THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 7, 1886. 
778 
Acers are well grown at The Deepdene, Mr. Burnett’s 
method being to cut them back every year, and that 
insures an uniform and clean growth. 
-- 
THE GARDENS AT EDGE HALL. 
In' my humble opinion there is no gardening like 
hardy plant gardening, and no hardy plant gardening 
like that on rockwork and mounds. I have just 
returned home from a visit to a well-known garden in 
Cheshire, where rockwork gardening is admirably 
carried out. Pressing home work keeps me from many 
pleasant and instructive visits, but being obliged to go 
to the neighbourhood of Liverpool, and having my son 
with me, I could not resist the pleasure of a few days 
at Edge Hall. Much had been done since my last visit; 
the rockwork with its variety of stone is wonderfully 
successful, and shows what energy, perseverance and 
study, assisted by an excellent library, will do in a 
climate colder and damper than that of our home 
counties. Many of the plants, some of them difficult 
ones, grow in such vigour that it shows that the 
climate suits them; but the sheltering rock and 
judicious lightening of the soil make others grow, 
which prefer warmer and drier situations. Campanulas 
have always been favourites of Mr. Wolley Dod ; some 
of the rarer ones were simply masses of bloom. 
A favourite plaut of my old friend Mr. At kin s, of 
Pains-wick, Onosma taurica, had grown more luxuriantly 
than I ever before saw it. Arnebia echioides showed 
itself thoroughly at home, as did many of the rare 
Saxifrages. I will not attempt to enumerate the 
different plants which are in great numbers, and many 
of them rare. I was much interested to find that Mr. 
Dod, by his broken granite, had arrived at results 
which we have been attaining by different means, hut 
on the same principle. In his garden beds Lilium 
pardalinum in all its varieties and L. testaceum were 
very line, and in great vigour ; and in a rough cold 
Lily-house L. Parryi, L. Humboldti, L. Washingtoni- 
anum, and L. dalmaticum were as fine as I have ever 
seen them under any treatment. People often speak of 
gardening as a pleasant amusement; it is, of course, a 
pleasant occupation, but carried out as it is at Edge Hall 
it is as much a study and a science as any of the more 
recognised sciences. In conclusion, I would advise 
anyone with plants, especially Alpines, which they 
cannot master, to send some to the Rev. C. Wolley 
Dod, Edge Hall, Malpas, Cheshire, and I shall he 
surprised if he does not discover how to make them 
grow. —George F. Wilson, Heatherbank, Wcybridge. 
■ - ->=£<— - 
WINDOW, TABLE, AND 
INDOOR PLANTS. 
Among plants of recent introduction, none bid fairer 
to be of great service for all the purposes for which plants 
are required indoors, than the species of feathery Aspara¬ 
gus from South Africa, which are now plentiful enough 
to warrant my recommending them. I have tried them 
indoors and find that they all do well as window plants, 
although A. plumosus nanus is, perhaps, the most 
manageable, as it is the most beautiful of them. The 
original trailing variety of A. plumosus, too, is a very 
beautiful plant for running over a screen, or round the 
edge of a jardinier, and it forms a beautiful object grown 
in a basket. Those who can accommodate these plants 
with room in the conservatory, will find them great ac¬ 
quisitions, and if care is taken to divide up the sorts 
from time to time, a good and useful stock for indoors 
may soon he gdt. Few plants are easier multiplied in 
this way than these Asparagus, as their tuberous roots 
render them self-supporting, until re-established, with¬ 
out the protection of the cutting case. 
Everywhere, one now sees in great beauty, in 
windows, both indoors and out, our common Toad 
Flax (Linaria cymbalaria), and the Creeping Jenny 
(Lisimachia nummularia). In suitable positions these 
are two of our best hanging plants, and well worthy 
of attention ; they may also be trained up trellises. 
In some of the window boxes they are superb. Also 
showing up well in window boxes are the double 
Ivy-leaf Pelargoniums, which are great acquisitions for 
such work, and destined to be largely used ; some of 
them are literally covered with blooms. Whoever 
grows them in this way, should, on removing the boxes 
in the autumn, carefully pot up the double Ivy-leaf 
Pelargoniums, and winter them for use next year, as 
they improve in size and beauty every year, and should 
not he allowed to remain out until killed by frost. — M. 
