784 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 12, I912, 



WORK FOR THE WEEK^ 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



VAN DAS. — The end. of the present month 

 or the Vjeg inning of next is the best time of 

 the year to thoroughly overhaul all plants of 

 V. tricolor and V. sauvi.s, especially if any 

 disturbance at the roots iti necessary. When 

 done at thi^ seacjon there will be far less loss 

 of folia ir^. thaii when the operation is per- 

 lin iiji'd ut any other time. These plant-s do 

 not appreciate strong sunlight at any time, 

 and now that the sunshine is daily decreasing 

 in power, and the extenial air is cool and 

 heavily charged with moisture, a suitable 

 attnosphcre can easily be maintained for 

 tlicrn at tlie cool end of the cattleya or inter- 

 mediate house. A shaded position is of the 

 greatest assistance towards the re-establish- 

 nient of the plants without loss of foliage. 

 ^rhe>c vandas, wlien a I lowed t o ]ohc their 

 leaves, are among tlie inosl iin.^ightly objects 

 possible, therefore it '\h necessary to take 

 every precaution agajn.st loss of foliage, 



RBPaiTING at this season is favourable 

 both to the production of fresh roots and the 

 retention of tlie lower leaves. It is princi- 

 pally those icgoy specimens, which have be- 

 come unsightly by the Ions of leaves, that 

 will need repotting, and in the case of plants 

 in that condition, it will be necessary to re- 

 move the old potting material and drainage. 

 "When taking the plant from its pot, the 

 roots which are clinging to the sides should 

 be carefully detached. If the base of the stem 

 can be cut off, to enable one to bring the low- 

 est Jeaves down to the same level as the rim of 

 the pot, so much the better, providing there 

 are sufficient roots left on the stem to main- 

 tain the plant nntil new ones are made. 

 Keep tlie .stem of r;ieh ])l;nit in the centre of 

 the pot, and carefully work the lowest roots 

 around the bottom, ^intermixing with them 

 clean crocks to half the depth" of the pot. 

 Over these place a layer of sphagnum moss; 

 spread the other roote carefully over the sur- 

 face, and work amongst them some clean, 

 picked sphagnum moe>8. 



;roi>-l)HBSSING.— Plants that are fur- 

 nished with leaves to the rim of the pots 

 should not be disturbed, but the old ooting 

 material, which has become sour and decom- 

 posed, should be carefully removed down to 

 the drainage, and be replaced by fresh 

 material. 



WATERING.— For several days after pot- 

 ting no water at the roots will be necessary, 

 as the moisture from the moss will be suffi- 

 cient for them. When the moss turns white, 

 and appears quite dry, a thorough watering 

 will be necessary. As the moss on the sur- 

 face becomes dry it should be sprayed as 

 often as is necessary to keep it in a healthy 

 growing condition. Vandas of this section 

 should be placed on a stage, covenid with 

 some moisture-retaining material such as 

 crushed coke. These vandas although not 

 seen to such advantage as formerly, zre very 

 handsome plants, and when several ar- in 

 bloom the perfume from the flowers per- 

 vades the whole house.— J. T. Barker, Th- 

 West Hill Gardens. 



STOVE PLANTS. 



CURRENT WORK.-In this department 

 we have not the anxiety of having the 

 plants housed Ix^fore sharp weather sets in, 

 but, at the same time^ there is need to see 

 that everything is in order to withstand the 

 changing conditions. Many species of warm, 

 house plants, that in normal seasons would 

 be better for a longer sojourn in pits and 

 tranies, must now be removed to warmer and 

 drier quarters. Although I do not recom- 

 mend a high, close temperature for such 

 winter-flowering plants a.s poin^^Htias, eran- 

 thonnuns, I>Iuni]>ago rosea, and the like at 

 this tinu^ of year, yet, if allowed to remain in 

 ^hoir summer quarters too long a severe 

 check may result which cannot be remedied 



ns\^ : ; days must be guarded 



against, or .ho r.u.ts will become chilled It 



is a good plan to rearrange the whole of 

 the occupants of the plant stove about this 

 time, takine^ advantage of the opportunity to 



the glass and woodwork 



thoroughly cle«ii.^ cxic gi 

 of the structures, both inside and out, and 

 clean the plants themselves. This procedure 

 will ensure the admittance of the maximum 

 amount of light to the plants, and this is 

 essential to their well-being during the dull. 



dark days of winter. 



■No time should be lost 



POTTING SOILS.^.,w .....^ ...^^.^ 

 in preparing the various composts required 

 for another year. First and foremost is good 

 fibrous loam, and this can usually be dug 

 from an old pasture. The required number 

 of turves should be cut, not more than three 

 inches thick, and stacked in a compact heap, 

 sprinkling plenty of lime and soot between 

 the layers as the stacking proceeds. This 

 will answer a double purpose, viz., kill the 

 insects and their larvae, besides making the 

 Hoi] sweet and friable for potting by the 

 time it is wanted for use. The best leaf- 

 soil is obtained from decayed oak or beech 

 leaves, and, assuming these were collated 

 last season and have been turned over occa- 

 sionally, they should by now be in good con- 

 dition for use. Before mixing this with the 

 compost, pass it through a sieve to keep 

 hack decaying sticks, which are harmful to 

 the roots of plants. Charcoal is of inestim- 

 able value, and on estates where plenty of 

 hard wood is to be had, some should bo 

 made into charcoal during bad weather 



TEMPERATURE.-Ali structures contain- 

 ing stove plants must now bs; kept at the 

 proper temperature by the use of more fire- 

 heat; at the same time, let this be judi- 

 ciously applied in accordance with the condi 

 tions prevailing outdoors. Admit air on all 

 favourable occasions, and close early in the 

 afternoon in order to store a8 much of the 

 warmth from the sun's rays as possible, thus 

 necessitating less fire-heat at night. Heavy 

 syringings should now cease; at the same 

 time, maintain a fair amount of humidity 

 in the atmosphere to keep down insect pests 

 such as red spider and the like. Above all 

 things do not overwater at this season 

 especially those plants that are ripening their 

 growths preparatory to going to rest for the 

 winter. -H. T. Martin, Warren Wood 

 hardens. 



