October 3, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
| Day | Day | Average »,| Clock | Day 
of of OCTOB Cy 78. a Sun Sun Moon | Moon | Moon’s 
|Month, Week BENS E) Bas | pombperature neat Rises. | Sets. | Rises. | Sets. | Age. Wake oe 
| 
| Day. |Night.]Mean | h. m.| h. a] h. m.| h. m]| Days m. s. 
3 | TH | Dresden Show opens. | 63.4 | 44.7 | 54.1 GigeGH]| P15) 5335 |e 2h 4150S ASa lye) 10 58 | 276 
4 F | 644 | 43.9 | 541 Cai 5 30 3 10) 11 24 8 11 16 | 277 
5 Ss | 63.7 | 41.5 | 52.6 Gano 5 28 8 31 | morn. 9 ll 34 | 278 
6 | SUN | 16 SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. | 63.7 | 42.4 | 53.1 GPT | Se 26r 3478s ONs9 10 1l 52 | 279 
u M 60.5 | 40.3 | 50.4 6 12 5 23 4 0 Wee528| 0) ei 12 9] 280 
8 TU | 61.8 | 43.2 | 52.5 6 14 5 21 4 12 3. 2 12 12 26 | 281 
9 Ww Jersey Show. | 63.7 | 43.4 | 53.6 Gael6: 5 19 4 23) 4 11 13 12 42 | 282 
42 
nae observations taken near London during forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 69.3°; and its night temperature 
MIXED BORDERS FOR AUTUMN. 
ESIDES bedding plants and hardy perennials, 
there is a host of beautiful flowers which 
ought to find a place in every garden with 
any pretension to completeness. They may 
not do for massing or making a great show, 
but some of them are sweet, others are 
’ decoration of rooms, and all are interesting in 
one way or another. The mixed border is the 
place for all such as will not fit in anywhere else. 
9 Almost anything in the shape of flowers, excepting | 
perhaps scarlet Geraniums, will do there, and a most 
attractive mixture it is possible to make it if a little fore- 
thought is employed in the arrangement. I have such a 
border situate near the herbaceous borders, in fact tempo- 
rarily filling the space intended for perennial plants as the 
collection increases, and I was rather afraid at one time 
that the temporary plants would prove more attractive than 
their more permanent neighbours. As a whole they cer- 
tainly were the most showy, the sweetest, the best filled up, 
and afforded the greatest quantity of cut flowers ; but on 
longer acquaintance I find there is not so much individuality 
in the plants, they lack variety compared with the peren- 
nials, and the first slight frost totally spoils them ; never- 
theless they have been extremely useful, and I think while 
the demand for large supplies of cut flowers lasts, and con- 
temporaneously with it the fashion for bedding-out, which 
affords nothing to cut, we cannot do better than stick to 
the mixed border. 
The background here is shrubs, as I think it always ought 
to be; then come Dahlias, two rows. The best varieties I 
have in a decorative point of view are Criterion, Lord Derby, 
Andrew Dodds, Chairman, Prince of Prussia, and James 
Cocker from 5 to 53 feet high; Toison d’Or, Lady Dun- 
more, Sir Greville Smythe, Queen Mab, Sarah Maria, Bird 
of Passage, Lady Gladys Herbert, and Charles Backhouse, 
4to 4} feet ; Flag of Truce, Aristides, and Crystal Palace 
Scarlet are a foot less. I ought to have the small-flowered 
Dahlias called Liliputian or Bouquet varieties, as they are 
more useful for cutting than the large flowers, and I should 
be glad if someone who cultivates them would name the 
best half dozen. 
Next to the Dahlias are Convolvulus minor, Calliopsis 
tinctoria and C. atro-sanguinea, sown in May in patches 
where they are to remain—the last two showy annuals are 
excellent for cutting ; Delphinium formosum and several 
other varieties sown indoors in February this year. Treated 
thus they do not come so large as when treated like bien- 
nials, but they are very good and flower late in the season. 
