360 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



JU.\E 4, 1898. 



i nc up freely, and there is now no fear of dropping, indeed, as far as my experience 

 goes, dropping is often over-rated, and at times is assisted by allowing the trees to 

 carry too many fruits before they are thinned. Plums and cherries often drop 

 wholesale, and many think it is the natural way for trees to relieve themselves 

 of the crop, but the strain on the trees is so great it will be found that earlier 

 thinninewill in a great measure prevent the loss of fruits that are needed for a crop. 

 The final thinning of cherries should not be delayed, as though I am aware the 

 trees will mature most of the fruits they will be much smaller if all are left, and by 

 judicious thinning of wall trees some of the best kinds, such as Bigarreau Jaboulay, 

 liicarreau Napoleon, and B. Monstreuse de Mazel are very fine indeed, and are a 

 great addition to the dessert, as they come in early and are much appreciated. The 

 cherry will soon begin to colour, and before this takes place I find a liberal 

 supply of liquid manure or a good fertilizer will greatly assist in swelling up 

 the fruits, but to be of service it is best given before the colouring begins ; on the 

 other hand, trees on walls with a rather wide coping should be well syringed 

 before the fruits colour, as in light soils it is almost impossible to keep the trees 

 clear of black fly, one of the worst pests the cherry is subject to, we use Bentley's 

 Quassie Extract on all our wall trees before the stage alluded to.— G. Wythes, 

 Syon Gardens. 



M 



OF B 



Returning to the City of Bruges from Messrs. F. Sander and Co.'s Nursery 

 it is a pleasant walk westward to the suburb of Scheepsdaele. After passing the 

 nearest Porte, it is desirable to turn sharp to the left, when one is immediately 

 upon the Rempart de la Porte Marechale ; some distance below lies the sluggish 

 and broad car al, and down to its margin slope the grass-covered ramparts. A 

 good deal of planting has been done along the top of this huge erection, trees and 

 flowering shrubs having been extensively disposed in large mixed clumps or small 

 plantations. Lilacs, philadelphus, berberis, deutzias, and gorse appeared to be 

 the favourite flowering shrubs. Trees of various kinds, principally lime, elm, 

 plane, and poplar have been placed in these plantations so as to produce an effect 

 as early as possible. One could imagine a bundle of from three to eight young 

 trees planted as received from a nursery, and then, after planting, the several 

 stems tied outwards from the root centre to a surrounding triangular or quad- 

 rangular wooden support. By this means a good mass of foliage is quickly pro- 

 duced ; but what about the subsequent results ? 



The Water Garden. 



Shadeloving Bog Plants. 



In the shade we might grow by the waterside an equally large number of 

 handsome plants as in the sun, and, though not pretending to give anything 

 like a complete list of them, I will mention a few of the most important. 



The bright purple Primula japonica and the deep yellow Primula 

 sikkimensis were mentioned in connection with Enys ; they certainly 

 deserve a place in every garden where a shady sheltered nook by the 

 waterside can be found. The pink Primula Poissoni and the rare yellow 

 Primula impenalis will, no doubt, become equally popular when they 

 are more plentiful and less expensive. Other bright flowers for a 

 moist and shady position are Mertensia virginica, of a beautiful blue ; 

 Spigelia marilandica, red and yellow ; Sanguinaria canadensis, white or 

 pale lilac ; Actinomeris virginica, yellow ; Trillium grandiflorum, white ; 

 and Ourisia coccinea, scarlet. The last named I find does better in 

 stony poor clay soil than in well-prepared peat. Under this section must 

 also be mentioned some of the shade and moisture loving orchids, 

 exquisite pink lipped Cypripedium spectabile, the yellow lipped 

 Cypripedium pubescens, and several species of habenaria, with flowers of 

 various shades, are most suitable for a shady corner sheltered by rocks, 

 or for a bog bed shaded by other plants. Some shade-loving plants of 

 medium size are ornamental in their foliage as well as in their flowers. 

 This applies to such as Saxifraga peltata, with peltate leaves a foot across, 

 and pink flowers ; Saxifraga fortunei, with shiny leaves on red stems and 

 trusses of white flowers ; Megasea crassifolia, with large leathery leaves 

 and rosy purple flowers ; Podophyllum Emodi, P. peltatum, and Rodgersia 

 podophyllu, all of which I have planted by the waterside with great 

 success in various localities. 3 H 



Dwarf Plants. 



