June 15, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
010 
sown either in the autumn or in January, and when the 
seedlings are large enough they should be put in small 
pots, and potted on as required. A shelf in an in¬ 
termediate house is a good place on which to grow 
them. 
Coleus. —Though not remarkable for its flowering 
properties, the Coleus makes an excellent decorative 
plant, on account of its beautiful foliage. When the 
old plants are past their best in the autumn, cuttings 
should he taken for stock, and when rooted should 
he placed on a shelf in a warm house. For making 
specimen plants cuttings should be taken from these 
in March or April, and grown on in a rich light soil. 
They should he grown in a warm house, not far 
from the glass, and be allowed all the sun possible to 
well colour the foliage. They can he employed in the 
conservatory from June till August, inclusive. 
Tree Carnations.— Cuttings should be inserted in 
September or October, and struck in a cold frame, or in 
February and struck in heat. When rooted they 
should be potted off and kept in a cool place. When 
necessary re-pot into a size larger, using a compost of 
loam, leaf-soil, sand, and a little well - decayed 
manure. They may be placed outside on an ash border 
in the sun during the summer, but must not he left out 
after the end of September. To keep up a succession of 
bloom, Carnations should have the lightest and warmest 
end of the conservatory during the winter. 
Calla 2ETHIOPICA. —This beautiful Aroid makes a 
most noble effect when mixed with other flowering 
plants. After flowering they should be planted out in 
trenches, so that copious supplies of water may easily 
be given. In the autumn they should bo carefully 
lifted and potted, and if placed in a gentle heat will 
soon grow and throw up flowers plentifully. The 
Calla is propagated by division. 
Petunia.— These may be grown from seed sown 
early in the spring, but if the named varieties are 
wished to be perpetuated it must be done by cuttings, 
which should be taken in March, and struck in heat. 
When ready they should be potted off in light rich 
soil. They grow best in the intermediate house close 
to the glass, and when in bloom last a long time in 
beauty in the conservatory. 
Mignonette. —Though not perhaps so showy as a 
great many other things, Mignonette is very useful 
mixed with other plants, if for nothing else than its 
perfume. It is of very easy cultivation. Seed may be 
sown at any time in the spring for summer flowering, 
but to bloom in the winter it should be sown in 
September thinly in 48-sized pots, and placed in a cold 
frame close to the glass. As soon as the seedlings are a 
fair size three of the best in each pot should be selected, 
all the others being pulled out. They should be kept 
in a frame until they come into flower, when they 
should be neatly staked and taken to the conservatory 
as required. 
Salvias. —Cuttings of these should be taken in 
March or April, and struck in a gentle heat. When 
struck they should be potted off singly into small pots, 
and gradually hardened off that they may be planted 
outside. They should be lifted and potted before there 
is any likelihood of frost. The best species for winter 
work are Salvia splendens, and its varieties S. Heeri 
and S. gesneraeflora. 
Mimulus.— -These are mostly propagated from seed 
or by division, and should be grown in a cold frame till 
in bloom. The showy M. cardinalis and M. tigrinus 
are very useful for pot woik, as is also Harrison’s Musk. 
Hard-wooded Plants. —As a rule these are bought 
in from the nurserymen, which is by far the best way 
of securing a stock. They require very careful cul¬ 
tivation if good results are desired. In the first place 
they should always be watered with rain-water, and 
care should be taken that at each watering sufficient is 
given to thoroughly wet all the soil in the pot, other¬ 
wise the plants will become very shabby and die. 
When growing they require a moist cool house, with 
plenty of air, but not cutting draughts. After the 
growths are made the plants may be stood outside to 
ripen the young wood. During the winter they should 
be kept in the coolest end of a greenhouse till they are 
in flower, when they may be taken to the conservatory. 
Amongst the most beautiful of this class are Erica, 
Epacris, Boronia, Camellia, Correa, Diosma, Pimelea, 
Mitraria, Eriostemon, Adenandra, Chorozema, Abelia, 
Leschenaultia, Metrosideros, Linum trigynum, Indigo- 
fera, and Swainsonia. 
