392 
THE GARDENING WORLD. Few* 20 , isse. 
PLUMS FOR VILLA GARDENS. 
After Apples and Pears, the Plum is the next most 
useful fruit, and one which lends itself to treatment 
very readily on account of the number of surface roots 
which it emits. By removing the trees now and then, 
Plums can be easily kept within bounds, and a tree by 
this means remains in a fruitful state. For wooden 
fences and walls Plums are most suitable, and may 
either be kept in fair shape as received from the 
nursery, merely shortening the shoots to within 1 ft. 
from the main stem the first year of planting, or cordon 
trees may be used, which will bear good crops and give 
a greater variety, or trees with two shoots may be 
selected and trained obliquely (without pruning the 
first season), when, like cordons, they will form buds 
for fruit nearly their whole length. 
Plums do not succeed as espaliers, but as pyramids 
they are very pretty and fertile. If a variety is wanted 
in a small space, the style called columnar, which is a 
very much enlarged cordon, and should be tied to a stake 
to steady it, is the best. The best results and an almost 
certain crop would be secured byremovingevery alternate 
tree for root-pruning each October, as the check to root 
action causes the formation of fruit spurs and buds in 
preference to woody growth, and Plums in any style of 
tree, with a summer pinching and a winter pruning to 
regulate the tree and remove useless and ill-placed 
shoots, soon settle to business and produce good crops. 
Care should be taken not to manure these trees, as the 
ordinary soil of most gardens is quite rich enough ; but 
when a tree is well set with fruit a mulching of rotten 
manure, soap-suds, or Clay’s fertiliser, to be washed in 
by watering, will help to swell off the crop. 
Naturally, the amateur hopes to grow some Green¬ 
gages, but this is an irregular grower, and the birds 
are particularly fond of its bloom-buds in winter. It 
would be best as a bush or pyramid, and must be root- 
pruned to get it to fruit. The kinds most suitable for 
culture in villa gardens will be as follows, all irregular 
croppers or bad growers being discarded :— 
Select Plums. 
1. River’s Early Prolific, purple, very early. 
2. ,, Blue Prolific, an early Damson Plum. 
3. ,, Czar, rich flavour, fruit in clusters, purple. 
4. Deniston’s Gage, early and very rich. 
5. Belgian Purple, very free cropper. 
6. Victoria, large, pink, free bearer in any form. 
7. Jefferson Gage, a luscious dessert fruit. 
8. Prince Englebert, purple, cooking or dessert. 
9. Cox’s Emperor Orleans, large Plums for cooking. 
10. Pond’s Seedling, late pink, enormous size. 
11. Gisborn’s, yellow, for cooking. 
12. Grand Duke, rich purple, the latest good Plum. 
13. Bryanstone Gage, late and fine. 
For walls use old Green Gage and Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7, 
10, 13. For pyramids all are suitable, and for cordons 
also. For columnar trees, 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12. 
Damsons. 
1. The Crittenden or Farleigh Prolific, a great bearer. 
2. Frogmore Prolific, large and sweet. 
3. Glassenbury (Kentish), late and large. 
These should be used as pyramids, standards or 
columns. 
There are many other good sorts, and if it is desired 
to extend the list, add for dessert Coe’s Golden Drop 
(wall), Beine Claude Rouge and The Sultan, and for 
cooking Kentish Byron, Belle de Louvain, Early Orleans, 
and Wyedale for last crop. In purchasing cordons, ask 
for 1-year or 2-year trees. The latter will have a few 
fruit spurs, and for columnar trees procure 2-year trees, 
well feathered and cut for side-shoots in to 3 ins., and 
then summer-pinch all shoots made (as soon as they 
have made four leaves) back to two, and they soon form 
masses of blossom-buds, and are easily protected from 
spring frosts ; and a beautiful sight it is to see them, 
10 ft. or 12 ft., with fruit to the ground, and several 
gatherings can be made at separate times. 
The pyramids must be winter-pruned to within three 
eyes of the old wood, and cut back at the end of June 
to three eyes of the new wood, and regulated again in 
February. Cordons may be twice or thrice summer- 
pinched, and kept as close to the stem as possible. 
Keep down Aphides by syringing with tobacco-water, 
and fix a lath or straight stick to each cordon to keep 
the leading shoot straight ahead. Pyramids should be 
staked till a tree is formed ; a heavy crop can be assisted 
by gathering some of the Plums in a green state, and 
most ot them become very luscious if aSowed to perfect 
their growth and shrivel. The spaces between wall 
trees can be filled by planting Gooseberries or Cun-ants, 
which may be removed when the wall trees require the 
space.— Geo. Bunyard, Maidstone. 
