282 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



April 6, 1912. 



lily; and Aponogeton distachyon, which is 

 scented like hawthorn. Calla paliistris (the 

 Water Arum), Sagittaria gracilis, the com- 

 mon Arrowhead, and Menyanthes trifoliata 

 (the Bog Bean), ^should also he included. 

 Such plants as Caltha palustris (the Marsh 

 Marigold), Caltha polypetala, C. palustris 

 fl. pi., Typha angustifolia, T. latifolia, 

 Phragmites <*ommunis, and Butomus um- 

 hellatus (the Flowering Rush), are very 

 effective when planted near the w^ater's 

 edge 



POPULAR PALMS. 



Time was, and that well within the 

 memory of many, wlien palms were not 



1 decorative plants, 

 rded as choice occu- 

 pants of the stove. J'he first to hecome 

 popular in the marketjand to he employed 

 for the decoration of tfe dwelling was that 

 well-known Fan Palm; Latania borhonica, 

 which botanists now^ t^^ll us should be known 

 as Livistonia sinensis. Present-day ideas 



J — 



looketl upon as gen 

 being, in fact, only re 



The banks of the water and the sur- favour plants of a less lumpy character 



than this, the result being that it is now 

 not grown to anything like the same extent 



as it formerly w^as. ^ 



Kentias must l>e looked upon as the most 

 popular of all palms, and in some nurseries 

 they are grown literally by millions. They 

 find a ready sale, from tiny little plants 

 in thumb jwts to large specimens a dozen 

 fei^t or more in height. Large examples 

 realise high prices, but small plants can 

 l)e bought at a comparatively cheap rate. 

 Clean ^ well-furnished palms, usually in Sin, 

 or Gin. pots, may be frequently seen hawked 

 about the streets of London. The Kentias 

 that are generally grown are Kentia Bel- 

 moreana and Kentia Forsteriana, this last, 

 from its looser habit, l>eing preferred for 

 growing as large specimens. Seeds of both 

 are imported in large quantities during the 



rounding marshy places are ideal positions 

 for numeroUvS bog plants, and if planted 

 in masses they form obje<-ts of much 

 beauty. Senecio clivorum, S. Veitchianus, 

 and S. Wilsonianus are very bright and 

 showy, and they look well associated with 

 some of the fine-leaved bamboos, which are 

 evspe<*ially ornamental growing on the banks 

 of the stream. For this ])\irpose none are 

 more suitable than Arumlinaria japonica^ 

 A. anceps, A. nitida, Phyllostachys aurea, 

 and P. Quilioi, as these are especially 

 hardy. A few of tlu^ iiuire ornamental 

 Japanese inapl^'S fiMin pleasing colour 

 effects neai- tli*- ^tn ;ini si(U\ and of these 

 Acer ]>almatum s;i n^uituMini, A, p. dissec- 

 tuni, A. ]>. s(«pt*'»iil()lMim. and A. japonicum 

 laciniatiini mi<^lit with advantage be chosen 

 for planting in such positions. 



The lo\cly Ja]vnu\se Tris Kpempferi, 

 Acorus calaniu- (tlir- S\vp('t Flag), and 

 Iris sibirica. succeed well close to the 

 water. Cypripedium ])uboscons and C. 

 spectabile grow well in a sliady and moist 

 situation, and are es|KH*ially charming 

 when in flow(M- dMrln<i May aiul June. Rod- 

 gersia i)ndoi)hylla and \i . a-^califolia, haiul- 

 some ])lants with laigc prltati^ heaves, are 

 very st rikirt^ ; wliilo Saxit'ra.iz;a ])eltata 

 should oil no ai'coimt be o\'(M'l()(»k*': I . as its 

 erect flowiT s|>ikt's a vv ])rodn(*ed early in 

 the season, in advance of its handsome 

 foliage, whicli is ah^■ays effective near the 

 wat-er. Arnndo <l()»iax. C'arex japonica, 

 and Fdvnnis n;bjiicif(>lins are very telling 

 grasses. Fpilobiuni a n gust i folium, with 

 purple flower spikes; trollius in variety, 

 Funkia Sielmldi, Hemerocallis flava, H. 

