326 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ October 5 ,1882 
wintered in a frame), Dianthuses, Zinnia?, Candytuft, Asters, and 
other suitable annuals. After the early-flowering plants have ceased 
flowering the borders are gay with a good collection of double and 
single Pyrethrums, Narcissus poeticus flore-pleno being freely 
planted and very effective, as they flower about the same time as 
the Pyrethrums; in fact, the latter are in their full beauty just 
when the Narcissus are past their best. These, however, are at 
once succeeded by the double white Rocket (Hesperis matronalis 
alba plena), which are freely planted, and in full beauty with the 
Pyrethrums, which are amongst the best plants that can be 
employed for mixed borders, because they produce their flowers 
in succession from early season until cut off by frost. Sweet 
Williams are also employed, and come usefully into flower when 
many of the earliest Pyrethrum blooms are getting over. Spanish 
Irises are also planted, and are very effective with their slender 
stems and delicate flowers rising out of and above the other plants. 
Delphiniums and French Paeonies with their large fragrant flowers 
have a place towards the back of the side borders. 
Phloxes are grown in quantity, especially the early-flowering 
varieties. Miss Robertson, Princess of Wales, Mrs. Downie, Max 
Kobb, Wm. Kirkpatrick, and Madame Rendatler are amongst the 
best. These are planted over the entire borders, so that they alone 
render them gay when the earlier-flowering plants are over or 
considerably past their best. Many of these Phloxes are pro¬ 
pagated annually from cuttings, and throw up one large spike and 
then break into growth from below, and in due time flower freely 
again. This is especially the case with Princess of Wales and 
that beautiful pure white variety Miss Robertson. The late 
varieties are also included, and from their taller habit of growth 
are kept near the back of the borders. Lilium candidum, 
L. auratum, and the varieties of L. lancifolium, as well as a 
good quantity of Pentstemons and Antirrhinums, with Gladioli 
brenehleyensis (planted rather late), keep these borders gay until 
the approach of winter. 
The object in planting a good number of plants of a few kinds 
is the means by which the borders are kept attractive over 
the longest possible period without any serious break. With a 
greater number of kinds the borders could not be made so 
effective.—L. D. W. 
LIFTING- PEACH TREES. 
The practical notes that have appeared on this subject of late 
are in every way sound and seasonable ; but the practice of 
periodically lifting Peach trees is not general, and the operation 
is only undertaken by many when some circumstance compels 
them. Lifting, then, is regarded as both serious and critical; in 
fact, failure or partial failure is looked forward to as a certainty. 
When trees have remained undisturbed for a number of years it 
is not unreasonable to expect failure, because the trees are not in 
a good condition to start vigorously into growth the following 
season and bear a good crop of well-flavoured fruits. In whatever 
soil trees may be growing, if undisturbed for a number of years 
they are characterised by absence of fibrous roots. Without abun¬ 
dance of these necessary feeders fiuit of the first quality can 
scarcely be expected. But when trees are annually lifted, instead 
of having long woody fibreless roots they have more the appear¬ 
ance of door mats or box bushes. In the one case there is a 
difficulty in finding the roots, and in the other in working out 
and removing the soil from amongst a complete network of 
feeders. I am but little surprised at Peach trees having the 
“yellows,” mildew, or other diseases they are subject to when 
planted in deep borders and left unattended for years as far as 
the roots are concerned. Our immunity from these annoyances is 
the result of annual lifting and working amongst the roots a few 
barrowfuls of fresh compost, or merely returning the soil removed 
in lifting if in a fertile state. 
Labour is often unnecessarily spent when making borders for 
Peach and Nectarine trees ; in fact, large deep borders are too 
often made and filled with fresh soil, not only being a waste of 
labour, but also of material. Deep borders are not needed for 
Peach trees, and if a depth of 18 inches of soil is given with 
abundance of drainage below it is ample to grow trees of a very 
large size. Mr. Iggulden says, page 168, “The old surface soil, 
may be disposed at the bottom of the hole made, allowing a depth 
of 18 inches for the fresh compost.” Would it not have been 
wiser to have removed entirely the whole of the spent surface soil 
and filled up the border while lifting the trees with broken bricks, 
clinkers, or other suitable material, leaving only a space of 
18 inches for compost 1 What are deeper borders needed for ? 
I have frequently seen quantities of broken bricks used in Peach 
borders, and have been at a loss to know what service they are. 
