152 
THE HARDENING WORLD. 
November 6, 1886. 
PLANTS FOR SPRING GAR¬ 
DENING. 
Who is there among us having a plot of garden— 
however small it may be—that cannot, in some way or 
other, embrace at least a few of the many floral beauties 
of early spring ? The answer, I think, is clear, and in 
the course of a few brief practical remarks, I will 
endeavour to make the w T ay equally obvious. There is 
no department,probably,in outdoor gardening calculated 
to provide such an unrivalled display of flowers, which, 
for the greater part, are so overflowing with loveliness, 
so inimitable in effect and yet possessed of that innocent 
and unassuming beauty which finds so many admirers; 
and more than this, the great majority of the plants 
which I shall include under this head are such as are 
most readily increased, either by division or by seeds, 
or, perhaps, both ; and it is these facts in particular, 
that must eventually make spring gardening as uni¬ 
versally adopted as the present annual system of 
summer bedding. 
"With the vast amount of material at disposal, put 
to judicious use, and at the same time making use of 
the right plants, by which I mean such as will not 
interfere with the summer arrangements, there is no 
further excuse for the many bare and unseemly barren 
beds, which too often in large gardens, as well as small, 
make gloomier still the dull dark days of approaching 
winter. For are not surfaces of greenery even more 
becoming and life-like, to say the least, than the too 
often sombre look of the upturned sod ? Still I know 
full well that spring gardening has its advantages and 
disadvantages. The former, in my humble opinion, 
are in a great majority, and which I shall endeavour 
to faithfully represent to your readers ; but being a 
lover of fair play, I see no reason why the latter should 
not be overhauled in its turn, that we may endeavour 
to discover, if possible, their cause and cure. 
"Where any certain plant or plants—or, taking it as a 
whole, spring gardening—is spoken of in disparaging 
terms, it has been my invariable experience that the 
wrong material has been employed, or that the bedding- 
out had hardly been complete when the plants should 
really be expected in bloom. No good results can ever 
accrue if work be not done at its proper time, is my 
dictum in such a case as this ; and again, this or that 
plant “flowers much too late to be of service to me 
for spring bedding,” and here I always remark, in 
response to the latter statement, “ By all means avoid 
it.” This should be done for two reasons ; first, be¬ 
cause there is abundance to select from, and second, 
nothing is more disappointing than to have a bed just 
as you require it for the summer occupants to be really 
at its best, and which may, had it been planted six 
weeks earlier, or another variety chosen in its stead, 
have made a marked feature among the other occupants 
of the spring garden. Therefore, the first consideration 
of all who would engage for the first time in spring 
bedding arrangements, should be early planting ; 
second, a rigid selection of plants that are strictly spring- 
flowering ; thirdly, a judicious arrangement of colour, 
which, if carefully blended, will leave you as the 
result a garden wrapt in perfect harmony throughout. 
But now for a brief enumeration of those plants 
calculated, at the least trouble and expense, to make 
our gardens gay with the beauties of spring, the advent 
of which we all look forward to with smiling faces. 
Few plants then, perhaps, are more popular than the 
Double Daisies, 
Which are among the very simplest to manage, and, at 
the same time, indispensable in all gardening arrange¬ 
ments, owing to their adaptability for lines, for masses, 
or for belting a ribbon-border. It is too late now to 
give advice respecting the management of these plants, 
which should have been planted out singly in rows as 
soon as they had done their work of flowering in spring, 
so that by the time they were wanted again they would 
be forthcoming in strong established plants, likely to 
produce an abundance of flowers in their season. 
Common-place plants though these be, it must be 
borne in mind that they are greatly assisted by a 
generous treatment, as, indeed, are all such plants if 
the best results are to be attained. Planted thickly 
together, these constitute a very showy, and, at the 
same time, one of the most floriferous, groups among 
spring flowers. The principal colours are represented 
in pure white, of which Snowflake and The Bride are 
excellent kinds ; while in crimson we have the old 
double and Bob Boy as the best, and conspicua and 
rubens form two other good kinds in the high-coloured 
section. The pink kinds best known to me are 
The Crown and prolifera, both excellent, large-flowered 
and equally profuse as any of their race. Lastly, 
among the Daisies, I would note the variegated form 
known as aucubaefolia, so very distinct from all else in 
its golden mottled leaves. It is very effective when in 
good form, and in those places where it thrives with 
the general freedom of this group, it should be en¬ 
couraged to its fullest extent. It may be well to add 
that there are many really good forms of double Daisies 
only known locally, and which might well be sought 
out and brought to the front. 
