824 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



nd 



THE ORCHID HOUSES. 



SEASONABLE N'OTES.— Coelogyuc cris. 

 tata and its varieties have now completed 

 their growth for the sea^sou^ and the liberal 

 supply of water afforded them must iye greatly 

 reauced. From now onwards until alter the 

 flowering stage, the compost should he kept 

 just moLst enough to keep the pseiido-bultxs 

 plump and healthy. At this season the 

 specivs resents being kept dry, and many 

 case.s wlieie this species lails to bloom batis- 

 factorily is attributable to this cause. Dur- 

 ing the dull daycj of winter, the plants should 

 be afforded all the light possible, with a 

 supply of fresh air daily. '1 liey delight in a 

 cool intermediate teniiierature, and a succes. 

 sion of tlieir lovely Howerci may be obtained 

 by growing some at the warm end, and others 

 at the cool end of the house. To prolong 

 the se-ation it may be advisable to remove 

 a few plants at intervals into a slightly 

 warmer house, but the plants mucit not be 

 unduly forced. Those specimen^ which were 

 repotted last spring .should not l>e allowed to 

 flower, as it usually takes two sciisons to 



-establish, and get them thorouglily strong 

 again. Badly-rooted plants, no matter to what 

 species they belong, should not be trllowed 

 to produce flowers. The sole object of the 

 cultivator should be to grow his plants 

 stronger year by year until they have become 

 so thoroughly established that they can an- 

 nually develop flowers without distress. 



DBNDROBIUMS will by now have mostly 

 made up their growths, and should be re- 

 moved to the resting-house. Plants of the 

 evergreen i^ection, which include D. thyrsi- 

 florum, U. densiflorum, D. Farmeri, D. 

 Bronckartianum, and others, may also be 

 removed from their growing quarters to a 

 cooler and better ventilated pUice, but they 

 must not be kept quite so dry at the roots i\s 

 the D. nobile section, Dendrobiums, wliile 

 at rt*st, require sufficient water to keep the 

 pseudo-bulbs and the leaves fresh and phuiip, 

 and must not be allowed to shrivel at any 

 time. The deciduous D. aureum will soon 

 be pushing out flower buds from the nodes of 

 the piseudo-bulbs made last year^ but the 

 plants should be allowed to remain in the 

 resting-house until the buds are half de- 

 veloped, when more heat may l)e given. This 

 old dendrobiuTii should be grown by all lovers 

 of these inteI■e."^tillg and beautiful plants on 

 account of its delightful perfume. Dendro- 

 biums should be rested in a house that does 



not go below 5,3 degrees, and the atmosph 

 must be kept moderately dry. 



SHADING. — All permanent shading may 

 now be removed from the houses, as we have 

 reached the season when every bit of lierlit 

 obtainable is beneficial to the plant>. Tiunik^ 

 to the beaut itul Wi'atlier we liave experienced 

 during the last few weeks, our j)] aiits are 

 finishing their growths mueli better tlian at 

 one time seemed possible. — J. T. Barker, 

 The West Hill Gardens. 



STOVE PLANTS. 



APilKLAXDH AS.— These handsome stove 

 plants are surpassed by few that produce 

 their flowers in autumn or early winter. One 

 of the l>est is A. aurantiaca Roezli ; this bears 

 terminal spikes of brilliant scarlet flowers 

 thrown well above the silvery-green leafage. 

 Although, during active growth in summer, 

 these plants delight in abundance of moisture 

 both at the roots and in the atmosphere, 

 they should be accorded dry condifioiis from 

 the time the flower spikes appear until they 

 have finished flowering. Continue to give 

 frequent applieat Ioik of weak liquid manure 

 until the flower >pikes are nearly developed 

 when only clear water should " be given. 

 Wlien the plants paRs out of flower graduallv 

 reduce the supply of water and finally only 

 give sufficient to prevent shrivelling of the 

 wood during the resting period. Unless large 

 specimens are required, some of the older 

 plants may be thrown away, only re- 



taining the younger ones for next year, ; 

 for the production, of cuttings. Cuttings of 

 half-ripened shoots, if taken with a heel of 

 the old wood, root readily in spring. 