FRUITS UNDER CLASS. 



EARLY PERMANENT VINES.-Where it 

 13 intended to commenc* forcing vines in 

 the early house by the middle of next month 

 the laterals should now be pruned back to 

 two or three good buds; this will enable the 

 vines to have a complete rest before forcin-^ 

 operations are commenced. In advocating 

 the retention of two or three buds whef 

 pruning it should be borne in mind that 

 this will allow the choice of the best growtS 



f^'^'^i" ^T'^'' showing 

 Rnh off the loose bark from the rods but on 



no account should they be scraped w?th a 

 knife or peeled closely ; give the ^ne rods a 

 good ^^-ash with insecticide, working i well 

 into all the crevices, and around the buds 

 with a stiff brush. Thi« will not in ire the 



^o^n^'^r^'' Y the icfc o 



dChtroMng all unsect pests 



A\hitewa.h the walls with freshly-slaked 



water should be given, and this is u-^uallv 

 sufficient water at the roots until he ^ouS 

 growths make their appearance ^ " 



any ca.-e remove all wood tl.nt ? 

 quired with a sharp S l^." 



and mildew 



pruning proceeds. Cut the ties, and detaoh 

 all the wood from the trellis ; it will be nece^ 

 sary to secure some of the main branches 

 temporarily to the trellis, or otherwise thev 

 may be broken. It often happens that to 

 much young wood has been tied in durinS 

 the current growing season, but do not hesi 

 tate to thin it out sufficiently to allow pleutv 

 of room for the development of good fruit 

 next season, and for laying in next sea 

 son's young growths. When the pruning is 

 finished, wash the trees with soft soap and 

 warm water, scrub the main stems and 

 branches with a stiff scrubbing brush and 

 the young growths with a small tooth brush 

 taking great care not to injure the buds If 

 the trees are infested with scale, this "can 

 easily be dislodged by brushing them off with 

 a dry tooth brush before washing commences 

 Tie the branches into loose, convenient bun- 

 dles, and give the glass, woodwork and walls 

 a good scrubbing with soft soap and hot 

 water ; afterwards wash the whole structure 

 down with clean water applied forcibly with 

 the garden engine. Whitewash the walls 

 with lime and sulphur, and set out the main 

 branches into their respective places' then 

 commence to tie in the young growths, sn 

 that they will form a good, evenly-balanced 

 fan^shaped tree. When the work is finished 

 remove a few inches of soil from the borders 

 and top-dress with good loam, lime-rubbish 

 bone-meal, and wood ashes well mixed — 

 Henry R. Farmer, Cardiff Castle Gardens. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



iSPRING BEDDING.— The work of prepar- 

 lug the beds for their spring occupants should 

 be proceeded with at once. It is essential to 

 thoroughly cultivate the soil and enrich it 

 with well-rotted manure. Endeavour to carry 

 out this work when the soil is not too wet, 

 and while wheeling and removing material 

 avoid damaging the walks or cutting up the 

 grass around the beds. It is an advantage 

 to have all spring-flowering subjects planted 

 before the end of the month, so that thev 

 can become thoroughly established before 

 the advent of inclement weather. Wall- 

 flowers, myosotis, arabis, and polyanthuses 

 should be taken up with plenty of soil at- 

 tached, to their roots. When planting, press 

 the soil firmly around them, and give a good 

 watering when the work is complete. Some 

 of the newer varieties of sweet william are 

 very charming subjects. Pink Beauty is es- 

 pecially delightful, and it should be planted 

 at the present time. The various bulbs re 

 quired for spring display should be also 

 planted at once. 



ORNAMENTA/L CONIFEKS.— Many gar- 

 dens are lacking in good conifers, and there 

 are so many handsome species in cultivation 

 that there is no excuse for not making more 

 use of them. When well placed, conifers are 

 generally admired, and during the winter 

 months they give colour to the pleasure- 

 grounds. Cedrug atlantica glauca forms a 

 very attractive object when it has attained 

 lair proportions, its silvery-grey foliagfe 

 being very effective. Abies pungens glauca, 

 A. coneolor, and A. lasiocarpa are extremely 

 saowy^ and are ideal for planting as single 

 specimens on the grass. Abies iiobilis, A. 

 l^msapo, A. bracteata, A. magnifica, A. 

 Jlariesi, and A. homolepsis are all exception- 

 ally handsome trees to plant, and have at- 

 tained a large size in these gardens. Cupres. 

 SU8 Lawsoniana Allumini is a distinct and 

 handsome tree, and it.s glaucous foliage ren- 

 ders It especially attractive. C. L. lutea is 

 probably the most effective of all and when 

 well grouped for distant effect is very tell- 

 ^g. C. L. intertexta is a distinct form, and 

 Y macrocarpa lutea is quite an acquisition. 

 Jumperus chinensis aurea, J. drupacea, J- 

 japonica aurea variegata, and J. Sabina Knap 

 ilill variety all deserve a place. 



^ ^« 



DECURRENS, Sequoia sem- 



Taxodium dis- 

 Retinospora 



pc^mrens albo-spica, and 

 tichium are all de.sirable trees. 



tilitera, R. pisifera, and R. plumosa are espe- 

 cially attractive as are their golden forms. 

 K. squarrosa forms a delightful tree. — J- 

 Gardner, Batsford Park Gardens- 



