JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
388 
[ October 28, 1880. 
very thickly and leaving the plants to support each other, or 
what would probably most likely occur, to kill each other. The 
latter mode may well be called the “ self-supporting " system. 
There are also advocates of a system of carpeting the ground 
with dwarf growers, and as I understand it, planting larger 
plants thinly amongst them. A bit of mother earth or the 
shadow of a stake or tie are not to be tolerated as partaking 
of artificiality ! However, everyone to his taste. 
In planting an “ herbaceous ” border, the time when the 
greatest show of bloom is wanted must be always taken into 
account. We have borders here planted for late autumn dis¬ 
play, in which Dahlias, Tritomas, and Sedum speciosum play 
the principal part ; other borders are for spring and autumn 
display combined, and others again for general effect, and are 
in the best condition from the end of May to the middle of 
July. Again, the width of the borders must be taken into 
consideration. In narrow borders tall rank-growing plants 
would require to be kept out, and only those admitted which 
would make incongruity impossible. Six feet wide is about as 
narrow as a flower border ought to be made to produce a good 
effect. A width of 10 or 12 feet allows for the greatest 
amount of variety in time of flowering and kind of flowers 
that need be grown. Such a border as the latter may be 
divided from the vegetable quarters by espalier fruit trees, or 
an evergi-een hedge of Yew 6 feet in height, or by a row of 
Sweet Peas. In any case a narrow alley is required between 
the divisional fence and the remainder of the border. The 
edging to the border may be of Box, but where this does not 
do well the common Gentianella, Thrift, or Daisies may be 
used. Festuca glauca or F. viridis, Sempervivum californieum 
or Saxifraga pulchella, are also useful for this purpose. 
In arranging the plants for any particular season select a 
few of the most reliable species for the various lines to give 
effect at that period, filling-in the remainder with plants to 
bloom either at a different season or to supplement those which 
give character to the border. For an all-the-year-round border 
the main portion at the back may be left to produce the prin¬ 
cipal autumn display, having, of course, a due quantity of 
dwarfer-growing species to give colour to the foreground as 
well. For a spring display the foreground must be mainly 
utilised for this purpose, but Crocuses, Snowdrops, Sisyrin- 
chiuru grandiflorum, early-flowering Narcissi, Iris reticulata, 
Primroses, Aubrietias, Hepaticas, and similar plants may be 
freely mixed amongst the taller-growing autumn and summer¬ 
flowering plants. During the earlier summer months there is 
no difficulty in having the border as gay as you please ; a wise 
selection will be the most difficult business in arranging for 
this season. The plants admissible to the front row should not 
range over 9 inches in height; graceful species, of which 
Sieversia triflora may be taken as a type, may, however, be 
admitted. Again, in the second row none lower than 9 inches 
in height should be admitted, and Pinks, dwarf Carnations 
and Picotees may be kept as the highest. Such plants as 
Gladioli, Sunflowers, Foxgloves, Lilies, and others of a like 
habit may be planted with those which are 18 inches or 
2 feet lower. Such a graceful hardy plant as Euphorbia 
Lathyrus, hardy grasses, and any other graceful-foliage plants 
may also be used on the same style of arranging amongst 
much dwarfer-growing flowering plants. I strongly recommend 
also the addition of such florists’ flowers as the freer-growing 
self Pansies, Alpine Auriculas, Pinks, Pyrethrums, Mimuluses, 
Sweet Williams, Gladioli, Poses, Dahlias, Phloxes, Pentste- 
mons, Antirrhinums, double Potentillas, Delphiniums, and 
Hollyhocks. Plants which take a time to make large clumps 
or masses, such as Pinks, Auriculas, and many others, also 
Gladioli, should be planted in groups of at least five of each 
variety. 
Much discretion is needed in staking and tying the plants. 
Lilies, Lupinus polyphyllus, and others of strong habit do not 
require staking. Plants of the habit of the Pyrethrum look all 
the better without stakes too, but the great majority of the 
stronger-growing species require supporting ; this, however, is 
an art which I have no doubt will be better understood before 
long. It is necessary that all plants requiring supports should 
have them at an early stage. Another item of the utmost 
importance is to remove all decaying flowers, and to keep wide- 
spreading dwarf plants within bounds by pulling away the 
parts which commence encroaching on their neighbours’ terri¬ 
tory. — R. P. Brotherston. 
