August 24, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
823 
Tagetes Parryi. 
Mostly all of the species of Tagetes or Marigolds of 
that genus cultivated in gardens are annuals, and 
raised from seeds yearly, but T. Parryi is a perennial, 
and evergreen. The flower-heads have a few rays only, 
of a bright golden yellow colour, but they are suffi¬ 
ciently long and broad to give the plant an attractive 
appearance when well studded with them. The leaves 
are pinnately divided into five or seven ovate or elliptic 
segments, and the whole plant being of slow and com¬ 
pact growth, has an attractive appearance. The foliage, 
moreover, has the characteristic odour of a Marigold, 
but is rather more pleasant than some of them. The 
plant is half-hardy, and although it cannot outlive a 
severe winter in the open air, yet it forms a beautiful 
and distinct subject for rockwork, and from its nature 
would flower all the more freely by being grown in a 
rather dry and well-exposed position. During winter 
it may be preserved in cold frames, propagating small 
plants from cuttings for this purpose some time in July 
or August. When it can no longer be grown out of 
doors, the plants may be lifted and transferred to a cool 
greenhouse. 
Swallow-wort Gentian. 
Of all the species of Gentian that come under our 
notice in gardens, none thrive in so many situations, 
nor under such different conditions of soil, climate, and 
temperature, as Gentiana asclepiadea. The stems are 
very slender, and vary from 1 ft. to 2 ft. in height, 
according to the suitability of soil and moisture. A 
little shade from the afternoon sun also favours the 
lengthening of the stems, although there is not much 
advantage to be gained by increase in that way, as the 
stems then require support. Flowers are produced 
singly in the axils of the leaves along a great part of 
the stem, and are clustered at the top. They are 
tubularly bell-shaped, and in the type are of a bright 
blue. There is also a white variety, which is equally 
floriferous and accommodating under the varying con¬ 
ditions incumbent upon artificial treatment, but it 
can hardly be considered so handsome a plant as the 
typical blue form, although proving sufficiently inter¬ 
esting and pretty to be grown as a contrast and in 
proximity to it. No special soils or methods of culture 
are at all necessary, as is incontestably proved in 
various gardens all over the country, even in the far 
north, where it is simply grown in the herbaceous 
border with other plants, and when once established is 
equally able to take care of itself. 
Veronica spicata 
The Speedwell under notice is certainly the best of all 
our British species, and like V. longifolia has given rise 
to a great many forms in gardens, some of which are 
very distinct. Taken, however, in its typical form it 
is an elegant little plant, generally about 6 ins. or 
8 ins. high, with long spicate racemes of blue flowers. 
Although entitled to the rank of a British plant it is 
very sparingly found in a wild state, and that in a few 
of the southern counties only. Its cultivation is ex¬ 
ceedingly simple, as it will grow almost anywhere, 
provided the situation is not too dry. It also delights 
in a free exposure, and although it will not absolutely 
refuse to grow if heavily shaded, yet the plant forms 
a more compact and sturdy growth if fully exposed to 
light. The rockery is really the best place for growing 
it on account of its diminutive stature, whereas it 
would be comparatively lost in a border of tall plants. 
The foliage varies considerably in colour, according as 
it is felted with whitish pubescence or nearly smooth, 
and of a dark green. Probably the smallest and 
prettiest is the dwarf variety Y. s. minor, the stature 
of which is less, and the leaves are mostly confined to the 
base, forming a close carpet covering the ground, and 
the flowers if anything are of a darker blue. Another 
choice kind is Y. s. corymbosa, the flower-buds of 
which, instead of developing normally, become pro¬ 
duced into lateral-flowering racemes, forming a sort of 
corymb instead of a raceme of flowers. 
Polygonum amplexicaule. 