I could understand their use in soil of a very heavy nature, yet 
Peach trees like heavy soil, and it is almost impossible to make 
it too firm or too heavy for them. But “brickends” are used in 
some gardens where the soil is comparatively light; a good 
application of clay would prove of greater service to the trees 
than filling the borders with rubbish. Perhaps he, or someone else, 
will say if Peach and Nectarine trees derive any benefit from 
their application.—A. B. C. 
HARDY AND TENDER OUTDOOR FLOWERS. 
Hardy herbaceous plants are now considered quite as necessary 
in gardens as Grapes in fruit houses or Maidenhair Ferns in the 
plant house. Comparison between ordinary bedding plants and 
these is out of place, because there can really be no reasonable 
comparison between the two classes. There is not only room for 
both kinds of plants in most gardens, but one is as much required 
as the other. Herbaceous plants may be omitted and only bedding 
plants grown, or the former may be grown to the exclusion of the 
latter, but in either case a desirable feature in the decoration of 
the garden will have been overlooked. Without doubt we can 
secure a succession of flowers with hardy flowers from earliest 
spring to latest autumn, and with a series of gardens to be effec¬ 
tive at various given times the display can be regulated to any 
season ; but with gardens as they are at present, and as they are 
likely to remain at least for some time, such a series of arrange¬ 
ments would hardly be possible. Scarlet Pelargoniums and 
Calceolarias have obtained a standing from which it would be 
difficult to displace them, even were it desirable to do so. The 
garden of lawns and flower beds have done duty for so long, and 
have been so greatly the means of increasing the practical love 
of flowers amongst all classes, that they cannot be ignored. 
Gardeners may be conservative, but not so much so as the owners 
of gardens. It is not necessary to dispute the one great fault 
against these beds, that the period of their beauty is a limited 
one. If it is a fault it is one shared by all kinds of plants. The 
sameness as to the kind of flowers used to fill these beds has been 
very greatly altered and the primness relieved. 
The disinclination of owners of old gardens to change even 
objectionable features is an obstacle which cannot be overcome. 
We can point out the want of taste in cutting out beds on lawns 
in shapes which are too common—hearts, crosses, initial letters, 
scrolls, and beds with many points, which can be treated in 
planting only in the best style, and then can only be managed 
effectively by good taste. But even in cases where the beds are 
of the simplest outline there is room for improvement in the 
planting. The habit of cutting up beds into divisions cannot be 
considered attractive when judged by the result. There may be 
a certain prettiness in detail, but as a broad feature of arrange¬ 
ment there is failure. No mode of planting is so satisfactory 
as that of planting in blocks either of one colour or in mixture, 
having an edging to each bed—white, grey, or brown is best, and 
according to size of bed, one or more bands of harmonising colours 
between the edging and main block. Flatness is broken by the 
free use of fine-foliage plants. With carpet bedding we have 
slight sympathy. Artists like a Roger or a Graham no doubt 
make studies which ordinary gardeners feel their utter inability 
to copy ; and it is here that the ordinary gardener fails. Most 
likely he is not an artist, and if he is he finds his material 
utterly inadequate to carry out his designs to a successful issue. 
A want of taste and insufficient labour to keep the beds in first- 
rate order are not so noticeable in ordinary flower gardening ; in 
carpet bedding these are everything. 
With regard to the adaptability of certain flowers to different 
soils and climates, there is no doubt about these varying greatly. 
Take Pelargoniums for example. If we commence at the south 
of the highlands of Scotland, draw a line through the centre of 
the lowlands southward through the backbone of England till we 
reach the line of the Humber or the Mersey, we might state that 
northwards and to the west of that line it is not advisable to grow 
Pelargoniums at all as they are so generally unsatisfactory, while 
eastward it will be safe to do so, and away to the south. Tuberous 
Begonias appear to succeed very well where Pelargoniums are a 
failure. Then, in addition to flowers which are already common 
in flower gardens, such other good flowers should be introduced 
as Vittadenia triloba ; Japan Anemones, which do not require any 
edging, nothing surpassing their own foliage. Tritoma Uvaria is 
one of the grandest plants for large gardens ; Sedum spectabile, 
very valuable. CEnothera prostrata, Stenactis speciosa, Helianthus 
multiflorus fl.-pl., Salvia patens and S. fulgens, Chrysanthemums, 
Pentstemons, and Phloxes may one and all be employed with 
good effect. Of course some of these require large beds and a 
large open space around them, but they are worth any attention. 
Tritomas are at the present time glorious in effect, and can be 
seen half a mile distant. An herbaceous border in the autumn 