ABNORMAL GROWTH IN THE GRAPE VINE. 
In the course of Mr. Taylor’s instructive remarks on “ Keeping 
Grapes,” page 365, allusion was made to the fact “ that it is im¬ 
material which end of the Vine shoot, with bunch attached, is 
inserted in the water.” I do not remember seeing this advocated 
before, and it appears to have been only recently discovered by 
Mr. Taylor ; at the same time it has long been known and practised 
by a gardener under whom I served some years ago. It is very 
important in the successful keeping of Grapes that not only should 
the bunches be freely thinned out, but that also when bottled 
they may hang clear of the bottles. With the Black Alicante 
especially this is sometimes impossible, or managed with diffi¬ 
culty, on account of its short-jointed growth. Whenever this was 
found to be the case, either with this or any other variety, we 
obviated the difficulty by inserting the points of the shoots (in the 
first instance, I believe, haphazard, and with the intention of 
using those bunches first), and so well did they keep that since 
that time I have never been very particular which end was in¬ 
serted. Mr. Taylor commenced this practice on hearing that Mr. 
Wildsmith at Heckfield “had caused one of his Vines to grow the 
reverse way by pegging the top down, and when rooted to cut off 
its end which had the original roots.” Now this accomplishment 
of Mr. Wildsmith’s is another proof that if the old saying, “ There 
is nothing new under the sun,” is not right in the abstract, it in 
many ways frequently receives remarkable confirmation. Whether 
Mr. Wildsmith does or does not regard his experiment as original 
I have no knowledge ; but I well remember during the early part 
of my gardening career being much interested in a plan adopted 
by an ordinary jobbing gardener, to strengthen a very fine well- 
trained specimen of the common Sweetwater. It was planted 
near the end of one of a row of connected villas, and was gradu¬ 
ally allowed to extend over the front of two others. The main 
stem was taken along just over the lower windows, and from this 
at intervals were taken up fruiting rods. From near the centre 
of the main stem a rod was gradually taken along the under side, 
and this, when of good strength and well ripened, was brought 
down and firmly pegged into a heap of fresh soil. It readily 
emitted roots and swelled rapidly, and when I last saw it (about 
ten years ago) was bidding fair to attain to the dimensions of the 
original stem, and was doing its part towards supporting the 
Vine. The operator was certainly a fairly intelligent man, but 
his ideas were not original, the practice being merely a repetition 
of what had been done with a Vine many years before by an old 
Scotchman. 
I might adduce other proofs in support of my argument; for 
instance, those who have layered Vines in pots may have observed 
that roots are as freely emitted beyond as they are below the bud 
or shoot, all alike, when the rods are separated, swelling, spread¬ 
ing, and equally supporting the young Vines. The same thing 
occurs when the Vines are propagated from “eyes.” Neither is 
the Grape Vine singular in these respects, for I believe the same 
results would follow the layering or the striking of the points of 
any free-rooting trees, notably the common Willow, and the 
inarching of those kinds that do not strike freely, provided the 
buds were removed from the tips of the shoots. 
Mr. Taylor will please to understand that I do not one moment 
assume superiority, but am writing with the motive of bringing 
forward a subject which probably but few have ever thought but 
little of. It is a discovery which both Mr. Taylor and other 
men may put to a practical use, as offering a good and simple 
means for the renovation of old Vines.—W. Iggulden. 
NERIUM OLEANDER ELEGANS. 
I wish to recommend this handsome free-flowering plant, as it 
is so useful for decorative purposes at this time of the year. The 
usual time of flowering is much earlier, but I have now some fine 
specimens with large numbers of flower buds about to expand. 
This desirable result I attained by cutting down the principal 
flower stems—which never flower a second time—and placing the 
plants in an open border until a fortnight since, when I lifted and 
potted them and brought them indoors. If this lifting be done 
carefully I have found no check result, otherwise the flower buds 
drop off. To avoid this, plunge the plant outside in late spring 
or summer in a pot which the roots will only be likely to fill; if too 
large you might have foliage but no flowers, and the lifting will 
not interfere with the subsequent flowering in autumn. It is 
always best to have a stock of young plants coming on, propagation 
