September 15, 1870. ] 



JOTJKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



117 









WEEKLY 



CALENDAR. 















Day 



of 



Month 



Day 



of 

 Week. 



„__„„._„„„ .^ n1 ,„„., Average Tempera- 

 SEPTEMBER 15— 21, 1870. 1 tnre near London. 



Rain in 



last 

 43 years. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



San 



Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 

 after 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 



Year. 



15 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 19 

 20 

 21 



Th 

 F 

 S 

 SUN 



M 



Tu 

 W 



Welchpool Horticultural Show. 

 "Wellingborough Horticultural Show. 



14 Sunday after Trinity. 



Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit, Floral, 

 [and General Meeting. 



Day. 

 67.5 

 68.4 

 68 9 

 68.2 

 67.3 

 68.0 

 66.4 



Night. 

 45.9 

 46.8 

 44.9 

 46.5 

 45.3 

 44.0 

 45.6 



Mean. 

 56.7 

 57.6 

 56.9 

 57.4 

 56.3 

 56.0 

 66.0 



Days. 

 16 

 16 

 16 

 19 

 21 

 20 

 24 



m. h. 



35af5 

 Si 5 

 88 5 

 40 5 



42 5 



43 5 

 45 5 



m. b, 



14af6 



12 6 



10 6 



7 6 



5 6 



2 6 



6 



m. h. 



48 af 8 

 15 9 



49 9 

 33 10 

 25 11 



morn. 

 28 



m. h. 

 9afll 

 after. 

 17 1 

 17 2 

 11 3 

 58 3 

 38 4 



Days. 

 20. 

 21 

 22 

 ( 



24 

 25 

 26 



m. s. 



4 51 



5 12 

 5 33 



5 54 



6 15 

 6 36 

 6 57 



258 

 259 

 260 

 261 

 262 

 263 

 264 



From observations taken near London during tbe last forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 67.8°, and its night 

 temperature 45.6°. The greatest heat was 87°, on the 15th, 1865 ; and the lowest cold 29% on the 17th, 1840. The greatest fall of rain was 

 0.90 inch. 



PLANTS FOR BASKETS AND VASES. 



VERYTHING in its place, and a place for 

 everything," is a saying applicable to more 

 things than those for which it was first 

 intended, and even in gardening matters a 

 just application of this rule is not met with 

 in every case. It is with a view to help the 

 inexperienced that I purpose calling atten- 

 tion to the plants suitable for vases and 

 similar positions, as well as to those which 

 are unsuitable for the purpose. I do not 

 profess to give a complete list of such plants, for many 

 others might be added, and possibly some cultivators may 

 differ with me as regards the merits and demerits of those 

 which I shall name. This I shall be the last to find fault 

 with, as with other treatment from that adopted here the 

 plants may give different results. 



The plants which I shall notice are those suitable for 

 growing in vases or baskets out of doors, and I use the 

 term growing in the full sense of the word, and not as 

 implying that the plants may be reared elsewhere, and 

 placed in a vase when they are ornamental, and removed 

 when they are no longer so. This mode of treating 

 vases is, I know, very frequently adopted, and with good 

 results ; but, to save trouble and expense, a more econo- 

 mical plan has often to be put in practice by those who 

 have not the means of changing the plants often. I shall 

 therefore confine my remarks to vases or baskets which 

 are expected to support during the whole of the growing 

 season a set of plants which must have a creditable, if not 

 gay, appearance throughout that time. The number of 

 plants capable of fulfilling this requirement is b} T no means 

 so great as might be expected, still they are varied, and, 

 doubtless, considerable additions may be made. One pro- 

 perty all such plants must have is that of supporting a 

 healthy growth in a flowering condition on the smallest 

 quantity of soil that can well be allowed them ; for with 

 the exception of water or other liquid, it is seldom that 

 any additional help can be given after they are once put 

 in position. Fragile delicate plants are also to be avoided ; 

 for vases are often placed in windy situations ; yet hanging 

 plants are indispensable, but they ought to be selected with 

 care. Flowers that will endure wind and sun are also 

 requisite, and when plants are made use of for their foliage 

 they must be of the most robust character. There are 

 some other desirable properties, but they will be explained 

 as the plants possessing them come under notice. 



