686 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 2?, 1891. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-- 
SEASONABLE WORK in the CARDEN. 
Syringing and Damping Down.—The summer 
heat will necessitate a considerable amount of attention 
to these matters, in order to keep the plants in a 
healthy and vigorous state. The floors should be 
damped down several times a day, unless the paths are 
paved with bricks so constructed as to hold a con¬ 
siderable amount of water. This enables the foliage to 
retain its naturally rigid condition even under a trying 
sun. Syringing is also necessary to keep the plants free 
from insect pests ; the water should always be applied 
with some force to the under side of the foliage where 
the nature of the latter will permit of its being done, 
to dislodge mealy-bug and red-spider. 
Manure Water.—Where this cannot be obtained 
from the draining of the stables in the ordinary way, it 
can be made by placing some cow manure in a tub and 
filling up the latter with water. It should be dipped 
through a piece of canvas or something that will readily 
permit of its being strained. Sheep or deer droppings 
are also very useful for the same purpose. Soot might 
be added to it by placing some in a bag and dropping it 
in the tub, so that the water may be left as clear as 
possible. Anything solid is objectionable, as liable to 
stop up the pores of the soil. All of the above are 
safe manures when used in a weak state for pot plants. 
Camellias.—Some of the plants which were flowered 
early in the season, and again started into growth, 
should by this time be showing their flower buds. If 
so, they are in capital condition for re-potting if such a 
course is considered necessary ; and it should be done 
immediately, otherwise there will be danger of the 
buds dropping through root disturbance. Good fibrous 
loam is the best for the purpose, enriching it with a 
little well-decayed cow manure and a sprinkling of soot. 
After the operation the plants may be transferred to 
the open air under the shade of trees or a tall hedge on 
the northern exposure. 
Azaleas.—As the different batches complete their 
growth, they may be transferred to the open air ; and 
if the pots are shaded in some manner from strong 
sunshine, the foliage will be benefited by full exposure, 
and the flower buds well developed. 
Pelargoniums.—Batches for autumn and winter 
flowering are best grown in the open air during the 
summer months, so as to ripen the wood properly, and 
keep the stems sturdy and short jointed. If the pot s 
can be plunged in ashes or partly so, it will prevent 
the extremes of temperature to which the roots would 
otherwise be subjected, and do away with the necessity 
of very frequent watering to some extent. 
Vines—The thinning of the bunches, even in the 
late houses, should now be completed without further 
delay, and the laterals all kept properly stopped, so 
that there may be no crowding or improper shading, 
and that the energy of the Vines may be directed to the 
swelling of the fruit. Give good attention to early 
ventilation to prevent scalding, leaving also a little air 
on all night. 
Peaches.—As soon as the fruits in the earliest 
house have all been gathered, the trees should be 
subjected to a good syringing by means of the garden 
engine, to dislodge any red-spider or other insects 
which may have gained a footing while the foliage has 
been kept dry. Should the border be dry, give it a 
good soaking, and keep the house as cool as possible at 
all times. Check rampant and too gross shoots by 
pinching them, or even by tying them down to a hori¬ 
zontal position, partly removing the laterals or pinching 
the tops at the same time. 
Dahlias.—Planting should now be completed even 
in the northern counties, otherwise the growing season 
will be delayed and shortened. Drive the stakes 
before planting is commenced, so that no injury may 
be done to the roots afterwards. Tie up the stems 
immediately to prevent breakage by the wind. 
Hollyhocks.—The stems are now growing ram¬ 
pantly, and should be encouraged by liberal doses of 
liquid manure to keep them healthy. Syringing might 
be resorted to if the leaves are attacked by red-spider. 
Utilise the side shoots for propagation purposes, cutting 
them up into pieces about 1 in. long, each having an 
eye. These may bo inserted in boxes filled with sandy 
soil, and stood in a cool, shady place. 
Pinks.—No delay should be made in getting the 
requisite number of cuttings inserted during the early 
part of July, otherwise strong plants cannot be ob¬ 
tained before the end of the growing season. Make up 
a bed of sandy soil under a frame or handlight, pressing 
it down firmly, and watering it some little time before 
nserting the cuttings. 
