January 15, 1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



39 



Work for the Wee 



WARM ORCHIDS. 



We have now fairly entered upon another year, and it will be a good plan to have 

 a general look round and see what progress we have made in the one that has just 

 passed. Most likely, when 1897 came in, we made up our minds that everything 

 we took in hand was to be a success. What are the results of our efforts ? I am 

 afraid in some cases it ha? been a failure. Fortunately, even a failure may teach 

 us something. Without a doubt, people know more of orchids now than ever they 

 did. When amateurs begin to grow them, the first thing they do is to look out 

 for something cheap to experiment on ; very often they go to a sale and purchase 

 a lot of worn-out stuff, and think what a wonderful bargain they have made, and 

 boast about getting them so cheap, whereas they find them very dear in the end. 

 Far better throw them on the fire, and start with good healthy plants, than nurse 

 old exhausted ones year after year, these producing perhaps a single puny little 

 flower that causes vexation and very likely a giving up of orchid growing. We 

 must make up our minds for failures more or less ; we cannot expect everything to 

 do well. If any plant thrives in a certain position let it remain there. A deal is 

 said at times about feeding orchids ; this is a very unsafe business unless we are 

 well experienced ; a little can be done in a proper manner, but the plants must be 

 studied well and fed by degrees. Orchid collections at the present date consist of 

 a comparatively few genera and species ; of course there are exceptions, and yet a 

 great many very pretty orchids are comparatively unknown and considered to be of 

 no value, save to the orchid lover ; it is a great pity that such have been so little 

 cultivated, for they all have their good qualities. Be they large or small, they 

 flower at different periods, and there is always something about them to interest 

 you. Vandas once upon a time held a high position in collections, but now only 

 a few species are grown. V. crerulea and V. Kimballiana have of late years come 

 to the front, but this is chiefly owing to the quantity that has been imported. We 

 see them grown in various ways ; some are grown in the hottest house, others grow 

 them intermediate, and many advise the odontoglossum house ; the latter brings 

 out the colour well, but in their growing season these plants naturally require to be 

 removed to a warmer temperature. 



The weather again is warmer, so fire heat can be reduced so long as the proper 

 temperatures are kept up. A good damping in the morning is quite sufficient, 

 camping well about the pipes ; do not water the plants unless this is necessary. 

 Odontoglossum vexillarium is now making growth, and must be well attended to, 

 Cattleyas will require water about once a week. C. Trianse, in variety, has now 

 us spikes pretty well up in the sheaths, and must be kept at the warm end of the 

 cattleya house ; more water may also be given. Where spikes of C. Percivaliana 

 have come through the sheath the specimens must be treated in the same way. 

 A good plan is to place them along with Lcelia purpurata, Cattleya labiata, C. 

 autumnahs, and C. aarea all together at the warmest end, but do not give these 

 water unless necessary, as they are liable to rot at the base of the leaf. If rot 

 takes place, take a sharp knife and give the bulb a clean cut across and cover the 

 cut with dried lime or flower of sulphur, and after this keep the plant dry at the 

 root. You may even allow Cattleya aurea to shrivel somewhat without harm, 

 or the pseudo-bulbs soon plump up when the time comes, that is, if shrivel- 

 ling is not too severe ; this species is best grown near the glass, about six inches 



\Zl £ 7 £ et5 < a r g \ ng JUSt the edse of the sta S e > for in this Position they 

 luv e the benefit of a little more heat as it rises from underneath. Perhaps an odd 



plant may be sending forth a cluster of young roots; if so, and rebasketing or placing 

 n " e ! I 5 re( ? ul . red > .>' ou n ™y do ^is with safety, taking care not to injure the 

 In Si™ I watering is very important afterwards, so do not study about the 



S m rte* aS lt 15 an eaSy matter to add a little when ^e growing season 

 ShE n J he Same treatn ? OTt is r re ^ ired by Cattleya gigas. I have often seen 



bSX£/V a • l T e afte l; flowerin & and > in ™Y opinion, they are 



better pushed on again to make up later in the year, for if well rioened un we 



t l n Cm t0 ^ . Some are t0 ° anxi ° US for thcm to K and To 

 punisn them to prevent growth. 



n? ny t dendrobium 1 s of the Ainsworthi section are commencing to grow it is a 

 fhem fe£ rCm0Ve them t0 5li S htl y warmer <l uarters - I ^ not nJn to place 



more W t &° W -n g ? ™' * t0 bring them ° n by de S rees > sa X in degrees 

 S enah e J£ . ^V* 16 ^ SpikeS * S°° d cha «ce of developing: and 



wi J5 ?'2S t0 , g6t a second growth after the first growth has made up, £ you 

 WlH get a good long stout hulb by the end of the season. Greenfly may be 



troubling orchids just now, so give each house a fumigating with X-L-aU "d 

 v e| Si&g ? if th f Se SP0U the fl ° We ^ £2 * bd n C un?i 



in ume. Attend to ventilation when necessary,. for plants, like ourselves, enjoy 



or any- 

 ng unsightly. 



ht s f r h aw 5 e z eratures : *z«&^ 



55 degrees Tro^T J WM*dium h ° use > ho <> 65 degrees ; ditto, cooler, 

 5iuegree 3 . -1HOMAS Stafford, Ty rites field Gardens. 



GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



willbe S St a of ff h? appearan l e in the P onservat ory most of 'the pi; 

 the aln.L? "^.?!^^' Wlt * the exception of camellias, and it is s 



ants used 



he .f... eve '. 0 P w e th ? ,r bloom. Large plants nrowint; in the borders of 



W 

 th 

 t 



ne conservators *>\ r U~ ~ 7 T 5 " f — ; w fc* WVY1Ii & in the borders of 



horougr S oakW *f bUSheS ° T , trai " ed t0 the back waI1 ' ^ould have a 



dispensed wkh g To Zn^T I ^ overhead niust be 



flowering D lants * a°n th t m ° lSture m the . ^mosphere settling on the 



whene *5 SSbk i£fiU^'£& be W u- ^ V^satM times, and 

 allow humfdk i to fS^lSff? ^ 8 \ Ven at th \ hl ^ point of the house to 

 decoration before ffi* and welcome as the chrysanthemum may be for 



date, and it SZST^S 52S 5 EU Z™J™>« •*» 



roots 



tnem 



stood in TSSSlZ lMbIe 1 f ow ?» and P un y ^ngs result. They should 

 *» is g^xM^AZS m ^ h T ?P TeCe t VC Plenty of Vl Z ht > and water at the 

 under the stilt u S ° 2^ the folla S e chan S es and Wh naturally. I stand 

 temperature is a J r the X reC ? ive the dri P from other P lan ^s i or in a low 

 is found in heMsSlIK t0 damp and P erish - Where a difficulty 



stages to be washS L g display of bloom just now, I would recommend the 

 ^e. \V&™^™»\ a f ferns of different kinds arranged thinly to form a 

 where they will fo™ ° g P i avaiIable then be dotted among these, 

 °st their freshness \ ft?™* feature than a numh <* of plants which have 



well-regulated gardens, good collections of plants were not only grown in them, 

 but were seldom removed either for decorating the rooms or conservatory, but 

 were treated as objects of interest to be only seen in the house allotted them. A 

 house of this description is now generally used for the growing of various things 

 most suited to the requirements of furnishing, and generally find their way to the 

 rubbish heap when they have served their purpose. This keeps the grower always 

 on the alert, and sowing or propagating is going on continually. In this depart- 

 ment at the present time late batches of primulas, both single and double, will 

 require a regular temperature of about 55 degrees, varying, of course, during the 

 day with the sun's power. Late sown plants, still occupying four-inch pots, would 

 make a valuable early batch for next season, if the buds were pinched out, and 

 the plants potted on later. Failing this, a pinch of seed may be sown 

 at any time now if large plants, full of bloom, are to be expected next 

 November. Primula seed does not always germinate freely, and many weeks 

 sometimes elapse before growth commences. When the seed is not sown until 

 March, and the above happens, much time is lost which cannot be made up, as 

 the plants resent heat or coddling during the summer months. A brisk heat with 

 plenty of moisture, shaded from sun, with a sandy seed bed, are points which 

 must be observed at sowing time, though the plants revel in a cold north frame ; 

 later on a shelf in the stove near the glass is the best position for them until they 

 are large enough to handle. Cyclamen sown last August must not be allowed to 

 starve in thumb pots, but be shifted on as growth increases. If young plants once 

 receive a check either for want of root room or through dryness, the bulbs harden, 

 and it is some time before they can be induced to swell away again. Checks such 

 as these are generally followed by an attack of thrips, the worst enemy these plants 

 are subject to, and it requires a deal of attention to be rid of them. Older plants 

 throwing up bloom should have weak liquid manure occasionally, which will give 

 size and substance to the flowers. Avoid moisture collecting in the crowns, 

 especially in the form of drip from the roof, or the buds will drop off.— R. Parker, 

