April IB. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
29 
CHINESE AZALEAS DROPPING THEIR FLOWER- 
BUDS. 
E. N. C. asks:—“ Can you teR tlie reason why my 
Azaleas are throwing out strong shoots close to the flower- 
buds, which seem to he withering, instead of coming into 
blossom.” Here are united two questions, wide as the poles 
asunder. The “ reason ’’ why the shoots grow “ close to 
the flower-buds ” was given on the third day of the Creation, 
and is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis—that the 
plants might increase. The “reason” why the flower- 
buds wither, is that they did not arrive at the proper state 
of development before the plants went to rest last autumn, 
or, in garden phrase, they were not ripe. The reason for 
their not ripening might be the wet season, a large shift 
the spring before, anil other causes. Another reason for 
Azaleas casting their buds is, a ball of earth “ as dry as a 
bone," in the centre, and wet enough next the pot, hut if 
that was the reason in this instance, the new growth would 
not be so strong as is described. 
BORDER AND VINES FOR SMALL VINERY. 
“ Will you inform me how to make a Vine-border, and what 
sort of compost to use in the making. Also, what sorts of 
Vines will best suit a small vinery in Lancashire.—M. D.” 
[If you were intending to cultivate Vines in the open air, 
it would be important for us, as your adviser, to know in 
what part of England you reside, but as they are to be 
under glass, our answer would be about the same whether 
you resided in the south, midland, or northern district of 
England. 
Make your Vine-border as much above the surface as you 
can, say half-a-yard. Drain it thoroughly, or it will not 
succeed. Chopped turf, the older the better, is tolerably 
complete in itself, but if you must have a compost, use half 
turf, the other half leaf soil, and half-decayed manure 
adding lime rubbish liberally. These ingredients must be 
thoroughly mixed. The Black Hambro’, White Muscadine, 
and Barbarossa, will suit a small Lancashire vinery well, 
putting the Barbarossa at the warmest end.] 
CLIMBER FOR UNDER A WALNUT-TREE, *c. 
“ I have an apiary, one post of which conies under a 
Walnut-tree. I have, at the other posts, Clematis and 
Honeysuckle, hut can get nothing to grow under the Walnut. 
Can you tell me of a creeper? What name doos the old- 
fashioned ‘ Bachelor’s Button ' go by at seed shops ; and 
the pretty, yellow, globular flower one sees in large old- 
fashioned gardens ? I think it belongs to the Ranunculus 
tribe, it is about two feet. high.— Annie.” 
[ Ranunculus acris flare p!eno is the book name for 
Batchelor’s Buttons, but the garden Rnd trade name is just 
Batchelor’s Buttons, and it is a much better name. Neither 
of them produce seeds. You can only get plants of them 
at Od., 0d., or Is., according to where you buy them. 
The “ pretty, yellow, globular flower one sees in old- 
fashioned gardens,” is a Ranunculus, and one of our best 
herhaceons plants, late in the spring. The name is Tro/lius 
europeus, or Globe flower, another sixpenny, ninepenny, or 
a shilling plant. The Ayrshire Rose, called Ruga, will suit 
you exactly for the climber, but you must save it from the 
roots of the Walnut till it is strong enough to fight it out 
for itself. That can best be done by planting it in a barrel 
sunk in the ground by the post. A thin, empty butter, or 
pork tub from a grocer, will do for this strong climber, as 
after four years the Walnut cannot hurt it. Let some of 
the shoots be trained all over the Walnut tree, and then 
let them hang down from the boughs, and festoon them 
over or along the back of the apiary; nothing looks better.] 
FUCHSIAS AND PELARGONIUMS SHEDDING 
TILETR LEAVES. 
“ I have a very small greenhouse, to enable me to nurse 
a few plants, and last autumn I had it heated with hot- 
water, in pipes, and the Geraniums and' Fuchsias appeared 
to do pretty well through the severe weather. I had struck 
a number of cuttings of Geraniums, Ac., and I potted them 
very carefully, and also some old dried Geraniums, in rich 
soil, the last week in February. I have since lost such a 
great number, I feel quite at a loss. Some of them are 
alive, but have poor little leaves, the size of two pins heads, 
and quite yellow; the large leaves having dropped off. 
