436 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



June 8, 1912 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



COOL HOUSE. — ^The [principal occupants 

 of tliis house usually .consist of odontoglos- 

 sums and oncidiums, but there are other spe- 

 cies of orcliids wliioh are of interest, and 

 wortliy of attention. Among them is the 

 sweet-scented Trichosma suavisj and where 

 fragrant flowers are appreciated it should 

 be grown for its perfume. The partially- 

 developed stemts are now making new 

 roots, and if repotting is needed it should 

 be done at once. The plants will succeed 

 either in pots or shallow pans^ which must 

 be Weill drained, and a compost similar to 

 that used for coelogynes will an^iwer. The 

 plant delight-s in a moist damp position on 

 the stage of the house, and must not he 

 exposed to strong sunshine, and, when well 

 established, may be kept moderately moist 

 the year through. 



L^LIA MONOPHYLLA.— At the present 

 time plants of this little gem are producing 

 their flower spikes, 4tnd it is advisable to 

 keep them well up to the light, but a 

 draughty position, where they will dry too 

 quickly must be avoided. They may receive 

 plenty of water at the roots, and must be 

 aarefuiUy shaded from all sunsihine. When 

 established this orchid is not a difficult sub- 

 ject to deal with, as, given a suitable com- 

 post, kept cool and moist, it grows satisfac- 

 torily, and flowers freely from it« very slen- 

 der stems. Such well-known orchids as L. 

 autumnaliis and L. albida, which are often 

 olaisse-d as cool house ordhids, smcceed better 

 if rested and grown in a cool intermediate 

 house, suspended close to the glass in a light 

 position. Any repotting of either of these 

 species necessary may be done at this season. 



COOL HOUSE DENDEOBIUMS.— Among 

 the different orchids that will thrive in this 

 house are Dendrobium Kingianum, D. deli- 

 cattuTn, D. ©peciosum, D. Hiilli, D. tereti- 

 folium, D. glomeratum, D. japonicum, and 

 D. Victoria Eegina. Any of these now 

 starting to grow may have fresh rooting 

 aterial afforded them ; they prefer rather a 

 sihallow layer of dompost to root in, and suc- 

 ceed Ebest when grown in a strong light. A 

 comipost as used for other dendrobiums will 

 answer their requirements. H. teretifoliura 

 is best grown on a teak raft, with a little 

 of the oompo&t: packed closely between the 

 bars, and under the base of the iplant. It 

 should be suspended in such a way that tihe 



gseudoJbulbs or foliage hang down naturally. 

 I. Victoria Regina prefers a shady position, 

 and thrives best in teak-wood 'baskets, in a 

 compost in which live sphagnu 

 rainates. When in full growth these all may 

 be well supplied with water at the roots, 

 but when at rest water must be administered 

 to them with great caution, as many of the 

 sipecies require a long dry rest to induce them 

 to flower satisfactorily.— J. T. Baeker, The 

 West Hill Gardens. 



STOVE PLANTS. 



FERNS. 



-Whether grown as large speci- 

 mens, or in small pots for decorative pur- 

 poses, and cutting, exotic ferns are indis- 

 pensable. Not only are they objects of great 

 beauty when seen in bold groups, as was in- 

 stanced at the International Show at Chelsea, 

 but for general usefulness and beauty in asso- 

 ciation with flowering and ornamental foliage 

 plants they are beyond price. It is pretty 

 generally known that all kinds of ferns re- 

 sent frequent disturbance of the roots, but 

 at the same time they must have sufficient 

 room in the receptacles for the roots to 

 ramify, or the fronds will be soft and stunted 

 in growth. A certain amount of shade is 

 necessary, but in many cases this is car- 

 ried to excess, the result being weak, 

 elongated fronds that are subject to ii-sect 

 pests, and altogether useless for cutting. All 

 ferns' delight in abundant supplies of water 

 *at the roots, and in the atmosphere, during 

 the season of active growth, therefore, the 

 drainage must be of the best, or the plants 



will -probably become water-lodged and the 



roots perish. Established plants should be 

 assist^ by occasional applications of weak 

 guano water, alternated with weak liquid 

 cow or sheep manure, to which has been 

 added a little soot. Maintain plenty of mois- 

 ture in the atmosphere of the house, but 

 avoid heavy syringings overhead- As growth 

 develops admit a fair amount of top ventila- 

 tion to the structure in order to solidify the 

 fronds. 



