ecember 26, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
563 
then very lightly, on fine afternoons damping the house. See that 
the soil is in a proper condition as to moisture, using tepid water with a 
dash of guano or some fertiliser in it, applying it copiously when 
required, which will be about every ten days. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Herbaceous Plants. —When the ground is fairly dry, and the weather 
mild, advantage may well be taken of a favourable time to lift, divide, 
and replant many of the stronger growing hardy occupants of the 
mixed or herbaceous borders as may need it. All in time become either 
too large for the site, or else present a less healthy appearance, owing 
to having exhausted the stock of food contained in the soil. The first 
to become crowded and exhaust the soil are the Phloxes, Delphiniums, 
Spiraeas, Campanulas, Potentillas, Hemerocallis, Asters (Michaelmas 
Daisies), Pyrethrums, notably P. uliginosum, Heleniums, Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, Helianthuses (Sunflowers), and Anemone japonica. About every 
third year these pay well for lifting, dividing, and as many as are 
required replanted, either in their old stations, after some fresh soil and 
manure has been added, or, better still, in quite fresh quarters. When 
crowded and starved, the flowering season is frequently of short duration, 
especially if they have to pass through a hot dry summer ; whereas, when 
freely divided and replanted in fresh rich soil, they are much less 
affected by drought, and in any case the quality of the flowers is superior. 
Plunging forks, and in some cases ordinary digging forks, are much the 
best for dividing strong clumps, and when replanting the divisions take 
good care to well bury and firmly fix the soil about the roots, without, 
however, unduly lowering the hearts of the plants. Less vigorous 
plants, and which are too numerous to name here, may well remain 
undisturbed for a much longer period, or say double the time of the 
strong growers, and these require to be more carefully handled. 
Re-arranging Herbaceous Plants. — Not unfrequently old, and, it 
may be, somewhat neglected mixed borders, would be greatly improved by 
being re-arranged, and on the whole the present time is, weather per¬ 
mitting, as suitable as any for this important work. It is true they are 
more often taken in hand in the spring, but in most gardens there is 
usually much other work to be attended to, and besides this also greatly 
interferes with the display made by early-flowering bulbous plants. 
Old clumps of the latter are in many instances now rooting freely, and 
at this stage of growth may be lifted, divided, and replanted without 
detriment to their flowering either during the next or following spring. 
Supposing it is decided to completely re-model a border, the first 
proceeding should be to well scrape back the loose gravel on the walk 
near at hand (and such are very general), and on this set the clumps 
of plants and bulbs, according as these are carefully searched for and 
forked out of the ground. If the nights are somewhat frosty, or the 
weather unsettled, too great a length of border should not be broken up 
at one time, or not more than can be trenched and replanted in one day. 
In most cases double digging or bastard trenching only ought to be 
resorted to, abundance of half-decayed manure being mixed principally 
with the top spit. There is no necessity or wisdom in returning the 
plants to the borders in formal lines, the better plan being to plant them 
somewhat irregularly, due regard being paid to the respective heights 
of the species and varieties, care also being taken to well mix them so 
that the early flowering kinds may alternate with those much later in 
coming into flower. Nor is it advisable to plant rather thickly, there 
being a considerable number of half-hardy plants that room should be 
found for in herbaceous or mixed borders. All, whether bulbous or 
otherwise, to be correctly labelled, the simplest and best kind of label 
being made from 1 foot lengths of sound Hazel rods, these being pointed 
at one end, and faced and painted white at the other. Mulch with 
manure or leaf soil after the border is planted. 
Manuring and Mulching Borders. —The least that can be done to an 
herbaceous border is to thoroughly clean and mulch it at this time of 
year. All tender plants, whether dead or not, ought to be removed, and 
the dead tops of the hardy occupants trimmed off, and these, with any 
weeds there, may be consigned to the rubbish heap for burning. The 
surface of the border may then be very lightly and carefully forked 
up, the greatest care being necessary where many bulbs are grown, after 
which a liberal dressing of partially decayed manure, with loam added 
if it can be spared, and also charred rubbish, or the contents of a 
“smother” generally should be applied. Old Mushroom-bed manure 
is good for the purpose, and so also is a heap of leaves and manure that 
may previously have done duty as a hotbed or Vegetable Marrow heap. 
This mulching will answer the double purpose of enriching the border, 
and also to a certain extent as a protector of the roots from severe 
frosts. Bulbous-rooted plants, if planted sufficiently deep, are, as a rule, 
quite hardy, but if within 2 inches of the surface they may well be 
protected with a mound of either ashes, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or leaf 
soil. 
