582 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER , 
[ Dejembcr SO, 1886. 
contrivance wet is held and frost breaks the glass. I have seen 
copings of this character. They are no good whatever. Either 
the iron should be galvanised or the coping be formed of wood 
frames, but the iron obstructs least light. These copings must 
be 18 inches wide and may be 30 inches. They need only have 
an incline from the wall of one-third the width, which, if 
18 inches, will be 6 inches of perpendicular height. Boards will 
do, and they are warmer than glass, but what they gain at night 
is lost in favour of the glass by day through the boards 
obstructing light and heat; therefore glass is best, for though 
we _ favour dwellings or walls with projecting eaves or wide 
copings something may be lost at the upper part of the wall 
through their shadow; with glass we get the best fruit imme¬ 
diately under the coping. The coping is no use in winter, there¬ 
fore it should be portable, soon taken off, and as readily fixed. 
From November to April the coping might as well be sheltering 
winter salads, Violets, or whatever needs protection. 
If the means afford I advise not only the glass coping, but a 
glass front. Enclose a space, in fact, with glass to hold the heat 
and prevent radiation from the wall, which takes place less 
rapidly from such surface when the air is still than when there 
is a wind. The glass may be so fixed that the coping will form 
the roof, and the front can be upi-ight or slightly inclining 
outwards— i.e., widest at the foot, but that is not material, so if 
it be 18 inches clear of the wall surface it will do—better more 
or at the foot 2 feet 6 inches, and the lights must be easily 
removeable, sliding to allow of free access for manipulation and 
for ventilating. The whole structure standing on oak posts or 
other bases, and portable, so that it can be cleared away at any 
time. 
But we have only got so far as a base. The house comes 
next. By a house I mean a glass structure that the cultivator 
can get into and attend to the requirements of the Vines. It 
may be an unpretentious structure of 6 feet width, with top glass 
lights somewhat flat as advised for the coping, and the front 
lights can slope from the coping outward to the 6 feet of width; 
the front being of boards to a height of 18 inches, the uppermost 
one being hung at the top and opening outwards will be a ready 
means of bottom ventilation, and the top lights can be hung on 
pivots, so that top ventilation is readily given. The house to be 
supported by iron standards on brick piers, the roots of the 
Vines having free access outwards. The height of the wall 
being 12 feet to 13 feet 6 inches, we get the front lights at a sharp 
angle, and that is what we require, for we want to get as much 
sun heat as possible inside in the spring and early summer 
months, and during late summer and early autumn. The weather 
is hot enough in the dog days, therefore we need not trouble 
about the refracted rays at that time. With a sharp pitched 
roof we have the sun vertical, perhaps in April or early May, and 
this helps the Vines forward, and it is vertical again in late 
August and September when we have the Grapes ripening. 
Flat-roofed houses are no good for Grapes without heat, there¬ 
fore either have sides sharply inclining or have them perpen¬ 
dicular with as little flat roof as possible. Flat roofs are very 
well when what is wanted of sun heat can be supplied by hot- 
water pipes ; therefore, if the house must be detached, just have 
the span double the width of a 6 feet wide lean-to. The ends of 
the span should be north and south. Both the lean-to and span 
must be so constructed that all the glass can be removed, the 
whole structure being portable. Preference should be given to 
the lean-to. The house may be any width, but keep the same 
slope for the side lights and increasing the length of the top 
lights proportionately with the width. The same of span-roofs. 
Span roofed frames can be utilised for growing Grapes, but they 
should have 11-inch wood sides, be 4 feet wide, and have a some¬ 
what flat roof, or be 1 foot 9 inches high at the ridge. They 
must be placed on a layer of bricks.—G. Abbey. 
(To be continued.) 
THE TASTEFUL ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTS. 
It is not many years since the highest art in grouping plants con¬ 
sisted in simply sloping them from back to front and mixing them in the 
process, in some cases dotting a few taller plants throughout the group in 
order to yield a more graceful appearance. A not uncommon method in 
the case of conservatories and other structures was not only to slope the 
plants from front to back, but also to find out with mathematical exactness 
the middle of the group, making it fuller there, and receding slightly 
towards each end. The system of dotting plants in a groundwork of 
Maidenhair Ferns initiated by Mr. Wills came upon the whole horti¬ 
cultural world as a revolution, and good, bad, and indifferent imitations 
followed. I have seen extremely poor groups rewarded with honours at 
flower shows, not on account of "the groups being in any way noteworthy, 
but simply on account of their following the fashion. Judging from the 
best examples I have seen, the idea was to show off to the best effect 
certain plants of great beauty, either as foliage or flowering plants, and 
this was attained by a judicious arrangement, heightened by the intro¬ 
duction of the best available groundwork. There are many plants in 
general cultivation which either do not require a groundwork or which 
are better without it. Chrysanthemums we may take as an example 
when massed by themselves ; Zonal Pelargoniums also are best grouped 
alone. We used to have a large quantity of these all through the winter 
and spring months, and any addition to the glowing mass of colour they 
presented would have detracted from the effect. Neither should I care to 
break up a group of well grown Cinerarias or of decorative Pelargoniums 
by the addition of any other plants. Of course there are people who 
consider bare masses of colour “ vulgar,” but so long as Dame Nature 
covers our moors with unbroken stretches of purple Heather, our meadows 
with sheets of crimson-tipped Growans, and the shady banks of our 
streamlets with masses of yellow Primroses, we may well al'ow the 
charge of vulgarity to pass unheeded. 