"Wallflowers. 
For another plant for spring beds let us take the 
Wallflower, whose ever welcome fragrance is enjoyed by 
all. This may be gleaned by the immense breadths 
which are to be found of this plant in the neighbour¬ 
hood of some provincial towns, grown either for plants 
for bedding purposes, or for their fragrant spikes of 
flowers, which find so ready a sale in early spring in most 
of our markets. Few plants are more easily raised from 
seed, and by making a selection annually, and saving 
only those of dwarf, bushy and compact habit, as well 
as with free-flowering qualities, you may, in time, 
have a strain equal to any in existence. Seed sown in 
June or July of the present year should, if duly trans¬ 
planted in good soil, be in strong bushy plants fit for 
immediate transferring to the beds in which they are 
destined to flower. Of dark varieties, Tom Thumb is 
very dwarf, freely flowered and compact. Harbinger is 
somewhat too tall, and better suited for the back rows. 
Of yellows I know no strain to equal the Belvoir 
Castle, a rich telling golden self of sterling merit. It 
brightens any garden in early spring ; and always has a 
freshness about it, so desirable among these plants, 
grown as it is at Belvoir, where it abounds in quantity, 
and where the strain is kept remarkably true, owing to 
the continuous outlook which is kept up for rogues, 
which are very rarely seen among Mr. Ingram’s plants. 
While among the Wallflower family, I would call 
especial attention to two worthies, which, though 
beautifully adapted for spring beds, very rarely find their 
way into them. I refer to Cheiranthus alpinus and C. 
Marshalli, the former having lemon-yellow or sulphur- 
coloured flowers, and the latter rich deep orange. These 
two very rarely enter into any bedding arrangement of 
spring, and it would be difficult to find two better 
suited. Both are dwarf—not more than 8 ins. high— 
and possess the same bushy habit, which, in the case 
of the first named, is really compact tufts or cushions 
smothered with its pleasing flowers. These not only 
deserve encouragement, but should find their way into 
those gardens in particular where this class of gardening 
is made a leading feature. — J. 
( To be continued.) 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS ROUND 
LIVERPOOL. 
The season has now arrived for our Autumn Queen 
to hold her annual levees, so that a few words respect¬ 
ing Her Majesty’s present appearance may not be 
unacceptable. It is a momentous question to growers 
whether she will answer the expectations that have 
been formed of her, and I regret to say the majority of 
the admirers who pay her court in this district are 
giving vent to expressions the reverse of approval. 
The flowers of many varieties are wanting in size and 
depth, and, what is more to be deplored, are 
“damping off,” which in some cases has almost ruined 
the hopes of the cultivators. 
The collection of Sir Thomas Edwards Moss, Bart., 
is a large, and I believe a satisfactory one at Otterspool. 
Comte de Germiny exceeds its diameter by its depth ; 
Elaine, Boule d’Or, Princess Beatrice and Inner 
Temple, are especially noticeable. Of new varieties 
Maiden’s Blush and Mons. N. Davis are promising, the 
flowers being somewhat early for this district, but are 
well timed to sustain the reputation of the grower, 
Mr. D. Lindsay. 
Although not an exhibitor, Mr. Thomas "White, 
gardener to B. Bankin, Esq., Fulwood Park, has 
amongst a well-grown lot Madame Feral and Salteri, 
two new varieties of a very pleasing colour, the former 
especially promising to be an acquisition. At "West 
Derby, under careful shading, Mr. F. Boberts, gardener 
to W. D. Holt, Esq., has the earlier flowers of the 
later varieties, such as Princess of Wales, Mrs. Heale, 
Jardin des Plantes, &c., arranged close to the glass, so 
as to get the benefit of all the light possible. Yellow 
Dragon, Peter the Great, and Hero of Stoke New¬ 
ington, with those named above, are promising to 
finish well. Mr. J. Wilson, gardener to J. E. Beynolds, 
Esq., has some fine flowers, both for exhibition and for 
general decoration. 
