348 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 30, 1886. 
Poinsettias being planted out in summer, but never had 
an opportunity of seeing any until last August when on 
a tour in Herefordshire. I visited the fine and well- 
kept gardens of the Earl of Chesterfield, at Holme 
Lacey, under the very able management of Mr. Charles 
Denning ; there I saw planted out on a warm border as 
fine a lot of Poinsettias as anyone could wish to see, the 
plants being as healthy as Groundsel and not more than 
12 in. or 14 in. high. Of course this mode of culture 
would not do in the north, we cannot venture to risk 
our plants in colder quarters than a cold frame ; but if 
I lived in the South of England, from what I saw at 
Holme Lacey, I certainly should grow all my Poin¬ 
settias planted out in summer. Some years ago, I saw 
what I thought a novel way of growing the Poinsettia, 
at Seaham Hall, Durham. Mr. Draper, the able gardener 
in charge, had the back wall of a lean-to house, I 
should think, speaking from memory, about 30 ft. long 
and 12 ft. high, covered from end to end with this 
charming plant. It was planted out in a border and 
trained against the wall ; and, when covered with its 
richly coloured bracts, some measuring over 13 in. in 
diameter, it looked most beautiful. If this note should 
catch the eye of Mr. Draper, perhaps he would give us 
a few more particulars respecting it, how many bracts 
it bears in one season, &c., it would be interesting at 
least to the writer.,— W. C. 
Planting' out Poinsettias.—I am sorry I did 
not give the date on which w’e were visited with rather 
a severe frost last September ; to the best of my 
recollection, it was the third, but am not quite certain, 
as I am not very particular about dates in such matters. 
I can only say, that, had “ all ” our Poinsettias been 
planted out, they would have been killed, hence my 
reason for recording my experience. I have nothing to 
say against Mr. Denning’s advice, indeed, I should be 
only too glad if circumstances would allow me to follow, 
it. The planting out system has a good deal to recom¬ 
mend it, but I maintain that it is unsafe to allow all 
one’s stock of so valuable a subject as the Poinsettia out 
of doors.— G‘. Merrit, Kimpton, Herts. 
Jasminum grandiflorum and hirsutum.— 
Many times I have heard it asked, what shall I grow 
that will yield me plenty of white flowers in winter ? 
I say grow these two plants ; grow them well and they 
will amply repay you for your trouble. Their culti¬ 
vation is quite easy, and should be adopted by everyone 
who has a stove, and are fond of sweet-scented flowers. 
Either of them make grand companion plants for 
Euphorbia jacquinifeflora. They seem to thrive best 
grown in a compost of loam enriched with rotten 
manure. Young plants should be struck in the spring 
from strong wood, and kept growing on in a good heat 
all the summer ; they should be potted into their 
flowering pots not later than the middle of August, 
and kept growing in a moist stove. They will begin 
to show their flower buds about the middle of 
October, and from this time they will continue 
to bloom till the middle of February. Plants of 
either variety will flower in a small state ; but it is 
when they become strong that the grower reaps the 
benefit of a large quantity of flowers. When the 
flowers are required for cutting it is well to drop a 
little Floral Cement into the calyx to secure the flowers 
to it. They can then be used along with other flowers 
for table decoration, or as sprays for ladies, who appear 
to be very partial to them.— JV. G. 
Baumforth’s Seedling Raspberry.— Seeing 
this variety advertised in your columns, you may be 
interested to know that with me it has proved a heavy 
cropper, yielding large and well-flavoured berries. I 
can strongly recommend it to everyone about to 
plant.— S. S., Ireland. 
