JjTLY 27, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



575 



HYACINTHS IN POTS* 



The first essential to success with hya- 

 cinths is gO'O-d bulbs. If they are bought 

 at auction sales at three or four shillings a 

 hundretl only disappointment will result, 

 for though such bulbs, when planted about 

 in shrubberies and wild gardens will yield 

 a certain proportion of flower spikes, when 

 we take the trouble of groaving them in 

 pots we want every bidb to be at least good, 

 if not of the best. The next most impor- 

 tant point is early potting, the middle of 

 September being a good time to begin, and 

 by making two or three pottings at inter- 

 vals of a fortnight from then a longer suc- 

 cession of flowering may be obtained. They 

 like a rich sandy loam, and the compost may 

 consist of three parts turfy loam and one 

 part leaf-mould, with the addition of some 

 rotted manure, sharp i^iand, and bone-meal, 

 the latter at the rate of a quarter of a 

 pound to the peck of soU. The bulbs 

 should be so pottcni that the crown of the 

 bulb is just level with the surface of the 

 soil, which latter shoidd be a good half- 

 inch below the rim of the pot, hyacinths 

 needing a good deal of water when flower- 

 ing. 



The bulbs need not be given an undue 

 amount of root run, unless the flowering of 

 the bulbs another year is a consideration, 

 as they do very well when root-bound if 

 well watered. A large bulb will succeed in 

 a forty-eight, three medium bulbs in a 

 thirty-two, or three, or even four, large 

 ones in a twenty-four. The pots should be 

 well watered once, set on boards under a 

 north aspect, and covered with four to six 

 inchesi of cinder ashes or cocoa-nut fibre 

 refuse, being left untouched until they 

 have made an inch of top growth, which 

 will be in about three months. Then, as 

 many as are wanted for the first batch 

 should be moved indoors, and put in a 

 subdued light until the shoots have be- 

 come nicely green. An inverted flower-pot 

 over the bulbs is a good plan to prevent 

 excess of light and drought, both of 

 which are very harmful to them at this 

 stage. After this they may be set in a 

 cold bouse or frame, which is protected 

 from sharp frost, or gently forced in a 

 warm house in which the temperature does 

 not rise above 60 deg. As forcing is not 

 consistent with the most finely developed 

 flower-spikes and greatest depth of colour, 

 a compromise has to be effected. If no 

 other accommodation is availabTe they may 

 be put in a sitting-room window in full 

 light after the spears are well greened. 

 The important thing is to give them plenty 

 of air and light, keeping them close to the 

 glass of a frame or house, so that the foli- 

 age may not be developed out of propor- 

 tion to the flower-spikes. 



When the loaves liave attained tlieii* full 

 colour weak liquid manure may l)e ^iven 

 them once a week, and the pots should 

 never be allowed to bocome dry, though, 

 of course, they should not be kept standing 

 in saucers of water. As soon as flowerinu 

 is over they should be turned out of thf 

 pots and planted just as they are in liardy 

 flower borders, shrubbery borders, by the 

 side of woodland walks, and the like, where 

 some of them will flower for several years. 

 They may, however, be taken up out of the 

 ground as soon as the foliage has died 

 down, and some of the b(\'^t selected for 

 potting another season, but the practice is 

 not recommen':led as they are (seldom very 

 successful as pot bulbs a second time. 



By gently forcing the first two or three 

 batches taken out of the ashes, putting the 

 next two or three in a cold frame, and 

 leavins: the remainder to come into flower 



January to the middle of April, and even a 

 week or two outside these extremes. Tlie 

 great mistake often made in forcing is 

 giving the bulbs insuflficient time to form 

 a good rooting system before forcing be- 

 gins, the prime necessity being tliat the 

 root growth should always be well in ad- 

 vance of the top. Algbe Petts. 



WEIGELAS OR DIERVILLAS. 