What is the cause?— A Subscriber and Amateur.” 
[We wish you were within half-an hour’s distance, we 
could then tell you more about it, and know more about 
your wants and wishes in five minutes, than we should be 
able to unfold in five columns. We do not profess to read 
hearts and heads by calligraphy, and yet we feel more than 
ordinarily anxious to oblige you, and as a proof of that, we 
would humbly give an advice, and that is, to express your- j 
self clearly, as well as elegantly. In the present case, we ! 
do not know whether it is the Fuchsias or the Geraniums, 
and of the latter, whether it is the old dried-up plants, or 
the young ones propagated last summer, that have lost all 
their foliage, and have only some tit bits the size of two 
pins. All this would be necessary for our telling you all 
about it just as if we.were inside the greenhouse. For in¬ 
stance, if the Fuchsias were of any size, and the ripening 
process was going slowly on duiing the winter, we should 
expect the old foliage to drop, and then the small leaves 
would break, gradually increase in size, and the plants 
could be treated in any of the various ways hitherto de¬ 
tailed. If the old Geraniums that were partially dried 
up were chiefly alluded to, then the falling of the large 
leaves, and the coming of these tiny things would just be 
the thing wanted, as they would be large enough by the 
middle of May. But if reference is chiefly made to the 
young or middle-aged Geraniums thdt were comparatively 
healthy before potting, and so miserable afterwards, then 
there has been somothing radically wrong. Such as—1st. 
The soil being too rich; nothing is better for such things 
than sandy loam from the road side, and the addition, if 
any, of a trifle of very rotten manure or leaf-mould. 2nd. 
Was there no check at potting time ? were the plants 
properly watered before being potted? was the soil warm 
and aired, not cloggy, nor cold, nor frozen? were the plants 
not taken out, and kept out, in a very cold day ? was cold 
water used after potting ? was there not as much air arid 
light given when the little plants were moved from the 
cutting-pots as before, instead of being kept closer and 
warmer, until the roots were able, at least, to press against 
the sides of the pot ? Instead of being warmer, was not 
the house at several periods allowed to get colder, after 
shifting ? Some of these you may detect as the cause in 
your case. As a general remedy, keep your plants in 
cutting-pots until next March or April, there will be fewer 
casualties in moving them then.] 
PRIMULA SINENSIS FIMBRIATA. 
“ Which will be my best and proper method of raising 
the Primula sinensis fimbriata from seed? I am a great 
lover of flowers, and though in a humble class and home, I 
always contrive to have a flowering plant or two blooming 
in my window in the summer. There are Fuchsias plenty. 
In the winter I can get little else than Primulas, or a 
Scarlet Salvia, nursed into a premature blooming. This 
year my Primula sinensis has hardly pleased me, it has been 
very flat and single-looking. Will you kindly tell me if 
‘fimbriated’ means double looking, and if so, what will be 
the proper mode of sowing, transplanting, and rearing 
through the summer?— Primula Sinensis.” 
[You may rest assured that we are never more delighted 
than when we can gain access to humble homes, as nowhere, j 
are flowers more appreciated, and nowhere else do they 
shed such a mellowing and elevating influence. The term 
fimbriata means fringed, and not double, the only difference , 
of this and the common being, that the petals are more cut | 
and crumpled on the edges, which gives the flower a much 
more massive appearance, and then the colour is much 
brighter and richer. We suspect you have obtained the 
common pale variety, and frequently you may have pale 
flowers from seeds saved from the best flowers. If you 
told us of your conveniences, we could tell you more about 
its management. You would have less trouble it you 
could sow' the seed in a hotbed. If you have only your I 
window, sow in light, sandy soil, and put a tumbler over it. \ 
When the seedlings are up, give a little air on one side. 
When possible to handle them easily, prick them out in 
another pot, one inch apart, and still shade from bright 
sunshine. By-and-by they will want a pot a piece, and by 