Phormium tenax variegatum.— A plant of 
this in my cold house has had the soil about the roots 
frozen hard on a few occasions, but to this time it 
does not appear to be in any way injuriously affected 
thereby. On one or two occasions I have trembled for 
its safety, but I am again assured. P. tenax is regarded 
as almost hardy, but I think it may be put down 
as quite so, though my plant, had it been standing in 
a pot out of doors, might have succumbed. It is in 
the coldest part of the house, on a slate floor that is 
open below completely, and simply raised on an in¬ 
verted flower-pot. As a matter of course, water has 
been very sparingly applied during the winter. In 
Ireland magnificent masses of P. tenax have stood 
unscathed the rigours of an Irish winter. I should 
have no hesitation in showing it in a collection of 
hardy variegated plants, though in all probability some 
would object to my doing so. That would raise the 
question of what constitutes a hardy plant ?— R. D. 
- ->X<~ - 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
With out-door operations suspended on account of 
the unfavourable state of the weather, all hands can be 
profitably employed inside. Bedding Pelargoniums 
may now safely be potted off, thus giving employment 
to some. A good place for them will be on the border 
of the early vinery, or other similar structure where a 
moderate heat only is maintained. Pot them singly, 
give a good soaking of water to settle the soil, and they 
will be ready to remove to the cold frames before they 
become much in the way of the necessary work on the 
Vines. 
Let the potting of stove plants proceed as time will 
permit, but do not over-pot; in the case of specimen 
plants which have attained goodly proportions a sur¬ 
facing will be preferable to a shift, more particularly 
this applies to Palms and Crotons; of course, in the 
way of plants of soft growth, such as Cleroden- 
drons, of the climbing types, Stephanotis, and such 
like, annual potting is almost imperative, because, in 
the case of the former, they are (or should be if properly 
treated), subject to greenhouse temperature during the 
latter part of summer to thoroughly ripen, consequently 
from being kept comparatively dry the soil is quite unfit 
to sustain the plant the following season. 
If not already done let the Gardenias be subjected to 
a thorough cleansing ; the buds of these'should now be 
well pushing, and if not quite cleansed at this period 
no amount of after care can remove that greatest of all 
pests—mealy bug from the flowers, added to which, 
nothing is more disgusting than to hand a flower to a 
lady with the stench of bruised bug still clinging to it, 
and this will have to be done unless extra vigilance is 
now used. A friend of mine who grows a quantity of 
these plants allots two men to go over the whole stock 
of plants every morning until breakfast time, and his 
plants are a pleasure to look at. 
Zonal Pelargoniums for indoor work will also now 
need attention, look over the stock, see what require to 
be increased, and put the cuttings in at once; from the 
quantity of forced plants now to hand, of course, these 
can well be spared from decorating, and if turned out 
and re-potted, placed in gentle heat, they will soon start 
away and come in extremely useful later on. Sow with¬ 
out delay the main lot of Cyclamens. 
FORCING HOUSES. 
With an almost utter absence of sunshine, progress in 
this department must be necessarily slow, more parti¬ 
cularly in the way of Vines and Roses, the young 
growths of which, if pushed too hard, will become 
positively sickly to look at, and no amount of after care 
can thoroughly restore them, so that be extremely care¬ 
ful that the temperature at night is rather low than 
high. Where the early Peaches are in bloom, damp as 
little as possible until a favourable change in the 
weather takes place ; keep the pipes chilled only, except 
in the case of sharp frost, when 45° may be maintained 
at night, 55° by day ; more damage is done to Peach 
trees forced by high night temperatures than is generally 
acknowledged or ever known. 
See that the supply of Rhubarb, Sea Kale and 
Asparagus is fully maintained ; also small salads and 
the like. Cucumbers make but little progress, the fruit, 
about 6 in. long, remaining almost stationary ; we have 
applied fresh bottom heat around the pots, and we now 
perceive a change for the better ; to-day we are making 
up a hot-bed for Melons, and one for soft-wooded propa¬ 
gating. Keep the sowings of French Beans regularly 
made so as to avoid gaps in supply. 
Where the early Vines are well started away, I 
would advise a good watering to be given, but be sure 
the water is given of a temperature not below 90° ; very 
frequently at this stage a great deal of injury is caused 
to the crop by the soil in the border becoming too dry, 
for it must be borne in mind that the Vine is a very 
thirsty subject, and, if neglected in its earlier stages of 
growth, the bunches as a rule become blind at the 
points, and also do not set properly although, as may 
be stated, every care has been taken during the time 
they were in flower ; in short, insufficient drainage to 
the borders, together with a corresponding decrease in 
the supply of water, is one of the most certain causes 
of failure in the cultivation of the Vine. 