SELAGINELLAS.— These include many 

 species of great decorative value, and deserve 

 extended cultivation . Seldom has such a 

 representative collection of these been seen as 

 at the International Exhibition. They not 

 only reflected great credit on the skill of 

 the cultivator (Mr. Davis), but the exhibit 

 went to show how pleasing these plants 

 are when artistically arranged in association 

 with flowering* plants. The cultivation ac- 

 corded the majority of stove ferns will answer 

 for these, except that the receptacles should 

 be shallow, as selaginellas are surface-rooting 

 subjects. 



KALANOHOE FLAMMEA.— The present 

 time is opportune for propagating this plant, 

 either from seeds, or stem cuttings irserted in 

 sandy soil and plunged in a mild bottom 

 heat. The young plants when nicely rooted 

 should be potted off singly, using 3-inch pots, 

 and grown on a shelf in a warm house fully 

 exposed to sunshine, and given some air in 

 order to ensure ripened, short-jointed wood 

 for the production of fine flower heads. The 

 compost most suitable for this plant consists 

 of three parts fibrous loam to one each of 

 leaf-soil, and old mortar-rubble^ sand, and 

 broken charcoal. A sweet porous soil is very 

 essential to success in the cultivation of 

 kalanchoes, and the drainage must be ample. 

 Shift the fpdants into 48's when well rooted, 

 and grow on steadily until autumn, when 

 less water will be required. — H. T. Martin, 

 Warren Wood Gardens. 



FRUITS UNDER CLASS. 



EARLY VINES.— Immediately after the 

 crop has been gathered, special efforts should 

 be made to keep th€ foliage clean and healthy. 

 Tliis can generally be done by the frequent 

 use of the garden engine. The water must be 

 applied forcibly to the under sides of the 

 leaves. Where red spider has been trouble- 

 some, and a difficulty has been experienced 

 in keeping this pest in check while the fruit 

 was ripe, a good dusting of flowers of sul- 

 phur should be sprinkled upon the foliage 

 and allowed to remain for a day or two be- 

 fore being washed off. Give the borders seve- 

 ral good soakings with weak liquid manure, 

 admit plenty of air at all times, and allow 

 the laterals to grow more freely, but not in 

 such a manner as to cause confusion. 



SECOND EARLY VINES.— The berries 

 will be colouring, and plenty of air should 

 be admitted, both at the top and side ven- 

 tilators, allowing a little to remain on at 

 night. Water the borders occasionally with 

 weak liquid farmyard manure. Stop all 

 laterals as required, to one leaf; examine 

 the bunches, as it may be necessary to care- 

 fully remove a few berries with a sharp pair 

 of scissors, to allow plenty of room for the 

 full development of the remainder. 



LATE VINES.— The thinning of the ber- 

 ries will be accomplished, so carefully tie up 

 the shoulders with slender pieces of raffia. 

 Stop all laterals to one leaf, and give the 

 borders some stimulating manure occasion- 

 ally. Damp down the paths and walls fre- 

 quently during ^warm, sunny days. Keep a 

 sharp look-out for red spider, and sponge the 

 affected parts with soapy water immediately 

 it is discovered. In some localities mUdew 

 is very troublesome upon the foliage and 

 berries of vines grown in the late houses ; we 

 have found a sulphur vaporiser, if used ac- 

 cording to directions, is a sure and speedy 

 remedy under these condiftions. 