 aurantiaca, T?u))lit]iahnnm speciosum, 

 astilbes and s]ur;> as in variety, especially 

 A. Davidi, iS. palmata, and 8, Aruncus, 

 are very effective. Osmunda regalis (the 

 ■Royal Fern) should on no accf»Tmt be over- 

 looked ; while Gnnnera manicata and G. 

 scabra are very handsome planted where 



their roots can easily reach the moisture. 



J. Gardner. 



Batsford Park Gardens. 



with finely divided 



season. 



Cocoas AVeddel iana , 

 leaves, is a beautiful palm, but more exact- 

 ing in its requirements than the Kentias. 

 For table decoration and various select pur- . 

 poses it is much appreciated. With care it 

 may be kept in health for a long time in 

 the dwelling-house. Even in a quite small 

 state this Cocos is very attractive, but an- 

 other popidar species only asserts itself 

 when large. This is Cocos plumosa, or C. 

 Hexuosa, for the two names seem to be used 

 indiscriminately. When young, the leaves 

 of this are simple, or nearly so, but when 

 mature they divide up into a number of 

 narrow leaflets, and a specimen of this 

 palm is then exceedingly light and graceful. 

 The leaver are not of a spreading nature, 

 and this fact, combined with their lightness, 

 stands them in good stead for 



do 



to Cocos Weddeliana. The different kinds 

 of Da^monoropSj too, are very pretty, but 

 in their case the spiny leaf-stalks are a de- 

 cided drawback. 



With regard to the different names given 



above 



be 



ture of palms has undergone great changes 

 within recent years. I have, however, re- 

 ferred to them by the names which are in 

 common use. 



Of the different palms enumerated above, 

 Rhapis flabelliformis, from its habit of push- 

 ing up suckers, may be propagated by divi- 

 sion ; but for the increase of all the others 

 it is necessary to depend \\]H)n imported 

 seeds. These, as a rule, do not retain their 

 germinating power for any great length of 

 time which accounts for the fact that they 

 are not offered for sale to any great extent, 

 the general practice in nurseries being to 

 sow the seeds as soon as possible after 

 arrival, and trust to selling the young plants 

 aiterw^ards. Seeds that have been kept out 

 of the ground too long will, from their 

 hard nut-like nature, appear to a superfi- 

 cial observer as sound as ever, but close 

 inspection will reveal the fact that the em- 

 l)ryo is shrivelled, and w^hen this happens 

 growth seldom takes place. 



When sowing the seed, the bulk of the 



of 



Propasr£ition of Tuberous Be- 



3*011 ia,S.. — These begonias are easily raised 

 from seed, but should it be desirable to in- 

 crease the stock of any particular variety, 

 it can be done by dividing- the tubers when 

 they have started into growth, the tuber 

 may be cut up like a potato, with a strong 

 growth to each piece of tu}>er. Lime and 

 powdered charcoal should be nxbl>ed all over 

 the cut side and the tuber placed in sand 

 for a few days to heal before potting. The 

 side shoots, if taken off as cuttings, inserted 

 round the sides of a pot filled with a sandy 

 compost, and put in a propagating frame, 

 will readily root. These plants make nice 

 tubers bv the autumn. Seedlings raised in 

 January will now be ready for pricking off 

 into pans or boxe^. As they are filled the 

 pans or boxes should be placed in a house 

 where a brisk temperature and moist atmo- 

 sphere are maintained, and grown on for 

 planting out in June. Seedling begonias are 

 always best planted out the first year on a 

 west border, and the best varieties labelled 

 for pot cultm\' tlic next season, lliis is an 

 immense advantage, ina-mncli ns uone but 

 plants witli tlowt't . ol" i«(io(l (quality and 

 effective in colour will be grown for con- 

 servatory decoration. — Lewis Smith. 



group mg 



purposes, as tney oo not occupy much 

 lateral space in the background. 



