September 10. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
385 
THE HOLLYHOCK. 
(Continued from page 370.) 
This stately flower is seen to the best advantage 
when planted in rows on each side of a walk. In such 
a situation they form a gay avenue of flowers. Two 
years ago, we saw an example of this kind of arrange¬ 
ment. it was in the kitchen-gardens at Raby Castle, in 
the county of Durham, the seat of the Duke of Cleve¬ 
land. Mr. Roberts, the gardener, said they were so 
planted to hide the vegetables, and as the family were 
generally only at home during the autumn they an¬ 
swered the purpose well. This way of arranging the 
Hollyhock is far better than planting them in solid 
masses, or in rows across beds, because then the flowers 
are hid in a great measure, but when in single rows on 
I each side of a long walk, every flower can be seen sepa¬ 
rately and distinctly. 
The plants being thus arranged, with due regard to 
mixing the colours, the next consideration is securing 
them from being blown down, or broken off, with the 
autumnal gales. The usual way is to put a strong, tall 
stake to each plant, and as the flower-stems advance in 
height, tying them to the stakes. This method answers 
very well if due care is taken that the ties do not 
strangle the stem. To prevent this, they should be 
examined every now and then; and when the stem 
seems swollen too much for the tie, cut it in twain, 
and tie afresh rather loosely. 
Should the weather prove dry and hot, it will he 
necessary to give plenty of water, or the blooms will 
come small and ill-coloured. Watering will be more 
effectual if the ground round the plants is mulched. 
The best kind of mulch is short stable litter in a half- 
decomposed state. The water, when applied where this 
mulching is used, does not evaporate so quickly, and by 
being thus retained, the roots are encouraged to break 
more into fibres near home, and thus feed the plants ; 
more liberally. The water, also, in passing through the 
litter, carries down into the soil the ammoniacal and 
other soluble parts, and thus enriches the soil still more 
than mere water would do. Rain, also, that falls will 
do the same, so that whether the weather is dry or not, 
mulching is desirable and useful. 
As the flower-stems advance, and the buds begin to 
appear, it will be necessary, in order to obtain large 
flowers and space for each to expand, to thin them. 
Some varieties produce buds very numerously and close 
together; such must be thinned severely; others pro¬ 
duce buds more thinly scattered ; these, of course, will 
not require so much thinning; therefore, this point of 
culture must be exercised with due discretion. Then, 
\ again, when the Hollyhocks are shown in spikes, which 
j is, we think, the proper method, the spikes should be in 
flower to the very top. Now, in order to manage this, 
it is necessary to take off the top of each spike three 
weeks or a month before the day of exhibition; and 
when they are shown in spikes, the flowers on each 
should just touch each other; they then form a dense^ 
mass, and are exceedingly showy and handsome. Of 
I course, the longer each spike is of fresh perfect flowers, 
I the more valuable it will be for exhibition purposes; 
I and the variety that produces perfect flowers in the 
| greatest number in bloom at once will he the most 
highly prized. 
As the stem advances in height the lower blooms 
will fade. Unless these are required for seed they 
should be cut cleanly off. This is too often neglected, 
and nothing looks more untidy than a long stem of 
flowers, some quite decayed, others just fading, and a 
few above them in tolerable perfection. Now this, alto¬ 
gether, is very distressing, we had almost said disgusting, 
to the eye accustomed to see everything in a flower- 
garden in a state of good order and neatness. The 
owner, probably from seeing the flowers gradually de¬ 
caying one after the another, does not perceive the ill 
effect, but, probably, in another garden would observe 
it at once. We were walking through a garden lately, 
and the owner carried his knife in his hand, and kept 
constantly cutting off, not only decaying, but also all 
ill-shaped, or otherwise imperfect flowers. This, he said, 
was his daily practice; and we think it an example 
worthy of imitation, not only with Hollyhocks, but also 
Dahlias, and most other florists’ flowers. 
The Hollyhock, it is well-known, sends forth, when 
strong, or two years old, several weaker shoots from 
each root, besides the strong central one, and such being 
the case, it becomes a matter of inquiry whether these 
side-shoots should be cut off, or all, or part of them, be 
allowed to bloom. The answer to this inquiry will be, 
that it depends upon the purpose for which the Holly¬ 
hocks are grown. If for exhibition in spikes, these side- 
shoots most decidedly should not be allowed to progress; 
but if they are grown for mere ornamenting the par¬ 
terre, the flower-border, or the shrubbery, then the side- 
shoots should be in moderate numbers retained, because, 
as the central stem becomes bare of flowers, the side- 
shoots supply the deficiency. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY. 
(Continued from page 358.) 
During the progress of our tour in the north, we, of 
course, did not forget to visit some of the principal 
nurseries that came across our line of travel; and we 
may venture to assert, that there is no nursery in any 
part of Great Britain, which, for hardy shrubs and Coni¬ 
fer®, surpasses that of Mr. W. Skirvings, at Walton, 
near Liverpool. Perhaps the finest stock of that fine | 
plant, whose praises we have lately, and as we think, 
justly eulogized, the Araucaria imbricata, is to be seen 
in this nursery. Here they are cultivated by thousands, 
varying in size from six feet to as many inches, and all 
cultivated in the open air. The greater part are in pots 
or tubs; but we were informed that several quarters 
were planted out, and frequently removed, in order to 
keep the roots fibry and at home. This is a practice we 
highly approve of, for when Conifer® are kept too long 
in pots, the roots become matted so densely that they 
are necessarily injured more or less when disentangled 
at the season of final planting where they are to grow 
into fine trees. 
Mr. Skirving has a specimen of a remarkable shrub, 
which was new to us. It was named Limonia laureola. 
The leaves are long and rather narrow; the branches 
are numerous and very green when young; and the 
flowers are greenish-yellow, something like the flowers of 
Pittosporum Tobira, and are produced on short spikes 
from the axils of the leaves very profusely. The most re¬ 
markable and valuable property of this ornamental plant 
is its fragrance. The leaves, on being gently rubbed, i 
give out a powerful odour, and the flowers, the foreman 
assured us, were as highly and as agreeably perfumed 
as the honeysuckle. The old and original specimen I 
stands in a corner, sheltered from the winds, but never 
protected in winter. It is only about two feet high, and 
half as much through, but would, no doubt, grow freely 
enough if not mutilated frequently, as this has been 
done, for propagating purposes. We were informed 
that it came originally from Nepaul, and has stood out 
several winters without injury. There is a nice little 
stock of young plants, perhaps one hundred, about a 
foot high. We saw several of these young plants show¬ 
ing flowers. It has not as yet, as the gardening phrase 
is, been let out, and probably will not be until the stock 
is much more increased in number. 