Staking. —Herbaceous plants of all kinds are now 
growing rapidly, some being in bloom. Those who are 
careful about neat appearances, should have everything 
that stands a risk of falling down by its own weight, or 
of being driven about by wind or rain, neatly staked in 
good time. Should the stems have been driven about, 
they never look so well afterwards. 
Winter Greens.—If the ground is already pre¬ 
pared, the planting of Broccoli and various kinds of 
winter Kales should be proceeded with without further 
delay, as the ground is every day getting drier, unless 
we get occasional wet days. It would be an advantage 
to take out a shallow trench with a hoe, and even to 
water, if necessary, an hour or so previous to planting. 
This would give the plants a fair start, and the filling 
up of the trenches afterwards with the hoe would assist 
the plants greatly. 
-->X<--- 
Gardening Miscellany. 
Geranium armenum. 
The vigorous habit and brilliantly-coloured flowers of 
this species ought to secure it a place in every good 
collection of herbaceous plants. The stems vary in 
height from 18 ins. to 2 ft., according to the fertility 
of the soil and the amount of moisture, which varies 
in different localities. The leaves are large and deeply 
five to seven-lobed. The flowers arise in pairs from 
the forks of the stems, and are of large size, deep red, 
with a black centre, and are well carried above the 
foliage as growth proceeds. As the stem elongates a 
fresh pair of flowers takes the place of the first, so that 
they always occupy a prominent position. The stamens 
and styles are also black ; and when the petals get old 
they fade to blue from the apex downwards. Hardy 
flowers of the above type might be more utilised for 
planting in beds or masses in the pleasure ground. In 
good, rich soil they grow away vigorously, and require 
little or no attention all the year round beyond 
weeding in summer and top-dressing in autumn. 
Primula imperialis. 
On the mountains of Java, where this giant Primula 
occurs in a wild state, the flower scapes attain a height 
of 3 ft. It is quite possible that this height may be 
equalled or even exceeded under cultivation, for some 
of a batch we noted some time ago in the hardy plant 
house at Kew measured ft. high, and the scape had 
not completed its growth. The flowers are produced 
in tiers, one above the other, the first one commencing 
about 1 ft. from the ground. They are somewhat 
smaller than those of P. japonica, to which the species 
is allied, but they are of a golden orange, or at least 
decidedly shaded with orange, and therefore much 
richer in hue than those of P. prolifera, a native of the 
Himalayas, and the nearest ally, with which the species 
was for some time confused. The flowers of P. prolifera 
are small, pale sulphur-yellow, with strongly-marked 
plaits at the throat of the tube, while in P. imperialis 
the plaits are smaller and less evident. The leaves of 
the latter are obovate, finely repand-toothed, and 
10 ins. to 15 ins. long, by 3 ins. to 5 ins. wide ; they 
• also resemble those of P. japonica in shape, colour and 
texture. Its hardiness has not y.et been proved, but it 
is probable that a cool greenhouse will be necessary to 
succeed properly with it. 
Heuchera sanguinea. 
Since its introduction in 1882, this, the finest of all tho 
species, has become deservedly popular, and spread into 
hundreds of gardens throughout the country. The 
uses to which the plant can be put are various, and 
one of its properties is that it may be brought much 
earlier into flower by gentle forcing. The flowers are a 
shade paler when so treated than if they had been 
developed in the open air, but they afford a useful 
colour at a period of the year when much wanted. The 
flowers are small it is true, but they are numerous, 
and borne in graceful panicles. The calyx is of a 
bright red, and constitutes the most ornamental part 
of the flower. There is a variety in cultivation with 
pale rosy or pink flowers, but it cannot be considered 
in any other light than as a deterioration from the type. 
In association with the latter, however, it may be 
regarded as useful by contrast. A white variety will, 
no doubt, be produced at no distant date if the plant 
be frequently raised from seeds, and the trio will be all 
the more lovely in mixture. This should engage the 
cultivator’s attention till a white variety is secured. 
Papaver bracteatum. 
