHO in divid- 

 ing hueh acroUs into .-eparate coloura. For another season It might bo wuH 

 tf. adont a simpler ariangemi nt, and so to plant tho ccntrii with scarlets and 

 white and the chain-borders with t'le buiiio, that the four ncroUs might be 

 cioHHt'd with pairH of yellow and paira of purple. Thi^ would give greater 

 oa«-('. repose, ina!>HivoneH3, ami Hiinpllclty, bnt not the variety that you will 

 gain by your modo of planting. 



Names of Fulmt (/?. //. A.).-Your Apple is Itymer. (Thame Parh].-^ 

 1, Unknown; be good enough to send us two or three more spccimenB ; 



