18 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
( July 12, 1888. 
room bouquet, and the eighteen competitors presented a sufficient 
diversity of styles to satisfy all tastes and fancies. The one 
selected for first honours was a most elaborate production, about 
15 inches high from the paper, and 18 inches in diameter, a sub¬ 
stantial load for a lady to hide herself behind. It was composed 
mainly of Cattleyas, with a few Odontoglossums and Fern fronds, 
and it must be admitted that the arrangement and making were 
admirable for such a large bouquet. In remarkable contrast to this 
was the second prize bouquet, rather less than half the size, formed 
of a few blush-tinted Roses, Gladiolus Colvilli albus, and Adiantum 
fronds, simple in the extreme, and elegant, but so totally dissimilar 
iD all respects from the first, that it seemed strange, after honouring 
one bouquet distinguished by its elaborate style, several others of 
the same kind, and but few points inferior to the first, should be 
passed over. At the same time it is wise to encourage these smaller 
and more simple productions, and if the Judges had adopted the 
bold course of placing it first the awards would have been more 
consistent. One enormous and heavy bouquet was properly omitted, 
and why such fatiguing examples are shown cannot'be understood, 
they would be enough to tire a strong-handed footman. A third 
prize was awarded to an exceedingly original example that could 
scarcely be termed a bouquet; it was really a loose bunch of Grasses 
and Mignonette, with a few flowers of double scarlet Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums, with streamers of scarlet and bottle-green ribbons. A 
pretty and simple bouquet was composed of Mignonette and Miss 
Jolliffe Carnations, and a loosely disposed bunch of crimson, 
yellow, and creamy Roses was attractive ; another of crimson 
Roses and single yellow Briars was pleasing, and the only faults 
in still another handsome Rose bouquet was rather too much 
crowding and flatness. 
Groups of flowers with the stalks in water, but neither tied nor 
wired, included several tasteful exhibits. The leading group com¬ 
posed of ten large pale pink and white Paeonies on long stems with 
plenty of foliage very naturally dispersed in a somewhat small 
stand. If the latter had been a little larger and bolder, more in 
proportion to the massive character of the flowers, it would have 
improved their appearance. Next to this was placed a neat basket 
suspended on a tripod and filled with Gypsophila, Odontoglossums, 
Roses, Phalajnopsis, and Asparagus. One of the simple and grace 
ful contributions (third prize) in this class was, however, a tall 
trumpet plain glass vase furnished with long drooping sprays of 
Russelia juncea bearing numbers of its tubular bright coral red 
flowers, and it was quite refreshing to see an old favourite, but now 
neglected plant, being utilised to the exclusion of the conventional 
decorative flowers. 
At Richmond on the same day an excellent display of floral 
decorations was held, one of the thrde large tents being exclusively 
devoted to these classes, Roses and other cut flowers. It was 
rather unfortunate that the dates of these two Societies clashed, as 
it accounted in a great measure for the absence of competitors in 
the table decoration class in which such liberal prizes are offered 
by Lady Ellis. Numerous elegant stands and baskets of flowers 
were shown, but the bouquets w r ere much overcrowded. In several 
eases the stands employed were not in accordance with the style of 
arrangement adopted, light tastefully placed flowers in a heavy 
stand, or vice versa, being a fault too often apparent at shows.— 
L. Castle. 
INCREASING STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 
When Strawberry plantations are neglected their whole sur¬ 
roundings soon become crowded with runners, but this is not desir¬ 
able, and should be avoided. Many of them are formed now, and 
by the time the fruit is all ripe and gathered they will be very 
numerous. It is then the cultivator should determine what he will 
do. If no new plants are wanted cut the young ones in close 
round the old stools or rows. But in the majority of cases young 
plants will be wanted, and these should be secured at once, either 
tq pot for forcing in the spring months or to form new plantations. 
Great attention is often given to layering and raising the plants 
intended for- forcing, but those for planting in the new quarters are 
often lifted and planted without any preparation ; but this is a 
mistake, as with proper care they will always bear a quantity of 
fruit the first year after planting, and I have known them bear 
heavily, whereas the carelessly reared ones seldom have any fruits- 
worth gathering until the second year. 