Few out of the long array of species belonging to this 
genus are entitled to take a place amongst the other 
occupants of flower borders, but P. amplexicaule may 
justly lay claim to a prominent position, for it is indeed 
a graceful and, in the typical form, brightly-coloured 
plant. Under favourable conditions, it grows from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. high, and all the larger heart-shaped 
leaves are confined to the base, while those on the stems 
are smaller, stalkless, and stem-clasping. The flowers 
are small, as in the whole family generally ; but they 
are of a bright rosy red, and produced in long, slender, 
somewhat branching racemes. There is a pure white 
variety (P. a. alba), which is equally pretty, and per¬ 
haps more graceful than the type, and when seen in 
association with plants of other kinds, its interesting 
and charming character is even more enhanced. It is 
a Himalayan species, and proves quite at home in this 
country. What adds to its value is that it never 
becomes weedy, like many other species of the same 
genus. Propagation by division cannot therefore be 
effected so rapidly, but cuttings can always be obtained. 
The flowering season lasts from August to October. 
Parnassia nubicola. 
The different species of Parnassia, popularly known as 
the Grass of Parnassus, do not differ greatly in habit 
nor general appearance, and a casual observer would 
probably take the most of them to be one and the same 
thing. The species under notice is a native of the 
Himalayas at great elevations, a fact which is referred 
to in the specific name, which means cloud-inhabiting. 
The flowers are comparatively of large size, and produced 
singly on the top of stems about 6 ins. in height, so 
that a tuft or pitch of the plant in flower has a very 
pretty effect. They are cup-shaped and white, with 
conspicuous veins running through the petals, but less 
numerous and not so distinctly branched as in our 
native P. palustris. The glands between the stamens 
have thirteen or fourteen branches in the latter, but in 
P. nubicola the barren glandular stamens are yellow 
and three-lobed or divided. The radical leaves are 
heart-shaped, while the cauline ones are elliptic and 
stalldess. All of them are essentially bog plants, and 
require to be grown in a bog bed, or where they can 
get a plentiful supply of moisture. They also form 
exceedingly neat and compact plants for cultivation in 
pots, to which they are highly amenable, and if kept 
well watered they are beautiful and interesting subjects, 
as well as ornamental. They can readily be increased 
from seeds, which they ripen in this country. The 
species jean be seen in the bog bed at Kew. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-- 
Rose Cuttings. 
Those who would like to try their hand at the propa¬ 
gation of Roses from cuttings, and so obtain them on 
their own roots, would find the process a very simple 
one. The best method of procedure is to get ready 
some thumb pots, filling them with a light sandy 
compost, and then covering the top with some sand. 
Water down the whole, and then go in quest of the 
cuttings while the superfluous moisture is draining 
away. Short-jointed cuttings just getting firm are 
to be preferred, otherwise the tops are liable to flag, 
making the rooting of them more precarious. If they 
can be taken off with a heel so much the better, as they 
more readily form a callus, and are less liable to rot 
than if the wood is soft and pithy. With a sharp 
knife make a clean cut obliquely across the base of the 
cutting, or in the direction of the wood, so as to 
preserve as much of the heel as possible, and yet make 
the surface smooth. Remove the lower leaf or two, and 
the cutting is ready for insertion. Make the holes with a 
bluntly-pointed dibber, or piece of wood, so that the 
cuttings when inserted will reach the base without 
being hung up, as it were, when the soil is pressed 
against them. Many losses accrue from bad work¬ 
manship like this, as the base of the cutting is left 
clear of the soil, and in all probability dry. Insert 
one in each pot, and after accomplishing this, remove 
the whole to a frame or hand-light where the pots may 
be plunged in sand, light soil, or even coco-nut fibre ; 
then water with a rosed watering can, and keep close 
and shaded from bright sunshine. 
Violets. 