IXORAS.— Although not nearly so exten- 

 sively cultivated as they once were, the 

 ixoras are well worth growing, especially 

 where there are large stove houses. Given 

 proper treatment they seldom fail to make a 

 fine display during summer. The fading 

 flowers should now be removed. Prune away 

 all sappy and spindly growths in order to 

 ensure proper maturation of the remainder, 

 for on this depends, in no small degree, free 

 flowering in ensuing years. After thoroughly 

 cleaning the plants place them in a warm 

 and fairly dry position near the roof glass, 

 and gradually reduce the supply of water, 

 but at no time should they suffer from being 

 too dry. 



DRACAENAS.— This is a good time to 

 ring " the tops of any plants that have 

 lost their lower leaves. If this is carefully 

 done now the tops make nice plants for use 

 next spring, long before cuttings can. be 

 taken off and rooted. Small 6()-sized pots 

 answer well if sawn in half longitudinally. 

 With a sharp knife cut tlirough "the bark 

 immediately below a joint, in the half-ripened 

 portion of the stem; then make another^cut 

 half an inch below and remove the interven- 

 ing ring of bark. Place the halves of the pot' 

 in position, one on either side, and tie firmly. 

 Three parts fill the pot with a mixture of 

 chopped sphagnum moss, peat, charcoal, and 

 sharp sand. Keep this moist by frequent 

 syringings, and maintain a high temperature 

 and humid atmo.-phere. When well rooted 

 sever from the parent plant below the pot, 

 and place in a larger pot. 



ALOCASIAS.— Plants of the evergreen 

 species will now need less water, both at the 

 roots and overhead, but provided the roots 

 are in a sweet, open medium, a moderate 

 amount of water will be required throughout 

 the winter. Nothing is so prejudicial to 

 these plants as stagnation about the roots, 

 especially during winter. The deciduous 

 kinds may be dried off and wintered in pre- 

 cisely the same way as recommended for cala- 

 diums.— H. T. Martin, Warren Wood 

 Gardens. 



FRUITS UNDER GLASS. 



PINE APPLES.— Fruiting plants will be 

 benefited by occasional weak applications of 

 liquid manure until the fruits have fully 

 di^veloped, when it should be withheld; clear 

 water must also be given very sparingly when 

 the fruits are ripe. Keep the plants in a tem- 

 perature of 70 degrees at night, and, with sun 

 iu'at, from 8(J to 85 degrees by day, admit- 

 ting a little air through the top ventilators 

 at all t\wv>. Where the bottom heat of late 

 fruiting phmts is likely to decline below 75 

 to so degrees, the beds should be renewed 

 without delay, but one must be careful not 

 to use material that will become overheated 

 or otherwise much damage will be caused to 

 the roots. Endeavour to raise tlie plants near 

 the glass, so that they will be exposed to all 

 the sun and light posMble; maintain a house 

 temperature of froji 7o to 75 degrees, aiul 

 pay particular attention to the application of 

 water, so that the pioper degree of moisture 

 must be maintained in the soil, or otherwise 

 the roots will decay. When the fruits are 

 swelling, the atmosphere of the house sliould 

 be kept fairly moist by sprinkling the paths 

 and walls with clean tepid water several 

 times a day. Successional plants should be 

 kept steadily at 60 degrees at night and 

 about 70 degrees by day. Tliis temperature 

 will considerably check any excitement of 

 growth, and the plants will succeed far 

 better later on if this is observed. 



FIGvS.— The late crops will have been 

 gathered, and the trees should be subiected 

 to a lower temperature, to induce a complete 

 rest. If the roots of permanently planted 

 trees require attention, now is the W time 

 to undertake the work. Proceed in the same 

 manner as that recommended for the renova- 



1"^. f -T^'- i^ '*^''^*^ should be 



shifted into a larger size if required, and 



the others top-dressed with good fibrous loa 

 and well-pulverised cow manure, after- 

 wards placing the plants in a cold house or 

 an open shed; give water v^paringly to the 

 roots, but do not on any account allow the 

 soil to become too dry at any time. 