At Camp Hill, as in former years, we had the 
pleasure of inspecting a large collection, including 
many fine flowers, such as of M. Freeman, a new 
variety, of a most pleasing light rosy violet colour, and 
of a size that will give it a position on the exhibition 
table ; and Cullingfordi, a variety held in high favour 
here, and deservedly so for its splendid colour. Mr. 
J. Jellicoe complains loudly of the damp, many of his 
finest flowers being lost, although the plants are 
arranged in light airy houses. Soleil Levant, Princess 
of Wales, and Nil Desperandum are in strong form. 
At Aymestrey Court, though but a small number are 
grown, H. J. Bobinson, Esq. has some extra fine 
flowers—Madame de Sevin, 6h ins. in diameter and 
nearly as deep ; M. Harman Payne, large ; and E. 
Dale, fine. Mr. A. Eaton, the gardener, has a 
splendid variety of Odontoglossum grande, with flowers 
6 ins. across.— TV. 
-- 
WATERING WINTER-FLOWER- 
ing PLANTS. 
Y igilaxce is always necessary in plant growing and 
more especially during winter. Presuming that all tender 
plants, such-as Bouvardias, Pelargoniums, Begonias, 
Fuchsias and all other rapid growing kinds are safely 
housed, one of the most important things is the watering, 
as in the proper watering of plants depends to a 
material degree a successful crop of flowers. Yet 
watering, as a rule, is done in a careless, slipshod 
manner, on the principal of what is sauce for the goose 
is also sauce for the gander. This is much to be re¬ 
gretted, for, depend upon it, if a man knows not how 
to water a plant he never can grow one. It is a 
notorious fact that the perfection to which Boses have 
been brought is in a great measure due to a better 
understanding as to watering. Important, however, 
as watering is with all its vital bearings, there is no 
rule which can be implicitly followed in all localities 
alike, as where soil is particularly light and sandy, 
plants require a great deal more water than where the 
soil is heavy and tenacious, so that “ how to water” is 
not only a study, but it requires experience and fore¬ 
thought to carry it out so as to obtain the best results. 
One thing should always be borne in mind. When 
a plant is dry it should be well and thoroughly 
watered, and repeated as often as the plant becomes 
dry. I have seen it advised and recommended to 
water cutting-benches every morning — Carnation- 
houses twice a week by one authority, and by another 
not oftener than twice a month. I have seen it stated 
that Boses should be syringed every day and watered 
twice a week, all of which, I have no doubt, were 
recommended in good faith, from the fact that such 
treatment had been successful with those who recom¬ 
mended it. How many are there who could implicitly 
follow any written instructions and make a success ? 
Transfer the very best growers of either cut flowers or 
plants from the east to the west, or vice versa, or to a 
place where the component parts of the soil are entirely 
different, and they would have to go through a season 
of new experience combined with more or less failures. 
The young men who are now being instructed in the 
mysteries of the craft would do well to study the 
watering of plants as being a primary question ; let 
them be made to know the difference between watering 
a plant twice a day, when it only requires it twice a 
week, and the watering of a plant once in three days, 
when it should be well watered every day. Crippled 
flowers, imperfect development and weak colouring 
nine times out of ten is from this cause, rather than 
from slight variations in temperature. Once more let 
me repeat, that if you do not know how to water you 
do not know how to grow. —John Thorpe, in American 
Florist. -—- 
Raspberries in November — It may interest 
some of your readers to hear that I have this week 
gathered several bunches of ripe Baspberries in my 
garden. The berries were nearly equal in size and 
quality to those gathered in the summer ; there are 
also a quantity of the leaves still on. The variety is 
the Filibasket, which does better with me than any 
other sort.— William Finny, Harlstone, Northampton. 