In making a selection of floAvering shrubs, 

 space should, if possible, be found for a col- 

 lection of weigelas, as they form interesting 

 objects either planted in groups or grown 

 as single specimens when, during the month 

 of June, the wealth of bloom produced is 

 always attractive. A short time ago I saw 

 a long row of these grown as standanls, 

 planted along a terrace. The stems were 

 about five feet high, and so well had the 

 plants grown that the long sprays of bloom 

 fl'eache<l near to the ground. The trees 

 w^ere planted about twelve feet apart, but 



There are several species of weigelas, 

 but the most com -non are those varieties 

 of the rosea type, and they form an in- 

 interesting group. I have seen them grow- 

 ing freely in exposed situations, but have 

 never seen them bloom so freely as they 

 have done this year. The management of 

 flowering shrubs is one of those branches 

 of horticulture that receives but scant at- 

 tention in most places, many of the kinds 

 being planted and allowed to ramble at 

 will, when thev soon become a thicket of 

 useless growths. They are either pruned 

 at the wrong time or in an improper man- 

 ner, the results being anything but satis- 

 factory. l]\Iost deciduous flowering shrubs 

 bloom on the young shoots, therefore these 

 should be encouragetl to develop them- 

 selves as much as possible in the early part 

 of the season, so that the wood may become 

 thoroughly ripened before the autumn. If 

 due attention be paid to them we sbi»uld 

 hear of fewer failures. 



Plants of all knids are so often inter- 

 mixed in the shrubbery borders that the 



C M 



NEW H.P. ROSE COROXATION. 



Gold Medal, National Rose Society, Belfast. July 19; 



Colour soft clear pink. 



Mcissrs. Hugh Dickson, Lim., Belfast. 



as they had been pruned each season after 

 flowering they had not bt^-ome overgrown, 

 so presented a neat appearance. To induce 

 the plants to bloom freely they should be 

 grown in an open, sunny position in order 

 that the young shoots may become tho- 

 roughly ripened. It is useless to plant 

 weigelas imder the shade of trees or c-roAvd 

 the plants together in a vshrubbery border, 

 as thev soon become n thicket of Mood and 

 |n<Mhu-e but little bloom. Though wei- 

 gt'las will grow in almost any soil or situa- 

 tion, they thrive best in a rich loam, and 

 an open, sunny position. Ample flowers will 

 result under these conditions. The shrubs 

 will withst^ind the most severe winters in 

 this country uninjured, therefore may he 

 planted in places where many otlier shrubs 

 of a less hardy nature would suffer. 



The weigelas are easily propagatinl either 

 bv suckers, lavers, or cuttings, and if by 

 the latter mode, they should be inserted m 

 the open ground dliring the autumn. If 

 standards are desired, then run up a young 

 shoot until it attains the desired hei<>;ht, 



etrong-grou ing sorts soon overshadow the 

 others, with the result that many whicli 

 might be of interest become lost in the 

 thicket, or ai'e crowded out <if oxisteuee, 

 whereas lia<l <lue i-onsidcra t ion been gr-en 

 them the whole might have proved a soiirce 

 of pU'asui e a!itl enjoyment. P. P. 



in a shady position, hvacinths mav be oh- when it should be pinched to iTidii<^^^ the 

 tained in flower in pots from the middle of top buds to break, and so form a head. 



The Orange Lily (Lilium croceum).— 



Of t>order lilies this species, which is a 

 native of Switzerland and Northern Italy, 

 occupies a foremost position, for it is one 

 of the most dependable of all. The flowers 

 are upright, and borne in good-sized heads, 

 their colour being an attractive shade ot 

 reddish orange. They retain their freshness 

 for a longer time tlian the different forms 

 of the allied L. davuricum or nmbellatum. 

 Good examples of the orange lily are fre- 

 quently to be seen in cottage gardens, a well- 

 draimnl loamy soil l>eirig essential to its well- 

 doing. ^Vhen associated with delphiuiums 

 in a large bed a very pretty effect is pro- 

 duced. In some of the Continental cata- 

 logixes the orange lily is to h^^ mot with 

 under the specitic name of aurantiacura, 



\V. T. 