A Selection of Hardy Flowering Plants. —There is an almost un¬ 
limited number of species and varieties of serviceab’e and beautiful 
plants suitable for filling mixed borders, and which may be purchased 
and planted at the present time, the only exception being where the 
pieces are too tiny to be trusted co the tender mercies of slugs and other 
enemies, including a careless gardener’s feet. The following, arranged 
much in their order of flowering, would be found very satisfactory :— 
Leucojum vernum, Snowdrops, Crocuses, Chionodoxa Luciliae, Narcissi 
and Daffodils in great variety, German Irises, Anemones appenina, 
sylvestris and fulgens, Cheiranthus alpina, Polemonium Richardsi, 
Ibericus gibraltarica, Alpine Auriculas, Primulas Sieboldi and vulgaris 
in variety, Dodecatheon Jeffrevanum and meadia, Gentiana acaulis, 
Aquilegia, hybrids of coerulea, californica, and glandulosa, Anthericumi 
liliago and liliastrum, Dielytra spectabilis, Campanulas glomerata amd' 
dahurica, double Pyrethrums, Centaureas montana and alba, Erigeroni 
aurantiacus, Hemerocallis flava, Lupinus nootkaensis and polyphyllus r 
Ornithogalum umbellatum, Papaver bracteatum, Solomon’s Seal, Trollius 
asiaticus, Verbascum phoeniceum, Tradescantias virginica and alba,, 
double Potentillas Gloirede Nancy and Dr. Andr6, double white Rocket, 
Geraniums armenum and ibericum, Erigeron speciosus and macran- 
thus, Dianthus barbatus magnificus, hybrid Delphiniums, including 
Belladonna and formosum, Asphodelus luteus and ramosus, Pseonies in 
variety, Spanish and English Irises, Veronica spicata. Spiraea aruncus, 
filipendula plena and venusta, Pentstemon barbatum,(Enothera speciosa, 
Galega officinalis. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Poinsettias. —As the bracts of these fail the plants needed for stock 
should be given careful treatment afterwards. Do not transfer them at 
once from a warm to a cold structure, but remove them gradually, and 
with the same care diminish the supply of water until it will be safe to 
keep them perfectly dry and cool. Plants that are doing duty in 
the conservatory will need no more water than will keep their 
foliage fresh; these when the bracts fail will do very well in cool 
quarters. 
Euphorbia jacquinieeflora. —Plants that have flowered in the stove 
need also the same careful treatment. They are liable to suffer if 
kept too wet or suddenly kept too dry. These after flowering should 
not be placed in too low a temperature ; after they have been gradually 
hardened and can be kept dry, they will be perfectly safe in a tempera¬ 
ture of 50°. However beautiful these may be while in flower in the 
stove, they are much more useful in the conservatory where the tem¬ 
perature is not allowed to fall much below 50°, they also last double the 
length of time. Where nearly all flowering plants have to be employed 
in this structure there is a tendency to stiffness at this season of the year 
unless such light graceful plants as the one under notice are grown in 
quantity and utilised for standing well above plants of a dwarf compact 
nature. By the aid of Poinsettias, Euphorbias, late Calanthes, and plenty 
of Centropogon Lucyanus formal arrangements need not exist. Some 
care is necessary in removing the latter from heated to cooler structures,, 
or else its foliage turns yellow and quickly disfigures its appearance. 
Plants that have prod uced in the stove their terminal truss may be bent 
round four or five small stakes, when they will soon break into growth 
and flower again. 
Justicia flavicomc. —Plants that may have flowered should not be- 
thrown away ; if they are retained they will flower again, and in a short 
time will produce better plumes than they did at first. In all gardens 
where effective arrangements are needed during the first four months of 
the year this plant should be grown in quantity on a single stem ia 
5-inch pots. 
Linum trigynum. —Those having flowered should be cut well back. 
It#s not necessary to retain many plants for stock. Those that are 
retained, if they have been infested with red spider, should be 
thoroughly cleaned. The best means is to remove all the foliage and 
sponge their stems with a strong solution of an insecticide. Plumbagos 
may also be cut back. The foliage should not be removed from this plant. 
Its greatest enemy is thrip, which can readily be destroyed by dipping 
in a solution of tobacco water. 
Coleus and Tradescantias. —Both these are useful in small pots for 
various purposes of decoration. The latter will root quickly and freely 
enough in any heated structure, while the former should not be in a 
lower temperature than 65°. They strike freely enough inserted in the 
pots from which they are to be used if stood on a shelf over a hot water 
pipe. They should be kept moderately moist. 
Selaginella Eraussiana. —This is most useful in from 3 to 5-inch pots 
for a variety of purposes. Fill pots with light soil in which plenty of 
fine leaf soil has been incorporated well above the rim, and prick thickly 
into them growing ends of plants that have been reserved for thi3 
purpose. If placed in a warm moist house they will quickly root and 
cover the surface. It is a good plan to make up a few pots according 
to the demand, at intervals of a fortnight. 
Polystichumproliferum. —A useful Fern in any size pots up to those 
5 or 6 inches in diameter. We find it most useful in 4-inch pots. Plants 
placed in these in autumn and have been kept cool, may be introduced 
into a temperature of 50° to 55°. Remove the old foliage and plant a 
little Selaginella round the crown, and they will soon push up new 
fronds, and in a few weeks be ready for any form of decoration. Some 
in small pots to replace these may be placed into large, and Selaginella 
dibbled in at the same time, not too thickly, or it outgrows the plant 
when they are first potted. These will do capitally in a Peach house or 
vinery that has been started, in fact in a'most any position until they 
begin to grow. 
Adiantum cuneatum. —Where all the fronds have been gathered 
that are of any service, the old plants may be cut over, and if slugs have, 
infested them they should be well dusted with soot. Place these plants 
in a temperature of 40° for a few weeks to rest. Be careful not to 
overwater plf.nts that have just started into growth ; for these a tempera¬ 
ture of 60° will be ample, while those with abundance of ful’y developed 
fronds should have a temperature 5° lower. Any plants that display 
signs of growing should have fronds that are ready for cutting removed* 
to give the young ones a chance, and should be encouraged to grow.. 
Fern fronds will be less plentiful during the next two months than, 
what they are now, unless amp’e provision has been made to maintain. 
a supply. 
