April 23 



189S. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



271 



Cyclam 



AT G 



PARK 



We are constantly in the habit of seeing at the Drill Hall during the winter 

 onths large collections of cyclamen in splendid order, but these are contributed 

 b Nurserymen, and it is rarely that we see them grown to any extent in private 

 ardens (at least, that is my experience) ; we see some plants, it is true, more or 

 less well done, but it is rare to find a house entirely devoted to them, and therefore 

 notice of a collection I saw a short time since may not be uninteresting to your 



a 



readers. 



Godinton Park, once the family residence of the Tokes, and now that of Mr. G. 

 Ashley-Dodd, is situated about a couple of miles from the well-known railway 

 station at Ashford, in Kent. The park is not very extensive, but contains some 

 fine timber, while the Chestnut Toll is a landmark for many miles round. With this 



it is not large, although it has been added to considerably in the last two years. 

 It is a delightful specimen of Tudor work, and the hall and staircase are beautiful 

 examples of the best period of that exquisite style of architecture. I do not think 

 that any lover of the beautiful would grudge the time, if he only stopped at 

 Ashford and drove out to see this charming house. The additions made to it 

 were under the supervision of Mr. Blom field, and they do not in any way 

 interfere with its character. I have known Godinton all my life ; I have seen 

 during tue past thirty years many occupants, but being hitherto only tenants they 

 had not any special interest in the place, consequently an air of neglect brooded 

 over park and gardens; when it was purchased by Mr. G. Ashley-Dodd all this 

 was over ; the whole aspect of the place was changed ; this has been especially the 

 case in the gardens, which are quite altered. A rose garden has been made, and 

 the most popular flowers are cultivated, and under the able care of Mr. Frost (son 

 of that Mr. Frost whom many of us remember at the Royal Nurseries, Slough) 

 promised to be a very attractive feature in the neighbourhood. 



The end of March is not generally an interesting time in which to visit a 

 garden, and I was greatly impressed with the rich treat offered through Mr. Frost's 

 intelligent care of his plants ; and to one who, like myself, can look back to the 

 time when the Persian cyclamen was considered one of the most difficult plants to 

 grow, the change is marvellous indeed j the rapidity with which plants are grown 

 to a flowering size, from the time of sowing, is very remarkable ; there were plants 

 here the seed of which was sown in December, 1896, that had been in bloom for 

 lome considerable time ; the corms were of good size, and carried about a couple 

 of dozen flowers ; this, however, can be exceeded if necessary, and I believe Mr. 

 frost could have them in flower in eight or nine months if required ; I saw some 

 tturdy li tie plants in the vinery, raised from seed sown in December, thaf will 

 Tin t T m Nov l mber next - There was the usual variety of colouring, 



Zalf , £j Hf* W J' te t0 u th ? d ^ rkeSt Crimson ' and k must remembered 

 v ISLSS Th^ 5 -^ ^ ° btaine - d h l a P r0cess of election, and not of cross 

 iri riZ ' V I D £ ° ther , Species have been introduced to induce these 

 vam ons ; some of the flowers, those of the giganteum strain, as it is called are 



dStSfiSi?!,,^ °/ CarS ° Id WCre bearin S hundreds of blossom Tne 

 !2SLT£SS be ^ hed . on , to come *™ < rom seed, although showing some 

 ^nations in the tints. There is also some difference in the form of the flowers • 



Z wH t r re ° P t n tha " °thers ; for instance, " Butterfly," which is a perfectly 



ffe oM ftSlSfc m ° re °P en ~ that is » ^es not turn its petals back 



1 of the nStk ' , a . nd i h ere are some which have an ugly fashion of turning 



: XI bel t y and I mvsSf' ^JF^ "2" ^ 5 does DOt at a11 add 



Cyclamen ^rsium odoratum 'I J 1 ^ §Cen ! that - is ass ™ a ^ with its name, 

 wanting? L W^tK' 1 "JA^ ma ° rit y of P ,ants il » totals 

 « once recognise thu Zl J- USe ? ^ Mn Frost has his plants staged vol 



« ^blAZZtit someTnlTno^ 11 - ^ **! ^ ^ after P Iant a ^ 



f» some plants the leaves hSrr i ^ g ^ nd 80 in the matte ' of foliage ; 



•ome, as'in the gigameum Sin^Kf r 7 d ' t" d in others nearl y pWnffo 



compact. g S teUm Stra,n ' the fol,a g e 15 V «T large ; in others it is neat and 



s Jno? seed's obtaitTanaS SS? U the first P lace a good 



» M intermediate Zut ih.IV , m November or December, and pltced 



«* conns are of a sufficient \e TT^, ^ m K^ ht and friabIe 5 as soon a 

 Pea), thev 



Mze iwnicn will be about the size of a IaraP.«iW 



county 



jr 



r. 



