566 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 4, 1889. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-——*•- 
Chinese Primroses. 
These are not so difficult to maintain in a healthy 
flowering condition in the atmosphere of dwelling- 
houses as many people would imagine. The great 
secret is to maintain the roots in a suitably moist 
condition at all times, neither too wet nor too dry. To 
enable them to grow slowly and flower freely, they 
should be kept in the windows of rooms where fires are 
kept burning all day, but more particularly during the 
evening. This, of course, applies to winter and early 
spring, when cold weather or frost is of frequent 
occurrence. During damp weather the fires will 
benefit them by keeping the atmosphere of the room in 
a suitably dry state. Under these conditions they 
will flower profusely for some months together, and 
produce a cheerful and enlivening effect. If obtained 
from the nurserymen or market-grower, some care will 
have to be taken of them for a time, till they become 
inured to their new surroundings. Cold, cutting 
draughts of air must be avoided, and the leaves will 
harden considerably, while still maintaining a fresh 
appearance. 
Spirras and Lilt of the Valley. 
These are now plentiful and cheap, so that those having 
the convenience of gardens may obtain plants with a 
double object in view. After serving their time in the 
greenhouse or in the windows of the dwelling-house, 
they may be transferred to some part of the garden 
where the soil is moderately rich and moist. The 
Spiraea will flower more or less next year if encouraged 
to make a fairly good growth during the summer. 
It is a marsh or semi-aquatic plant, and should 
receive liberal supplies of water during the summer. 
After two years’ growth it may be potted up again for 
forcing. The Lily of the Valley will, perhaps, require 
longer time before it is again tit for use in this way, 
but it will afford a quantity of bloom in the open air 
that will be useful for cut-flower purposes. 
Chrysanthemums. 
The great bulk of the large-flowering Chrysanthemums 
grow too tall to be easily accommodated in small 
greenhouses or conservatories when propagated in 
autumn and grown on in the usual way. Dwarf and 
useful decorative plants may, however, be obtained by 
striking the tips of growing shoots now, or even a 
month later. Those struck now may have their tops 
pinched out to encourage the development of several 
shoots, each of which will yield a cluster of flowers in 
the autumn. They must be thinned to a greater or 
less extent if moderately large flowers are desired ; but 
as a rule a profusion of heads of no great size is pre¬ 
ferred for making a display. 
Solanums. 
Amateurs might well possess themselves of a few plants 
of this berry-bearing plant. Very little heat is required 
to keep it in the best possible condition during winter, 
while the production of fruit is not half so difficult a 
matter as is generally supposed by those who have only 
a greenhouse or window in which to grow them. No 
glass at all is necessary to grow and fruit them well. 
If not previously done, the plants should be hard cut 
back, and planted out of doors in a fully-exposed and 
sunny position as soon as the weather becomes 
favourable. After cutting back the shoots little or no 
water should be given till the buds have again fairly 
well started into growth. All that need be considered 
is to prevent the soil in the pots becoming so dry as to 
kill the roots, until such time as they can be transferred 
to the open ground. Little attention will be required 
during the summer beyond an occasional watering and 
keeping the ground free from weeds. 
Scarlet Runners. 
Owing to the continued cold unsettled weather it has 
been unsafe to sow Kidney Beans or Scarlet Runners, 
but either of them could now be sown in boxes of soil 
containing a quantity of leaf-soil or well-rotted stable 
manure, which will adhere to the roots when transferred 
to the open border, and so give little cheek to the roots. 
Runners so treated may be well forwarded in frames, 
and be ready to grow away vigorously when warm 
weather comes. If needful, later sowings maybe made 
in the open ground to succeed those sown in boxes. 
Where the soil of the garden is moderately moist during 
summer, the runners will continue flowering and 
fruiting till frost cuts them down. 
Marrows. 
The manure or other heaps on which it is intended to 
plant Vegetable Marrows should be made up without 
further delay, and a quantity of soil placed over them 
in which to plant the Marrows. As soon as all danger 
of violent heating is over, the plants may be inserted. 