But if there are flowers which are most effective massed by themselves 
there are also others which show to much better effect isolated. Of such 
we may mention many Orchids—not all—as being greatly heightened in 
general effectiveness by judicious grouping. A few pretty foliage plants, 
such as Asparagus, Curculigo, Coco3 Weddelliana, the variegated Ficus 
elastica, Dracaenas, and Pandanuses can be used in this way advan¬ 
tageously, while the edges may be prettily edged with Panicum, Ficus 
repens, Isolepis gracilis, or Maidenhair Fern. I like to dot Tuberous 
Begonias among Maidenhair Ferns. Narcissus, Tulips, and Dutch bulbs 
generally look much prettier amongst Maidenhair Ferns. Some flowering 
plants are very pretty when employed as a ground to others. Thus 
Primulas with large healthy foliage may have graceful plants arranged 
amongst them, as, for instance, Carnations; Cyclamecs also may have 
other plants dotted amongst them. Yellow Crocuses or blue Scillas are 
other examples of what may be effective as groundwork plants. 
Then there is the old-fashioned ry^tem of grouping, which, with 
modifications, is of great value for utilising in the best manner small 
collections of different plants. Just now we have not a sufficient number 
of Chrysanthemums in bloom to make a massive group by themselves, 
but by mixing with other plants, these beautiful wint r flowers are made 
to be still the predominating feature in the c onservat )ry. Entering by 
the door, the centre bed appears full of these, although good plants are 
only arranged here and there, but then every one in seen. Along one 
side dark brown and soft yellow sorts are alternated along the back, the 
heads of bloom leaning over to the front. Along the front a few Pompons 
are intermixed with free-grown Eupatoriums, which are not staked, and 
showing among these are spikes of Schizostylis. Where the pots would 
be seen Maidenhair Ferns are placed. On the other side the front row is 
Maidenhair Fern, with Mignonette and Lily of the Valley. Behind 
these are good plants of Cypripedium insigne, with a few Chrysanthemums 
and Arum Lilies in flower. Close to the door the earliest Tulips are so 
placed as to be seen on entering. The whole arrangement rises from the 
door to the other end, and considering only a limited variety of plants 
succeed in the house during winter, the effect is very good. One advan¬ 
tage of mixed arrangements is that any particularly g> od plant may either 
be mad6 to form the key to the whole, or it can be placed in a prominent 
position without offending good taste. 
In arranging plants in rooms, as a matter of necessity much depends 
on the rooms and on the taste of the occupants. In one room we have to 
do with plants are kept in one of the darkett por'ions. Our endeavour is 
to keep this as bright as possible. At present Pelargoniums of crimson 
shades are massed in it. These are worthless if left over a week, the 
foliage becoming yellow. As edging Maidenhair Fern is preferred and 
stands best, though Isolepis is also somet mas used. Richardias do remark¬ 
ably well in such a position, and in conjunction with brightly coloured 
Tulips, Hyacinths, and Lily of the Valley they will come into use 
directly. White is suitable for all positions, and the best white-flowered 
plants for rooms are Richardias, Lily of the Valley, Lilium Harrisi, L. 
longiflorura, and L. lancifolium. Roman Hyacinths, Pottebakker and La 
Candeur Tulips, Paper White Narcissus and Narcissus ornatus, Azalea 
narcissiflora, Nicotiana affinis, Hyacinthus candicans, and Spiraea japonica. 
In light positions any of these can be used. Of foliage plants for stand¬ 
ing permanently in rooms good hardy forms are Cissus antarctica and 
Aspidistra lurida variegata. Much bi tter are Ficus elastica and its 
variegated form, Kentia Belmoreana, Seaforthia elegans, Dracmna gracilis, 
and Grevillea robusta. All of these stand house treatment well, provided 
attention is paid to watering regularly and the dust occasionally sponged 
off. These are more suitable for rooms where there is plenty of light. On 
dark staircases it is better to use only plants, which will lighten them 
somewhat. In corners nothing is better than Richardias, while on 
pedestals, on banisters, and on landings the following are good, but 
should be changed every week. Curculigo recurvata variegata, Bambusa 
Fortunei variegata, Pandanus Veitchi, and Cyperus alternifolius 
variegatus. 
As a general rule, but few plants should be employed for rooms, and 
these good. The white-flowered plants which are most suitable, though 
the list is not given as at all exhaustive, have already been noted ; and 
with regard to coloured flowers, it is worth while to note that where these 
are mixed it is much better to harmonise colours than to have anything 
glaring or bizarre, and in all cases the first thought must be given as to 
whether certain colours will add to the general effect of the room. We 
have referred to crimson Pelargonium^ as being used in a particular room 
and in a certain position. Other flowering plants are also dotted in other 
positions, but these are all white-flowered. The vases are filled with 
shades of yellow, brown, or lilac and white, but no crimson. Examples 
of good colouring are deep and soft yellows, which may be worked out with 
