58 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 27, 1890. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
- -i - 
SEASONABLE WORK in the GARDEN. 
Coleus. —A batch of cuttings should now be taken 
off and rooted, so that the old plants^may be thrown 
away when they cease to be of use in the greenhouse or 
conservatory. 
Shading.—The blinds maybe taken down on a dry 
day and spread out to the sun, so that they may be • 
thorougly dried before being folded and stored away for 
the winter. Wash down the glass that has been white¬ 
washed or painted, so as to admit of a maximum of light 
that will more and more be needed as the days shorten. 
Plenty of light and ventilation will be needed to harden 
the tissues before the approach of winter. 
Chinese Primulas. — The earliest batch must 
now be moved indoors, so as to encourage them to 
throw up their flower spikes freely. The shelves of an 
intermediate house will be the most suitable place for 
them, as they will there get the requisite amount of 
light and heat. Later batches may be left in the 
frames a little longer, but it would be the safest policy 
to draw on the sashes at night. 
Cinerarias. —These should at all times be kept as 
cool as possible. They may therefore be kept in frames 
until the occurrence of severe frost makes it compulsory 
to remove them indoors. Draw the sashes over them 
at night to guard against frost, because if the leaves get 
caught, though only slightly, they are injured in 
proportion. 
Celosias. —In order to encourage a good develop¬ 
ment of the heads, late batches of this class of plants 
should be assisted with a little warmth. The terminal 
shoots may be used as cut flowers, after which side 
shoots will continue to be thrown up till well through 
the winter, if the plants are fairly well treated. 
Zonal Pelargoniums.— The batch of plants 
intended for winter flowering should be kept in a light 
and well ventilated house to maintain a sturdy habit 
of growth, with short-jointed wood. A little artificial 
heat may be necessary in damp weather to dispel 
moisture, and keep the flowers in good condition. 
Annuals for Autumn Flowering. —A varied dis¬ 
play may be made in the greenhouse or cool conservatory 
by the use of such annuals as Scabiosa atropurpurea, 
Centaurea cyanus, Browallia elata, Mignonette, and 
similar things. These may also be supplemented by 
early-flowering Chrysanthemums. 
Heaths, Azaleas, &c. —Preparations should now 
be made to remove this class of plants indoors, for 
although there seems to be no danger at present, a 
frosty night may occur at any time and do irreparable 
injury to the growth and prospect of bloom for a season. 
See that the plants are perfectly free from mildew and 
thrip 3 before putting them under cover. Dust with 
sulphur to destroy mildew, and syringe with a 
mixture of paraffin and water at the rate of a wine- 
glassful to two gallons of water, and wash with clean 
water soon afterwards. 
Tea Roses. —A supply of bloom may yet be 
obtained from the late growths of Tea Roses in pots, by 
removing them under glass, where they will be inde¬ 
pendent of the weather. They will prove useful after 
the outdoor crop fails. 
Violets. —A frame or two may now be prepared for 
the reception of Yiolets intended for flowering during 
the winter. Half spent hot-beds would suit the 
purpose admirably. Prepare a light rich mixture of 
soil, and lay it over the beds to the depth of 6 ins., 
and plant the Yiolets forthwith. The best plants may 
be reserved for pot work. 
Vines. —The earliest batch of pot Vines may now 
be pruned, and the cuts covered with styptic, to 
prevent bleeding when forcing is commenced. Some 
little time should be allowed to lapse before the plants 
are put into heat, to allow of the wounds becoming 
hardened overto further safe guard against bleeding. 
Grapes intended for late keeping should be well thinned, 
so that as few of the berries as possible may come in 
contact. The temperature of the Muscat house may 
be kept at 60° during the present mild weather, but it 
may be allowed to drop to 55“ in the event of cold 
weather, provided that Grapes are still hanging. 
Peaches. —With the exception of late trees, the Peach 
crop in the orchard house will now mostly have been 
gathered. Any trees that may require re-potting may 
have the operation performed at once, potting very 
firmly, and using a compost consisting of good, turfy 
yellow loam, with a fourth part of well-rotted cow 
manure. On the open wall where earwigs are tor¬ 
menting the fruits, lay traps consisting of Beanstalks, 
or hang up bottles containing some strong-smelling 
liquid as a lure. 