The best way is to layer each runner into a 3-inch pot. Place 
a few leaves or a little rough material at the bottom of each, then 
fill close to the rim with fibrous loam to which a little manure has 
been added, and make the soil very firm. Lift each runner suit¬ 
able for layering from the ground, but do not break their connec¬ 
tion with the old plant. Place the young plant on the surface of 
the soil in the pot, and if the roots have some of the soil of the 
ground attached let them into the soil in the pot, and layering in 
this case is completed. If the roots are only beginning to show 
secure the runner with a peg close to the neck of the young 
plant. The young roots will penetrate the new soil in a few days,, 
and they will soon grow rapidly. In dry bright weather supply- 
water daily, and when they have been layered ten days or so turn 
one or two of them out of the pots, and if the roots have taken a 
substantial hold of the soil cut them away from the plants, and 
collect them all together on a hard base, such as a walk. This 
is to prevent rooting through the bottom of the pots. The foliage 
will droop a little for a day or two, but this is harmless, and in a 
week or ten days after taking them off they will be ready for 
either potting or planting. We like to do both before the pots are 
filled with roots. When the roots are too numerous and in a firm 
ball the plants do not grow away freely if transferred to other soil. 
Another system is to cut fibrous turf into pieces about 4 inches 
square. They are turned upside down, and the young plants 
pegged on to them. The roots soon penetrate the turf and confine 
themselves to it. Such plants invariably grow well, and this plan 
is superior to that often adopted of allowing the runners to root 
into the ordinary soil. Many of the roots of these will be broken 
in lifting ; some will have no soil attached to them, and all svill 
receive a check which cannot occur with those in turves or pots^ 
—J. Muir, Maryam. 
SHRUBS SUITABLE FOR SEASIDE PLANTING.- 
The publication of a few notes recently made of shrubs luxu¬ 
riating on the seacoast in Hampshire, Dorsetshire, and North 
Devon, may prove useful to those of your readers who have to do 
with the planting and beautifying of bare spots, cliffs, or in sea¬ 
side towns. In Bournemouth, and Boscombe Chine, close by, the 
green Euonymus, in some cases half buried in sea sand, does much 
better than the Tamarix, and is therefore planted extensively in the 
public and private gardens, also as hedges underneath the Pine trees 
on each side of the principal roads in Bournemouth. The pretty 
garden opposite the “ Royal Victoria Hotel,” Swanage, and close to- 
the sea is completely enclosed by luxuriant hedges of the green and 
golden Euonymus, while a few hundred yards farther up the town 
the Euonymus and Aucuba japonica, planted in a garden attached 
to John Wesley’s house, and sloping to the sea, are the picture of 
health. But nowhere have I seen such grand specimens of Euony¬ 
mus as at Ilfiacombe, many of the bushes being 9 feet high and as 
much through, within a hundred yards of the sea. In the grounds 
attached to St. James’s Church there are several dozens of fine 
specimens. Another shrub, and this a flowering one, that does- 
equally well at Ilfracombe, is Escallonia macrantha, trained up the 
south and west walls of “ Hotel Ilfracombe ” and other buildings 
of less importance throughout the town, as well as in bush form 
from 9 to 10 feet high and as much in diameter on the lawns in 
front of the several villa mansions on the south side of the steep- 
cliffs in this picturesque North Devon town. The soil (red loam), 
as well as the climate of Ilfracombe, admirably suits the require¬ 
ments of the shrubs indicated, also Berberis Darwini and Weigela 
rosea. The latter popular flowering shrub is grown extensively 
and well in several towns on the North Devon coast, including Lee, 
three miles west of Ilfracombe, and the latter favourite resort, 
Watermouth Castle, Combmartin, Lynton, and Lynmouth, in all of 
which places the Weigela is growing luxuriantly ; the flowers, too, 
being more plentifully produced, larger, more substantial, and of a 
brighter hue than they are met with on places away from the sea. 
The Sea Buckthorn (Hippophiie rhamnoides) is also suitable for 
planting close to the sea, but the only place I have seen it glowing 
is Tyninghame, the beautiful East Lothian residence of the Earl of 
Haddington, near Prestonkirk. There is quite a plantation of it 
near Whitberry Point, and witbin a few dozen yards of the 
German Ocean. The bright orange-coloured berries with which 
the Willow-like shoots are studded are very effective when con¬ 
trasted with its silvery foliage. The salt spray with which the Sea 
Buckthorn is frequently washed has no injurious effect on it. Is it 
not surprising that it is not more frequently met with in the 
vicinity of fashionable watering places ?—H. W. Ward. 
