384 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



May 11, 1912. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK 



4^ 



STOVE PLANTS. 



CALATHEA— lliis genus contains many 

 handsome ornamental -foliaged plants well 

 worth, growing in a general collection of 

 stove plants. If not already divided, and 

 repotted, the work should now be done. 

 Given liberal cultivation they increase 

 rapidly, and it is advisable to divide the 

 crowns at least once in two years. A suit- 

 able compost consists of three parts fibrous 

 loam, to one each of peat and leaf-soil, add- 

 ing sufficient sand and small pieces of char- 

 coal or broken pots to ensure a sweet and 

 open medium. Ample and well-placed drain- 

 age must 'l>e provided, and clean pots be 

 used. For the first few days after potting 

 but little water will be required, as frequent 

 syringings will suffice. As new growth is 

 made, copious supplies of water combined 

 with a humid atmosphere will he necessary. 

 ITie plants revel in a rather dense shade, 

 therefore they may be grown beneath 

 climbers. Clear rain-water should always be 

 used for overhead syringing as the leaves 

 will be stained and disfigured by spraying 

 with pump water. 



ALOCASIA9. — These .somewhat resemble 

 the above, and require much the same kind 

 of treatment, with, perhaps one or two excep- 

 tions, vi^., the compost should consist mainly 

 of peat used lumpy, and plenty of chopped 

 sphagnum and pieces of charcoal. If one 



has really good fibrous loam, a small quan- 

 tity incorporated with the other materials is 

 advised. The receptacles should be nearly 

 half-filled with clean crocks, and the plants 

 set well up, so that the crowns are a few 

 inches above the rim. 



BEGONIA GLOIRE DE SCEAUX.— Cut- 

 tings of this handsome winter-flowering be- 

 gonia should be struck as soon as they can 

 be obtained from the base or stems of the 

 old plants. If a heel of the old wood can be 

 taken with them sio much the better. Insert 

 singly in thumb pots filled with light sandy 

 soil, and plunge in a half-spent hotl)ed until 

 rooted. The next shift may be into large 

 BOs or 54's, and finally into large 32's. This 

 begonia is a gross feeder, and when well- 

 established requires frequent applications of 

 liquid manure. Keep the young plants grow- 

 ing freely, yet sturdily, by ventilating the 

 house or pit on fine days. Watch closely for 

 the rust that sometimes attacks the plants. 

 An occasional mild fumiigation with a 

 vaporising compound will generally ward off 

 this if taken in hand at once. — H. T. Martin. 

 Warren Wood Gardens. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



CTMBIDIUMS.— Such species as Cym- 

 bidium eburneum, C. Lowianum, C. Hookeri- 

 anum (grandiflorum), C. Traceyanum, C. in- 

 signe, and others, as well as the hybrids 

 raised from them, are all excellent orchids, 

 which thrive well in a cool part of the inter- 

 mediate house ; if shaded from strong sun- 

 shine. Any which have become root-bound 

 may be repotted soon after they have passed 

 out of bloom, but unless this appears really 

 necessary, they may be left undisturbed for 

 several years. The receptacles should be 



about one-third filled with clean crocks for 

 drainage. For compost I use equal portions 

 of good turfy loam, peat, osmunda fibre, and 

 sphagnum moss, and remove all the fine par- 

 ticles. The compost should be used in a fairly 

 rough condition, and be pressed down among 

 the roots with moderate firmness. Sufficient 

 space should be left below the rim to allow 

 of thorough watering, as well-established, 

 plants require copious supplies. After re- 

 potting, the greatest care and attention must 

 be paid to the application of water, and none 

 must be given unless it is necessary to pre- 

 vent the bulbs shrivelling. Should the com- 

 post become very wet before the plant is 

 re-established, much harm will accrue. C. 

 devonianum is quite distinct in its habit and 

 mode of flowering, producing its flower spikes 

 like a Stanhopea, therefore it is best grown 



in shallow teak-wood baskets, suspended from 

 the roof. The dwarf-growing C. tigrinum is 

 best grown in shallow pans, and may also 

 be suspended from the roof. During the 

 summer months cymbidiums appreciate a 

 moderately cool, moist atmosphere, therefore 

 it is necessary to damp well between the 

 pots once or twice a day, and when the 

 weather is bright and warm, a light spray- 

 ing overhead occasionally during the day- 

 time will assist in keeping them clean and 

 healthy. Heavy sprayings or syringings are 

 detrimental. Give shade from strong sun- 

 shine, and keep watch for red spider. 