I will now suppose that a series of vases or tazzas on a 

 parapet wall bordering a terrace have to be filled, and very 

 often such vases are better adapted for appearance than 

 for the growth of plants ; the Grecian tazza, in particular, 

 being very shallow, especially near the edges, yet a broad 

 brim or edge is expected to be covered with foliage of some 

 kind. Wooden or wire baskets are sometimes deeper, and 

 even some kinds of vases, as the Warwick and Maltese, are 

 tolerably deep, still the extent of outer surface to be 

 partially covered with pendant plants or flowers is such 

 that the space allotted for soil is in no instance in excess 



No. 494.— Vol. XIX., New Series. 



of what is wanted. I have found by experience that the soil 

 ought always to be of the soundest description, and not 

 rendered too light by its containing much partially-decayed 

 matter, even if that be turf itself, for a certain amount 

 of solidity is required which leaf mould and half-decayed 

 turf does not possess. One of the best mixtures I ever 

 succeeded in making for supporting plants in vases for a 

 lengthened time contained a large proportion of mud from 

 a lawn drain, good garden soil and sand being the other 

 ingredients. The " staying " powers of this soil were better 

 than in any I ever tried. Of course sufficient sand was 

 added to make the whole porous. It is usual to supply 

 vase plants with manure water occasionally, but unless 

 it is very clear indeed it tends to sodden and choke up 

 ordinary soils, it is therefore advisable not to be too 

 sparing of the sand added. Drainage, also, is an essential 

 matter, and some vases are without any means of securing 

 this, and care must consequently be taken to guard against 

 the inconveniences attending its absence. A greater pro- 

 portion of broken stones, brickbats, or crocks ought to be 

 placed at the bottom, and covered with some moss before 

 the soil is put in, so that all superfluous water may drain 

 to the bottom ; judgment must likewise be exercised in 

 not giving more water than is necessary to moisten the 

 soil, so that it may accumulate as little as possible at the 

 bottom. This remark, of course, only relates to such 

 vases as have no hole at the bottom by which the water 

 can drain away. The modern vases, however, generally 

 have some provision of the kind, and are as a consequence 

 easily enough managed. In their case a few rough crocks 

 at the bottom, with smaller ones over them, are all that is 

 generally required, and the shape of the vases usually in- 

 sures all the surplus water draining to the proper outlet. 



Assuming these matters to be all well attended to, and 

 each vase about half-filled with earth, I will now proceed 

 to the planting. If summer- flowering or other showy 

 plants are decided on, it is desirable to prepare them be- 

 forehand, or to pick from amongst those intended for the 

 flower garden such as are most suitable for the work, 

 taking care to have a few large plants for the centre, with 

 smaller plants for the sides. All should be fully hardened- 

 off before being turned out in exposed quarters. I will 

 now commence with one of the most popular plants for 

 the flower garden, the conservatory, and the vase or 

 basket — the Geranium. 



Geraniums. — Most of the varieties used in bedding may 

 be planted in vases, excepting, perhaps, the dwarf slow- 

 growing kinds, which ought only to be so used where the 

 intention is to frequently chaDge them ; and as the plan 

 is more like exhibiting them in vases than growing them 

 there, I have at the commencement of this paper dis- 

 avowed it. Therefore I recommend only the strong-grow- 

 ing kinds, of which there is an endless variety, but amongst 

 them some are better fitted for the purpose than others. 

 The Golden Tricolors do not always grow fast enough to 

 meet our requirements in every case when there are only 

 small plants to begin with, and the Silver Tricolors are 

 still more slow of growth, but where great variety is 

 wanted both may be used. A pair of our best-filled vases 



No. 1146.- Vol. XLIV., Old Series. 



