July 14, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
731 
decorations, composed entirely of wild flowers, brought 
ten entries, and most of them good exhibits. The first 
prize was awarded to a very clever arrangement by Mrs. 
Soder, but an objection was lodged against the award 
because it included some white "Water Lilies, which it 
was urged were cultivated inasmuch as they were 
grown in a lake kept free from weeds. I hardly see 
where the argument comes in, for it is similar to a case 
I know in which an annual exhibitor of wild flowers 
and wild medicinal plants thought nothing of growing 
some of the more difficult to obtain and rarer kinds in 
a corner of his garden so as to be read}’ when wanted. 
He would have laughed at anyone who told him they 
were not wild flowers in consequence. What is your 
opinion ?— G ., Braintree. [The objection was a frivolous 
one. —Ed.] 
Clipping Hedges. 
Hedges are as useful in a small garden as in a large 
one, because of the shelter they afford ; and they also 
serve the purpose of shutting out from view incon¬ 
venient corners, places for depositing rubbish, &c. 
Hedgerows in order to look neat must be kept trimmed, 
and it is perhaps more necessary to keep them within 
bounds in small gardens than in large ones. One of 
the most common of garden hedges is that formed of 
the Evergreen Privet, and as owing to the wet a very 
free growth has been .made by this time, clipping has 
become absolutely necessary. Hornbeam, Beech, 
\ ellow Holly, Aucuba, tree Box, and other things 
have been planted for hedges according to the height 
they are required to be, the position in which a hedge 
is planted, and the soil in which the trees are expected 
to grow. All the foregoing, except the Aucuba, can 
be kept clipped with ordinary shears ; the latter is 
best kept within bounds by the judicious use of the 
knife. I have known furze used for hedgerows, but 
possibly it is better adapted for boundaries than in 
gardens. At this season of the year all hedgerows 
might be clipped except Holly, cutting them in quite 
close if necessary, for the plants soon burst into growth 
again. A pair of ordinary hand shears is the best tool 
with which to clip a hedge. After clipping the hedge 
will look unsightly for a little time, but it will soon 
become clothed with fresh growths, and look fresh and 
green. I excepted the Aucuba hedges from the action 
of the shears, because it is a large-leaved plant, and 
when a hedge of Laurel or any other large-leaved plant 
is cut with shears, it is certain to have an unsightly 
look, because the large leaves will be severed, and only 
portions of them presented to view. By using a knife 
and thinning out the shoots, the dimensions of the 
hedge can be reduced, and at the same time a well- 
furnished green surface presented to view. Holly 
hedges are, as a rule, clipped during the winter or in 
very early spring.— E. D. 
Planting Out Green Stuff. 
By green stuff I mean Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages, 
Kales, Savoys, &c., which the gardener comprehends 
under this broad term. The plants are strong in the 
seed beds, and advantage is being taken of the continuous 
rains to get them out on to vacant ground. Last year 
it was a trying time for this work, owing to the pre¬ 
vailing drought; but now the ground is full of moisture, 
and scarcely a check of any kind is probable. The 
early planting of green crops is highly desirable, as the 
plants should pretty well mature themselves by the 
autumn, and then there is a chance of them coming 
well through the winter. I have known green stuff 
put out in August, and the operation followed by a dry 
autumn, with the result that the plants made very little 
headway indeed by the time the shortening days were 
being felt.— E. D. 
Showy Garden Poppies. 
A large boxful of Poppy blooms has been sent to us 
by Mr. "William Caudwell, The Ivies, Wantage. They 
mostly consist of selected and, of course, improved 
forms of Papaver Rhoeas, from which, and from P. 
