24 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ February, 
DOT PLANTS FOR WALK 
MARGINS. 
f HE pretty Finikin Sieboldiana is a plant 
commonly grown in herbaceous collec¬ 
tions, or in mixed borders of hardy 
plants, but when grown as a single specimen 
on the turf by the margin of a walk, it forms 
a dense tuft of handsome drooping foliage, 
which gracefully curves over so as just to reach 
the turf, when planted in a small circular 
plot of about a foot and a half in diameter. 
The flower-stems rise well above the foliage, 
and produce a number of light purple bell- 
sliaped flowers, on spikes which do not require 
staking. It grows freely in most kinds of soil, 
but succeeds best in that of a dry light 
character, which should, however, be enriched 
by manure before planting, to the depth of 
20 in. When thus grown it is sure to render 
satisfaction, and will give no more trouble for 
many years to come. I have not tried it under 
pot-culture, but if well grown in neat little 
specimens, I imagine it would make a graceful 
plant for table decoration. 
The Pampas grass, Gynerium argenteum , and 
the Arundo conspicua , are also well suited for 
similar places, only, being larger, they must be 
further from the margin. Both these succeed 
best and look best when elevated a little above 
the ground, which prevents the foliage from 
resting on the surface. We have some plants 
of each planted in rings, about a foot in height 
made of cement, and having a round project¬ 
ing margin at top. These were made about 3 ft. 
in diameter. The soil underneath was taken out 
to the depth of 2 ft., and the space was filled 
up with a mixture of half bog earth and half 
leaf-mould, previous to these borderings of 
cement being placed in position. We have 
also some plants raised on sloping banks of 
turf to about the same height, which, in addi¬ 
tion to keeping the foliage up, has the advan¬ 
tage of keeping the collars of the plants dry 
during the winter months, and thus enabling 
them to withstand severe frosts better than 
when they are set on the level. Both these 
fine ornamental grasses flower freely here. 
Another effective small plot-plant is the 
Centaurea ragusina , when margined by Lobelia 
magnified grandifiora. Amongst other things, 
standard or trained-up stems of Echeveria 
metallica have also a good effect, when edged 
round with the free-flowering and brilliant 
Pelargonium Vesuvius. — J. Webster, Gordon 
Castle Gardens , 
AQUILEGIAS AS FRAME 
PLANTS. 
CfifirfifiLVddi common garden Columbine, Aqui- 
legia vulgaris, is one of the easiest 
grown of border flowers. In all its 
forms it is a pretty flower, the pure white 
variety especially, while many of the double 
forms of varied and brilliant colours are quite 
distinct from anything else we have, and 
cannot fail to command admiration. They are 
perfectly hardy, and only require rich, deep, 
and rather, light soil. 
The species Aquilegia glandulosa, A. ccerulea , 
and the hybrid form of the last-named variety, 
A. coerulea hybrida , are not so easily grown as 
A . vulgaris , not because they are not quite hard}", 
but because of the moisture of our climate, 
combined with the cold, and also because of the 
unfavourable atmosphere in the neighbour¬ 
hood of large towns and cities where they 
are attempted to be grown. I have been 
so unsuccessful in growing them out-of-doors 
in the neighbourhood of London that it was 
determined to cultivate the whole of them 
in pots, and afford them the protection of a 
frame. Good loam, with a little turfy peat 
added, and a fifth part of rotten manure, make 
an excellent potting material. It has been 
stated by some that these species of Aquilegia 
are practically biennial. This is not so, as 
with good treatment they are as much perennial 
plants as the Phlox. I have plants now five or 
six years from seed, and they grow stronger 
and flower better the longer they are kept 
under our system of pot-culture. The plants 
cannot bear coddling, and the frame-lights 
should be drawn off whenever the weather is 
favourable. I keep the lights on during wet 
weather, and when the air is very damp, as 
well as during the prevalence of fogs. The 
green-fly attacks the young leaves as soon as 
the}'' are formed, and these must be got rid of 
by fumigating. Later on, the red-spider at¬ 
tacks the leaves, but this may be prevented or 
destroyed by syringing the under-sides of them 
with rain-water once or twice a day, and allow¬ 
ing the plants to be very freely exposed to the 
air. A great mass of roots is formed in the 
pots, consequently a considerable quantity of 
water is required, and we do not fail to give 
manure-water when the flower-spikes begin to 
rise.—J. Douglas, Loxford HalL 