Cover them with hand-lights, bell-glasses, or other con¬ 
venient objects till the young growths entirely fill them, 
after which they may be entirely removed, allowing 
the Marrows to ramble over the entire space at their 
disposal. In many instances pots or boxes are placed 
over the young plants ; but these must be removed 
during the day, thus entailing considerable attention, 
whereas if glass frames in some form or other can be 
used, growth will proceed rapidly, even if the weather 
is not very warm. Water as occasion may require until 
they become established. 
-- 
THE GLOXINIA AND ITS CULTI¬ 
VATION.* 
Some brief remarks on this now deservedly popular 
and charming flower may prove of interest. There may 
not be much in the forms of the blooms to excite our 
admiration, but I think you will agree with me when 
I say if we have not all that can be desired in the forms, 
we have cause for gratification in the colours of the 
flowers. There are three distinct types of Gloxinia ; 
the drooping strain is the oldest, and is gradually 
giving place to the horizontal and the erect sections. 
These display their flowers to so much greater advan¬ 
tage than the drooping class that there is substantial 
reason for the increasing favour shown them. When 
they are in full bloom, who can help stopping to admire 
some of the beautiful colours, and ask the question, 
What artist is there able to paint them properly 1 The 
blendings of some of them are indeed wonderful. We 
may well ask, How came such a variety of colours? 
Some will say it is Nature’s work. Yes, true, but it is 
not until man works with Nature that we get such a 
rich and varied harvest of colour ; and I say there is 
great praise due to the men who have given up their 
time and skill to the work of cross-fertilisation for the 
public benefit. 
Gloxinia is a genus containing six species of elegant 
stove plants, natives of tropical America. If we take into 
account the ease with which they can be had in flower 
from spring till autumn, we must admit that there are 
few stove plants so well deserving of attention. Its 
cultivation is very simple, provided you have a suitable 
house or pit to grow the plants in, and a light position 
with shading from sunshine, which will ensure a sturdy 
growth, and eventually produce flowers of good sub¬ 
stance. Air should be carefully admitted. The plants 
require plenty of water when growing; a good syringing 
with tepid water morning and evening will be found 
very beneficial. The plants can be raised from seed or 
leaves ; seed is the more general means employed to 
increase stock, except in the case of very choice sorts, 
which can be propagated very freely by cutting the 
ribs of the leaves and placing them on light sandy soil. 
Put in some copper wire pegs or small stones to keep 
the cuttings firm on the soil ; keep the latter damp, 
and place the cuttings in a temperature ranging from 
65° to 75°, and in a very short time they will have 
formed small tubers. 
Seed Sowing. 
Sow the end of August, or as soon as the seed is ripe, 
for early spring-flowering, and again in January for 
succession, in equal proportions of sifted loam, peat, 
and leaf-soil, adding a liberal portion of sand. Use 
6-in. pots in which to sow the seed. The pots should 
be clean and carefully drained to half their depth with 
clean broken crocks, placing over them a little moss or 
leaves to keep the drainage open ; fill the pots to 
within half-an-inch of the rim, pressing the soil 
moderately firm and even. Scatter the seed thinly and 
cover slightly with fine soil ; then water through a fine 
rose watering-pot, and place the pots in a temperature 
of 65° to 75°. Cover them with a piece of glass, and 
that again with paper to exclude the light and prevent 
the soil from becoming dry. In a very short time the 
seedlings will appear, and should be exposed to the 
light to keep them strong and sturdy. As soon as 
the plants are strong enough to handle, prick off into 
pans or shallow boxes three inches apart, using soil 
similar to that employed for sowing the seed. After 
this operation they should be returned to the same 
temperature, kept close, and damped overhead once or 
twice daily according to the weather. As soon as the 
plants have filled the space allotted to them in the 
pans or boxes, pot off into large 60-sized pots, using 
* A paper read by Mr. T. Bones, The Gardens, Tower House, 
Chiswick, at the Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Association, March 15th, 1889. 
the soil a little rougher than that advised for sowing 
the seed, so that the water can have free passage, as 
this is most essential to successful Gloxinia cultivation. 
Be careful not to break the small leaves in the operation, 
as they are very brittle ; pot moderately firm ; place 
the plants back in the same temperature, giving water 
when required, and keeping the bed damp round the 
pots by the liberal use of the syringe in bright weather. 
