September 25, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
55 
Acer Leotoldi foliis variegatis is charmingly 
variegated with pale red and creamy white, and it is 
a subject that exhibits none of that sickly appearance 
which variegation sometimes shows. 
1 Castaxea vesca foi.ius aureus is the golden 
^banish Chestnut, the green leaves being heavily mar¬ 
gined with yellow ; a bold and striking subject. 
Cornus mascula VAR i eg at A has the leaves mar¬ 
gined with cream, and it is a highly ornamental type 
of the Cornelian Cherry or Cornel Tree. 
Quercus nigra, or nigra purpurea, is the black Oak 
of South America. The leaves are nearly black, rusty 
beneath, dying off early of a blackish red ; from which 
circumstance, and from the dark colour of its bark, it 
is called in America the “ Black Jack.” 
Prunes Pissardii is also worthy of planting, because 
of its pale bronzy foliage. 
zE.sculus hippocastanum aureus is the golden¬ 
leaved Horse Chestnut, a bold and striking subject, 
the leaves much variegated with gold. 
Ulmus Wredii aurea I take to be a grand form 
of the English Elm ; the leaves are variegated with 
yellow on a green ground. Lastly comes the golden 
Elder, 
Sambucus nigra aureus, the foliage brilliant 
yellow ; a fine subject for planting on mounds, banks, 
and other elevated spots, and now in the full glory of 
its rich golden character. 
A goodly number of the foregoing can be had as 
standards worked on stocks of the common type. 
Many standard variegated trees have been planted in 
forecourt gardens in the suburbs of London, and it can 
be noticed that the more robust green form is being 
produced, and being allowed to grow, is gradually 
stifling the variegated form. Pity it is that the prun¬ 
ing knife is not put into requisition. One is ready 
sometimes to walk unbidden into a garden and do the 
necessary thinning out, but that is not always a safe 
and agreeable method of doing a necessary thing at the 
right time.— R. D. 
-- 
TABLE, WINDOW, AND INDOOR 
PLANTS. 
Holiday time being now over with many, a return 
to home enables us to review our pets, and count up 
the profits and losses ; many a calamity to some of our 
loved plants during our absence has happened, but on 
the other hand others which we left in poor health have 
re-established themselves, so we must strike a balance 
between the evil and the good, and without useless 
regrets set about repairing damages. 
The blue Agapanthus umbellatus has been blooming 
well in the shady jardinier among the Ferns, and 
now a good lot of that handsome and easily managed 
indoor bulb, Yallotta purpurea, mingles its vermilion 
flowers with the white and red varieties of Liliurn 
speciosum. L. auratum with its grand handsome 
flowers would also look well among them, but, so far as 
I am concerned, its heavy odour is against it, and con¬ 
sequently it is never admitted into the dwelling house 
with us. 
The varieties of L. speciosum (lancifolium) are very 
different in this respect, as their odour is sweet and 
grateful to all. While on this subject, let me caution 
those who have to do with delicate persons to be 
very careful how they admit even fragrant but not 
strong-smelling flowers into their rooms, as headache 
and weariness is often produced by such means, and, 
curiously enough, the flowers which have a bad effect 
on one sensitive person can be borne with impunity by 
others. It, therefore, but remains in such cases to 
remove flowers complained of at once. 
All the plants indoors should now be looked over, 
and such as are in a bad state at the roots, and will 
not go over to the general potting time in spring, had 
better he repotted, and the rest cleaned—both plants 
and pots. To do this and other work likely to cause a 
litter, the plants should be removed either outdoors or 
to some part of the house in which such work may 
properly be done. 
For potting material for indoor plants generally, a 
mixture of one-half loam and one-lialf peat broken up 
by the Land and not sifted forms a good compost, and 
a small supply of this should always be kept ready for 
use in an outhouse or cellar. 
I cannot close this note without saying how delighted 
I have been to read in The Gardening World the 
clever articles on town gardening by “ C. A. G.”—may 
we have more of them.— M. A., Camb. 
Gardening ^Notes from 
Scotland. 
North of Scotland Horticultural Society. 
—The annual meeting of the North of Scotland Horti¬ 
cultural Society was held on Friday evening, 17th 
inst., in the Christian Institute Hall, Aberdeen ; Mr. 
