gBPX£llBER 14, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



707 



SUMMER BEDDERS IN 



REGENT'S PARK. 



Compared with last year the summer- 

 bedding at Regent's Park possesses far 

 niore cheerful surroundnigs than in 1911, 

 when the trees and gra^s, owing to the 

 tropical weather we then experienced, pre- 

 sented a most unhappy appearance. Now 

 thev are both of the ricliest green, and 

 serve admirably a^ a setting to the many 



briu 



htlv-hued blossoms. 

 Owing to the moist and cool summer, 

 some of the flowers are not seen at their 

 hest while, on the other hand, some of 

 them simply revel in the prevailing con- 

 ditions. Cannas show the want of warmer 

 weather, and so do some of the stove plants, 

 of which a great number of different kmds 

 are plunged outside during the summer 

 montlis. The moist w^eather we have ex- 

 perienced has led to pelargoniums of all 

 kinds growing with unAvonted vigour, w^hile 

 iheir-lloral display has not been in keeping 

 with the gr<nvth of the plants. 



deep pink-flowered Galilee, sent out by M. 



Lemoine in 1887, and Abel Carriere, one 

 of the oldest of the present-day race. This 

 has rich purple-coloured flowers. Souvenir 

 de Charles Turner is, of course, also repre- 

 sented. 



Succulents. 



As Regent's Park possesses many large 

 agaves as well as a fair collection of succu- 

 lents generally^ the material for an exten- 

 sive bed of this class is ready to hand. 

 What is more, a good use is made of it, and 

 the succulent bed situated in the angle 

 formed by two walks forms a very striking 

 feature. It is a large, somewhat triangu- 

 lar-shaped bed, and is sufficiently exten- 

 sive to be thrown up into several mounds. 

 Each mound is topped by a large, well-fur- 

 nished specimen of Agave americana, the 

 space underneath as representing the upper 

 part of the mountain, being carpeted with 

 different greyish-toned or silvery-leaved 

 subjects, chief among them being Ceras- 

 tium tomentosum, Mesembryanthemum 

 cordifolium variegatum, Lotus peliorhyn- 

 chus, and Nepeta glechoma variegata. On 



Among the subjects that are seen at their the lower plane are disposed various sue- 

 very best this season a foremost place must culents, such as opuntias, cereuses, eche- 

 be assigned the 



Fuchsias. 



I 



Regent's Park has long been famous for 

 fuchsias, and this season they are, as 

 usual, freely represented both as large 

 plants sunk singly in the turf, or disposed 

 in extensive beds, being edged wath some 

 of the smaller-growing kinds. The good, 

 old, and well-tried varieties form the prin- 

 cipal part of the collection, prominent 

 among them being Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. 

 nnndell, Display, Madame Cornellison, 

 Aixl-el-lvader Beauty of Exmouth, Em- 

 it^ss Eugenie, Scarcity, Mrs. E. G. Hill, 

 iitl Hallet Girl. The dwarf-growing Alice 

 ioffniann, with a pure white corolla, has 

 fcome a general favourite^ not only here 



but wherever summer-bedding is carried 

 out. 



Of the more uncommon varieties espe- 

 lal mention must be made of The Doctor, 

 whit-h I have only met with in Regent's 

 i*ark. It is somewhat in the way of Mrs. 

 Kundell, but is more floriferous, while the 

 blooms are stouter and more highly col- 

 "'^"ed. Another attractive variety is Lena, 

 ' out by the late Mr. William Bull, of 

 ' lielsea, about a dozen years ago. The 

 ^l"'\ver.s of this have the tube and sepals 

 ^vhite, flushed with pink, w^hile the semi- 

 uonble corolla is of a bluish-violet colour. 

 A very pretty bed is planted with upright 

 specimens, about a yard high, of this 

 variety, and the bright red Scarcity, dis- 

 posed alternately, underneath which is the 

 yellow-leaved Golden Treasure, while the 

 ^ntn-e l>ed is carpeted with lobelia and 

 Harrison's musk. This last, which is 

 somewhat extensively used, .is everywhere 

 particularly fint^ condition, the moist 

 Jo'Kluions tliat have obtained throughout 

 y^l^ past summer being favourable to its 

 I'^n development. 



Vases. 



Some of these are very large^ and alw^ays 

 >rm a feature of the summer display. 

 ^ the same arrangement is followed 

 ni previous years, that is to say the 

 ; J'Ke ones are furnished with plants so dis- 

 ■^^^^ as to form a dense cone, the bottom 

 i^^^-t c,,n,,.sting of Tropteolum Lobbianum 



zon P''^^'^""'^'^ pelargoniums, above this, 

 il l''^'Sf>ninms and fuchsias, the apex 



aiK 1.^ '^"^ with Abutiloii Thompsnni 



^^'^''^lyptus ^l(>hi,l,,s. Some of the 



Koni Pl=*"^*''l ivy pelar- 



Srn T" ^''^''^^ty onlv iu a vase. Par- 

 ''^'y noteworthy among these are the 



THE SCHIZANTHUSES^ 



There are few, if any, annuals that sur- 

 pass the schizanthuses for conservatory 

 and greenhouse decoration during the 

 spring and early summer months. During 

 recent years they have made rapid strides 

 in public favour, and have become 

 immensely popular. They are admirably 

 suited to pot culture, and also highly ap- 

 preciated for the supply of cut flowers. 

