September 12. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
455 
and likely to bo well called for the ensuing season, 
having rivetted the attention of hundreds when other 
gay things were passed hy with common notes of admi¬ 
ration ! The where to get it, and how to grow it into 
such beauty and symmetry, are questions so endlessly 
reiterated within two months, that to save a vast deal of 
trouble, I thus say all the little I know about it in The 
Cottage Gardener. Many, no doubt, are imagining 
that this is some scarce, expensive, wonderful new plant, 
if it has created such a sensation ; and I am really net 
half sorry if I must disappoint them, by saying it is 
nothing more nor less than a rather common annual, the 
Saponaria calabrica. —I first saved some seeds of this 
in a border, from seeing it highly recommended some 
years ago by Mr. Beaton, and being in small patches, 
its small pink flowers made no great sensation. I next 
tried it as an edging round a purple bed, and as such it 
delighted many besides myself; but the autumn being 
wet, though the beauty of the bed was not impaired, 1 
did not save a seed, there not being one to save. 1 
resolved to have another trial of it, but the seed I ob¬ 
tained for it turned out a miserable little thing of the 
Silene, or the Lychnis family. I obtained a packet of 
good seed this spring from Mr. Veitcb, and from that 
packet, besides the two large beds, so much admired at 
the respective ends of a large group, I have two smaller 
beds, and detached pieces in the shrubbery, besides 
what have been given to others. These largo beds, 
not only presented a mass of bright pink; but from the 
smallness of the individual flowers, and the airy grace¬ 
fulness, and light and shade all through the beds, made 
up an indescribable charm that arrested every visitor's 
attention, while some of our best gardeners pronounced 
it most lovely—employers and employed thus recognis¬ 
ing its beauty. 
The plant is quite hardy enough to be seen in the 
open air in April, but whether others, by a different 
mode, will excel me next season, or not, 1 shall describe 
the process I employed, leaving others to vary, or not, 
as they think proper, merely remarking, that I have fol¬ 
lowed the same process for years, every now and then 
forgetting hardy annuals to help in the furnishing of 
the flower-garden, experience having shown* me that 
1 could place little depeudance on those sown out- 
of-doors in autumn, unless the winter was both 
mild and dryish. The mode itself has been varied so 
far, that sometimes the sowing took place above an ex¬ 
hausted hotbed, and at other times on a common border ; 
and in both cases the result was equally satisfactory. 
The border being fixed upon, and on a south or west 
aspect, it is well forked over in the beginning of March, 
repeating the operation several times during a fortnight; 
then a little of the dry pulverised surface matter is 
scraped off, to the front anil the back, the thickness of a 
couple of inches of half-decayed leaves, or rather more 
decayed dung is placed over it; this is slightly incor¬ 
porated with the points of a fork, and slightly beat; 
over this is thrown the soil removed at first, and then a 
coating of an inch or two in thickness of light, rich, 
sandy soil. Previously to putting on this last layer, the 
materials are well watered if they are at all dry, and 
when dry on the surface the light soil is added. In 
this upper stratum, slight drills are drawn with a 
pointed stick to receive the small seeds, the drills, 
according to the sorts, being from four to six inches 
asunder, and the seeds arc sown rather thickly than 
otherwise. The watering before sowing is to avoid 
much watering afterwards. Before sowing, small poles 
are laid lengthwise, back and front of the bed, and on 
these, sashes are placed within a lew inches of the soil 
These are slightly shaded in a bright sunshine, and 
protected in very cold nights. In little more than a week, 
the sashes may be dispensed with, and protection given 
at night and in cold weather by mats, hurdles, &c. The 
Siiponarias are only one of many things thus treated. 
After standing unsheltered some time, they wore nice 
little plants by the LOth of May, and were then taken up 
with a trowel, in little patches, the earth and leaf-mould 
adhering nicely to them, and wore at onco turned out 
into the beds about six inches apart all over. In these 
little patches there might be one, two, three, and some¬ 
times more plants, just as they broke into pieces. They 
received several waterings iu May or Juno, never saw a 
tie or a twig, and are now so completely, though lightly, 
woven together, that a common shower, and a common 
wind would do nc harm, both passing so easily through 
them. When sown in a border, in patches, the plant 
seldom rises above a few inches, In these beds it 
mounts to the height of a foot in the centre of the beds. 
Whether after this very hot weather it will continue in 
beauty to the very end of the season may be a little 
doubtful. Formerly, edgings kept good until the cold, 
wot weather did away with out-iloor gardens iu the 
flower-garden. When a limited quantity of plants are 
wanted, the above mode offers several advantages. 
1. A saving of seed, and the certainty ol getting plants 
if the seed is good. A few square loet ot ground would 
raise enough of plants for several large beds. 2. I lie 
saving of protecting annuals in winter. 3. The getting 
the beds well dug, and aerated before planting out in 
the end of April or the first weeks? in May. 4. The 
securing by these means a uniform outliuc in the beds. 
Leptosiphon luteus .—This is truly a sweet liLtle thing 
for an early small bed or edging, its yellow aud golden 
little flowers being very attractive, but, tried on the 
above plan, it is already withering. 
Sanvitalia procumbent .—As many ol our subscribers 
are asking after plants for small beds and edgings, 1 can 
confidently recommend the above trailing annual, pro¬ 
ducing great quantities of small yellow flowers, with 
black protuberant centres, something iu the way ot the 
old Rudbeclcia. Sown and. treated as described for the 
Saponaria, it keeps good the whole season, and is very 
useful, though laying no claim to the light, airy elegance 
of its pink rival. As seeds are sometimos scarce, it is 
easily kept over the winter, in the state of small cuttings, 
inserted thickly in a box of sandy soil iu September. 
Cinerarias .—Those for winter-blooming should, as soon 
as possible, have their final potting into good, light, rich 
soil. Until the cold nights come these plants cannot 
now be too cool. A north aspect, with plenty of a free 
circulation of air, will suit them best. If in pits or frames, 
with a south aspect, they should stand at least one- 
aud-a-half to two-and-a-half feet from the glass—the 
glass be shaded in the fiercest sunshine, but plenty of 
air back aud front. On a shadier aspect they will want 
no glass in such weather as we now have; but, if heavy 
rains come, they should not be washed mercilessly, it 
is quite time enough to sow for plants to bloom in April 
and onwards, and good sorts intended lor the same 
purpose should now bo divided into small pieces, or the 
small suckers that generally throw up after the plant has 
been cut down and planted out, taken up and potted 
separately. We advise all who have a real taste for 
lloristry to consult lists lately given by Mr. Appleby. 
To those with humbler aspirations, and whose estimation 
of the beautiful is not sufficiently refined to suit a 
florist’s fancy, who, in fact, can sec elegance in many a 
shape beside the circular in outliuo, and can admire one 
colouring even though the petals be somewhat starry, in 
imitation of the spokes of a wheel, and whose means of 
gratifying their taste consist more in the attentions of 
head and hands, than in prolificacy of £ s. d., to procure 
at once a packet of Cineraria seeds, sowing part now aud 
.part again in the spring. 
Calceolarias. —Herbaceous.—If these have been sown 
aud pricked out, keep them in the coolest place, aud 
sprinkle and water them with the coolest water you can 
