450 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June S, 1887. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Hints upon Bedding Out .—We are all naturally anxious to get the 
tedding plants off our hands, but we may easily err in completing the 
work too early. In warm localities the bulk of the plants are frequently 
put out during the last week in May or earlier ; but where it is colder 
the subsoil also being heavy and cold, the first week in June is quite 
early enough for planting all the more delicate kinds. Even well 
hardened-off Zonal Pelargoniums when planted too early change to a 
brown unhealthy hue, and from this they do not quickly recover. Cal¬ 
ceolarias, Violas, Cineraria maritima, Lobelias, and Verbenas, all being 
well hardened off, are not so easily injured, and the same remarks apply 
to Stocks, Asters, Antirrhinums, Fentstemons, Zinnias, Phlox Drum- 
mondi, Dianthuses, and other half-hardy annuals. P’ortunately, all 
unoccupied beds, and which have been laid up to the frosts, will be in 
good working condition, much better than usual in fact. The soil being 
naturally light, it may safely be forked over during the process of 
levelling, but heavy soils should be levelled with the spade and rake, so 
as to avoid bringing that which is almost unworkable to the surface, 
soil brought from below to the surface is very apt to bind and then 
crack badly, and gets into a worse plight when the necessary waterings 
are given. We prefer to plant on a perfectly level surface, the soil 
being well brought out to the edge of the beds or border. This shows 
up the neat edging plants that may be dibbled into the sloping edges, 
and is very much betting than sinking them, only to be overtopped by 
the stronger growing inner plants. Where the beds are large and 
isolated they are, perhaps, more effective when the plants are arranged 
considerably higher in the middle, rounded off to the edges ; but even 
this can be done without unduly raising the soil of the beds. But in 
the case of beds forming part of a design a flat surface of plants is most 
in character with the surroundings, as in this case the stronger 
growers do not overtop the others, thereby preserving the requisite 
evenness of the arrangement. 
All such strong growers as Zonal Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Iresines, 
Verbenas, and Heliotropes should be planted in a sloping direction, this 
admitting of their being easily and safely pegged down and spread 
abroad later on, for pegging down forms part of the system, and properly 
done it insures an even mass of colour. It is a mistake to introduce a 
great variety of plants into any bed forming part of a design. We 
prefer to fill the centres with a mass of rich colour, such as may be had 
from pink, scarlet, cerise, crimson, and other Pelargoniums ; scarlet, 
white, and purple Verbenas; yellow and brown Calceolarias; blue 
Pleliotropes, Iresines, and Coleuses, these being edged with a band, 
narrow or broad, according to the size of the beds, of dwarf Ageratums, 
dwarf variegated or yellow-leaved Pelargoniums, Cineraria maritima, 
Polemonium casruleum variegatum, dwarf Marigolds, Violas, and other 
neat-growing plants ; these in their turn being margined by some of 
the dwarf plants enumerated on page 384. Mixtures of two kinds, such 
as blue Violas and silver variegated golden or bronze-leaved Pelar¬ 
goniums, Verbena venosa and Veronica Andersonii variegata, Iresine 
Lindeni and Gazania splendens, Tuberous Begonias and Mesembryan- 
themum cordifolium variegatum and the old variegated Pelargonium 
Manglesi and Verbena venosa, all having suitable edgings, are also very 
pretty, but they should be done well, or not at all. 
Masses of one kind of plant, such as Pentstemons, Antirrhinums, 
seedling Verbenas, Fuchsias, Petunias, Stocks, Asters, Gaillardias, and 
Dahlias, are very effective in large isolated beds, and these may be 
varied with judicious mixtures of some or all of the foregoing. In hot 
and dry positions a mixture of seedling Petunias and Marguerites 
succeed admirably, and double Zonal Pelargoniums also grow and flower 
well in these positions. A centre of variegated Maize and Salvia patens 
surrounded by double or single Zinnias, outside of these a ring of yellow 
Calceolarias, and edged with autumn-flowering or East Lothian Stocks, 
would be an extremely pleasing arrangement. Yellow or White Mar¬ 
guerites dotted among either Iresines or Beet, edged with a bronze 
Zonal Pelargonium, and margined with blue Lobelia, might prove a 
good change, or Abutilon Thompsoni or tessellatum Darwini might be 
substituted for the Marguerites, and a silver variegated Pelargonium 
for the edging. A grand bed may be formed with single Dahlias kept 
pegged down and edged with Cineraria maritima. 