Of all the varieties of the Oriental Poppies, P. brac- 
teatum is the most telling and vigorous. When true, 
and unfortunately there are often other shades of red 
mixed with it, it is of a deep crimson, of great substance, 
and the cup large and shapely. The foliage is of a rich 
deep green, and evenly cut all along the leaf. The 
plant does not like being disturbed, and shows this by 
flowering more profusely and throwing up much 
stronger blooms when left in the same place year after 
year. I think it is one of the most effective early 
summer-floweriug perennials we have. A patch of it 
arrests the eye the moment one comes in sight of it 
when in bloom.— A. H. 
Lewisia rediviva. 
The specific name, meaning “revived,” was given to 
this plant from the circumstance of its having flowered 
after being kept in a dried condition in a herbarium 
for many years. The rootstock consists of fleshy tubers 
capable of retaining their moisture and keeping alive 
for many years, if stored in a dry place to prevent their 
being rotted by a superabundance of moisture. The 
few leaves that are annually produced from the root- 
stock are short, cylindrical, fleshy, and generally of a 
reddish hue. The short flower scapes arise from 
amongst the leaves, and bear each a large, solitary, 
bright rose-coloured flower. From the fact of their 
being produced under the above remarkable circum¬ 
stances the name “Resurrection Plant” is sometimes 
applied to the species. It is a native of North-western 
America, from whence -it was originally introduced in 
1826, and is the only representative of the genus. The 
tuberous rootstock is hardy, but requires to be planted 
in light sandy soil in a sunny, well-drained position. 
It is a member of the Portulaca family, notwithstanding 
the fact that some books place it amongst the Fieoidere, 
and therefore in alliance with Mesembryanthemum. 
The Large-leaved Anthurium. 
A rood instance of what cultivation can do may be 
instanced by comparing the leaves of the wild plant of 
Anthurium macrophyllum with those of old specimens 
grown in hothouses. The leaves of the former measure 
something like 18 ins. to 21 ins. long, and 6 ins. to 
7 ins. wide. Those of a specimen at Chiswick House, 
Chiswick, measured from 3 ft. 10 ins. to 4 ft. 3 ins. 
long, and 17 ins. to 19 ins. wide. The straight and 
flat spathe was of a bronzy green, while the spadix was 
glaucous purple or violet, and measured 10 ins. to 
12 ins. long. The inflorescence cannot therefore be 
considered ornamental ; but this deficiency is amply 
compensated for by the magnificent proportions of the 
leaves, which, like those of A. Yeitchii, require a con¬ 
siderable amount of space for their perfect development. 
The leaves, further, are all radical, springing in a tuft 
from a rootstock in the same manner as A. acaule, than 
which they are very much wider and more handsome. 
The species was originally introduced to Europe from 
South America. 
Propogation by Circumposition. 
This mode of propagation will be found very useful in 
the multiplication of stove and greenhouse plants, such 
as Crotons, Dracaenas, Ficus clastica, and many more, 
when they become unsightly by losing their bottom 
leaves, and when the tops are too large for propagating 
in the usual way. Make an incision below a joint about 
three parts through in an upward direction, and place 
a piece of sphagnum moss in the slit to keep it open, 
putting a little silver sand in the handful of sphagnum 
before tying it firmly round the wound. Leave the 
sphagnum loose at the top for watering, and place a 
stake in the pot to support the top. If the sphagnum 
be kept moist and shaded, in a temperature ranging from 
70° to 75° roots will be quickly emitted. When well 
rooted, if the tops are small, cut them off below the 
incision. Pot them in a mixture of turfy loam pulled 
by the hand, and silver sand. Plunge in bottom heat. 
Large tops should have a split pot put round the 
rooted part, supported by four stakes firmly tied, filling 
the pot with the above compost. When the roots 
appear at tlffe bottom of the pot cut the top off, and 
replace in a whole pot. To split pots :—Place a pot 
bottom upwards on anything level and firm. Place a 
hedge-bill or anything similar across the bottom of the 
pot, bring a hammer smartly down on it once or twice, 
and see that both sides split at once.— Gifford. 
