290 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



December, 1913 



for the violets and later still for the 

 others. Vou certainly get finer and ear- 

 lier violets by summer division, but you 

 occupy a good deal of sometimes pre- 

 cious room. Take up the cluinps. Care- 

 fully select the old, exhausted parts of 

 the crown and throw them away. The 

 -newer growth you divide so that each 

 piece to be planted has its share of root. 

 Plant very firmly in a well dug and 

 manured bed or border. Mulch to keep 

 the root run cool and moist, and give 

 plenty of water to keep it so. When 

 the plants are established and making 

 nice growth, you can ease off with the 

 water, for you do not want to do more 

 than keep them just green and growing. 

 Violets are not at all afraid of a rea- 

 sonable amount of sun, but any of the 

 polyanthus primrose tribe w-ill want a 

 more shady situation during the sum- 

 mer months. Perhaps the best plan 

 is to set them in under an orange or 

 similar tree, and divide when they make 

 new- growth next season. They are 

 worth taking care of, but an ordinary 

 summer month in an exposed open situ- 

 ation will simply bake these plants out 

 of existence. 



Couch and buffalo grass are still 

 plantable. Many old lawns are still 

 looking for that spring dressing of nice 

 sandy soil ; it is not too late. Also a 

 little sulphate of ammonia in weak solu- 

 tion will be appreciated. Don't be afraid 

 of planting out pot grown stuff. Much 

 of this will turn out better in December 

 than June. Bouvardias, Bougainvillea, 

 etc., much prefer it. 



Flower Seedlings ! 



for present Planting. 



Asters, Balsam, Zinnia, Cosmos, 

 Correopsis, Sunflower, Centaurin, 

 Phlox, 'Petunia, etc., at 2/- per 

 100 ; posted, 2/6. 



Plants iof Bazaars, etc., at whole- 

 sale rate— Cokus, Ferns, Begonias, 

 Palms, Fuchsias. 



E. A. LASSCOCK, 



LOCKLEYS. 



'Phone, Henley 34. 



X1»C/<X«UU1 O . Bomathin^ about 

 year mathodB of bFMdin|{, raarinf 

 and man&^in^ Liv* 8to«k T Li«t 

 as haT* it if it will rnnlj fill th« 

 liaak af a PMt omkI. 



Garden Notes. 



—Nasturtiums. — 



■ Why «s it that Nasturtiums are so 

 seldom given prominence in the garden? 

 Is it that they are too easy or too com- 

 mon? We have just been looking at a 

 • bed, or rather heap, which certainly 

 proves the truth of the former "fault." 

 What was a few months, or rather 

 weeks, ago an untidy heap, mostly 

 bricks and rubble, has been converted 

 with the aid of a couple of barrowloads' 

 of soil, a tree stump or two, and a cou- 

 ple of packets of mixed seed, price 3d. 

 each, into a veritable glory patch. No 

 sowing in specially-prepared beds, no 

 hardening off in pots, no bother about 

 slugs, no mulching, no heavy Watering, 

 no anything. And the result. Well, 

 just beautiful. Pale yellow with flam- 

 ing orange, bronze and amber, with wine 

 dark reds merging into black. What a 

 colour scheme. There is hardly a flower 

 which gives so much beauty at so little 

 cost. They do not end their beauty in 

 the garden, for with their cool green 

 leaves they add a charm to the most 

 daintily arranged table, and though one 

 hardly likes to mention such mundane 

 affairs, the leaves make an excellent ad- 

 dition to a sandwich, and their seed, as 

 a substitute for the coarse commercial 

 caper, to the most tender cuts of a nice- 

 ly-boiled leg of mutton. Don't forget 

 the Nasturtium for autumn and winter 

 sowing. 



— Graceful Growth — 



There is perhaps a special grace 

 about plants which from a thick tuft 

 throw up long slender stems crowned 

 with delicate blossoms. These add the 

 beauty of extreme gracefulness, and of 

 course they must be planted so that they 

 are seen from that tuft of foliage below 

 to the dainty flowers above; because 

 they may reach two and a half or three 

 feet they are often marred by having 

 dense plants of shorter growth in front 

 of them. It is, perhaps, in a nice per- 

 ception of these details of garden craft 

 that lies the secret of achieving a bea- 

 utiful garden, as compared with one that 

 is ordinary and commonplace. There 

 may be the same varieties of plants in 

 each, but the effect of one will be of 

 beauty so subtle but so real that we shall 

 hardly know wherein it lies, while the 

 (jther may make no impression upon us. 

 The novice has learned a valuable lesson 

 when he realises that true and artistic 

 gardening does not mean merely the 

 skill to grow plants, however well he 

 may grow them. A poor little strip of 

 a town garden, tended and cared for hy 

 one who was veritably a garden artist. 



may be far more picturesque and artistic 

 and interesting than a much larger gar- 

 den in a beautiful country district. Only 

 a study of nature, a study of the subtle 

 and often surprising harmonies, con- 

 trasts, distinctive character, boldness, or 

 dainty gracefulness can achieve a really 

 Ijeauliful garden. 



— Rosa Wichuraiana and its History. — 



The word "wichuraiana" is derived 

 from the discoverer's name, Herr Wic- 

 hur, who was a German botanist (says 

 "The Garden"). He accompanied the 

 Prussian expedition to China in 1859- 

 61, and during that expedition the spe- 

 cies was discovered. This botanist was 

 suffocated in the year 1866. In the 

 "Index Kewensis" R. wichuraiana is 

 mentioned there as R. Luciae. It was 

 not until about the year 1895 that an 

 American, Mr. Manda, took the species 

 in hand and hybridised it with other 

 roses, which produced such sorts as 

 Manda's Triumph, Pink Roamer, and, 

 later on. Gardenia and Jersey Beauty. 

 Evergreen Gem came to us from the 

 United States. The well-known Doro- 

 thy Perkins originated also in America, 

 its parents being the species and the 

 Hybrid Perpetual Rose Mme. G. Luizet. 

 The species is a very low, trailing plant, 

 with bright glossy foliage and large 

 clusters of pure white single blooms, 

 blooming in August. It is very readily 

 hybridised, and is capable of vast im- 

 provement in the hands of the skilful 

 hybridist. 



— Lilies in Pots. — 



Liliums in pots may be given liquid 

 manure when in full growth, and the 

 pots are filled with roots. It would be 

 a mistake to give them any manure 

 while they are just pushing through 

 the soil or for some time afterwards. A 

 little manure may sometimes be used in 

 the soil when potting, but more especi- 

 ally when top-dressing, and in that case 

 liquid manure would be unnecessary un- 

 til some time after the top-dressing. 

 One may, however, give liquid manure 

 when the stems are about 18 in. high 

 or 1 ft., provided the leaves are fully 

 expanded, but it ought to be weak rather 

 than strong. After the buds commence 

 to expand liquid manure may be made 

 stronger. After the flowers commence 

 to expand liquid manure is of no fur- 

 ther service as far as the flowers are 

 concerned, and the soil should, indeed, 

 be sufficiently enriched to enable Liliums 

 to complete their growth without any 

 further liquid manure after that time. 

 One should remember that Lilies are not 

 very gross feeders, and if their consti- 

 tution is in any way weakened by over- 



