288 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 1, 1885. 
using its wood to support the Petunias from trailing along 
the ground. Godetia Carter’s Spotted Carpet is a charming 
dwarf free-flowering variety of this lovely annual, and is still 
blooming freely. Verbenas make fine border plants when 
planted in irregular masses near the margin of the border, 
and not pegged down, but allowed to grow freely. We have 
a beautiful display of seedling plants raised from Messrs. 
Webb’s Pride of Kinver strain. Most lovely, too, are a mixed 
strain of Coreopsis. These flower and grow just as freely on 
a north as a south border; also they are not in the least 
particular as to growing in the shade. Zinnias (single and 
double), French Marigolds (Carter’s tall and dwarf striped), 
and Tagetes pumila are still the life of the garden, con¬ 
spicuous by the brilliancy of their flowers. So also are the 
Dianthuses Eastern Queen and Crimson Belle, Heddewigii, 
and the Indian Pink. These, although biennials, should be 
retained for one year only, as they succeed much better if 
raised annually from seed. The many varieties of Emperor 
and German Stocks are still flowering freely, as also are the 
Asters. The Pasony and German quilled, Emperor and Vic¬ 
toria, are fine. Sutton’s Miniature is a pretty dwarf strain, 
and so is Carter’s new dwarf crimson bedding Aster. We 
grew our seedlings in a cool frame this season, and we found 
this plan much better than sowing them in heat. The varie¬ 
ties of Phlox Drummondi are especially showy, the variety 
known as coccineabeingbrilliant. Liliumgrandiflorumrubrum 
is another lovely annual still in bloom. The red, white, and 
crimson varieties of the Valerian are very showy. These are 
but seldom met with except in cottage gardens in the west of 
England, where large clumps of them are seen in bloorm 
They are easily raised from seed. 
Hardy herbaceous plants still continue to do the chief 
share in decorating the borders. Rudbeckia Newmanni is a 
mass of blooms, its bright yellow florets with dark centre 
rendering it a very showy plant. Chrysanthemum maximum 
is another capital free-flowering autumnal plant, togetherwith 
Pyrethrum uliginosum, similarly white-flowered. Lobelia car- 
dinalis is a grand autumnal bloomer, as also is L. syphilitica, 
with flowers of various hues. Campanula pyramidalis is a 
noble plant. Its beautiful spikes of blue flowers are charming. 
Of the many beautiful autumnal flowering plants few can 
surpass Senecio pulcher. This will last in bloom until frost 
sets in. Pentstemons are most useful and showy plants. 
Our seedling plants are just commencing to flower. These 
will follow the older plants and keep up a succession of 
bloom. We have a few Delphiniums still in flower, but these 
are seedling plants of last autumn, planted in the borders in 
May, and which did not commence flowering until the old- 
established plants had ceased doing so. It is evident, there¬ 
fore, that if frequent sowings were made it would be possible 
to keep up a succession of blooms for a long time. We have 
upwards of 300 seedlings just pricked out in a store bed in 
readiness for transplanting into the borders next spring. 
Herbaceous Phloxes are still flowering freely. The Queen, 
a lovely white, bearing immense spikes, is a most effective 
late-flowering variety, as also is the Countess of Breadalbane, 
a rosy carmine variety. Gladiolus bienchleyensis and 
gandavensis are flowering freely. These are noble border 
flowers, especially where afforded generous treatment and 
planted in groups of not less than a dozen corms. Hardy 
Fuchsias are splendid plants for growing either in isolated 
positions or in the mixed border. In the latter position they 
are most effective for dotting about—one well to the front, 
another a corner plant, and one in a nook or recess in the 
borders. In such positions their graceful habit of growth 
renders them specially suitable for breaking the uniformity 
of outline in the arrangement of the plants in the border. 
