180 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 28, 1895. 
supplied with moisture at the roots. When at rest less will be 
required, but always give sufficient to keep the foliage and stems in 
good order. 
The genus is not a well marked or characteristic one, the plants 
varying a good deal in habit and inflorescence. The late Professor 
Reichenbach referred this genus to Bletia, but they are usually 
known by the older name. B. acaulis grows in tufts of their rush¬ 
like leaves without stems or pseudo-bulbs. The flowers last a long 
time in good condition, are whitish, sometimes very pale green ; 
the sepals and petals narrow, the latter drooping ; the lip large, 
broad at the base, pointed, with an irregular, toothed edge. This 
flowers in October and November, and is a native of Central 
America. 
B. Digbyana grows about 6 inches high, and has compressed 
pseudo-bulbs and oval glaucous foliage. The flowers are large, 
principally of a cloudy, greenish white, similar in shape to the Lselia, 
to which genus it is ascribed by Bentham. The lip is large and 
broadly heart shaped, with a deep fringe, which is one of its chief 
attractions. This comes from Honduras, and first flowered in this 
country at Minterne House, Dorsetshire, in 1846. B. Gibbsianum 
has somewhat cylindrical foliage, and flowers of a creamy white. 
It is a free flowering and very desirable species. B. glauca is a 
small-growing species of the pseudo-bulbous section. The blooms 
are produced singly from a sheath at the apex of the pseudo-bulbs, 
after the manner of a Cattleya. The petals are greenish white, the 
lip pure white, spreading, with a wavy margin. It flowers in 
winter and early spring, and is a native of South America. 
B. lineata, B. Martiana, and B. venosa are all free flowering and 
useful Orchids. They have cylindrical leaves, and flower in 
racemes from the base of these. They are best grown on blocks 
suspended from the roof in the warm end of the Cattleya house. 
—H. R. R. 
Calanthes and Their Culture. 
Calanthes, being natives of Burmah, should be rested as soon 
as the flowering is over, the growth buds for the following year at 
once commence swelling, and if the pseudo-bulbs are in a tempera¬ 
ture high enough to assist them in doing so there is no better way 
than to rest them in warm quarters. 
To be successful in Calanthe culture the plants should be grown 
as near the glass as possible. I prefer turning them out previous 
to potting and placing the pseudo-bulbs upright in boxes, with a 
little moss at the bottom, until the young rootlets are visible, when 
they are ready for potting. Great care must be taken not to damage 
these young rootlets, and watering should be exercised with caution 
directly after potting. When the plants are rooted they will 
require abundance of water until the growth is complete, after 
which the supply should be reduced, or the roots will decay before 
their proper time. 
In order to obtain a large amount of flowers the pseudo-bulbs 
should not be parted at the time of shaking out (excepting the very 
small ones), but be allowed to remain attached to the old bulbs 
which have produced them, thus giving more strength to the new 
growths, which have to maintain the following year’s spikes. If 
kept warm as recommended, the bulbs of the preceding season will, 
in the course of a month after the flowering is over, push two or 
three buds from the base; these should be removed as soon as 
discernible, with the exception of the strongest at the bottom. 
Each piece, now consisting of two or three bulbs each, should be 
placed in 7 to 9-inch pots, according to size. In potting keep the 
old bulbs well against the side of the pot, so that the young ones 
will have room to swell, taking care to have them well elevated 
above the rim of the pot. Smaller plants may be well grown by 
removing the old bulbs and potting the young ones in smaller pots. 
The compost I have found most suitable for Calanthes consists 
of three parts good turfy loam, one part fibrous peat, quarter part 
dry cow or sheep manure, quarter part charcoal, adding a little soot 
and sand. They should be potted moderately firm, and, of course, 
in clean and well-drained pots.—S. K., Lymington. 
ANNUALS FOR SUMMER BEDDING. 
Annuals have long played a conspicuous part in the adorn¬ 
ment of our gardens. At one time they were but little used in 
the flower garden, and few species or varieties were then really 
adapted for the purpose. During the last twenty years, however, 
much attention has been paid to the work of raising various types 
of annuals possessing a compact habit of growth, combined with 
great floriferousness and distinctness of colour. How well our 
patient and systematic hybridists have succeeded in their task may 
each year be noted in innumerable gardens, when these beautiful, 
gay, and accommodating flowers blossom in all their glory ! Hosts 
of annuals produce showy and brilliant flowers, but are too tall 
for bedding. These I must pass over for the present, treating 
only of those thoroughly adapted for filling large or small beds. 