STRAWBEREIES IN POTS.— These jnust 

 be protected from frost and heavy rains. Old 

 sash lights are very useful at the present 

 time to give the necessary protection for a 

 few weeks hence ; later on, as frost becomes 

 more severe, it will be necessary to provide 

 more adequate protection by placing the 

 stock in cold frames or pits. At the present 

 time allow all the air and light possible by 

 removing the lights on fine days and nights. 

 Continue to give weak applications of liquid 

 manure to all plants that are w^ell rooted. 

 In the early part of next month select and 

 make ready a batch of the earliest plants, 

 which can be placed in a cold house prepara. 

 tory to forcing; examine the drainage before 

 taking them inside, and select only those 

 plants that have the /strongest crowns.— 

 Henry R. Farmer, Cardiff Castle Gardens. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



THE HERBACEOUS BORDER.— The pre- 

 sent is a good time to undertake the renova- 

 tion of hardy flower borders, as when the 

 work can be completed in the autumn the 

 plants soon become established. Hardy 

 perennials are frequently allowed to remain 

 in the same position undisturbed for a num- 

 ber of years, with the result that the clumps 

 become unduly large, and frequently 

 weakened in growth. To grow the plants 

 well^ it is essential to divide and replant 

 them every third or fourth year. When new 

 borders are to be made or old ones replanted, 

 the most thorough preparation of the ground 

 is necessary. Dig up the plants and lay them 

 in on a convenient piece of ground, and take 

 care that the labels are securely attached to 

 each. Apply a thorough dressing of well- 

 rotted farmyard manure, cultivate the soil 

 to a depth of at least 2ft., and incorporate 

 the manure well with the soil as the work 

 proceeds. Allow the ground to settle for «^ 

 week or two, and then carry out the work of 

 planting during mild weather when the soil is 

 in a fairly dry and friable condition. Some 

 of the larger clumps will need division, and 

 this should be done by placing two forks 

 through them, back to back, and levering 

 them apart ; this is much better than chop- 

 ping a clump in half with a spade. It is 

 desirable to retain the outside portions of 

 the clumps. 



REPLANTING requires great care, or the 

 appearance of the border may easily be 

 spoiled. It is necessary to arrange it so that 

 there will be a continual display of bloom 

 the whole season, consequently late-flowering 

 subjects must be planted near'early-floweriug 

 ones. Arrange the plants so that the colours 

 will harmonise ; soft harmonies or direct 

 contracts are best. It is not desirable to 

 make the groups too large, three plants to 

 each being quite enough, for if large masses 

 of plants like delphiniums and paeonies are 

 included in the border, the result is that 

 there are large blanks during the late sU"^- 

 mer and autumn. It is nr)t necessary to plant 

 all the tall subjects at the back; some may 

 be allowed to extend to the centre of the 

 border; if the right subjects are judiciously 

 planted in this way, with dwarfer plants be- 

 tween, the result is the formation of irre- 



intervals, and th« 



ore attrac- 



gular bays or inlets at 

 whole arrangement is rendered 

 tive. Plant firmly, and label 



each group 

 Level the 



firmly, and 

 carefully as the work proceeds, 

 ground over neatly after planting, and apply 

 a light top-dressing of old mushroom-bed 

 manure or other suitable material. 



THE ROCK GARDEN.— Most alpines have 

 made vigorous growth during the past sea- 

 son, and some of the more robust plants, like 

 arabis and aubrietia, have probably over- 

 grown their allotted space; if this is so, 

 shorten ])ack their growths now. Keep the 

 rockery free from weeds, or these will .soon 

 overcome some of the more delicate speci- 

 mens.— J. Gardner, Batsford Park Gardens. 