Apples and Pears.— Attend to the ingathering 
of these a 3 they become ripe, for some soon lose in 
quality if left too long on the trees. The birds, on the 
other hand, soon find out those that are ripe, and do a 
great amount of damage by making holes in them, not 
only spoiling their appearance, but rendering their 
sound keeping an impossibility for any length of time. 
Morello Cherries.—Late crops still hanging on 
the trees should be seen to occasionally as to how they 
are keeping. So long as the weather remains dry they 
are practically safe, but when decay sets in they should 
be gathered. See also that birds do not effect an 
entrance beneath the net. 
Raspberries.—Where a late crop is grown, the 
fruit will now be ripening. It is absolutely necessary 
to protect them from birds, otherwise every fruit will 
be destroyed as soon as ripe. A light wooden frame¬ 
work, over which netting, may be thrown, may be 
erected, high enough to permit of easy access to gather 
the fruit. 
Figs on th.9 Open 'Wall. —Late fruits that may 
yet reasonably be expected to ripen with a little 
assistance, are worth the trouble of placing a sash or 
two against the wall, so as to shelter them and econo¬ 
mise what sun heat still remains. 
-- >X< - 
NOTES PROM FELIXSTOWE. 
In pursuance of my liberal intentions of last week, I 
wended my way, on pleasure bent, to the beautifully- 
situated— if proximity to the coast is desirable — 
residence of F. T. Cobbold, Esq. The mansion is con¬ 
structed of red bricks brought from the opposite shore, 
and is most substantially built, as indeed would 
seem necessary, judging from the perpetual motion con¬ 
tinually going on at its very base. 
This perpetual motion is always en evidence to its 
inhabitants, and must at times, I doubt not, be 
disagreeably unpleasant, not to say alarming, in its 
impetuosity and persistency. Gable and turret, pro¬ 
jection and angle otherwise impart a good deal of 
character and architectural massiveness to this solid 
structure. Facing the sunny south, and bathed in the 
glow of the sultry September sun, tempered only by 
the vigorous breeze from the German Ocean, stands the 
handsome conservatory—a monument of artistic taste 
within and without. It was here I first made the 
acquaintance of Mr. McIntosh, the able and energetic 
gardener, who, although English born, retains the wit 
and character of the Scottish race. After the intro¬ 
ductory preliminaries were a thing of the past, we 
proceeded merrily—in fact, we were “ fast friends, 
the freemasonry of horticultural enthusiasm having a 
desirable and salutary effect. 
Our first inspection was in the culinary department, 
which was well stocked, and I was informed that 
excellent crops of all kinds of fruit had been gathered, 
Pears alone excepted. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Scarlet 
Runners—runners in fact, as they had no sticks—all 
betokened cultural skill, and well-manured soil. 
Potatos, about which so much has been written, were 
here practically free from the dread disease, the late 
varieties not being grown. 
In this part of the estate stands the gardener’s house, 
substantial, commodious, and well-appointed, and close 
by are the frames, where Violets of the Marie Louise, 
Belle de Chatenay, and Swanley White types were 
progressing towards perfection. Here also came under 
my notice for the first time, the new vegetable, 
Stachys tuberifera, or, according to the authority of 
Mr. Hemsley, S. Sieboldii. But I must pass on, and 
likewise seek the friendly shade, as the intensity of the 
sun’s rays is most remarkable for early autumn. In 
this respect I can follow Mary Howitt:— 
“ There are twelve months throughout the year, 
From January to December— 
And the primest month of all the twelve 
Is the merry month of September. 
Only for “merry” I would substitute “sunny,” for as 
I write the sky is of an exquisite cerulean blue, 
and the smooth expanse below is, by reflection, the 
same Italian tint. This must have a good result in 
the garden, as well as on human nature, for in addition 
to the ripening and maturation of the season’s ex¬ 
uberant growth, health, life, and nut-brown beauty 
will surely be imparted to the genus homo. 