It is quite possible that these may be in greater demand than 
usual this season, for when the battle between frost and heat has 
been waged under the great disadvantage of insufficient boiler 
power. Pelargoniums and other tender bedding plants will be none 
too numerous. Bearing these things in mind, it is well for us all 
to take time by the forelock, and sow annuals in sufficient Quanti¬ 
ties to secure the requisite number of plants, so that when the 
time for bedding arrives we shall not be troubled with a scarcity 
of materials. Some of the plants which I shall recommend are 
not annuals in the true sense of the word, but for our immediate 
purpose may be treated as such. 
Taking them alphabetically, the Asters appeal first to our 
notice. Every reliable firm of seedsmen offer seeds of dwarf types 
thoroughly adapted for bedding. All are so good that it is 
unnecessary to particularise the products of any particular firm. 
From the end of March to the beginning of May is quite soon 
enough to sow the seeds, the earlier sowings being made in a frame, 
and the later in the open air. I strongly advocate sowing thinly, 
so as to secure sturdy plants from the start. It is also a good plan 
to prick out a number of reserve plants 6 inches apart. These will 
prove extremely useful for filling beds in which spring-flowering 
plants were somewhat late in displaying their beauty, or for plant¬ 
ing between Yiolas, so as to give a good autumn display. 
It is not often that Antirrhinums are employed for bedding, but 
they are thoroughly effective and reliable when used for that 
purpose. The Tom Thumb varieties do not exceed 1 foot in 
height ; these may be obtained in distinct colours, crimson, white, 
and yellow are the most effective. Seed of a dwarf scarlet 
may be obtained, but plants of this variety usually attain a height 
of 18 inches, and are well adapted for using as “ dot ” plants, 
having a groundwork of Viola Countess of Hopetoun (white). 
The seeds should be sown in gentle heat early in March. Clarkias 
possess the great merit of being extremely easy to grow, while at the 
same time they compare favourably for profusion and brilliancy of 
blossom with any known bedding plant. Tom Thumb and Double 
Dwarf White, each grow 1 foot in height. The flowers of the first 
named are bright rose in colour. Sow in April in the open air. 
Both the single and double forms of Dianthus Heddewigi rank 
among the most beautiful of summer bedding plants. The com¬ 
bination of colours to be obtained from plants grown from a 
mixed packet of seeds is marvellous. The plants continue to 
flower throughout the entire summer. The laciniated forms are 
also a distinct feature. Crimson, ro'e, salmon and white colours 
may be obtained in separate packets. Seeds should be sown at 
once in a gentle heat. I invariably sow in shallow boxes, and 
when the plants are large enough prick out 4 inches apart in soil 
placed on a hotbed. During the early stages of growth the pro¬ 
tection of a frame is of course given, but if this should be required 
for other purposes it may be safely removed by the middle of 
April, but the protection of mats will be required on frosty nights. 
Treated in this way fine sturdy plants are obtained ready for 
lifting with good balls of earth by the end of May. Sutton’s dark 
blue and pure white Lobelias come so true in colour and compact 
in form from seed, that it seems to me to be quite unnecessary for 
those with but little glass at command to winter old plants and strike 
cuttings in the time-honoured way. To obtain strong plants by the 
middle of May seeds should be sown in a brisk heat during 
February or early in March. 
Double French Marigolds are well known as showy bedders. 
They are seen at their best during hot summers ; this was fully 
demonstrated throughout the tropical season of 1893, when they 
were unsurpassed for the profusion and rich colouring of their 
flowers. The miniature varieties only are suitable for bedding, 
except in the case of very large beds, which require something bold. 
Legion of Honour, a single dwarf variety, seems to be spoken 
highly of in some quarters, and I intend to try it this season. I 
like to sow the seeds in frames in April, and prick out the seedlings 
in sheltered positions, where they can remain till the time arrives 
for planting them in their permanent quarters. Nemesia strumosa 
Suttoni.—This showy and recent introduction, having flowers of 
peculiar and beautiful shades of colour, ought to be grown in every 
garden. True, in many instances great difficulty has been 
experienced in getting it to grow in a satisfactory way, but this I 
think has been caused through coddling the young seedlings in too 
much heat, and then planting in soil which has not been well 
worked. I find it thrives in a rich light soil manured with material 
from an old hotbed in the autumn. This soil should be forked 
over, and thoroughly divided a couple of times within a week or 
ten days of the time when the young plants are set out. The 
seeds should be sown on a slight hotbed some time during April, and 
when large enough the young seedlings ought to be pricked out, 
taking care to press the soil firmly around them. 