Chrysanthemum carinatum and other annual varieties sown 
with Asters and treated in the same way are very fine ; so 
is also Chrysanthemum frutescens from cuttings. I am 
trying some of the early-flowering varieties of Chrysanthe- 
mum indicum ; some of them have done very well, notably 
Chromatella, Golden Button, Scarlet Gem, Adrastus, White 
summer Jardin des Plantes, Yellow summer Jardin des 
Plantes, Delphine, Cartouche, and Illustration. The Chrys- 
No, 914.—Von. XXXV., NEW SERIES. 
pretty, some are useful for cutting for the | 
anthemums named have all been in full flower some time, 
some of them as early as July, while others which I do not 
name haye not yet shown their colours. Some of them 
seem just a little delicate, having lost many of their leaves ; 
this may be the effect of rapid propagation in heat, but if we 
can keep this class of plants healthy they will prove real 
gardener’s friends, as they will bridge over the time between 
the first autumn frosts and the ordinary Chrysanthemum 
season. Gladioli also come in this row, and there is none 
more useful than Brenchleyensis. Herbaceous Phloxes, 
although amongst the hardiest of plants, should be here too, 
and be grown annually from cuttings struck indoors in 
March. Old-established plants, or such as are propagated 
| by division of the roots, will bear no comparison with spring- 
struck cuttings. I selected the following names from those 
grown in the trial beds at Chiswick last year -—Venus, Mrs. 
K. Howitt, Princess Louise, Lothair, Coccinea, Dr. Balfour, 
Charles Rouillard, Figaro, Menotti, and Chatiment. This 
row has already a great variety in it, and yet there are the 
herbaceous Lobelias and Salvia patens, both too good to 
leave out ; the former should be kept ina cold frame during 
winter and have the roots divided in spring; the Salvia 
should be kept like Dahlias and propagated in the same 
way from cuttings. 
For the fourth row we have also a rich array of candi- 
dates. The better sorts of Pentstemons are very beautiful. 
Cuttings struck late in autumn and kept where they can be 
covered from severe frost are the best. Half a dozen good 
sorts are Delicata minor, Rose Perfection, J. Decaisne, 
George Sand, Stanstead Rival, and W. E.Gumbleton. Then 
we have Marvel of Peru, very sweet and very pretty. The 
roots of this should be taken up in autumn and kept in dry 
soil; also Commelina ccelestis and C. alba, which should 
be treated in the same way as the Marvel of Peru. The 
blue Commelina is without doubt the prettiest blue flower 
in cultivation ; Salvia patens is dull beside it, and Del- 
phinium is not blue at all in comparison; its only draw- 
back is that it closes too soon in the afternoon, but then it 
seems to come out fresher and more beautiful every morn- 
ing till it exhausts itself in seed-bearing or the frost touches 
it. Zinnias, Victoria and other tall-growing Asters come 
in this line, also Antirrhinums grown from seed in the 
spring, and Agapanthuses and Hydrangeas potted late in 
autumn and kept in a cold place. 
Now we have for the front line Tigridia payonia and 
T. conchiflora ; these require the roots to be taken up in 
autumn and kept in dry soil. Linum grandiflorum to be 
sown in patches in spring where it is to stand. Dianthus 
Heddewigi in variety, D. laciniatus in variety, Intermediate 
Stocks, dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered Asters, Tuberous 
Begonias, scented Geraniums, scented Verbenas, and others 
too numerous to mention. 
Ihave written of the plants here as being in lines for 
the sake of arranging them according to stature ; but as 
a matter of fact there are none of them in lines excepting 
the Dahlias. The labels were arranged in lines early in 
spring, and then some of them in each line were shifted 
a little one way or the other to better suit the estimated 
heights and habits of the individual plants and to introduce 
NO, 1566.—VOL. LX., OLD SERIES. 