Violets intended for flowering in winter should now be 
planted in frames or hand-lights, or in beds where they 
can be covered with such means of protection on the 
approach of cold weather. Without this arrangement 
Violets cannot be expected to flower in winter, except 
in very favoured localities, and not at all in the 
immediate vicinity of large towns, owing probably to 
the smoke and other deleterious influences in the 
atmosphere, and more especially to damp, foggy 
weather, which causes the leaves to rot. Employ only 
the best and healthiest plants from which a good 
supply of bloom may reasonably be expected, and plant 
them just close enough to occupy the space without 
waste, but at the same time far enough apart to prevent 
the leaves from crowding and engendering decay during 
dull wet weather. In making up a frame for their 
reception great advantage would accrue if the 
bottom be filled up with partly-fermented stable 
manure, so that a mild and steady heat will give the 
desired impetus to vegetation during the autumn and 
winter months. Cover the dung with about 6 ins. of 
good soil, so as to bring the plants as near as possible 
to the glass without touching, for the sake of fully 
exposing them to light. A southern exposure is best 
in winter. Give plenty of ventilation on all favourable 
occasions when the roots have become established after 
transplanting. The. best varieties for this purpose are 
Marie Louise, lavender-blue and white ; Neapolitan, 
pale lavender ; and Comte Brazza or Swanley Double 
White, both being the same thing. All the three have 
double sweet-scented flowers. 
Bedding Plants. 
Cuttings of various subjects used for the decoration of 
the summer flower garden must now be taken, so that 
they may get well rooted before the approach of 
winter. This is all the more important where there are 
no heated frames or greenhouses in which tender or 
half-hardy subjects may be stored during winter. 
There is less liability to damping when the cuttings 
are well rooted, so that an abundance of ventilation 
may be given on all favourable occasions. Bedding 
Pelargoniums may be inserted in boxes, or even in the 
open border, where a good percentage will root and 
occasion little or no care till the approach of frost com¬ 
pels lifting. They will by that time have formed nice 
little plants that may be potted up singly or stored in 
boxes according to convenience. A large number of 
cuttings may be removed at this early date without 
disfiguring the flower beds by judiciously selecting 
shoots where they will least be missed. Where there 
are no stock plants of Lobelia in pots the sooner that 
cuttings are made the better, as the plants keep best 
when the pots are well filled with roots. Verbenas, 
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Alyssum, Gazinias, Petunias, 
and plants of that class may also be struck, placed in 
frames, and shaded from bright sunshine till they form 
roots. The shading should not, however, be overdone, 
otherwise many of the cuttings will be more injured 
than benefited. Many prefer to raise Petunias from 
seed every year, but good kinds often turn up which it 
is desirable to preserve for next year’s work, and this 
can only be done by cuttings if it is desirable to pre¬ 
serve the variety true. Bedding Violas may be propa¬ 
gated at any time till the end of next month, provided 
cuttings can be obtained. 
Hollyhocks. 
Those wishing to save seeds of their best varieties, 
whether single or double, had best make a selection at 
the present time, when in full bloom. Unless a large 
quantity of seed is desired, a few flowers will be quite 
sufficient to save from, and these should be of the very 
best. There will be no difficulty with regard to single 
flowers, but the petals are so dense in the finest double 
kinds that bees and other insects have difficulty in 
effecting an entrance to the flower, which therefore 
stands a bad chance of setting seed. In cases of this 
kind the cultivator would greatly facilitate the work of 
bees by pushing aside the dense masses of petals in 
places, so as to facilitate the useful work done by bees 
in seed-setting. As these double flowers fade, it will 
often be found necessary to pull off the mass of petals 
and stamens, especially in wet weather, to prevent the 
rotting of the fruit. This will also disturb or remove 
maggots, which find shelter amongst the petals until 
they bore into and effect a lodgment amongst the 
carpels and seeds, which they often destroy in large 
quantities. 
-- 
CARNATIONS. 
Being an ardent lover of all hardy flowers, and 
especially of the Carnation, I should like, with your 
permission, to say a few words on its cultivation. 
1 have annually layered a few hundreds early in August, 
and planted them out as soon as well rooted in a soil 
consisting of a good holding loam inclined to clay, pre¬ 
viously prepared by being well dug up and incorporated 
with a good quantity of old lime-rubble. In such a 
soil they always pass safely through our severest" 
winters. I plant them 1 ft. apart, and they make a 
fine display the following season. Then in the autumn I 
remove every alternate plant, and allow the rest to 
have their own way, when they make large plants from 
2 ft. to 3 ft. across, and throw up from twenty to thirty 
stems of flowers. So convinced am I of the hardiness 
of the Carnation that I fear any attempt at coddling 
will end only in disease and eventually death. 
I have two beds of Pride of Penshurst planted out, 