Introduce Hyacinths, Tulips, Spiraea, and all such 
plants into heat, according to the demand, a few of 
each placed in heat at short intervals is far better than 
putting a quantity in at one time, as, after being forced 
at this season of the year, they soon fade and become 
most objectionable if used for house decoration ; in fact, 
for this purpose Tulips are, in my opinion, far more 
suitable than Hyacinths or Narcissus. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Here, unfortunately, as far as ground work i 3 
concerned we are completely at a standstill, snow falling 
every night for the past five days leaving the ground 
perfectly unworkable, in fact, if digging were attempted 
it would be a long time before any crops could be 
planted, and the soil wrnuld not recover the whole of 
the season. Look well to the covering of the Radish-bed, 
and any other seeds that may have been sown. Keep 
the soil between the rows of winter Spinach well stirred 
as weather permits ; it is too soon yet to make a sowing 
of spring Spinach, as if sown a month hence little time 
will be lost. 
Now will be a good time to make the principal 
sowing of Brussels Sprouts, this, of course, must be 
made inside, treat, them the same as advised in last week’s 
calendar for Cauliflowers, and a good supply all through 
the season will follow. With us this vegetable is never 
too early or too late, always being in demand ; at the 
same time I never place any reliance on the out-door 
sowing for my supply, in fact it does not pay so un¬ 
certain is the result. 
When very early Celery is required for soups (or 
exhibition) a pinch of any variety most fancied by the 
cultivator may now be made ; when sufficiently large to 
handle, let them be potted off singly into 60’s using a 
rich compost, transfer them from heat to cold frames 
when ready ; finally plant out under glass in a pit or 
large pots, as space will allow. Prepare Pea sticks and 
stakes of all kinds ; and while this weather continues, 
keep the wire guards over the rows of Peas and Beans. 
— Walter Child , Croome Court. 
■ -—- 
ORCHID NOT ES AND GLEANINGS, 
Potting’ Cool Hons© Orchids. —On reading 
Mr. O’Brien’s directions for potting cool Orchids in 
The Gardening World for January 16th (p. 315), I 
find that his advice as-to the time when they should be 
potted differs somewhat from my practice. As it takes 
a long time with us to get all the Odontoglossums 
potted, I like to begin in the autumn, before the blinds 
are taken down, and finish by December. If it is a 
span-roofed house I keep the blind up a little later on 
the side most exposed to the sun, and after the plants 
are potted I have them damped on the surface with a 
rose syringe, my idea being that the moisture on the 
surface helps to keep the bulbs from shrivelling. This 
syringing is repeated before the sphagnum gets quite 
dry, damping the foliage as little as possible, until 
about February, after which time, as the sun gets 
stronger, they require more water. My reasons for • 
choosing the autumn and early winter for potting are 
that there are few plants in flower, so that nearly all 
can be potted, and it gives cool house Orchids time to 
make roots before the spring, so that the plants do not 
sutter so much ; but at this time of year, after a snow¬ 
storm has cleaned the glass, the sun shines in quite 
strong, and no one thinks of putting up shading yet. 
With north houses, to my mind, the time for potting 
is quite another question. I should pot Odouto- 
glossums in these at any season of the year, providing 
in hot weather there is sufficient shading on, with 
plenty of moisture in the house and not much venti¬ 
lation. Masdevallias I like to pot at the beginning of 
winter, even in a north house. 
Respecting the sand “idea,” I remember about 
thirteen years ago turning out some Cattleyas, in the 
potting compost of which sand had been used, being 
thrown in by handfulls. It was very fine sand but I 
noticed that the roots ceased to grow when they came 
in contact with it. After seeing this I had a thorough 
dislike to sand for Orchids until about a year or two 
ago, when I began to drift back into the ‘ 1 sand error " 
