August, 1891. 
137 
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Floral Notes. 
ITH August work begins 
again. What a roast- 
iug time we had in 
June, 99° to 101° in 
the shade! and that, 
too, just as Roses were 
doing their best to 
make themselves pre- 
sentable for the exhibition table. But it is 
hard to make a Rose look unlovely under any 
circumstances, and on this occasion they 
asserted themselves bravely, particularly 
when aided by a little watering. And then 
the Strawberries. How utterly despondent 
and miserable they looked in some places, 
and so lonely. Take two societies that usu- 
ally make a fine show between the 14th and 
18th of June One had not a single berry, 
while the other had five little baskets, saved, 
as it were, from the burning. One grower 
informed us that he usually picks upward 
of a thiusand quarts, but would not get 
three hundred this year. While this was 
true of some parts of the country, it was 
somewhat different in others where the 
heat and drought were less severe. 
Some kinds of plants will now need at- 
tention in the way of tying up. This is es- 
pecially true of Chrysanthemums, Gladio- 
lus, and double Dahlias. The dwarf single 
Dahlias are usually grown as bedding plants, 
and need only a peg here and there to keep 
the branches in place. Dahlias are so brit- 
tle that they are easily damaged by winds 
if not kept well tied up or pegged down. If 
you are growing Dahlias for the exhibition 
table, the buds should be thinned out. The 
same rule will hold good for Chrysanthe- 
mums. Seeds of many choice garden plants 
may now be gathered. Put them in small 
paper bags, which are easily made, or they 
may be bought of the druggist for a mere 
trifle. It is always beneficial to rake over 
the surface of the soil after a rain, but not 
while the soil is muddy. It keeps down 
the weeds and gives renewed life to the 
T)1clll ts. 
* * * 
In a village door-yard we lately saw for 
the first time in several years a fine clump 
of the old Lobpl’s Catclifly, (Silene Armeria.) 
This pretty annual, with its bright pink 
flowers, used to be a common favorite. It 
grows readily in common garden soil; and 
once introduced, it will reproduce itself an- 
nually from self-sown seed, being what is 
usually called a hardy annual. It grows 
about a foot high, remains in bloom a long 
time, and is useful in the cut state. 
* * * 
The tuberous-rooted Begonias are fast be- 
coming popular as bedding plants, as we 
predicted would be the case. Their use in 
this way is even more common among am- 
ateurs than among professional gardeners. | 
Not a few of our country cousins, too, have 
found out their value, and take especial 
pride in growing them. This is owing, in 
some measure, to the ease with which they 
may be grown from seed with the certainty 
of obtaining good varieties in this way, and 
quite as much to the ease with which the 
tubers may be wintered. 
* * * 
As to Cannas, it might be said they are 
increasing in popularity more than ever, if 
that were possible. A favorite garden plant 
for a longer time than the oldest inhabitant 
can remember, it became very popular on 
the introduction of improved varieties bear- 
ing large and handsome flowers in addition 
to fine foliage. The introduction of the 
dwarf Crozv strain gave an increased im- 
petus to the cultivation of these useful and 
very handsome ornamental-leaved plants. 
The old lovers of Cannas now love Cannas 
more than ever, and every little while we 
are treated to a new surprise. A friend at 
Orange. N. J., who was among the first to 
grow the Crozy Cannas in this country, 
writes in a recent letter as follows: “Have 
you seen ‘Madame Crozy?’ It is perfectly 
magnificent, away beyond the first intro- 
duced. We have it in bloom. Wish you 
could see it.” This is high praise from a 
lady of refined taste, who has the choicest 
collection of Cannas we have yet seen. We 
have not seen this lovely “Madame,” but 
hope to do so. She must be beautiful in- 
deed. 
