120 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE CARDER LR. 
[ A a? aft 11, Vfti. 
fiultani, is nevertheless well worth/ of a prominent position, its 
pure ivory white flowers, which are produced in great profus >u, 
making a pleasing contrast to the bright scarlet of Sultani. It is 
frequently met with in gardens under the name of Impatiens 
Sultani alba. 
Impatiens Ilawkeri is a very useful and showy variety and 
should find a place in all collections of stove flowering plants. It 
is of free growth and good habit; hut, unlike the preceding 
varieties, it requires a liberal amount of pot room. Young plants 
that are well rooted in 60’s may safely be potted into 2d’s, provided 
careful attention is paid to the watering, till the roots are well 
established in the new soil, when they must never want water. 
This variety seldom requires to be stopped, as it naturally breaks 
all down the stem, forming dense and compact specimens in a short 
time. Its flowers, which are produced freely, are large, and of a 
rich carmine colour encircling a small white eye. 
Impatiens Bilsamina (common Balsam) is a popular favourite 
with all classes ; yet, although of comparatively easy cultivation, 
good blooms and well grown plants are far too rarely seen. Seeds 
should be sown about the middle of March, and not later than 
May, in properly prepared pans of rich sandy soil, and placed in a 
gentle bottom heat of about 05°. As soon as the first rough leaves 
are developed the plants should be placed in 3-inch pots, care 
being taken to keep the seed leaves close to the soil. As soon as 
the roots reach the sides of the pots the plants should be shifted 
into (5-inch, and then finally into 8-inch or 10 inch pots. The 
plants require all the light possible, and ought to be turned around 
frequently so that they do not draw to one side. A gentle 
sprinkling with the syringe at closing time is very beneficial to 
them till they commence flowering. The soil must be light and 
rich, and plenty of drainage allowed, as the amount of water 
required after the plants are well rooted is very great. If they 
are liberally supplied with liquid manure they will continue in 
beauty for a long time.—G. Parkant, Aahby St. Ledger’s Lodge, 
Rugby. 
COMMON ASPARAGUS FOR POT CULTURE. 
I']' sometimes happens that useful hints are picked up in appa¬ 
rently the most unlikely places, and by cultivating our powers of 
observation we often see things which might otherwise pass unno¬ 
ticed, and which, when retained in the memory, prove valuable 
aids to success in cases of peculiar difficulty if not in everyday 
practice. 
About two years ago I was walking down one of the many 
narrow busy streets of London where hundreds of commodities, 
extremely varied in character, provided a brisk trade in the 
open air. Of course, the itinerant hawker of plants and flowers 
figured among the number, shouting in eulogistic terms of the 
beauty of his wares, which were “a-growing and a-blowing.” I 
was much struck with a batch of remarkably pretty Fern-like 
plants in 3-inch pots, and in the distance could not discern what 
they were. Closer inspection clearly showed they were seedlings 
of the common Asparagus, sown thickly and grown to a height of 
about 2 inches or a foot. Here, I thought, is a hint well worth 
acting upon, for I could conceive few things more useful for house 
decoration than a large batch of similarly well-grown and pretty 
plants. Since then I have grown many batches, which have fully 
borne out my opinion as to their great value. For arranging in 
small groups, jardinettes, or baskets they are extremely useful, 
and large plants are effective when placed singly in vases. I have 
just sown a good batch in fl inch pots. These will be ready for 
use by the end of October and November, a time when small Ferns 
are not generally plentiful. Another sowing made early in spring 
will provide plants for use during the summer months. If required 
several sowings might be made during the spring and summer to 
keep up a regular succession of young plants. I sow about ten or 
a dozen seeds in a pot, and do not thin the young p ants. The 
soil used is two parts loam and one well-decayed hotbed manure, 
with a little soot added, and in this compost they grow well and 
keep good in colour. Those from the present sowing are grown 
in cold pits till frosty nights set in ; then they will be kept 
near the glass in a greeuhouse temperature. Sowings made 
early in the spring should, of course, be kept for a time in a 
gentle heat, and afterwards transferred to a greenhouse shelf or 
cold pit. 
Plants which have matured a season’s growth, if cut down 
and potted in the spring, make good clumps in 6-inch pots the 
same season. I have grown a few in this way, and have found 
them useful ; but I consider this Asparagus is better adapted for 
using in small pots as above indicated, so that when they have done 
duty in dwelling rooms or entrance halls the majority of them may 
bo consigned to the rubbish heap, reserving a few of the most 
promising potfuls for growing another season. By working on 
these lines a great quantity of useful decorative material may be 
obtained from a limited amount of glass.—D. 