HARDY PLANTS FROM 
TOTTENHAM. 
I think that the charming group of hardy flowering 
plants shown by Mr. T. S. "Ware at the last meeting of 
the Royal Horticultural Society was one of the leading 
features, and I for one lingered over them, admiring 
then- simple and varied beauty. Foremost were some 
pots of the charming Iris reticulata, a native of southern 
Europe, Syria, and Asia Minor. Now, this species, 
with its early bloom, rich and brilliant colour, and 
Violet scent, is distinct from all other Irises in its 
marked individuality of character. It blooms in early 
spring, long before any other Iris shows itself ; it loves' 
a well-drained deep sandy soil ; but then it is so ad¬ 
mirably adapted for growing in a cold frame, so as to 
have the flowers clean and richly marked. If this Iris 
came before the public in the form of an Orchid how 
the fanciers of this tribe of plants would rave about it! 
With it were its variety purpurea, having pale reddish' 
purple flowers ; and a new form named Cyanea, of a 
pretty pale blue colour, and which was deservedly 
awarded a First Class Certificate of Merit. 
Then there were the three giant Snowdrops, Galanthus 
Elwesi, with its broad white sepals, the king of the 
giant Snowdrops, its merits being recognised by the 
bestowal of a First Class Certificate of Merit; G. plicatus, 
the Crimean Snowdrop, also a fine form; and G. latifolius 
or Redoutei, one of the latest to flower of the large 
types. Then there was the chaste spring Snowflake, 
Leucojum vernum, like a Galanthus, but with larger 
and handsomer flowers ; but how seldom one sees it, 
and yet it is as a virgin queen among early spring¬ 
flowering plants. It has long been known as a conti¬ 
nental plant, and was valued and grown in our gardens 
when hardy flowers were more esteemed than they are 
at present ; but, singularly enough, its existence as a 
true native was not known, it is said, until about 
1867-68, when it was found in abundance on the 
“Greenstone heights in the neighbourhood of Britford. ” 
To succeed in the open air, it must be grown in light, 
rich, well-drained soil, in a sheltered position. 
Then there was that lovely Crocus C. Imperati with its 
lovely pale mauve inner petals, and creamy striped outer 
ones. It should be grown in pots in a cold frame to 
have it in its beauty as it flowers so early and is so 
lovely. Then there was Narcissus monopliyllus, the 
White Hoop Petticoat Nareiss ; a pot full of this was 
shown in a charming condition, and much admired as 
it deserved to be. There were pots of pretty Cyclamen 
such as C. Atkinsii roseum, purpureum, C. courn, 
roseum, and album, these had been grown in a cold 
frame and carried good heads of bloom. Chionodoxa 
Sardensis was also to be seen, dark blue in colour, 
with a white eye, and said to be better than C. 
Lucilke. Hyacinthus azureus is like a pale blue 
Muscari, but unless shown in better condition will 
scarcely captivate. 
Lastly, I make mention of the pretty Indian Primula 
floribunda, to which semperflorens might well be added 
for it is always in flower. During the winter, not being 
quite hardy it should have a house or frame from which 
frost can be excluded. It likes a soil a little dry, 
regard being had of course to the season of the year. 
As it seeds freely there is no difficulty in raising seed¬ 
lings. Seed sown at this season of the year soon 
germinates, and the plants bloom in a few weeks. It 
was deservedly awarded a First Class Certificate of 
Merit, and it should be noted as an excellent com¬ 
panion to P. obconica.— B. D. 
--—>=£<-—- 
ADIANTUM FARLEYENSE. 
In many cases this fine Adiantum is seen in a linger¬ 
ing half-starved condition, the owner wondering how it 
is he cannot grow it to perfection as he sees it elsewhere. 