* * * 
There are some kinds of seeds that may 
be sown during this month for early bloom- 
ing plants indoors, and among them is Mig- 
nonette. Those who grow plants in rooms 
are often bothered to get good stocky plants 
when the seeds are sown in the house. It 
is not easy to lift clumps from the border, 
and seedlings of Mignonette do not trans- 
plant readily under any circumstances. A 
good plan, therefore, is to sow a few seeds 
in the middle of some pots, which may 
be plunged in the border. When the 
plants are up they should be thinned out to 
two or three of the strongest, and repotted 
as soon as the pots become filled with roots. 
The soil should be light and only moderate- 
ly rich. The plants, when taken indoors, 
should have a sunny place at the window. 
A plant so highly prized for its peculiar and 
delicious fragrance is worthy of a little ex- 
tra trouble. When a plant gets a little old 
and spindly, it may be renewed by cutting 
it in to an inch or so of the crown. A new 
growth will soon push out. It is very in- 
teresting to grow Mignonette in the tree 
form, with a stem five or six inches high. 
A plant grown in this way will last several 
years under favorable conditions. This 
may be and has been done in a room, but is 
more easily done in a green-house. 
* * * 
The Rivinas are dwarf evergreen shrubs 
much admired for their small, bright scar- 
let berries. The small white flowers are 
borne in racemes, and are succeeded by 
numerous scarlet berries, which give the 
plant a very ornamental appearance. Ri- 
vina rividaris and R. humilis are much alike, 
the former, however, being the larger plant; 
but both are small. Both are good plants 
for room culture and for the green-house. 
They are easily grown from cuttings and 
from seed. Seed sown now would make 
good plants for the winter. As the seed- 
lings transplant easily, the seed may be 
sown in the border. As soon as the young 
plants can be handled put them in small 
pots singly, and repot as often as needed. 
A four or five inch pot will be large enough 
for them ultimately. They will do well in 
a light soil of moderate richness. These 
pretty little plants are well worth growing. 
* * * 
Calla Lilies will now need looking after. 
If the pots were put in the shade and turn- 
ed on their sides to dry off, the plants will 
probably be showing growth now. If, as 
sometimes happens, they have already made 
a growth of some inches while the pots are 
still on their sides, it will be crooked and 
point up. In that case stand the pots up- 
right till the growth has become upright or 
nearly so, when the plants may be repotted 
if they need it, and they generally do. 
Break away as much of the old soil as can 
be removed without mutilating the roots, 
and put the plants in a larger pot. The 
small plants or tubers should be removed 
and planted separately for future use or 
given away. Three or four large tubers 
may be put in a pot of suitable size, which, 
for the amateur, is a better plan than to 
grow each tuber in a separate pot. There 
is notliing better for the Calla than the old- 
fashioned butter crock, imperfect samples 
of which can often be bought very cheap. 
The Calla likes plenty of water, and a hole 
in the bottom of the crock is unnecessary. 
Callas that were plunged in the ground may 
be lifted a little later and repotted. An 
addition of leaf mould to the soil will be 
helpful. 
* * * 
Pots of home-grown Freesias should re- 
ceive early attention; that is, bulbs that 
have been summered over in pots. When 
left in the pots they begin to make roots 
early and very fast, and become trouble- 
some to handle if neglected too long. The 
bulbs should be separated into large and 
small, and each size planted into different 
pots. The large ones may be placed an 
inch and a half apart, the smaller ones from 
half an inch to an inch apart, and all about 
an inch deep. If the roots have grown 
much over an inch long they will be badly 
damaged by handling, and it would be bet- 
ter to repot such in larger pots, but not until 
the soil has become filled with roots. The 
soil should be rich. Early potting will se- 
cure an early bloom if the pots are housed 
before frost. Dry bulbs (including those 
purchased at the seed stores) may be plant- 
ed at intervals up to November, which will 
give a long succession of bloom. For the 
window garden there is no more desirable 
winter-blooming bulb than Freesia refracta 
alba, which is still the best of the Freesias. 
It is easily grown and its delicious fragrance 
is grateful to everybody. — P. B. Mead. 