NSWER S. f 



CORRESPONDENTS 



Editorial 



Mill 



Editor 



Magazine, 148 and 149, Aldersgate Street, E.C. 



wJj^r^ 2 Iad to i ece ! ve Photographs of gardens, plants, flowers, trees, 

 fruits Sec., for reproduction in the Gardeners ? Magazine. He will also 1x1 

 greatly obliged by correspondents sending early intimation of interesting local 

 everts relating to horticulture. In sending newspapers containing matter to 

 maS the e Krap°h attentlon ' corres Pondents are requested to distinctly 



Specimens of plants, flowers, and fruits for naming or opinion should be sent to 

 the Editor of the Gardeners' Magazine, " Endsleigh," Priory Park, Kew. 



preS ^ m W6ek 48 possihle ' Ml ^ Icels must h* sufficiently 

 Secretaries of horticultural societies are invited to send early notification of forth 

 chSg? of dates 0DS meetin S s ' and ^ requested to advise us concerning 



« M^ ri t' 8 p. D -?Pr?- ry -~ S -» H -' Re , adin g : The b00k to wW ch you refer is 

 Maddocks Florists Directory," a work published in 1792, by James Maddock, 



a Walworth florist of no smalt repute. Its full title reads, « ' The Florists' Direc- 

 tory ; or a Treatise on the Culture of Flowers " ; to which is added a supple- 

 mentary dissertation on soils, manures, & c . The flowers treated upon in the 272 

 pages are the hyacinth, tulip, ranunculus, anemone, auricula, carnation, pink, and 

 polyanthus. Copies may sometimes be purchased at second-hand book-sellers, 

 and they vary in price according to their condition. 



Planting Pansies.-G. E. A, Rugby : It is not too late to plant pansies, 

 but the sooner the work is done the better, so that the plants become established 

 before dry weather sets in. A deep moist and rich loam suits pansies, as it will 

 keep them cool. Give water as necessary after planting, and early next month 

 give the bed or plot a top-dressing or mulch of equal parts leafsoil and dried cow 

 manure, sifted and mixed together ; put this on directly after a good shower or 

 heavy watering. Allow no flower buds to develop until you are sure the plants 

 are well established. Keep the surface regularly and frequently stirred with a Dutch 

 hoe and give an occasional overhead spraying with clear water as the sun begins to 

 decline until flowering commences. 



Pale Brindled Beauty Moth. — L. D., Gloucester : The twigs sent have 



clusters or rings of caterpillar eggs upon them, doubtless those of the pale brindled 



appears early in the spring, some- 

 times by the middle of March, and the female soon commences to lay its eggs on 



a ring round it. As soon as the 

 season is sufficiently advanced for the leaves to unfold, the caterpillars are hatched, 

 and at once commence their attack upon the delicate foliage. They are about an 

 inch in length, pale green, with tufts of hair at the joints. The ants have a 



decided partiality for the caterpillars, 

 which are carried away by them in large 

 numbers when first hatched, more par- 

 ticularly from trees not exceeding eight 

 or nine feet high. The male moth, 

 shown in the upper part of the illustra- 

 tion, is of comparatively large size, the 

 fore wings greenish grey, with brown 

 markings ; the hind wings are dull white, 

 with bright brown heavy cross stripes. 

 The female is wingless, small, and of a 

 coffee-brown colour. The attack of the 

 caterpillars of this moth may be greatly 

 mitigated, if not prevented, by the use 

 of grease bands, as in the case of the 

 winter moth. This band is formed by 

 spreading cart grease of good quality 

 over a broad strip of grease-proof paper, 

 and then fastening it round the stem of 

 the tree. Spraying the trees with a 

 solution of Paris green in the proportion 



' water 



Pale Brindled Beauty Moth 



Male and Female. 