 Goodwood Gardens. 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



WITH the lengthening of the days work in this department will soon become 

 plentiful. The most trying part of the season for the preservation of summer 

 bedding plants will now have passed, damp and foggy w eather requiring more care 

 to guard against loss than even spells of that which is clear and frosty. Acting on 

 the ever-needful principle in gardening, of looking forward, it will now be advisable 

 to examine the stock of bedding pelargoniums, where these are used in quantity 

 especially, and make note ot losses or deficiencies that may have occurred other- 

 wise, with a view to working up the numbers necessary to carry out the proposed 

 plans for the coming season. It may be that plants in store pots have, if kept in 

 a warm greenhouse, made growths of a sufficient length that the points may be 

 taken off and used as cuttings forthwith. These should be inserted either in pots 

 or small boxes of light soil, and stood in any warm position in vineries or peach 

 houses recently started, and if over or near the pipes or flues the quicker will rojt 

 action take place, while the danger from damping off will be reduced to a 

 minimum. Where the stock is requiring considerable addition the stove plants 

 should be potted off singly into sixties and be placed in extra heat until 

 re-established and growths are r.ade that can be eventually used as cuttings. 

 Fuchsias have very generally taken a more important place in the flower garden 

 in the past few years, and their use for this purpose deserves encouragement, for 

 they are free from that stiffness that characterises some other subjects, and for mixed 

 bedding arrangements their culture should not be overlooked. Old plants that 

 were potted up from the beds in the autumn may now be pruned into three or four 

 eyes of last year's growth. If it is desirable to obtain cuttings from these they 

 should be placed in a house with a minimum temperature of 50 to 55 degrees, 

 rising five or ten degrees higher at midday, and the plants be syringed over occasion- 

 ally Should propagation not be necessary, these old plants had best remain in a 

 cool house or where frost is just excluded, and be allowed to break naturally. In 

 this way short, sturdy growths will be made later, but all in good time for bedding 

 purposes. Where autumn propagation was carried out the rooted cuttings should 

 ere this be in condition for potting off into single pots, either large or small sixties, 

 according to the strength of the plants, using a light, sandy soil with a free 

 admixture of leaf-mould or jadoo fibre. If strong plants are required by bedding 

 out time they should now be kept growing on in an intermediate house, and 

 placed in a light position as near the glass as possible. 



Now that seed lists are to hand, an early opportunity should be taken to make 

 a selection of those seeds required during the coming season and dispatch the 

 orders as early as possible. In the flower garden much can be done with annuals 

 if this be necessary, and, indeed, if other subjects are deficient, there are among 

 annuals material for effectually filling beds with flowering plants that vie 

 in effect with others that have entailed trouble and house room to preserve them 

 through the winter. With the assistance of a few manure beds and frames, details 

 of which will be given in due time, it is possible to make up a bright flower garden 

 with these only, and as accessories to other arrangements and for use as cut 

 flowers, some should be included in all flower garden arrangements. Among 

 others verbenas, antirrhinums, double and single zinnias, gaillardias, phlox 

 Drummondi, marigolds in variety, stocks and asters in great variety, pentstemons, 

 scabious, salpiglossis, and Nemesia strumosa Suttoni may all be used for furnishing 

 flower beds in summer, and most are also useful in a cut state. Small packets of 

 the newer and much improved varieties of sweet peas may be bought, and with 

 the great diversity of colours now r attained, these form an indispensable subject 

 where cut flowers are required. Lavateras, sweet sultans, poppies in variety, and 

 many others are also desirable, while many important perennials may also be easily 

 raised from seeds in spring. One of the latter now so much used, Gypsophila 

 paniculata, the flowering sprays of which are so well adapted for mixing with 

 other flowers, being so light and elegant, may be easily raised from seeds, and if 

 sown early in spring make good flowering plants the second year. 



Should inclement weather set in, take advantage of such to have all dirty pots 

 washed up and stored in sizes in a dry place to be in readiness for the potting off 

 of bedding stuff in a few weeks' time. Pegs may also be cut from old brooms for 

 use in layering ; crocks broken up and sifted into various size ; while mowing 

 machines needing repairs should be seen to without delay. — C. IIerrin, Drop- 

 more Gardens. 



HARDY FRUITS. 



The open weather enabled work in this department to be kept up to date, and 

 there has been no delay in pruning. Currants, gooseberries, and other bush fruit 

 may now receive attention. Gooseberries are usually left to the last if birds are 

 numerous, as these are fond of the buds and do much mischief, but I think the 

 best plan is to prune, and afterwards give the bushes a dressing of quassia extract 

 with sufficient lime added to make it adhere to the branches ; the quassia is very 

 bitter and not relished by small birds, the lime also is useful in killing moss and 

 cleansing the trees. After pruning it is a good plan to remove the old surface soil 

 and give a dressing of new soil, manure and bone meal, as in many gardens these 