Too much coddling is often the cause of this state of 
things, combined with too low a temperature, and the 
wrong kind of soil in which it is potted. When well 
grows it is one of the finest and noblest objects anyone 
could wish to see either in an exhibition tent or a stove 
Fernery. I find the best way to make it grow freely 
is to give a good temperature, and pot in a mixture of 
rough fibry loam and leaf soil in equal parts, adding 
plenty of broken crocks and sharp silver sand. Before 
adding-the crocks &c., sift the finer particles out of the 
loam and leaf soil, and use nothing but the rough material 
for potting. It must at no time suffer for the want of 
water, and sufficient must be given at one time to 
thoroughly soak the whole ball. It should never be 
syringed but water the material well upon which they 
are standing, this prevents the atmosphere getting too 
dry about them. If this method is followed small 
plants may be made into large ones in one season, and 
the well doing of the plant will be a satisfaction to the 
owner. Summing up as a whole this fine Adiantum 
wants heat, moisture, and a porous soil without peat 
to grow it to perfection. — TF. G. 
-- 
SWEET-SCENTED FLOWERS. 
The want of scent is a great drawback to some of our 
most showy stove and greenhouse flowers. To those 
who are sometimes a little puzzled as to what they shall 
grow that will give both useful and scented flowers, I 
will name a few that any amateur may grow with ease 
and any gardener grow with profit and pleasure. As a 
stove climber, first and foremost stands Stephanotis 
floribunda, a plant well-known to almost everyone. 
For a back wall, Hoya carnosa will answer very well, 
so will either of the following Jasminums, Samhae 
pleno, J. gracillimum, and J. hirsutum ; and for sus¬ 
pending in baskets, Hoj-a bella and PaxtonL For 
growing on the stages nothing can surpass the Gar¬ 
denias and Tabermnseon tanas for their rich perfume, but 
for size of bloom, exquisite form and loveliness, the 
Eucharis must take the lead. Rynehospermum jasmin - 
oides is another plant that may be easily grown on a 
trellis. All of these I have named have white flowers 
and are always appreciated whenever they bloom. 
As a greenhouse climber the Heliotrope gives an abun¬ 
dance of flowers and its scent is well known. Tea- 
scented Roses may also be used, Gloire de Dijon and 
Marechal Niel being as good as any. Jasminum gran- 
diflorum is a capital plant for the roof or for trellis 
work, and its pure white flowers are always useful. 
Daphne indica rubra is a very fine scented greenhouse 
plant, and may be grown as a bush or trained on a 
wall. Of Acacias, nearly all the varieties may be grown, 
and nearly all the large flowering varieties of grceu- 
liouse Rhododendrons are highly scented. Liliums are 
well-known for the perfume they yield in the summer 
and autumn, Cinerarias, Cyclamens, Tree Carnations, 
Genistas, Choisya ternata, and all Dutch Bulbs in the 
spring months. Kalosanthus, all the varieties are 
very sweet, the perfume being like honey. Magnolia 
fuscata is one of the most lovely scents that can per¬ 
vade a greenhouse, the flowers are small, of a brownish 
hue, and produced freely ; but one small flower will fill 
the whole house with a scent like the finest ripe pine¬ 
apple. 
Boronia megastigma is another plant with peculiar 
flowers produced from the axils of the leaves, the 
colour being lemon-yellow inside, the outside brownish 
purple, and the delicious aromatic fragrance of tha 
flowers scent the whole house ; this last plant is 
very delicate and should not be attempted unless 
some previous experience has been had with this class 
of plants.— TF. G. 
-->&<-- 
GLASS WALL-COVERS. 
In a climate so variable as ours, the importance of 
glass protectors in spring for our wall fruit trees call 
hardly be over estimated. The subject is one that has 
claimed the attention of our best gardeners and horti¬ 
cultural builders for some years past, and many 
expediences have been resorted to, to meet the case, but 
hitherto with no very great amount of success, owing 
in the first place to the cost of good substantial glass 
protectors, and secondl 3 T , to practical difficulties in their 
removal from the walls when not wanted, and adapt¬ 
ability for application to other purposes. 
Among others who have turned their attention to the 
designing and manufacturing of useful garden adjuncts 
of this character, may be named the firm of Messrs. 
~W. Richardson & Co., of Darlington, who are about to 
bring out a new glass wall-cover, to be called “ The 
Darlington,” and of which we give an illustration on 
the opposite page. The manufacturers claim for their 
novelty that it is portable in the fullest sense of the 
word, the entire front, which is composed of sashes, 
the ends, and the top glass, being made so as to lift off 
with the greatest ease and rapidity ; and that as regards 
cost it is cheaper than anything that has been offered 
before. 
These are advantages which combined with those of 
complete protection, thorough ventilation when desired, 
and the many uses to which the lights can be put when 
not fixed to the case, should ensure for “ The Darling¬ 
ton ” system wide application. 