somniferum, most or all of the old-fashioned garden 
Poppies were derived. A few blooms only of the latter 
species were in the box, with their petals cut at the 
margin into long jagged fringes, and exhibiting two or 
three different shades of colour. Those who object to 
the strong odour which certain Poppies possess, may be 
interested to know that the flowers of P. Rhoeas are all 
but inodorous even when bruised. The numerous 
selected varieties exhibit a great range of colouring, and 
many of them are of the most delicate and charming 
colours. There are white, blush, pink or rose, or 
consisting of several colours blended, while the ground 
colour is generally white. They are not ragged at the 
margin as in P. somniferum, but usually beautifully 
crisped. Only the red and crimson varieties show the 
original black blotch at the base, while in many cases 
the black gives place to a pure white blotch. A 
number of the forms are semi-double, and if a double 
strain were secured, they would resemble double Holly¬ 
hocks in no small degree. There is also a large 
proportion of orange-yellow varieties in various tints, 
and the only thing that we can find fault with is the 
short time the individual blooms last. A pinch of 
seed would furnish a great and diversified display. 
PassifLora Raddiana. 
Those who are fond of climbers should not miss 
securing this beautiful Passion-flower, for it seems to 
flower intermittently, but profusely, at any time of 
the year. The flowers have deep carmine red sepals, 
and somewhat paler but equally showy petals, and are 
of good average size. The foliage is also of medium 
size for this genus, and beautifully tinted with a violet- 
red on the under-surface, which is pretty well exposed 
to view when the plant is trained to wires along the 
roof of a house. It is a native of Brazil, and requires 
or gives most satisfaction when grown in a stove 
temperature, or one approaching it. Gardeners still 
cling with great tenacity to the name P. kermesina, 
under which it was disseminated in gardens, although 
the older, and therefore more correct name, is that 
given above. It was originally introduced in 1831, 
but seems to have been afterwards neglected, until 
quite recently. There are several garden hybrids in 
cultivation, of which this constitutes one of the parents. 
It is nearly always in flower at Gunnersbury Park, 
Acton, where it is grown in a house with a moderately 
high temperature. 
Garter’s Su^ar-loaf Cabbage. 
At the Braintree and Booking Flower Show, held on 
July 5th, the excellence of this fine Cabbage came well 
out in competition with a great number of varieties. 
It took the first and second prizes, no other being any¬ 
thing like it, although the good Enfield Market was 
well represented. As a cottager’s Cabbage and for 
general crop Carter’s Sugar-loaf is bad to beat, as it has 
size, quality, and strong constitution combined. 
Celosia cristata. 
Some very dwarf and finely-grown specimens of the 
common Cockscomb are now very attractive in the 
conservatory at Tower House, Chiswick. They are 
about 9 inches in height, and the crest, or ornamental 
part, measures as much across its longer plane, and 
about 4 ins. or 4J ins. the other way. As a general 
rule, the bulk of the head is all in one plane, but we 
noticed a single specimen, in which the crest consisted 
of three main divisions, giving it a triangular appear¬ 
ance. The Cockscombs offer a good illustration of the 
great abundance and profusion of coloured bracts 
which we frequently find in this order, being, as in this 
instance, much more conspicuous than the flowers 
themselves, and really constitute the value of the plant 
for decorative purposes. 
Emerald Gem Pea. 
This is a good early hardy variety, with green foliage and 
pods, resembling in general characteristics Dillistone’s 
Early Prolific ; a good cropper and of fine flavour. It 
was sent out some years ago by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, 
of Reading, and is now widely grown in gardens for its 
good qualities.— E. D. 
Foxgloves. 
Few seem to recognise the value of this old-fashioned 
garden flower, which used to be frequently grown in 
private establishments and cottage gardens, when we 
could only boast of the white variety as something 
different from the purple wild type. Now, however, 
we have greatly enlarged flowers of all shades, from the 
deepest purple to white with a few yellow spots, or the 
latter may even be absent. The strain called Digitalis 
purpurea gloxinoides is remarkable for the richness and 
variety of its markings and spots. Some are beautifully 
spotted with purple and marbled with white on a purple 
ground, while others are white and blotched with 
purple. A noticeable peculiarity is, that the rich 
purple blotch is surrounded with a white ring, and the 
whole arranged on a paler purple groundwork. Fox¬ 
gloves grow in almost any soil, and being biennial, 
must be sown immediately the seed is ripe. Even then 
many of the plants may not get sufficiently strong to 
flower next year ; and better results—that is, larger 
plants—would be obtained by sowing early in the season, 
so as to give the plants time to attain a large size before 
winter. They will then most certainly flower the 
season following, producing one or several strong stems 
covered throughout the greater part of their length 
with flowers, produced in succession over a long period. 