Before closing my list of plants for the water garden, I will briefly 

 fer to another section, namely, dwarf plants ; that is to say, plants 



>1rtrun mnr* fkan * f™, \~ k^„U* The ya i ue of such £ Qr carpe ting the 



Continuing along the pleasant rampart and crossing the railway twice one 

 reaches the Porte d'Ostende. Outside the gateway and across the line of canals a 

 broad road with double avenue opens out, and on either side are to be seen Belgian 

 nurseries of various sizes. A short walk under the leafy lime trees brings one to 

 an unusually extensive nursery frontage, behind which are the home, offices, and 

 extensive glass-houses of M. Vincke-Dujardin. Nothing is more conspicuous as 

 one enters this famous establishment than the enormous quantities of huge bay 

 trees. There is a splendid avenue of the finest specimens lining the central road- 

 way through the nursery, and some of these are old family friends, for they have 

 been in the family not less than one hundred and thirty years. Behind the glass- 

 houses are big armies of fragrant bays, standards and pyramids, in a variety of 

 sizes, all admirably cultivated, and in the best of health ; here the tubs are sunk 

 into the light soil, and so the drying influence of the sun and wind is kept from 

 the roots to a large degree. Looking at these specimens, it is difficult to estimate 

 the vast amount of time and patience that has been expended upon their production, 

 for the watering, housing, and pruning are items that must require much care and 

 labour. ■ - . 



The 



re 



The houses here are built upon the plan that obtains in all the larger Belgian 

 nurseries, and one that is now extensively adopted at home and in America. 

 Viewing a block from outside one estimates the number of houses it contains by 

 the number of spans that appear ; but enter, and the whole is but one huge glass- 

 house. This method of construction results in a great saving of expense in the 

 matter of brickwork, for the numerous furrows are supported only by light iron 

 uprights, and walls form an enclosure to the whole. M. Vincke-Dujardin has 

 gone one better than many nurserymen in this system of building, for he has in 

 some instances a big central house several hundred feet long, more lofty than all 

 the others, and containing the tallest specimen palms ; into this fine structure, or 

 rather from it, run lower houses along its length, and from these there is no means 

 of egress save through the central structure. I did not count the smaller houses, 

 but probably there are ten or more running from either side of the larger one. 

 This system ensures equable temperature, if such is desired ; it allows ventilation 

 to be afforded with a great degree of accuracy, and entirely prevents cold draughts. 

 Rather heavy shading, and a water supply that seems to be admirably suited to 

 plant cultivation, are other items that assist in the production of free growth and 

 handsome plants. 



seldom more than a foot in height. 1 ne value or sucn ior carpeting tne 

 ground between the taller plants in bog beds by the side of a pond, either 

 on a lar^e or small scale in a rock garden, cannot be over estimated. 

 1 he taller and bolder plants can show to perfection only when they are 

 kept a proper distance apart, and without the aid of such dwarf plants 



the ground between the larger specimens would otherwise often remain 

 bare. But even without the tall plants a very pretty bogbed in the rock 

 garden might be filled by these dwarf subjects alone. 



Most suitable plants for trailing close to the ground and succeeding 

 well m the shade are: Linmea borealis, Pratia angulata, Hypericum 

 nummularium, (laultheria nummularioides, Erodium Reichardi, Arenaria 

 baleanca, Mitchella repens, and the golden form of the well-known 

 trcepinp Jenny. Plants slightly taller and requiring no shade are 

 Lardamine tnfohata, Dondia epipactis, with curious yellow flowers ; 

 I arnassia palustns ; Saxifraga azoides, with yellow flowers ; the rapidly 

 spreading Dryas octopetala ; the yellow Chrysogonum virginianum ; 



myosotis; and the scarlet Mimulas cardinalis. No bogbed, large D _ m v . * ^ ~ r , . . , _ . 



or small, should he without large batches of that loveliest of early O. Ilalli, and O. cirrhosum are here grown in enormous quantities, and their 



primroses, Primula rosea, with its brilliant rosy flowers, which in the hking for the conditions that prevail is seen in the arching spikes and beauteous 



|mproyed form (P. r . grandijlor*) are still larger and of a deeper red. blooms - * " f n ~** ~ ™ , ™ r " L 



i rimula farinosaand P. longifolia are also excellent bog plants specially 



suited for the rock garden, but being rather minute, they should not be ZTnTT" * 1CW exai ?P les 01 vyncKeanum, 



planted too near fast-growing plants If gritty sand or small stones are J"f £ ^Andersoneanumflowerin g! profusely. The attr ^J^^^^Z 



mixed with the soil we might here also grow large groups of the deep blue m^MM-SW Resting nursery, ana nc iwera wiui ^ 



fill c#»vf»ral 



uentiana acaulis. Insectivorous plants, too, might be introduced, and 

 sarracema, darhngtonia, pinguicula, and drosera in several kinds are 



otten a great surr^* m * u^u^a i__ 



M. Vincke-Dujardin has become famous for his odontoglossums, both for the 

 admirable forms of the more popular species he has distributed, and the wonderful 

 robustness of all the plants he cultivates. Comparatively speaking, the odonto- 

 glossums at Scheepsdaele grow as vigorously and freely as rhubarb, making fine 

 fat pseudo-bulbs, stout purple-tinted foliage, and producing thick spikes of great 

 size, that carry large substantial flowers. It is not many years since that Mr. 