A., Camb. 
FRDITS, FLOWERS & VEGETABLES. 
Earwigs and Chrysanthemums.— Having 
read the remarks which have appeared in your columns 
upon this subject, I should like to express my opinion 
that earwigs do injure the plants during the present 
month, and up till, and in fact after, the plants are 
housed. Of the two great enemies of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum, viz., green fly and earwigs, I think I would 
rather have to deal with the former, as that can be 
kept well under by dusting with tobacco powder ; but 
when the earwigs make their appearance, they very 
frequently do what one does not wish done this month, 
viz., stop a shoot by eating the very point out, and 
thereby cause that shoot to break again when it should 
be growing on so as to produce the flower buds this 
month. — W. Martin, The Cedars, Woodberry Downs. 
Hardy Plants in Flower.— At p. 673 your 
correspondent “Con” seems rather in confusion about 
the Lychnises there mentioned. L. vespertina plena, and 
L. dioica alba plena, are synonymous, but according to 
the manner in which they are cited they may be regarded 
as two ; would your correspondent also be good enough 
to describe the plant which he gives as L. coccinea flore 
plena, as I am not aware of any species bearing the 
name “ coccinea,” and, but for the fact that the double 
form of L. chalcedonica having preceded it, I should 
have concluded that was the kind meant 1 Has your 
correspondent the true L. viscaria rubra plena ? If so, 
I should be pleased to get it. I have abundance of 
L. viscaria splendens plena, which though a very fine 
plant does not equal the pyramidal and dense spike of 
the first named, nor is it so deep in colour. I would 
also be pleased to exchange other plants for one or two 
named by “Con” ; my address may be had of the 
Editor of this paper upon application.— E. Jenkins. 
Tomatos in the Open Air.—A neighbour of 
mine, in the market gardening line, has about two 
acres of Tomatos in the open air. The variety he grows 
is a selection of the ordinary large red, dwarf in growth, 
and remarkably free in fruiting. The seeds are sown 
in a little warmth, and the plants are grown on in pots 
until they are in pairs or singly in large sixty and forty- 
eight sized pots, and they are planted out in the open 
as soon as possible. In this particular case they followed 
Coleworts. The plants are about 2b ft. apart, and 
they have in some cases two, in others three, main 
stems, and the fruit is already half grown. ’When the 
plants are about 18 in. or so in height, they are well 
mulched with long manure, and now workmen are 
going through them picking off all lateral growths, so 
that air and light may reach the rapidly swelling fruit; 
none of the plants are staked, and they do not rise 
much beyond 2 ft. The Tomatos are growing in light 
stony ground, and they produce quick, heavy and 
remunerative crops of fruit.—A D. 
Carnations and Picotees Planted Out. 
—I think amateur lovers of these brilliant and, as a 
rule, sweet-scented flowers should express to you their 
acknowledgements for the articles and woodcuts recently 
published in The Gardening World in reference to 
their favourite flowers. Now is the time to take notes 
and compare results, when they are at the zenith of 
their bloom and beauty, and I would ask you to allow 
every amateur, even the neophyte, provided always he 
is a correct observer, to give their experience. One of the 
points we want more information about is, what class 
and what varieties succeed best in the open air ? 
When you noted the “Border Carnations” at Messrs. 
Veitch’s did you mean that they were wholly grown in 
the open border or beds, and not lifted in winter and 
taken under glass ? [No.] Among “ self ” colours you 
deservedly particularise of the whites W. P. Milner and 
The Bride ; but planted out in as mild a climate, and 
with soil and aspect as good as any round London, one 
has twice perished with me, not in the winter, but in 
the spring, and the other has barely lingered on, the 
intermittent frosts and moisture seeming to do them 
most injury. Mary Morris, a rich rose pink, seems much 
more robust, and would produce one hundred blooms 
to the stool if not thinned out. We want some one to 
come forward with some years’ experience of named 
varieties that they found always doing uniformly well 
planted out. One year’s experience is nothing. James 
Douglas, one of the best purple flakes, came this year 
uniformly purple ; so of Andromeda, that often comes 
flaked, has so far been uniformly crimson-maroon, and 
ranks as a “fancy.” Even on the same plant the colours 
sometime ruu fantastically, and seem for a season to 
lose their character. We want, therefore, to find more 
such as Mary Morris, with strong robust constitutions, 
and that no season affects. As I mentioned whites, The 
Governor (Cross) seems better suited to the open air than 
any other I know ; and so of that fine variety, Pride 
of Penshurst, the best of the yellows. In my beds and 
borders at present I have types of every section, named 
and seedlings ; rather curious with me as elsewhere. 