MEXICAN ODONTOGLOSSUMS. — O. 

 Rossi is only one of many interesting sub- 

 jects from Mexico; there are O. nebulosum, 

 0. Cervantesi, 0. cordatum, O. Humeanum, 

 O. Insleayi, O. maculatum, O. Reichenheimi, 

 O. madirensis, and the beautiful 0. citrosmum. 

 To be successful with these a slightly higher 

 temperature is necessary than that provided 

 for O. crispum. During the winter months 

 they must be rested and kept drier than is 

 advisable for O. crispum. ITie temperature 

 should not fall much below 55 degrees, and 

 watering must be done with care, giving only 

 sufficient to keep the pseudo-^bulbs plump and 

 the plants healthy. The compost advised 

 for 0. crispum will answer. The larger 

 growers are best grown in ordinary 

 fi o we r pots , but the sm al 1 e r g rowe r s 

 succeed best in shallow pans suspended 

 from the roof. The odontoglossums from 

 Costa Rica and Guatemala embrace 0. 

 grande, O. ScMieperianum, O. pulchellum, 

 O. bictoniense, and 0. (Erstedi. The former 

 is one of the most gorgeous of odontoglos- 

 sums, and enjoys an average temperature of 

 60 degrees, but when in flower a drier atmo- 

 sphere should prevail, thus prolonging the 

 life of the blooms. This and the Mexican 

 species should all be repotted when the new 

 growth is three to four inches in height and 

 about to push forth new roots. With the 

 exception of O. grande all may be accommo- 

 dated at the warm end of the cool house, but 

 the latter species is best grown at the cool 

 end of the intermediate house. They must 

 not be densely shaded, but the other extreme 

 uat be carefully avoided. — J. T. Barker, 

 The West Hill Cardeus. 



FRUITS UNDER CLASS. 



LATE VINES.— The growths of late vines 

 have developed very rapidly, chiefly owing to 

 the continuous sunshine which we have ex- 

 perienced for some weeks past ; artificial heat 

 should be dispensed with during bright 

 sunny days, but it will be required mode- 

 rately at night to maintain the proper tem- 

 perature. Pay particular attention to pol- 

 lination of the bunches when in flower, es- 

 pecially such varieties as Mrs. Pince, Lady 

 Downes, and all the Muscats. Watering 

 the borders is necessary, damp down the 

 house frequently, and stop and tie in the 

 laterals, as recommended for earlier houses. 



FRUITING POT VINES.— llie fruits will 

 be ripe, and ready to send to the table for 

 dessert, so admit plenty of air, both at the 

 top and side ventilators, and maintain a dry 

 atmosphere in the house at all times. The 

 vines will require to be watered with tepid 

 water several times a day. Any leaves 

 affected by red spider should be immediately 

 sponged with soapy water. Endeavour to 

 keep the foliage clean. Shade the glass 

 lightly hj syringing over it a thin solution 

 of whitening and linseed oil. 



YOUNG POT VINES.— The plants should 

 be shifted into their final pots Without delay ; 

 use llin. or 12in. pots for this f|)urpose, 

 which must be clean and well drained. Cut 

 off three or four of the lower leaves, to allow 

 the top of the root mass to l>e several inches 

 below the finished surface after the final 

 potting has been accomplished. Stake and 

 tie the plants, and follow the cultural details 

 given in a previous calendar. 



