8 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 5, 1891. 
THE HERBACEOUS BORDER. 
Choice Plants in Flower 1 . 
Achillea Millefolium rosea. —The ordinary 
white-flowered form of this plant is passed unheeded 
as vulgar and common, although it would doubtless 
find admirers were it a foreign instead of a British 
weed. There can be no question as to the beauty of 
the rose-coloured variety, for the ray florets although 
short are rich in hue, and the heads being produced 
in close flat corymbs, the whole is exceedingly 
attractive. In several northern districts it is one of 
the favourites in stands of herbaceous flowers. The 
umbels are also often used in bouquets of flowers. 
In fairly good soil a succession of bloom is kept up 
for several months during summer. 
Dianthus Seguieri. —During the latter part of 
summer the border or rockery is rendered very gay 
by the large and abundant flowers of this Pink. The 
petals are wedge-shaped and of a bright rose, with 
about three crimson spots or sometimes a wavy band 
of the same colour across them a little above the 
base, and just where they are furnished with a beard 
of hair. Propagation should be effected by means 
of cuttings in the early part of the year, because 
nearly all the stems run to flower, and there is conse¬ 
quently a dearth of cuttings at present. The plant 
is, however, a long-lived one, throwing up fresh 
growth from the same rootstock for a period of 
twelve or fourteen years at least without any appa¬ 
rent diminution of vigour. Nor does it make much 
increase during this time, and the stems die down 
completely in winter. 
Silene MARITIMA flore pleno. —The single forms 
of this plant is very pretty with its large white 
flowers and netted, inflated calyx sometimes of a 
deep red. The double form is notable for the great 
size of its flower heads. The stems are never of 
great length even when grown in good soil, but they 
assume a spreading or almost procumbent habit, due 
in part to the weight of the large flowers. The 
glaucous or sea-green foliage is evergreen, very neat 
and conspicuous. 
Helianthus multiflorus maximus. —The stems 
of this garden form of H. decapetalus are 5 ft. to 
6|ft. high, and therefore quite away from the nor¬ 
mal character of the old plant with double flowers, 
and which seldom exceeds 3 ft., as may be seen in 
cottage and other gardens as well as parks every¬ 
where at the present time, j^he heads of the plants 
under notice are single and measure 4^in. to 5A in. 
across, while individual rays in two overlapping rows 
often measure f in. to J in. across. 
Epilobium rosmarinifolium sericeum. —The 
variety here mentioned differs from the type in its 
linear leaves being densely clothed with a silky 
pubescence, imparting to the plant a hoary appear¬ 
ance. The flowers are of a soft rose colour, lined 
with darker veins, and when produced in quantity 
are very attractive. The stems vary from 18 in. to 
24 in. in height, and branch freely above the middle 
so that a small plant forms a good bush. Division 
of the rootstock is easily effected in spring or autumn. 
Bocconia cordata. —The abundant rain of the 
past summer has been very favourable to the growth 
of this plant as far as height is concerned. In good 
rich but well drained soil the stems will be developed 
6 ft. to 8 ft. high. The flowers are small for a 
Poppywort, but numerous, and of a creamy-white 
and showy in the mass. The large cordate and lobed 
leaves are glaucous above, whitish beneath, and 
attain such a size in some seasons as to have a sub¬ 
tropical appearance. A variety with smaller, darker 
coloured leaves, and more decidedly straw-yellow 
flowers, is sometimes grown in gardens under the 
name of B. japonica, but the difference is really very 
little. The plant may be increased from suckers 
which it throws up freely from the root, or possibly 
by root cuttings. 
Helenium pumilum. —This is usually considered 
to be a variety of H. autumnale, from which it 
differs by its much dwarfer stems (6 in. to 18 in.) and 
larger bright yellow flower heads with broad three 
parted, overlapping rays. The length of time during 
which it keeps in bloom is remarkable, and extends 
from early in summer till late'in the autumn provided 
the plants are grown under favourable conditions in 
good soil, with a sufficiency of moisture, so as to keep 
the rootstock throwing up young stems which in 
their turn produce fresh flower heads. 