Invariably visitors and the ordinary public stop to 
admire large 3-in. seedling seifs—crimson, scarlet, 
purple, pink, rose or white, or shades of these, a box of 
specimens in bloom now of which I send you—and 
never look at Arthur Medhurst or Rembrandt, scarlet 
bizarre j Harrison "Weir or Sir Garnet Wolseley (this 
came self purple), pink bizarre ; E. S. Dodwell or 
Rifleman, crimson bizarre ; Master Richard or Harry 
Cannell (two died in spring), scarlet flake ; Miss 
Wemyss or Rose of Stapleford (robust), rose flake. 
You will also observe some seedlings with the calyx too 
strong and leathery to permit the petals to open, others 
with the calyx too short—both fatal defects. The 
fancy varieties and seifs, where only one colour, come 
in for their share of admiration. Of those named and 
several others, especially yellow and buff grounds, I am 
anxious to increase. I have layered a number in the 
borders, now would some reader who has tried those 
superior kinds for any number of years outdoors say 
when I may safely remove the layers, or would layers 
(rooted) and plants be safe there through the winter and 
spring?—IF. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
The Amsden Peach.—I have this day, July, 
29th, gathered the first fruit of this remarkable early 
Peach. The colour, which at Covent Garden is “nine 
points of the law, ” is truly splendid. It is not a Royal 
George in flavour, nor yet a Sea Eagle in size, hut it has 
borne me four thorough good crops the last four years. 
I can recommend it as prolific, hardy, and a truly 
useful variety. On the same wall I have fruiting 
Princess Beatrice and Hale’s Early, neither of which 
will be ripe for at least a fortnight. I also possess those 
two fashionable early Peaches, Alexandra and Waterloo, 
but not in bearing trees, and should be interested to 
hear from any of your correspondents if they are earlier 
than the variety under notice. I may add that the 
tree of Amsden which I possess came direct from 
America, and was presented to me by my excellent 
friend, Mr. Laxton.— R. Gilbert, Burghlcy. [We have 
received a couple of fruits of this valuable early 
American variety, which are of medium size, very 
heavy, rich crimson on the sunny side, melting, and 
more than passable in flavour.— Ed.] 
Strawberry, Marechal MacMahon. —This 
is a Strawberry which I would strongly recommend to 
anyone desirous of possessing a variety of a profitable 
character, and combining at once the qualities of size, 
flavour, and heavy cropping.- For light soils it is 
especially suitable, as we have well tested during several 
years, and of all the sorts which I have tried here, and 
many of which have been discarded, it stands, all 
things considered, as the best; indeed, grown alongside 
of President, I am inclined to consider it even superior 
to that highly esteemed sort. In season it is a little 
behind that variety in ripening, but this year has 
turned out somewhat exceptional, as with half-a-dozen 
sorts on the same square, viz., A icomtesse Hericart de 
Thury, President, Dr. Hogg, Keen’s Seedling, James 
Veitch, and Marechal MacMahon, all are ripening to¬ 
gether, still I hope to have some of this on a border to 
pick in September. The foliage is much dwarfer than 
any of the other sorts named, being also of a stiff and 
leathery texture, so that should it travel as well as 
President, it is certain when better known to become a 
formidable rival to the latter ; so highly is it esteemed 
here, that I am now growing nearly as much of it as of 
all others combined. We grow our Strawberries on a 
different system to that generally followed, and which 
for several reasons we find to suit us the best. The 
runners are taken off about the beginning of this month, 
and planted in nursery lines about 6 ins. apart, from 
which they are taken as soon as weather permits in 
spring ; they are then planted in 4 ft. beds on the 
quarter allotted, three lines on a bed, and the plants 
at 18 ins. apart both ways. During the whole of their 
growth the runners are constantly cut off, and they are 
mulched with short manure at the end of autumn, 
which is not removed, but left on the beds to afford 
good material for the roots which spring from the 
collars of the plants. We do not expect much fruit 