»"juia, well-rotted manur* a j lilc TOm post used being loam leaf- LWU uunccs 10 iorcy ganons 01 wacer, 



P°«ed into lamer nntt • fi S ' and as the P lants increase thev are Wain when the caterpillars are hatched, will destroy large numbers by poisoning their 



them during the surnm^ fu me c ° m P 0St A c ^ol frame is the be/t place for good. Repeat the spraying after an interval of a fortnight, and if found desirable 



ftww, air being giveTatTHmpt aSpect the best P ositi ^ for the * " " " ^ ' ~* ^ 



thus be seen Z?,t^ me ^ an< ? ^ P lan * not beine exposed to rain , it 



fioTbe^S E n tSe all l, dmeS ' and the P la ° ts ~t Wi eTposed to^™ 

 principles ^ Tw CUUlvatlo 1 n which these plants receive is based on good 

 .^ur may H not ' ca ^ e 1 J no quackery about it, and there is nothing that any 



•Jopted where an^Steur ha^ f^r?™ ™? thod of treatme «t "lay be 



n( "nber of pi ants Thl . nas , sm aHer facilities, and wishes to erow a smaller 



exited ^DrmHaBtf^r^ fif ^ MeSSrS ' Low and Co hive 



512^^^ Should — 



have 



It. H. D\ 



... / rf nh ^in^ on Tuesday evening, 



rfbv \ ° f * he ^embers g there if y ° Ghent E ^ibition, which drew 



N<L»K. V ! n,n & an «i ga e' a ve'rv i m ^ Geor S e Engleheart was the 

 hbkteJ h,Ch J asi swell g knowr^ " , ' addreSS ° n "Seedling Narcissi," 

 ; -«^2 r ^ Uctio ^, which ^Ve. \i a™ T Ces " M > he exhibited ^me 

 '•udbn^n ard , S of m ^t a the DrilfR f admi - ed ' andhad Piously obtained 

 ^ ^ of those present ioSS Ha " ; an mterest iug discussion followed, 



HORTICULTURAL CLUB. 



guuu. ixcpcai liic spraying mki <*ji iuk\.i*<ki %jl a luuuigm, iikiiA 11 luunu ucMiauic 



spray the mature foliage with a solution ot half a pound of Paris green to a hundred 

 fallons of water. Always keep the mixture agitated when spraying. 



Window Boxes.— W. E. C, Kensington : It is by no means difficult to 

 really good window box display at this season of the year, provided a little 

 care be taken with the plants, such as providing them with water when necessary, 

 for the soil in window boxes needs to be watered several times during an 

 ordinary winter. We have, at the present time, a really good show of hyacinths, 

 tulips, and daffodils, with a background of blood-red, yellow, and an intermediate 

 form of wall flowers, and a front margin of fancy and gold-laced polyanthuses. 

 Medium-sized clumps of doronicums are placed in the more roomy parts of the 

 box, and these will have expanded theii earliest golden flowers ere this reply 

 appears in print. In the same boxes we had an early display of snowdrops, 

 chionodoxas, and crocuses of sorts. Substantial soil in the first instance, and 

 water as needed are, of course, essentials for an early spring show. 



Throatwort — H. fL, Bury St. Edmunds: The scientific name of the 

 throatwort is Trachelium c^eruleum ; we agree with you that it is a plant not 

 often seen, but still very desirable. It is a native of Spain and Italy, and has been 

 in cultivation for about 350 years. For greenhouse and conservatory decoration 

 and for grouping it is a charming plant, but for some unknown reason it has been 

 banished from most gardens during the past half-century, until now, quite a large 



-r of our principal gardeners do not recognise it when they see it. It is 

 propagated from seed, or by cuttings made from the side growths taken and 

 inserted in sandy soil during the present month. A little war 

 formation, but as soon as the cutting becomes an individual plant it must be 

 grown hardily, a cool greenhouse or frame sufficing. Pot on as necessary, 

 thirty two-sized pots being large enough for general use. Give liquid cow manure 

 as soon as the flower heads are seen. There is a white -flo were i form of the 

 species. 



num 



assists 



