JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 69 
disastrous, accompanied as it has been with almost continuous 
though distant thunder, and a most depressing thick atmosphere. 
The Rose blooms are ruined, and the trees are already making 
too much wood. In my small collection many, however, have yet 
to bloom, and only here and there have any of the new, planted 
last autumn, put in an appearance.—A. M. B., Mid-Lincoln. 
THE HOLLYHOCK. 
Of all the flowers of autumn none are more stately than the 
Hollyhock ; and from a decorative point of view, no less that from 
that of the florist, it has been missed from many a garden during 
the last few years. Everybody who has cultivated the Hollyhock 
knows the fungoid disease which attacks it and shrivels up leaf 
and stem, and it is one of those diseases which seem to have 
baffled all ingenuity. I have heard of three instances where it 
has been said to have been successfully combatted, but am afraid 
that the success was somewhat doubtful. Having bought a small 
collection of named varieties this spring, which were stated to be 
perfectly clean, but the disease was very soon apparent. They 
were planted in the best ground in the garden, and I have been 
trying to keep down the fungus ever since. This is how I have 
managed : If any leaf has shown the disease very badly it has been 
taken off, but on those leaves where only a few fungoid spots have 
been found the portion affected has been removed and immediately 
burnt. So far the plants have thriven, and are as clean as can be 
expected. 
Owing no doubt to many of the lower leaves having been re¬ 
moved, a more than ordinary number of shoots are growing out 
from near the base of the plants. These will be taken off with a 
portion of the main stem attached and struck. Hollyhock cut¬ 
tings strike very well in a northern border out of doors at this 
season, but 1 will give them the benefit of a cold frame, where 
the process is quicker. Later on, should the spikes prove weakly, 
I shall cut up the stems into pieces like Grape Yine cuttings, only 
keeping the leaf which belongs to the lead intact if possible. 
These strike root readily inserted in light soil and covered with 
a frame. When they are fairly struck they will be potted into 
4-inch pots and wintered in a cold structure. The old stools by 
autumn will have grown. These will be lifted and placed in 
pots of a suitable size, and in a cold house will commence moving 
in February. By the end of that month the young growths will 
be grafted on pieces of roots and potted into 3 or 4-inch pots and 
plunged in a mild hotbed, being placed in the ground by the 
beginning of April. 
I would advise those in the same position with regard to plants 
to try some such means as indicated above to raise a stock of 
healthy plants free from disease.—R. P. Brotherston. 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS AND BEDDING-OUT. 
We rarely meet one who is thoroughly satisfied with bis gardens 
or flowers, otherwise there would be no occasion to change—no 
need for projected variety next year; no need for fashion in 
gardening, a subject on which I recently read a very interesting 
article from “ Wyld Savage.” The fashion in gardening is at 
present changing from bedding-out, carpet bedding, and sub¬ 
tropical gardening to herbaceous gardening, but the persistent 
admirers of bedding plants have the almost certain consolation 
that a change will occur again. In a humble way lam an earnest 
grower of border and herbaceous plants. I have twenty beds and 
several borders more or less tilled and more or less gay during ten 
months out of twelve. I am certainly not prepared to spend £100 
a year on them like “ Wyld Savage.” Like thousands of your 
readers my flowers only receive my attention after business hours, 
and a passing look in the morning. And this induces me to 
remark that I believe such people return to their garden and 
garden favourites with much greater zest than those who are 
masters of their own time, and can spend the whole day in their 
gardens if so inclined. I am, however, fortunate in having an 
unlimited supply of manure, many kinds of soil, and the general 
garden requisites, and do not come short of willing assistance ; 
but allowing any second person to dig or hoe at random would 
mean death to some of my special favourites. I have heard 
some ladies and gentlemen complain that they find much difficulty 
in inducing gardeners to take an interest in herbaceous plants 
which they consider weedy and fugacious. 
To secure a reasonable success in the culture of herbaceous 
plants time and patience are indispensable, besides a taste for 
collecting good old plants and industry and intelligence in pro¬ 
pagating them, and even all this will be insufficient without con¬ 
stant care and supervision. A man who may make a great display 
with bedding plants in summer may not* succeed at all with 
herbaceous plants. The success I refer to is to have your beds 
always full; to have a young stock from seed, division, cuttings, 
&c., to take the place of the old ; and without being too particular 
about effect to secure it wherever you can, always studying time 
and place, with height, colour, and duration of the flowers. This 
has only to be done once a year for Pelargoniums and other bedding 
plants ; it is a constant study when a number of beds have to be 
always filled and always gay with annuals or perennials. 