Phoenix dactylifera (Date Palm), though 

 of great economic interest, is of little value 

 as a decorative plant. Some members of 

 the genus are, however, very ornamental, 

 notably P. canariensis, am.ong the larger 

 growing kinds ; P. rupicola, of medium size, 

 and the pretty little P. Roebellini. Com- 

 partnl with the others, the latter is of quite 

 recent introduction, and for some years it 

 realised a high price. Now, however, 

 thanks to seecl having been imported in 

 quantity, well-furnislied plants can be ob- 

 tained at a cheap rate. 



Other palms that may be specially re- 

 ferred to are Areca Bauerii and Areca 

 sapida, two greenhouse s])ecies ; Areca lu- 

 tescens, Mhich, before the introduction of 

 the Kentias, was grown more tlian it now 

 is; Chamserops excelsa, hardy in many dis- 

 tricts ; ClianiJerops humilis, a small-grow- 

 ing Fan Palm from Southern Europe; 

 Corypha australis, that will stand draughts 

 better than most palms; Rhapis flabelli- 

 formis, an exceedingly popular palm in 

 Japan '; and Seaforthia elegans, which, be- 

 fore Kentias were largely grown, was much 

 more extensively cultivated. In some old 

 conservatories very large specimens of 

 this Seaforthia may be sometimes met wdth. 

 ({eonoma gracdis well merits its specific 

 name, for in pots from four to six inches 

 in diameter it foiins an exceedingly grace- 



should consist 



:ood loai 



compost 



lightened by a little leaf-mould, peat, a 

 sand. If the pans or pots in which they 

 are sown can be plunged in a gentle hot- 

 bed, so much the bett-er, as palms of all 

 kinds are, during their earUer stages, 

 greatly benefited by a little more heat than 

 axiult specimens require. Directly the first 

 leaf is developed the young plants should 

 be potted singly, putting them in as small 

 pots as possible, as they very much resent 

 too much soil around the roots. At the 

 same time care must be taken not to m]ure 

 the stout fleshy roots. 



if " " " 



After potting they 



given 



should, if possible, be a gam _ 

 bottom heat, in order to encourage quick- 

 growth. The after treatment consist 

 in shifting into larger pots when necessary 

 ?nd syringing freely, as palms are greatly 

 benefited by atmospheric moisture. 



For most palms a compost consistnig to 

 a great extent of good loam is very suitable 

 but it is most essential to guard against- 

 over-potting, for not only is the health otten 

 injuriously affected thereby, but plants 

 in large pots are not convenient tor jar- 

 dinieres, or for similar purposes A stimu- 

 lant in the shape of some of the concen- 

 trated manures now so mi^^^'V.f^ 

 will often prove better than re-pottin^ 

 When potting becomes absolutely necessar 

 an unexpected difficulty will often anse. 



the roots are of a de^P 

 descending nature, and <'«^isequentl> c 

 around the bottom of the jxit, and htt i 

 ball of earth, out of its V^'-^^^-Jl^ 



these an ordinary flo^'^^' ' t of 

 quired depth will be so wide as to be oi 

 all proportion to the size of the pM" 

 some potteries, however, they "i<^';^_. 

 pots for palms, even among the 



As seeds are frequently u nob tamable, 

 seedling palms make slow progr^^s 

 their earlier stages, many P^op* ^ffec- 

 buy them when they have attained a 

 five size. In purchasing palms one ^.^^ 

 points should be especially horne i 

 in the first place, where palms ^ 

 in quantity for sale, they are usual y 



In most palms 



much warmer than is absolutely n^^^|^;,,V 

 in order that they may attain ' 

 size more quickly than ^!|f-;^ ,vell W 

 would do. Owing to this it will be . 



treat them to a course of 'I'^f','' "ose. t''* 

 if no conveniences cMst for tm- i , 



best 



llu" plants IS 



ful specimen, in this respect being superior 