JUDGING HERBACEOUS FLOWERS. 
I S' view of the fact that herbaceous perennials are now so 
frequently exhibited, is it not desirable that some principles 
should be agreed upon for the guidance of exhibitors and judges? 
Without some principle to go upon it is most difficult to decide 
between rival stands of anything like equal merit, and the decision 
when arrived at is not likely to give satisfaction. 
We have had a class for these flowers here, in connection with 
our Bose show, for many years ; offering prizes for thirty-six 
varieties, twenty-four varieties, and twelve varieties, which have 
vear after year brought excellent competition. We think we have 
learnt by experience some things as to the best way of showing 
herbaceous flowerB, and something also as to the way in which they 
should be judged. We have found that no two judges are agreed 
as to which flowers are good and which are common ; we have 
therefore adopted “ beauty ” as the simple criterion, asking also, 
of course, that all flowers shall be shown in the best possible 
condition, and be the finest of their class. We also require that 
they shall be well and tastefully staged. The instruction in 
our schedule runs thus, “ In judging the herbaceous section, 
beautiful flowers and effective arrangement will be preferred to 
mere rarity.” 
We encourage such staging as will show as far as possible the 
habit of each flower, and for this purpose the stalk should appear, 
or as much of it as may be required. We discourage mere 
“ bunching,” while we like to see a sufficiency of flowers in each 
tube ; w'e like each flower and each spike to be so far separate that 
the judges may discern its excellencies or defects. The “ bunching ” 
system, while it makes a great display of collective colour, deceives 
the judges by tying together small spikes (say of Lily or Phloxj 
and producing the effect of a good spike ; it deceives aho the 
public, for whose instruction chiefly our flowers are exhibited. 
There should, however, be some understanding as to the showing 
of varieties of the same class. Of course there are certain things 
of which you cannot show varieties in the same stand without 
toss— e.g ., Delphiniums and Phloxes ; but does this hold good with 
such things as Lilies and Campanulas, which differ from each other 
so much not only in colour, but in form V I should like to elicit 
some expression of opinion on the points I have raised.— 
L. Garnett, ChriatleUm , Cheater. 
FLOWER GARDENING IN LONDON. 
Summer flower gardening should now be in the zenith of its beauty. 
It is seldom that the plants become properly developed and full of 
blossom ere the summer is half over, and oftentimes August has set in 
before the bed* are well filled. Such is the case this year. A long spell 
of cold dull weather during last month retarded the growth of tender 
plants, and prevented others blooming so freely as they otherwise would 
have done. This is most noticeable in several of the park-; and public 
gardens in the metropolis. Notwithstanding the skill brought to bear 
upon the bedding, many of the beds this year present rather a bare 
appearance, which can only be attributed to the weather. Happily, 
however, these are exceptions, not the rule. In some instances more 
freedom and greater variety are noticeable than in former years, whilst 
the employment of hardy plants indicates other changes in the near 
future. 1'ubiic taste has to be gratified in the parks, and it is therefore 
in such places that the most progress in flower gardening is generally 
made. Each year, I am glad to note, brings some improvement, and 
less of the stereotyped arrangements which were so fashionable a decade 
or so ago. 
JIyue Park. 
For summer bedding this park has long been famous. The series of 
beds that run parallel with Park Lane are, as a rule, most elaborately 
planted, and usually attract considerable attention. This year is no 
exception to the rule. The beds, perhaps are not quite so gay just at 
present as they sometimes are, but a few days’ bright sunny weather will 
improve them wonderfully. Btill, they are even now well worth a visit. 
Among them may be found a great variety of combinations of colour 
such as are rarely seen in private gardens. Borne form vivid contrasts, 
others quiet and pleasing harmonies. Here we find a bed filled with 
gay Pelargoniums, and edged with Lobelia or Pyretbrum in the ordinary 
manner ; there may be seen some planted with graceful habited foliage 
plants, relieved by the daintiest of colours, such as Plumbago capcnsis, 
Heliotrope, white Lilies, and delicately tinted Violas ; all are good in 
their way, and each has its respective admirers. The enumeration of 
the most noticeable combinations might be interesting. 
Entering the park by Btanbope Gate the visitor is at once attracted 
by a number of beds filled with Zonal Pelargoniums and Violas. One 
bed, oblong in shape, is very showy. The centre is planted with Pelar¬ 
gonium Mrs. Morris and Viola Blue Bell, and around these are rows of 