 Vincke-Dujardin accidently discovered that the cool orchids succeeded remarkably 

 well at his nursery ; following this discovery, and at the advice of a well-known 

 English market grower, he purchased odontoglossums extensively, taking care to 

 obtain plants from the very best districts. They grew well, and had to be divided 

 to keep them " sizeable." The varieties of O crispum turned out to be of the 

 very best, and it is a fact that most of the very fine forms of this beautiful odonto- 

 glossum that have made their appearance in Europe of late years, have passed 

 through M. Vincke's hands. 



Odontoglossum crispum, O. Pescatorei, O. triumphans, O. Iuteo-purpureum. 

 O. Halli, and O. cirrhosum are here grown in enormous quantities, and their 

 liking for the conditions that prevail is seen in the arching spikes and beauteous 

 blooms. Rarities are not wanting amid so extensive a collection ; rose coloured, 

 yellowish, and spotted form of O. crispum abound, and at the time of my visit 

 there were not a few examples of O. Wilckeanum, O. Ruckerianum, O. sceptrum, 



otten a great success in a bogbed among rocks. 



inetoUowmg require a shady bog : Rhexia virginica, with beautiful 

 rhln, W 7 S 1 E P!pa repens, white ; Pyrola rotundifolia, white ; Polygala 

 cjaam^cistus, yellow ; Polygala charmucistus purpurea, yellow and 



s3™ V lCCl ? lUm n tis; ldaeas mi ™s, with handsome red berries ; 

 aaxilraga hu cuius. velW- . n«i i__ „ > n 1 a 



« cvjimiiy iu nome in tms interesting nursery, ana nower* wiw * — : 



often seen in our islands. Cattleyas, chiefly of the labiate section, fill several 

 houses, the typical C. labiata being present in fine condition. La^lia purpurata 

 promised grandly, and there were fine batches of the popular L. anceps. V andas 

 occupy considerable space, as also do the cypripediums, the latter flourishing in 

 a manner that would excite the envy of all ardent amateurs. M. V incke-Dujardin 

 has demonstrated that the species of orchids he grows do not deteriorate under 

 cultivation, for he divides and re-divides his plants as necessaiy, so as to retain 

 stock of good forms. 



Sivifraoa v. i — iV ' lUAas minus, with nandsome rea oernes ; 



taS^ f e ; Cialax with small white flowers and 



not least, Shortia gffibT£^^ T"? 51 !2 "J?" 1 * '* ™ d u b , Ut J he anthuiiu ™ «e a fine sight when fully flowered, for not only do they give 



shaded with rose and W?n V , bell * sha P ed whlte lowers, slightly evidence of extremely high cultivation, but there are so many seedlings and 



This somevvhn ndhaM ?S ^dsome reddish-bronze leaves. hvhriHc fl^;_ ^/^.^ ™! , V ^ tj— — *« «th,r Belgian nur- 



This som**L.fc\7 . * 1,anus °me reddish-bronze le 

 **te Kar den h v ™ mf™^ list of t***S suitable fo 



for growing in a 



l 1T1 « cAucmciy nign cultivation, dui incic »ic o« — -v . " mM 



hybrids flowering that the variety is charming. Here, as in other Belgian nur- 

 series, a great work is going on in the raising of seedlings of A. Scherzerianum 

 and A. Andreanum. with a vIhw t„ imnmvement of form and an increase in tne 



have been omitted i? exhau sts the number A great many names ™* A. Andreanum, with a view to improvement of form and an increase in tne 

 have proved to L A. "mentioned only what in my own experience shad . es of col °"'- Brdmeliads are very attractive, for every plant is a periect 



i «• l l «»cu io ue the verv h^t *tr_ : _r _.u_r : .1.. SDecimcn. and nn l„ t-J : ' Uk.Wc «p mltivated. Palms are to 



have proved to »w me ntioned only what in my own experience ~ r* «iuineuaas are very auracuvc, i V . r ~ , 



differ to some »,V,„ t VCFy best ' an d *e experience of others might fpecimen, and only the very best species or hybrids are cultivated. Palms are 10 

 that we tu£e I tru W L ^ • mu,c - l5ut 1 tope to have shown, at least, £ s f. en everywhere, from the tall specimens of Cocos plumosus £W 



C 1 lrulv as,An,c1, - - - -'-•-» Kentias, that reach to the roof in the central houses already referred to, down 10 



seedlings not yet potted. The quantities of the two principal Kentias, 

 I-atania— * — ■«*-«- — - - n ' .„^h o« 



are most 



that 



«j omshing number of plants to choose .t«» u , nu., u 

 and Hardens, and 'l )e sh,n S the water or the waterside in our parks 



interested other lovers ofth^ t0 h ° pe that tne hints S iv e° may have 

 ExiUr. waterside. 



F. \V. Meyer. 



■ « uv jci ponca. \ine quantities or uic r — --r— . 



^utum rotundifolia, cocos of sorts, arecas, and rhapis, are such as till one 

 astonishment ; they are clean, handsome, saleable plants, such as M. \ 

 Dujardin has a wide reputation for, and, in spite of their numbers, the) win no 

 long remain upon their present owner's hands. servatuk. 