As soon as the roots appear through the soil they should 
be shifted into large 48 or 32-sized pots, in which they 
should be allowed to flower, unless they are intended 
for exhibition ; then they should have another shift 
into 8-in. pots. 
Artificial manure or manure water is very beneficial 
when the flowers appear, but it should be kept from 
the foliage. The flowers will last much longer if the 
plants are kept in a cool temperature and more air 
be given at their flowering season. But they should 
never be subjected to a too dry atmosphere, or they 
may be attacked by some unwelcome visitors, such as 
thrip and green-flj 7 , which, if allowed a footing, are 
difficult to get rid of. There is a saying, “ prevention 
is better than cure ”; it is so in this case, and to prevent 
it a moist atmosphere must be maintained during their 
growing season. After flowering, keep the soil damp 
so long as there is any vitality in the leaf. After the 
leaves die down, put the pots on a shelf in a dry atmo¬ 
sphere at about 50° through the winter. As soon as 
new growth appears, give water and place the plants 
near the light for a few days ; then shake out the old 
soil from the bulbs and pot them into fresh, using as 
small pots as possible in which to start them, and grow 
on in the same way as advised for the seedlings. 
Different Strains. 
Just a few remarks here as to the different strains of 
Gloxinia. I suppose every grower thinks he is growing 
the very best. I once heard a man discussing the merits 
of different beers, and the conclusion he came to was, that 
there was no bad beer, only some was better than 
others, and this is the conclusion I have come to upon 
the different strains of Gloxinia. There are no bad 
strains now, they all have their merits, only some have 
greater recommendations than others. 
In my opinion there has been too much stress laid 
on the strong recurved foliage. Those whose leaves 
turn down over the pots are too strong. I have 
observed when growing them side by side, the flowers 
on the strong recurved-leaved plants drop when in a 
fresh condition, while those on the other types will 
remain on the plants until they are picked off ; and on 
examining the flowers you may see the reason for their 
dropping so soon—the ovary swells too rapidly and so 
pushes off the flowers. 
I have a list of the best sorts that will make good 
parents for the production of seed. If any member 
would like to grow a few for seed purposes, my advice 
is to get the undermentioned, and you will then be on 
a level with any of the florists. Some people will tell 
you that they have worked up their strain from very 
poor parents ; it may be so, but there is no reason why 
we should go over the ground already trodden by our 
forefathers. No, let us begin with the most advanced 
varieties and try to excel in our work. 
Select List of Yarieties. 
The Moor, purple ; Virginalis, white ; Flambeau and 
Comet, scarlet; Mdlle. Jeanne Muiret, one of the best 
spotted that our friends have sent us from “ across the 
water ” ; Cordelia and Marchioness of Abergavenny, 
spotted ; Cygnet, white bordered with violet ; Ivanhoe, 
purple with white margin ; Yulcan, purplish crimson ; 
Rajah, purple ; Duchess of Connaught, white with 
scarlet edge ; Lustre, deep scarlet. The following are 
new ones—namely, Orion, Orestes, Marmion, Sultana, 
Neptune, and Octavia. 
-- 
THE ITALIAN SQUILL. 
In some old-fashioned gardens the Italian Squill (Scilla 
italica) is grown in considerable quantity, and a pretty 
effect it has during the months of April and May. It 
is as hardy as the English Bluebell (S. nutans), and 
although the flowers are much smaller, they neverthe¬ 
less have a very pretty effect when seen in a mass. 
The segments of the flower are spread out nearly flat, 
not erect as in S. nutans, so that the truest character 
of a Squill is represented by this species. From thirty 
to forty flowers are borne in a raceme by each scape, so 
that the effect produced by clumps of large size is very 
effective. The herbaceous border is, perhaps, the best 
place for it, or round the margins of shrubberies, where 
the flowers could not fail to be appreciated. A bunch 
of it was sent us by Messrs. Richard Barker & Co., 
Frampton, Boston, Lincolnshire. The flowers during 
the day were scented somewhat similarly to those of 
the Hawthorn. 