I will now briefly say generally how my beds and borders are 
occupied. The borders are edged with Box because it is clean, 
easily regulated, and trimmed, and always looks neat, but it has the 
disadvantage of harbouring slugs and answering as a sure refuge 
for weeds that are not easily eradicated. The front line is occupied 
with six varieties of Daisies, which have flowered freely for the 
past three months, and will shortly be divided and replanted. 
Immediately behind and designedly intended to overshadow them 
is a continuous line of Viola Magnificent, deep purple and very 
effective. This will extend ultimately to the Box, and cover the 
space occupied with Crocuses, Narcissus, and Anemone coronaria 
in variety, which gave a glorious mass of brilliant bloom since 
March last. Those spring bulbs I do not intend to move this 
year, but shall mulch or top-dress when cutting-in the Viola in 
autumn with leaf soil and comminuted hotbed manure. The next 
lines on both sides are a fine display of Campanula Medium caly- 
canthema in various colours, and forming perfect pyramids, amass 
of bloom about, and 20 inches high. I have thinned out the super¬ 
fluous shoots, and this makes the plants much finer. Next year I 
purpose having a line of Campanula persicifolia alba fl.-pl., which 
is perhaps at this season one of the best bouquet hardy white 
flowers, being symmetrically shaped, as double as a white Camellia, 
and lasting long in beauty. I have it flowering now finely in an 
inside bed. Behind the Campanulas are various plants designed to 
take their place when their bloom begins to fail, such as Dahlias 
and Gladiolus in variety, the spaces between the plants being 
occupied with Mimulus in variety, which I do not consider suffi¬ 
ciently appreciated, as I know few hardy flowers so brilliant or 
produced in such profusion. Double striped and crimson Poten- 
tillas are good, as also are double dwarf scarlet Tropseolums, a 
plant not so common as it ought to be ; striped Petunia, Myosotis 
dissitiflora, Alonsoa grandiflora, Convolvulus tricolor elegans, 
Dwarf Alpine Phlox, Linum flavum and L. sibiricum, with dwarf 
Roses on their own roots. These are all low-growiDg, hardy, and 
look out finely from between and form a base covering for the 
Roses, Dahlias, and Gladiolus, and have their flowers partially 
and judiciously shaded by the Campanulas. Immediately at the 
back is a continuous line of selected Polyanthuses, which are of 
great value in spring. I have thus tried to notice what has 
been in those borders, what is in them at present, and, except to 
include bulbs, what I hope to have there in winter and spring. 
I have little space to notice tbe bed occupants, but a few lines 
will enable me to note what is already blooming or preparing so 
to do. All the hardier varieties of Tuberous Begonias I have are 
bedded out, and even some of the caulescent forms which I found 
had green fly in the young curled leaves. The change has quite 
restored them, and the hint may be useful to some of ycur readers 
who may be coddling those plants inside. I have propagated a 
number of varieties of Fuchsias; a bed of them now forming 
their flower buds I expect to be one of the finest I shall have. 
Also flowering are Rose Campions, striped Antirrhinums, Pinks, 
Sweet Williams in variety, Aquilegia caerulea, A. glandulosa, and 
A. chrysantha, Verbenas, Stocks, Paeonies, Liliums in variety, per¬ 
ennial Lupins, single and double scarlet Lychnises, Pentstemons in 
various colours, Ranunculus of sorts, Alpine Veronicas ; and to 
this I may shortly add a special favourite, Dianthus Heddewigii 
Eastern Queen and Crimson Belle, Asters, Scabious, blue Salvias, 
Portulacas, and Irises, which from their great beauty I wish 
were less limited. Others with greater means will have rarer and 
better plants.—W. J. M., Clonmel. 
[The flowers of Campanula persicifolia alba you have sent are 
very double, pure, and beautiful.—E ds.] 
THE TEACHINGS OF NATURE IN GARDENING. 
It is a common, and I fear too often a just, complaint against 
flower shows, that they induce our gardeners to give all their 
time to the growing of grand specimens for exhibition, to the 
neglect of what we may call landscape or picturesque gardening. 
This should not, and I think need not, be the case. We are 
undoubtedly indebted greatly to flower shows, not only for a 
great improvement in many florists’ flowers, but also for bringing 
together true lovers of flowers to their mutual benefit. The two 
pursuits have separate ends, but may well be followed together 
to the advantage of each. For producing effect, no matter how 