No kind of plant ought to be expected to thrive year after year in 
the same beds unless some kind of manure is annually added to the soil; 
but as it is often a difficult matter to obtain any kind of solid manure 
for the purpose, excellent substitutes would be found in some of the 
various artificial manures advertised weekly in this paper. A sprinkling 
either added just prior to planting, or soon after the plants are in 
position and stirred in with a flat hoe, would soon have a beneficial 
effect, and such comparatively cheap fertilisers ought not to be denied 
any gardener. It requires a little practice in planting before it can be 
done quickly and neatly, and in many instances it is best to have some 
sort of line to work to. The outer edge and not the middle is the point 
to start from, the turf or Box edge being a good guide, and if the outer 
lines or rings are true it is a simple matter to fill in the centres. Long 
wooden compasses are very useful for marking the outer lines or circles, 
and a good workman can make a sufficiently true line with the back of 
a rake. Nothing should be planted with a dry ball of soil and roots, or 
otherwise the chances are no subsequent waterings will ever moisten 
them again. If the soil in the beds is dry, and this is very frequently 
the case when only just cleared of spring-flowering plants, well water it 
a few hours prior to planting, and this will render planting an easy 
matter. Plant all firmly, the trowel being first passed round each ball, 
and the soil be then made firm with the handle. It is not advisable to 
level the soil about the plants at first, as in dry weather frequent 
waterings will be necessary ; but when well established the flat hoe 
may be worked round the plants and the ground levelled. It being 
rather too early to plant Iresines and in some district Heliotropes, spaces 
can be left for these to occupy later on. If they are crowded in boxes, 
directly a number of small pots are emptied these could be used for 
Iresines, Coleuses, and other late-struck plants, and if kept warm for a 
few days and then hardened off they will take more readily to the beds 
than if put out with little or no soil about the roots. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Oyc’amens .—Young plants raised from seed sown last August will 
now be ready for transferring from 3-inch pots into others 2 inches' 
larger. The whole of the stock may not be in this condition, but those' 
that are should be potted without delay, for if these plants are re¬ 
stricted at their roots during the early stages of growth they seldom 
do well afterwards. Some of the earliest plants will make grand 
specimens provided they are grown without a check, for in their present 
condition they will soon fill the 5-inch pots with roots, and may 
eventually be placed into 7-inch pots. By autumn these will make- 
plants more than 1 foot across. Those that will be ready for 5-inch- 
pots a few weeks hence will make excellent plants for various deco¬ 
rative purposes in that size. Those sown early in the spring and now 
in thumb pots may be placed into 3-inch pots. These also will be 
useful in spring in 4 and 5-inch pots. Keep the whole of the stock 
that has been raised from seed in a night temperature of 60° until 
artificial heat can be dispensed with, which will be as soon as the tem¬ 
perature named can be maintained without its aid. Give light shade- 
for a few hours during bright sunshine, but full light must be admitted, 
for it is better to grow them without shade than that their foliage 
should be drawn weakly. Give liberal supplies of water as soon as they 
are rooting freely in the fresh compost. If once thoroughly dry they 
are severely checked for a long time. Syringe the plants freely during 
bright weather, and maintain a good circulation of air about them. The- 
atmosphere of the house in which they are growing must be moist, as- 
well as the material upon which they are standing. All plants that 
have flowered should be hardened in cold frames until they can be 
plunged outside. Be careful that the supply of water to the roots is not 
neglected. Do not preserve old plants except for seed-bearing, throw 
them away after they have flowered, and rely upon young stock raised 1 
from seed annually. These plants should be potted in a compost of 
good fibry loam two parts, one part of leaf mould, one-seventh of 
decayed manure, and a liberal quantity of coarse sand. 
Kalosantlu’s .—Those required for early flowering may be grown in a. 
li.’ht position in the greenhouse. Place those intended for succession in 
cold frames, gradually harden them, and place outside. The plants in¬ 
tended for flowering another year must not have their shoots pinched, 
for without the shoots are allowed to grow for one clear season they will 
not flower. Plants rooted in 3-inch pots in February, and the points 
pinched out afterwards, will have produced a good number of shoots ; 
these may be placed into (i-inch pots. If the object is to grow good 
sized plants pinch them from time to time when the shoots have made a 
few inches of growth. By pinching and growing the plants on for the- 
first season they will have before autumn a dozen shoots; freely-branching 
varieties will have considerably more. These may be grown in the green¬ 
house for some weeks longer, and then in cold frames. As soon as the 
truss of bloom is well prominent in the early ones feed them with arti¬ 
ficial manure applied to the surface of the soil. 
Chrysanthemums .—The earliest plants, whether bushes or standards, 
for decorative purposes or the production of large blooms, should now 
be thoroughly hardened and placed outside. Transfer all in this condi¬ 
tion from the 6-inch pots in which they are now growing into 10-inch 
pots. The plants can be arranged in their summer quarters, and the 
shoots tied to large stakes. The late-flowering plants may now be 
placed into 0-inch pots and stood outside. More cuttings may now be- 
rooted. If bushes are required insert five or six cuttings together, and 
pinch them once after they are rooted, and some beautiful dwarf decora¬ 
tive plants will be the result. Where tasteful arrangements are required 
during the winter, such varieties as Elaine, James Salter, Early Red 
Dragon, and other free-flowering varieties may be rooted singly in 3-inch 
pots, and afterwards transferred into 6-inch pots. All side shoots should 
be removed until they produce a bud and branch naturally in three shoots- 
Discontinue disbudding, and dwarf standards containing three or four 
fine blooms will be obtained. All that are placed in their flowering 
pots should have for a compost three parts good loam, one part decayed 
manure, one 6-inch potful of soot, and the same quantity of bonemeal- 
to each barrowful of the compost. If the loam is very heavy a little- 
sand may be needed. Water carefully for a time after potting, but 
syringe the plants twice on bright days. 
Tree Carnations .—Place the earliest rooted into 6-inch pots, gradu¬ 
ally hardened and stood outside. Later ones may be placed into 4-inch. 
If such kinds as Souvenir de la Malmaison were potted in early spring 
into 6-inch pots they will be ready for placing into 8 or 10-inch. If the 
object is to grow large plants for another season remove the flower spike 
and train the branches out towards the rim of the pots. If dwarf 
plants were selected to start with this operation will he found simple,, 
and some extra large plants for another year will be produced. 
Saidas .—The early plants now in 6-inch pots may be hardened ready 
for planting out. The shoots should be pinched when they have made 