 Not long ago they were looked upon as 

 hardly worth cultivating, but at the pre- 

 sent day they are regarded as quite in- 

 dispensable. 



Some considerable improvement has 



taken place among them during late years, 

 and now excellent varieties are to be ob- 

 tained which are much superior to the old 

 ones. It is really astonishing what a 

 wealth of blossom a well-grown plant 

 will pro-duce. Again, they yield such a 

 vast range of colours in the most lovely 



Apart from the grace- 

 ful habit of the growth, and the beauty of 

 tlie flowers, their simple and inexpensive 

 culture should h'^hly recommend them. 

 Besides being so useful for pot culture, the 

 schizanthuses are splendid subjects for 

 growing in baskets to suspend from the 

 roof. The worst enemies one has to con- 

 tend with in the cultivation of schizan- 

 plants have for long proved to be a feature thuses are mildew and dampness, wdiich 

 of the summer bedding at Regents Park, avv readily overcome. The old style of 

 Though still attractive, such subjects as growing them was to place three plants in 

 crotons, acalyphas, and others of this class a pot, but by far the best results are ob- 

 tained when thev are grown singly. 



shades imaginable. 



verias, mesembryanthemums3 etc 



ixed Beds. 



The large palms and other warmhouse 



are not ^een to the same advantage this 

 year as when the summer is warmer. 

 What may be regarded as the rank and file 

 of the different flowering subjects for fur- 

 nishing the mixed beds are, of course, freely first week in September. 



To secure a hatch of plants to flower in 

 April the seeds are best sown during the 

 last week in August, or, at the latest, the 



For later flower- 



represented. Included among them are 

 such well-know^n kinds as <'alceo]ai"ias, lan- 

 tanas, begonias, heliotrope, celosias, 

 cupheas, hydrangeas, Solanum jasminoides, 

 Streptosolen Jamesoni, Plumbago capensis, 

 etc. 



Silvery-leaved Plants. 



Of late years there has been a consider- 

 able increase in the employment of silvery- 

 leaved subjects for bedding purposes. 

 When used as dot plants, as they often are, 

 the soft, neutral tone of colour serves as 

 a foil to brightly-tinted blossoms. Those 

 which are extensively used in this way at 

 Regent's Park are Calocephalus (Leuco- 

 phyton) Brow^ni, which, both as dwarf and 

 tall plants, is much appreciated ; Artemisia 

 arborea, whose prettily-cut leaves are of a 

 pronounced silvery hue; Gnaphalium nVi- 

 crophyllum, Gnaphalium lanatum, and 

 raria maritima. 



Bedding: Violas. 



A very large, irregular-shaped bed is 

 devoted to a collection of bedding violas, 

 which make a goodly show. Brought to- 

 gether in this way not only can their dis- 

 tinctive features be readily compared, but 

 the wealth of blossom that they maintain 

 over a lengthened period can be easily seen. 

 Prominent among the varieties represented 

 are Blue Diamond, bright blue; Maggie 

 Mott, yellowy Sunset, purple and gold; 

 J, B. Riding, purplish rose ; Bride- 

 groom, pale lavender ; Lilacina, lilac ; 

 Primrose Dame, primrose-yellow ; AVhite 

 Beauty, white; and Endymion, lemon. 



IHerbaceous Plants. 



The long herbaceous border which runs 

 on one side of the flower beds contains a 

 good aiul varied selection of plants. The 

 number of yellow-flowered composite^s now 

 bloom serves as a warning that the 



ing seeds are sown in January. Six-inch 

 l)ots will be found most useful for the pur- 

 l)ose of seed-sowing, and they should be 

 filled w4th a compost consisting of tw^o- 

 thirds loam and one-third leaf-soil, with a 

 liberal addition of sand. Sow the seeds 

 thinly, and merely cover them with fine 

 soil. A cold frame or greenhouse is the 

 most suitable place for the seeds to ger- 

 minate in, shading them to prevent too 

 rapid evaporation. 



AVhen the seedlings are of sufficient size 

 to handle, transplant them to seed boxes, 

 using the same kind of compost, and place 

 them in a cold frame. Here they should 

 be kept as near the glass as possible, and 

 shaded until recovered from the disturb- 

 ance. After hecoming established 

 ventilation must be afforded to promote a 

 healthy, sturdy growth, and on favourable 

 occasions the lights should be taken off 

 during the middle of the day. Pot the 

 plants immediately they are large enough 

 dnto 2^in. pots. After potting frame cul- 

 ture is still the best if favourable weather 

 prevails, but if very w^et and damp the 

 top shelf in a cool greenhouse is the most 

 suitable place for them. 



It must be borne in mind that schizan- 

 thuses ought not to be subjected to high 

 temperatures at any time; 40 to 45 deg. 



As 



free 



a rule, repotting is necessary 



m 

 au 



tunui season is fast approaching. 



s. w. 



at night is ample during the winter. 



early in 



January, for at this period growth will 

 advance rapidly. Six-inch pots are^ best 

 for this purpose, and a compost consisting 

 of half loam, with the other half made up 

 of equal parts dried cow droppings and 

 leaf-soil, adding sufficient sand to keep the 

 whole open. Guard against too hard ram- 

 ming, as the soil should only he made firm. 

 There can be no hard and fast rule made 



the stoj^ping of the growths; 

 this must be left entirely to the discretion 

 of the grower. Some plants will produce 

 side crowths, and form well-shaped plants 



re^ardint^ 



1 