CUCUMBERS.— These have been in full 

 bearing for some time, and repeated top- 

 dressings, with good rich loam and decayed 

 manure, will be essential to maintain them 

 in a good healthy, fruitful condition. Care- 



fully attend to the thinning and regulating 

 the young growths, to avoid overcrowding. 

 Remove all leaves that show signs of decav 

 and frequently syringe the plants. Make a 

 sowing of seeds towards the latter end of 

 this month, to provide plants for fruiting in 

 the late summer and autumn months. 



TOMATOES.— T^e .plants are carrying 

 heavy crops of fruit, so do not, on any ac- 

 count, allow the roots to suffer for want of 

 water, but at the same time avoid us.iug 

 much stimulating manure as this induces a 

 thick soft unfruitful growth. Gather fruits 

 when ripe and continue to pollinate the 

 flowers daily. — ^Henbt R. Farmer, Cardiff 

 Castle Gardens. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



BORDER CHRYSANTHEMUMS.— Those 

 that were rooted from cuttings early in the 

 year have now become sturdy plants in small 

 pots, and can be planted, out if sufficiently 

 hardened. When whole borders are devoted 

 to them they make a showy display in the 

 late summer and autumn, and large groups 

 in the mixed borders are especially effective. 

 These subjects are very useful to follow Sweet 

 Williams, and when required for such a pur- 

 pose, they must be grown in larger pots until 

 required. 



PENTSTEMONS.— No time should be lost 

 in planting these in . their permanent quar- 

 terSj as they are now sturdy plants, while 

 those raised from seeds this year are grow- 

 ing rapidly, and can be planted out a little 

 later. Pentstemons well repay liberal treat- 

 ment, and when planted on rich ground, pro- 

 duce very fine flower spikes. Allow 18 inches 

 each way between the plants, and guard 

 against slugs ; an eft'ective method is 

 to place finely-s-ifted coal ashes around them. 

 Besides occasional thorough waterings, pent- 

 stemons, in common with other flowering 

 plants, derive much benefit by being sprayed 

 over regularly in the evenings of hot sunny 

 days. 



ROSES.— Owing to the very bright weather 

 experienced some roses, and especially those 

 growing on walls, are likely to bloom early 

 this year. As greenfly will probably be 

 troublesome, it is advisable to spray with 

 quassia during the evening, in order to era- 

 dicate the pest, or it may cripple the young 

 growths and spoil the buds. After using 

 quassia it is desirable to use clear water the 

 following morning. Do not allow any of the 

 plants to suffer for lack of moisture at the 

 roots, and occasional applications of liqiii<l 

 manure can be given with beneficial results, 

 while, in some instances it will be an advan- 

 tage to apply a mulch of short manure. Re- 

 move any briars that appear, and keep the 

 surface soil of rose-beds regularly stirred 

 with the hoe. 



SEASONABLE WORK, — All bedding 

 plants must be placed in. cold frames to 

 harden off, where they can be freely venti- 

 lated, while some of the more hardy ones 

 can be stood in the open, provided that pro- 

 tection can be given irom frost. Dahlia 

 tubers may be planted out where they are to 

 bloom if desired, but we prefer to start them 

 in gentle warmth and plant out in June. An- 

 tirrhinums should be planted in their perma- 

 nent quarters as soon as possible. Swee 

 peas must be staked, and for a late supply 

 seeds should be sown at the present time ni 

 the open. Thin out annuals as thejr become 

 large enough, and keep the seedlings fr^ 

 from weeds. Newly-planted shrubs ana 

 plants require frequent waterings at the roo 

 as a result of the dry weather, while in mm 

 cases a suitable mulch will help to retain 

 moisture about their roots. — J. OaroNK 

 Batsford Park Gardens. 



raea 



c^rKwcc.. - The shrubhy 

 spiraeas are such a numerous class, 

 most gardens selections rather than ^oli 

 tions are aimed at. This early flowering 

 form is entitled to a place among ^^^^fL 

 best. It reaches a height of 4 to 5 J ^ 

 slender arching branches, and bears in Ap^ 

 a great profusion of pure w^^"*^" fli^wers.--^ 