A hasty glance at the crescent-shaped range of glass¬ 
houses, which, viewed from the outside, alone afforded 
sufficient indication of their luxuriant contents, brought 
ns to the tout ensemble of the garden—viz., the flower 
beds. Here, set in a frame, so to speak, of emerald- 
green, each bed—and there were twenty, geometrically 
proportioned—was occupied by a single species of 
plant, edged with such useful things as Antennaria 
tomentosa, Mesembryanthemum, Saxifraga muscoides 
densa (much approved), &c. The occupants of these 
beds comprised Petunias, Phlox Drummondi, and 
Begonias, besides the usual bedding stuff, and, glorious 
to relate, a group of Salpiglossis, interspersed with 
Portulacas, which for richness and effectiveness I have 
yet to see excelled. The whole of this arrangement 
was equi-distant round the central piece—viz., a broad 
basin of water, over whose sides rambled the purple 
Traveller’s Joy (Clematis Jackmanni), which again 
was surrounded by mounds of low-growing succulent 
plants. 
Beyond, and raised above the level, were other beds 
filled with Verbenas, Heliotropes, &c., and still further, 
sloping banks of earth and stone, ornamented with the 
treasures of other lands. Space forbids a full des¬ 
cription of these Alpine gems, but mention must be 
made of Veronica prostrata with its dark blue blossoms, 
Linaria alpina, bluish, trailing and pretty, Papaver in 
var., Rock Cistus, &c., in addition to such things as 
Inula, Helenium, Tigridia pavonia grandiflora, Mont- 
bretia crocosmiaeflora, &c. As Mr. McIntosh is 
especially enthusiastic in this direction, and as his 
observations found a ready ear, what wonder if we 
knelt beside a child of beauty and offered together our 
paeans of praise ? If it be objected that this is not 
religion, our contention will be that it is reverence 
—reverence and grateful homage for the marvellous 
productions of the Great Creator. 
Of all the plants in the garden to me, the Alpines 
are, perhaps, the most fascinating, and how little com¬ 
paratively is really known about these denizens of 
lofty latitudes ? Pope hath it that 
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” 
And I doubt not many losses of rare species have been 
sustained on that account ; but I would submit that a 
little knowledge is better than none at all, if only it 
enables us to profit by our non-success. Many men 
are known better by their failures than their successes, 
and it is this, perhaps, which entitles me to be heard. 
The methods and movements of an original mind are 
always of interest and value, for the student of nature 
must necessarily be in close contact with the object of 
his love, and it is in this particular, probably, that 
Mr. McIntosh excels. Anyhow, it was for him to 
expound ; for me to attend. The reader will justly 
surmise from all this, that the herbaceous section of 
plant culture is not neglected. Beds and borders of 
the best of these much-appreciated subjects receive here 
considerable attention, and consequently fine specimens 
of Harpalium rigidum, Salvia patens, S. Blue Beard, 
Rudbeckia speciosa, Polemoninm coeruleum, (Enothera 
macrocarpa, Lobelia cardinalis, &c., merited comment. 
The wild garden has also its attractions, and the 
debonnaire disposal of Roses, Gladioli, Zinnias, French 
Marigolds, rosy Sedums, &c., in elegant confusion, 
would have gladdened the hearts of the promoters of 
this style of gardening, Hear by was a newly- 
constructed dripping cave, for the especial benefit of 
cryptogamic forms of vegetation, such as Ferns and 
Mosses, the size of which can be imagined when I state 
the cost, viz., £300. Around and over this, the 
Tamarisk, Rhododendron and Hydrangea have found 
a home. In one case, the latter plant had changed its 
natural colour, due, doubtless, to some chemical 
constituent in the soil. 
I cannot complete this notice without reference to 
three beautiful plants, viz., Bignonia radicans, Trop- 
seolum tuberosum and T. speciosum, each perhaps in 
their acme of beauty, and each worthy of a separate 
and distinct note. The latest phase of gardening here 
is the utilisation of the cliff for access to the strand 
below, which is only available during certain conditions 
of the tide. A strong wall has been built, the ground 
sloped, zig-zag steps formed, and the whole planted 
with that essentially maritime shrub, the common 
Tamarisk. Suitable plants have been dibbled in here 
and there to give a little colour, and pounds of mixed 
flower seeds have been scattered amongst the shrub. 
That this may long remain—oceanic influences per¬ 
mitting—a monument to the gardener’s energy and 
skill is the earnest wish of C. B. G., Acton, TV., 
September 1 6th, 1890. 
(To be continued.) 