Peter Harper (Dutliie Public Park), the retiring pre¬ 
sident, occupied the chair. There was a capital turn¬ 
out of members. The secretary (Mr. Reid) and the 
treasurer (Mr. Wyllie) gave in their annual reports. 
From the secretary’s report it appeared that twenty-one 
members had been added during the year, twenty of 
these being yearly members, and one a life member. 
Three First Class Certificates and ten Cultural Certifi¬ 
cates had been awarded ; twenty-one papers had been 
read dealing witli horticultural and scientific subjects. 
The treasurer's financial statement showed a very satis¬ 
factory and prosperous state of affairs, the balance in 
hand being £2>2 9s. 10(7. Mr. A. Robson, Market 
Street, Aberdeen, was elected president, in the room 
of Mr. Harper, and Mr. A. Grigor, Fairfield, vice- 
president for the ensuing year; Mr. William Reid, 8, 
Hadden Street, Aberdeen, was reappointed secretary, 
and Mr. William Wyllie, Market Street, treasurer. 
The usual committees were formed, and other formal 
business transacted. A hearty vote of thanks to the 
retiring president terminated the proceedings. 
Seasonable Hints.—We are now well on in 
September, and from the touch of frost on the night of 
the loth inst., we are forcibly reminded that plants in 
pots which are liable to injury should be put in safe 
quarters. A skeleton shed, over which mats, frigi 
dorno, or some other protective material can be thrown, 
may suffice for a time, till structures are ready in which 
the plants can be permanently placed. No doubt the 
failures of Chrysanthemums last year in the north 
were largely owing to the severe check by frost received 
at the end of September, and while we notice that 
French Beans, Potato tops, Dahlias, &c., are materially 
injured, we cannot expect to be long without a recur¬ 
rence of frost in a more severe form. 
Plants which are to be Forced Early, and now 
established in pots, should be in positions where their 
ripening process can be accelerated—at the base of 
walls, with glass lights in front. Orchard-houses 
cleared of a portion of their inmates which have fruited 
in pots are good positions for helping on the work of 
ripening. Others well forward may be kept on the 
dry side to rest them before forcing, which generally 
begins next month. Among the more popular of 
forcing plants are Azaleas of sorts, Indian and Ghent. 
A. mollis is a special favourite ; the A. amcena and 
several of that class are excellent for December flower¬ 
ing and onwards. Deutzias, gracilis especially, will 
now be as hard as whalebone. AY e have had a con¬ 
signment of these from the south, but they are a long 
way behind our own mutilated and scrubby lot in ripe¬ 
ness, so it may be well not to rely too much on 
“ crack ” growers for what one can do better at home. 
Guelder Roses, Lai;restjnus, Lilacs of sorts, Peaches, 
Prunus sinensis, Rhododendron Nobleanum, Prcecox, 
&c. ; Spirieas japonica and palmata, Lily of the Valley, 
and.the host of other bulbs in selections may now be 
on the way. 
Roman Hyacinths placed in a Mushroom house or 
under a stage in gentle warmth, will soon be showing 
their buds. Last season, with next to no effort, these 
useful tiny flowers were ready for cutting about the 
middle of October, and never did Letter with us; potting 
early in August, covering them up in a warm position 
(we had them in different positions) at the front of the 
back wall of a Peach-house, where fire-heat was applied 
to ripen the wood, answered well for the Roman Hya¬ 
cinths. AARiile such hints for ripening these plants are 
not so very applicable where warm dry weather may 
yet be expected, in northern localities we cannot he 
too diligent in forwarding such work. 
The Housing of Plants in general may be seen to 
without delay. Camellias and most of the greenhouse 
class of plants should now be made safe ; clean foliage, 
clean pots, sound drainage and soil free from worms, are 
items of much moment when storing is being pushed for¬ 
ward. Such plants as Coronillas, Cytisus, Eupatoriums, 
Cassias, Cinerarias, Habrothamnus, Roses of sorts, Helio¬ 
tropes and others in flower or coming into bloom, with 
pots full of roots, may he aided by weak applications 
of soot and guano water, enough to colour the water, at 
intervals of twice a week. But most of the plants of 
this class can be potted into larger sizes, leaving the 
balls intact and in proper condition at potting time— 
potting very firmly and watering skilfully afterwards. 