EARLY MELONS.— Immediately all the 

 fruits have been cut the plants should be 

 pulled out. Give the glass and woodwork a 

 good wash down with soapy water, remove 

 the top portion of the soil, and add sufficient 

 new compost to bring it up to the desired 



level. The house should then be planted with 

 good strong plants that have been epeciallT 



grown for this purpose. In many places it 

 is desirable, and quite possible, to grow a 

 second crop of fruit upon the early plants 

 instead of replanting again; but tMs can 

 only be done where the plants have been 

 kept in a perfectly healthy condition, and are 

 free from red spider and thrips. The plants 

 should be top-dressed with a mixture of good 

 loam, wood-ashes, lime rubble, and bone- 

 meal. Remove all useless leaves and laterals 

 cutting them clean away; but at the same 

 time care should be taken to retain all fnllv- 

 developed leaves that are in a healthv con^ 

 dition. The temperature of the house should 

 be kept at 70 degrees, allowing a rise of 10 

 degrees with sun heat when the house is 

 ventilated. Close the house early in the 

 afternoon, thoroughly syringe the plants, aud 

 they will soou respond to this treatment 

 Carefully select the strongest fruiting 

 laterals, pollinate the female flowers as they 

 appear, and follow the cultural details 

 as recommended in a previous calendar — 

 Henry R. Farmer, Cardiff Castle Gardens. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



SUMMER BEDDING.— This work should 

 be pusihed on as fast as circumstances per- 

 mit, as in the coldest districts it is now ^^afe 

 to plant out the more tender subjects. The 

 variety of plants suitable for bedding pur- 

 poses is very wide, but those that are known 

 to succeed in the district, and that are most 

 suitable for the special position should be 

 chosen. In an ordinary flower garden of 

 formal design there is room for a consider- 

 able variety of plants, but a free use of 

 standards in some of the >beds when the in- 

 termediate spaces can be carpeted with suit- 

 able subjects is very desirable, for "w^hen em- 

 piloyed as dot plants they remove any flat- 

 ness in the whole arrangement. It is essen- 

 tial to have the standards of uniform height, 

 and to plant very firmly, afterwards stak- 

 ing all the specimens that require support. 

 The various subjects, like iresines and meseni- 

 bryanthemums, that are used for carpetin 

 require to be pegged down when planted, an 

 subsequently as growth advances. In ad- 

 dition to regular waterings at the root tender 

 'bedding plants deirive much ^benefit from fre. 

 quent dampings overhead during bright dry 

 weather, as humidity of atmosphere greatly 

 encourages free growth. 



CLIMBERS.— These now require a good 

 deal of attention in the way of tying and 

 regulating the growtlis. It is always an ad- 

 vantage to remove the weakest of the y< ung 

 shoots to avoid overcrowding the stronger 

 ones, and also to allow them to mature more 

 fully for flowering. Train them f^eily over 

 the trellises or ipoles, so that the sipace at 

 disposal may ibe evenly covered. Climbing 



similar treatment before tliey 

 flower while plants that are 

 aphides must be sprayed with 

 quassia to eradicate those pests. 



Various plants in the 

 herbaceous borders require further ^'P^S' 

 and when dealing with subjects like Michael- 

 mas daisies and phloxes remove the weaicesT 

 of the growths, as they would only produce 

 poor flowers, and by this treatment the re- 

 mainiuig growths are allowed more sp^^^ 

 to develop, and invariably give better re- 

 sults. Keep flower borders regularly stirrea 

 with the hoe, ^nd remove all dead nower. 

 as thev appear. Tulips should be lifted aiier 

 flowering, and the bulbs laid out to ripe^ 

 and vacant spaces so caused imaist be n 

 in with plants grown for the purpose m pais- 

 Pentstemons and border carnations requu 

 neatly staking as the flower stalks are a - 

 velopina- fast. Newlv-planted shrubs ^^^^ 



roses require 

 commence to 

 affected with 



GENERAL WORK. 



not be allowed to suffer for want of "^o^*^" j 

 at the roots, and after watering * f° 

 mulching of partly decayed manure wiu a^^ 

 sist in checking evaporation. irequc 

 sprayings overhead are always an a 

 in helping them to make free growth 

 annuals a final thinning before they beW)Tne 

 overcrowded.— J. Gardner, Bataford r^x 



Gardens. 