The following hard-wooded plants require a treat¬ 
ment something similar to the preceding, but flower at 
different seasons : — Acacia, Brugmansia, Coronilla, 
Cytisus, Daphne, Erythrina, Hydrangea, and Nerium 
Oleander. Rhododendrons of the javanicum and jas- 
miniflorum type, Libonias, Sericographis, Pleromas, 
and Justicias are also very useful, but they require a 
warmer temperature to grow them well, and must not 
be stood outside. 
Bulbous Plants.— In this class I will mention first 
those that are known as Dutch flower roots, which 
include Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, &c. These are 
imported annually from Holland, and the best bulbs 
selected for conservatory and greenhouse decoration. 
These should be potted at various times for succession, 
the first batch being potted as soon as received and 
plunged in a bed of coal ashes, coco-nut fibre refuse, or 
decayed leaf-soil. The crowns of the bulbs in the 
case of Hyacinths should be covered with inverted pots 
before they are covered with ashes. From the plunge 
bed they should be taken into a warm house, a few at 
a time to bring them into bloom, when they may be 
employed for decorative purposes in the conservatory. 
Besides the foregoing a great many other bulbous 
plants may be usefully employed, of which the follow¬ 
ing are amongst the best : — 
Vallota 'purpurea.— This is very nearly allied to the 
Amaryllis, but unlike that it is evergreen, therefore it 
should never be totally dried off during the winter. It 
commences to make fresh growth in the spring, and 
flowers towards the end of the summer. They should 
not be potted too often, but when necessary a compost 
of turfy loam, leaf-soil, and sand will be very 
suitable. 
Amaryllis formosissivia .—This is a deciduous bulb, 
flowering in the summer ; it requires a warm house to 
grow in, but when in flower stands well in the con¬ 
servatory. 
Nerine Fothergilli .—The secret of growing this plant 
to perfection is in giving a good long season of rest in 
a place where the sun can shine with all its force on 
the bulbs. During this ripening process the plants 
should be turned at least once or twice a week, so that 
the bulbs may be ripened all round. When so treated 
almost every bulb will throw up a strong spike of its 
gorgeous flowers. 
Liliums. —These make a magnificent display during 
the summer. The bulbs should be potted in the 
spring, and given a start in a cool house or frame, after 
which they may be placed outside. The most service¬ 
able species are L. auratum, L. lancifolium or 
speciosum, and L. Harrisi. 
Lachenalias, Triteleias, Ixias, Sparaxis, Freesias, 
Gladiolus The Bride, and numerous other things are 
very serviceable. They should be potted up in 
autumn, and kept on a shelf in a cool house until 
flowering. 
Spring Forcing Plants. — A large number of 
plants that are perfectly hardy in this country are 
annually forced to produce a supply of bloom from 
Christmas onwards through the spring. In October 
and November the plants should be lifted and put into 
pots of various sizes, according to the quantity of roots 
forming the ball. After potting they can be plunged 
over the rim in a bed of ashes outside until they are 
required to be forced. The following are very useful 
for this purpose Azalea mollis, Spiriea japonica and 
S. Thunbergi, Dielytra spectabilis, Deutzia gracilis and 
D. crenata, Viburnum plicatum, Lilacs, Staphylea 
colchica, double Prunus sinensis, Rhododendrons, 
Christmas Roses, Lily of the Valley, Schizostylis 
coccinea, &c. 
Annuals. —There are several annuals that may be 
made useful for the conservatory, including Balsams, 
Cockscombs, Celosia pyramidalis, Gomphrenas, Salpi- 
glossis, Schizanthus, Browallia elatior, Dianthus, 
Asters, Stocks, &c. Seeds of these should be sown in 
the spring, and the plants grown without check, or 
they will come into bloom prematurely. Celosias and 
Gomphrenas require more heat to grow them than the 
others. 
Orchids. —The Orchids that will grow and thrive 
in a conservatory are very few indeed. Nevertheless 
there are several that when in bloom will last in that 
state a very long time. The most serviceable are the 
following :—Cypripedium insigne, Dendrobium nobile, 
Odontoglossums in variety, and several species of 
Masdevallia. 
Ferns. —These form an indispensable class of plants 
to any garden structure where decorative effect is 
desired. They should be arranged according to the 
taste of those concerned. They are propagated from 
spores or by division. The best time to re-pot the 
plants is in spring, before the young fronds push up. 