We have still a good show of yellow Carnations. This 
variety originated from seed in the garden here some years 
ago, and is one of the finest hardy, free-flowering yellow 
border Carnations we have yet met with. Lovely groups of 
Lilium auratum tigrinum fl. pi. and lancifolium album and 
lubrum are still in full bloom. The L. lancifolium varieties 
are not permanently planted out, but are grown in pots unt 
May, and are then planted. This lovely Lily is not sufficiently 
hardy to withstand the winter out of doors—at least, such is 
our experience; hence we lift the bulbs in autumn. The 
L. auratum succeed well with us. We find a somewhat 
high and well-drained position is the main secret of success 
in their outdoor culture. We hear that the auratums planted 
among the Rhododendrons on the well-drained slopes in the 
charming grounds of Oldlands by the able gardener, Mr. 
Luckhurst, a year or so ago, have flowered magnificently 
this season. Notes on the method adopted by him have 
appeared from his pen in the last volume of the Journal. 
Ours are growing in various positions—the summit of 
rockeries, on rock beds, and in suitable nooks and corners 
of the borders. 
Single Dahlias are grand just now. We have discon¬ 
tinued growing the double varieties, except the Cactus, Con¬ 
stance, and Juarezi. These do not bloom at all satisfac¬ 
torily ; therefore we shall not attempt to grow them another 
season. Of the single type Harlequin, Darkness, Lucifer, 
White Queen, Walton Ware, Paragon, and lutea grandi- 
flora are grand free-flowering and showy varieties. Sweet 
Scabious in various colours are also very showy and effective. 
Hollyhocks are on the wane, but we still have a few good 
clumps in bloom—seedlings of last autumn. We shall in 
future grow our stock from seed only, as we find the plants 
better able to stand the disease than when raised from 
cuttings, the plants being more robust and healthy. The 
queen of flowers has still a little of her royal lustre left to 
grace the closing days of September. That grand Rose, 
Souvenir de la Malmaison, is still bristling with lovely buds 
and blossoms. With us it is the first to bloom on a warm 
wall and the last in the borders. Gloire de Dijon is still 
blooming on a standard 12 feet high and on dwarfs in the 
borders. La France and Baroness Rothschild have still some 
queenly looking blooms, and so has Magna Charta, Beauty 
of Waltham, Abel Carriere, Miss Hassard, and John Hopper. 
The fragrant Mignonette with which the Rose beds are 
carpeted is delightful, and compensated for the absence of 
Roses. 
Last and not least are the glowing colours of crimson and 
gold diffused through the fading grten of the dying foliage 
of deciduous trees and shrubs. How beautiful are the fading 
leaves of the Ghent Azaleas peeping here and there out of 
the sombre green of the Rhododendrons ! The deep crimson, 
gold, and warm brown diffused through the snowy Mespilus, 
the golden foliage of Weigela Looymansi aurea, and 
beautiful variegation of the Hollies—these and many more 
similar examples of Nature’s autumn painting show how 
necessary it is that skill and taste should go hand in hand 
in the selection and planting of our shubberiss and wood¬ 
lands. To the student of Nature there is as much beauty 
in the contrast and harmony of foliage as in the blending of 
colour in our bedding, and yet how little do we study this 
essential point! But enough has been said for the present 
on the subject of the flower garden in September.—A Kentish 
Gardener. 
HOW WE CLEARED OUR VINES OF MEALY BUG. 
When I took charge of these gardens in June, 1884, the 
Vines were infested with mealy bug, and the Grapes, which were 
a very poor sample, were just beginning to colour. Now there 
is not one insect of this kind to be found in the vineries. Possibly 
it may be useful to some of the readers of our Journal if I 
describe how we managed to banish the pest, as it is impossible to 
grow good Grapes where it is present, and now is the best time 
to commence operations if all the fruit is cut. 
Some of the bunches were free from the pest, and a piece of 
cotton wool tied tightly round the stems kept them clean until 
they were ripe, when they were all used as quickly as possible, 
and then we commenced action in earnest. The Vines were 
rather old, the borders and roots in very bad condition, spurs 
very long and only about 9 inches apart on each side of the rods. 
The laterals after one stopping had grown into a thicket; half of 
the spurs were sawn off, leaving the cleanest and best, and the 