A plot of ground is now very gay with many beautiful 
varieties in the nursery of Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, 
Swanley, Kent. — 
The Water Flag. 
A very appropriate name is this to Iris Pseud-acorus, 
certainly the prettiest of the two British Irises found 
in ditches, bogs, and wet places in various parts of the 
country. The leaves bear some resemblance to the 
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus), but they are broader and 
of a beautiful soft glaucous green colour, and devoid of 
the undulations or plai tings so frequent in the latter, 
whose leaves are of a dark dull green colour. It is 
admirably adapted for planting round the edges of 
artificial lakes, ponds, or even tanks in the garden, as 
it it is grown at Tower House, Chiswick. Being a 
cement-built basin of some size, with a fountain playing 
in the centre, plants are grown in pots sunk in the 
water. The Iris under notice is now at its best, being 
furnished with its golden yellow flowers bearing a dark 
brown blotch on the centre of each fall. It is an accom¬ 
modating species, and will grow freely whether partly 
submerged in water or on a dry border, where it will 
even outlive a dry summer when the German or bearded 
Irises alongside of it get killed. 
The Black Bitter Vetch. 
Those who know this plant have probably wondered 
why it should be called Orobus niger, as neither the 
flowers nor the foliage are black. The former are 
very plentifully produced (the plant being at the present 
time covered with them), and are red with darker veins, 
fading with age to a bluish tint. Towards autumn the 
foliage assumes a blackened or withered appearance, 
and is literally laden with black pods, when it 
undoubtedly merits the title of Black Yetch. It is a 
native of this country in rocky and stony places, 
although it is anything but common. Owing to its 
being naturally an inhabitant of such places, it con¬ 
stitutes a suitable subject for planting on rockwork 
where its roots can penetrate deeply beyond the reach 
of frost. 
-—>X<—- 
The Gardeners' Calendar. 
THE STOVE. 
Achimenes, N^gelias, &c. — The earlier started 
batches of these plants have been flowering for some 
time past, but they, as well as plants just now coming 
into flower, will be greatly benefited by frequent doses 
of weak liquid manure. Whether grown in pots, 
baskets, or pans, this class of plants delights in liberal 
treatment, which they repay by their greater vigour, 
and by their quantity of bloom. As the lower flowers 
mature and drop they should be carefully collected 
every day, or at least removed from the foliage, which 
they soon spoil, on account of the soft fleshy character 
and hairiness of the leaves. A cooler, drier, and better 
ventilated house may be occupied by them while in 
flower, or they may be made to do duty in the 
conservatory, or other show house. 
Allamandas, Dipladenias, Ixoras, &c.— Flower¬ 
ing plants of this class will now require liberal treat¬ 
ment, in order to prolong the blooming season, and 
furnish material for cut flower purposes. The best 
results are obtained from Allamandas when grown in 
pots or tubs according to the size of the plant, and fed 
with liquid manure or some other fertiliser after the 
roots occupy the space or become pot-bound. Vigorous 
well-grown plants of A. Schottii (better known as A. 
Hendersoni), will frequently produce flowers measuring 
6 ins. across the limb. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Pelargoniums.— The stock of these for winter-flowering 
purposes should now be overhauled, if that has not 
already been done. Young plants that have been 
grown on for the purpose are best, although a remuner¬ 
ative quantity of bloom may be obtained from older 
ones. In either case, the object should be to keep them 
in a healthy, sturdy, and slow-growing condition by an 
abundance of ventilation and good exposure to light. 
Pot on all that have become root-bound, and carefully 
attend to watering. Pinch back rampant-growing 
shoots, in order to keep the plants stocky and bushy, 
and remove flower trusses as they make their appearance. 