The advantage of this for present flowering and forming 
of plants for the future (which are to be grown on) will 
be accepted as a tenable practice if an impartial trial is 
given ; mutilating roots is not necessary but really 
injurious. Early Camellias opening their buds must be 
kept cool and airy, giving water judiciously but plenti¬ 
fully ; most cases of bud dropping is either from want 
of water or unnatural applications of such. —If. T. 
Bedding Pelargoniums and the Late 
Frost. —It is worthy of note to remind some of our 
friends that some kinds of the aboye are much hardier 
than others. Certainly, some of their flowers stand 
dashing rains and frost much belter. AVe notice at the 
•present time that among pink kinds Mrs. Turner is 
little the worse ; AVhite Amaranth has had nearly all the 
open petals destroyed ; Henry Jacoby, among crimsons, 
is much divested of petals, aud presents a sorry appear¬ 
ance ; while Rev. H. Atkinson, close by, is compara¬ 
tively gay and presenting a lively appearance, and so 
is Vesuvius ; an old but very useful dwarf kind named 
Little David, is uninjured ; Flower of Spring is cleared 
of all open flowers, and much injured in foliage ; old 
Manglesii is doing duty admirably; I’erilla, among 
bronzes, is very hardy and useful. Tricolors (Mrs. 
Pollock class) are all injured, more or less, in foliage ; 
golden sorts of Crystal Palace Gem class are nipped, 
but not severely injured ; they are with us only grown 
for foliage. The finest yellow foliage we have—and I 
notice it is very common in the district—is Golden 
Balm ; no Golden Feather or anything else which we 
have seen can approach it as a bright yellow. The 
native Ajuga is very dark this year, and, at a dis¬ 
tance, little inferior to Alternantheras. Pansies have 
done extra well since April till now, and by far the 
best is the dwarf blue, Robin Hood. Many of the 
favourite kinds should now be propagated. — M. T. 
-—>*<-=- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
Prompt attention must now be given to all tender 
plants in beds, as the slight frosts already experienced 
will soon become sharper, and the bedding plants will 
speedily show the effects. If cuttings have not been 
inserted for stock, or if there is any doubt about having 
sufficient for another season, old plants must be lifted 
of Pelargoniums, Iresines, Alternantheras, Ageratums, 
and other plants, potting them in light, rather poor 
sandy soil for preservation during the winter. The 
Pelargoniums will do very well in an ordinary greenhouse 
or similar structure if kept moderately dry ; but the 
Alternantheras and Iresines need a higher temperature 
and a place near the glass, a shelf being the most suit¬ 
able position in which to winter them. All such plants 
require to be watered carefully in the dull season, or 
they are very liable to suffer from damp, and the chief 
object should be to keep them as sturdy as possible. 
Where the precaution we have repeatedly advised has 
been adopted—namely, securing a sufficient number of 
pots of cuttings early in the season—there will be no 
necessity to interfere with the beds in any way until 
frost has rendered them unsightly, and they may be 
kept neat for some time by an occasional picking, re¬ 
moving the decayed leaves or old flower-stems. 
If Pelargonium cuttings were inserted out of doors, 
they should not be allowed to remain out any longer ; 
lift and pot them, or place them in boxes, but 
not too crowded. Echeverias are now so largely em¬ 
ployed in bedding, that they need special attention, 
and different systems of wintering are adopted. Some 
remove all the soil from their roots when they are 
lifted, tying a number together and suspending them 
head downwards in a dry house ; others place them in 
boxes; but the best way if a cold frame is at command, 
is to plant them out closely in this, and then in 
severe weather they can be protected with mats or 
straw, the lights being on when there is much lain, 
while at other times a free exposure can be provided, 
which will suit them much better than a hot or moist 
position indoors. 
Dahlias still continue attractive, though we may 
expect that they will not last much longer. Hardy 
flowers are abundant; the Rudbeckias, dwarf Heli- 
anthuses, the tall-growing Asters of the Novi-Belgi 