A compost of fibrous loam, peat, and sharp sand is the 
most suitable. All fronds that have any insect deposit 
on them should then be removed and at once burnt, so 
as to give the young ones a clean start. The genera 
best adapted for conservatory work are:—Adianturn, 
Asplenium, Davallia, Microlepia, Woodwardia, Poly¬ 
podium, Nephrodium, and Lastrea. Goniophlebium 
subauriculatum is very suitable for a hanging basket, 
and Platycerium alcicorne looks well suspended from 
the roof. 
Those who wish to have their conservatories always 
gay will never be without bloom if they grow the plants 
mentioned in this essay ; but a certain amount of fore¬ 
thought and care will be always necessary to have them 
exactly at the time they are wanted.— Al. Reid. 
-- 
otes from Scotland. 
—-*■— 
North of Scotland Horticultural Associ¬ 
ation.—The last meeting for the season of this society 
was held in the Christian Institute, Aberdeen, on the 
/ th inst. j there was a good attendance, and Mr. Gregor 
occupied the chair. Mr. Harper, head gardener, Duthie 
Public Park, Aberdeen, read a very interesting paper 
on “Mower and Carpet Bedding,” illustrating his 
remarks by carefully-drawn designs on the blackboard ; 
he also enumerated the plants most suitable for growing 
in the different beds. The next paper, “ Gardening as 
a Recreation,” was contributed by Mr. G. W. Mintv, 
Canal Road, Aberdeen. At the outset the essayist 
referred to the need there was for recreation, and the 
hobby of gardening, he held, gave this both physically 
and mentally; with the exception of cricket, digging was 
the best athletic exercise, every muscle, vein, artery, 
and nerve being exercised in the process. He strongly 
recommended that every amateur who had a fairly large 
garden, and had the capacity and opportunity, should 
be his own digger, especially during the period when 
nature was at rest. 
The soil being well dug, but left rough early in the 
season, the frosts, snows and rain pulverised it, and 
the manure had time to enrich and thoroughly im¬ 
pregnate the soil. Then after the early turning over, 
the soil was of the mechanical firmness essential for 
the root growth and retention of latent moisture. The 
sowing, planting out, weeding, thinning, watering, and 
hoeing were all interesting operations, and required 
discrimination and care in their performance. Hoeing 
was of special importance, for all the subjects de¬ 
veloped wonderfully under deep soil, stirring beside 
and around them. Referring to flowers, he said the 
love for them began in childhood and continued 
throughout life. Flower gardening gave scope for the 
art of design, and the operations were delicate, the 
plants requiring much care and watchfulness. They 
must have regard to the nature of the seed, to see that 
they were not too deeply buried in the soil, and that 
the soil was not too cold, with sufficiency of heat, moisture 
and access of air. Transplanting to open quarters was 
very necessary, and should take place in showery 
weather, or if not practicable the evenings should be 
chosen, and superficial waterings and temporary shading 
afforded. The after operations were manifold and 
interesting, and had to be carried out unremittingly 
and at the proper time. 
Great attention had to be paid to bedding, and this 
had done more to foster a love of flowers and gardening 
in general amongst the great mass of the people than 
anything else. To many of the dwellers in the large 
cities nothing was more possible than window garden¬ 
ing ; but it was still in its infancy, although latterly 
the horticultural element had received much more 
attention, mainly from the establishment of societies 
which offered prizes for the best specimens of plants 
grown in windows of cottages. The movement was 
not so much for the improvement of streets and roads 
as the improvement of the inhabitants, for a love of 
gardening indoors -was invariably found associated 
with neatness, cleanliness, and good order in the 
house generally. Aberdeen was considerably behind 
southern cities in window gardening, and something, 
he said, should be done with the view of fostering it. 
He suggested that competitions should be held towards 
this purpose, for flower shows, he thought, had done 
much to spread the desire for gardening. In con¬ 
cluding, he said it was not to be denied but that 
horticulture was a powerful factor in augmenting the 
food supplies, promoting the comfort, elevating the 
character, and improving the sanitary state of the 
nation. Hearty votes of thanks were accorded to Mr. 
Harper and Mr. Minty for their valuable papers. 
Specimens of a Masdevallia in flower from Mr. Scott, 
Deemount, and an Odontoglossum from Mr. Proctor, 
Devanha House, were shown, and the exhibitors 
awarded Cultural Certificates. 