Prunella grandiflora. — Some authorities con¬ 
sider this as a variety of the common All Heal (P. 
vulgaris) of our meadows and pastures. There is a 
wide difference, however, both in the size of the 
leaves and the flowers. The leaves of the former 
are oblong or ovate with a cordate base, and dis¬ 
tinctly toothed. The large helmet-shaped flowers 
are of large size and rosy-purple ; they are produced 
in terminal and auxiliary, dense oblong spikes, and 
develop in succession. The plant is hardy and very 
easily increased. 
The Sneezewort Aster. — When grown in good 
soil Aster ptarmicoides produces heads of an 
appreciable size in terminal corymbs that might 
easily pass for a species of Achillea resembling A. 
Ptarmica, after which it is named. Being now at its 
best it precedes the large majority of the perennial 
Asters that are of any real decorative value. Coming 
as it does when other flowers are plentiful it loses 
much of that appreciation that would pertain to it 
if the flowering period was October instead of 
August. The white rays surround a creamy-white 
disc, so that on the whole the Sneezewort is pretty 
closely imitated. The stems are generally about 
18 in. high, and furnished with long, linear, deep 
green leaves. If grown in a herbaceous border the 
second line would be the best place for it. Increase 
is very slow, a few stems only being produced even 
when the plant has been established for several years, 
so that no fear need be entertained in introducing it 
amongst a select collection of plants. A piece of it 
may be seen in the collection now on trial in the 
gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at 
Chiswick, 
Hotes on Fruits. 
Wanted—a Crop of Plums. 
I should be glad if the writer of the item “ The 
Plum Crop,” on page 808 of your last volume, could 
tell me why, in this fruitful year for Plums, I have 
only four off ten bushes, averaging 5 ft. high, on a 
south border, with a wall and a hedge behind of 8 ft. 
The soil is inclined to clay, yet very porous—to 
write ‘‘fine, 1 ’ say decomposed arenaceous shale; 
this was trenched 3 ft. deep, and well mixed with old 
leaves, the cleansings of an old big sewer, and the 
trees were four years old when planted four years 
ago, yet they have never borne one Plum till this 
year, when I find one on Jefferson, and three on 
Victoria. Besides this experience, I had from 
Messrs. Rivers a dozen cordons, but I have 
never had one Plum on them. The trees are pictures 
of health, but that's not satisfaction enough, there’s 
no fruit. Seeing in one of your issues that lime was 
a good thing for all stoned fruits, I have mulched all 
my Plums and Cherries with agricultural lime, as I 
am tired of waiting. The trees are the admiration 
of many friends and gardeners too, but I want some 
fruit—if only a little. Can anyone suggest to me 
what to do to induce its appearance ? So far as I know, 
the trees have had every possible good thing, and 
successful pruning to secure a good tree to begin 
with, still I cannot get fruit. All these trees have 
been root-pruned, and those in the border turned 
completely round two years ago to balance the shape 
of them ; they have all been tied down so that each 
branch is quite clear of all neighbours. The Cherries 
were year by year, and this spring also, covered with 
blossom, but not one blossom to each Plum tree! 
In this soil Apples, Gooseberries, Currants, and 
vegetables luxuriate ; so do Roses; but I have no 
Plums !—the same with Peaches, Nectarines, and 
Apricots. I have all of them on a south wall where 
no wind can reach them ; the Peaches flower, but 
never set; the Apricots won’t condescend to blossom 
even ! I may add that my cordons have only 15 in. 
of root run in front. They, of course, run in and 
among neighbours, in a row of thirty, but I have 
dug down and cut off all roots to within 15 in. to 
encourage, as I thought, fibrous rooting. I want an 
opinion of someone who, like myself, likes to work 
through for himself and know the reason •* why.’’— 
John Cliff. 
Gypsophila Elegans.— The flowers of the various 
species of Gypsophila are usually very small indi¬ 
vidually, and are seen to best advantage in the mass, 
or for the purpose of lighting up arrangements of cut 
flowers. That under notice has comparatively large, 
pure white flowers, and is now extensively used, both 
in the London and Paris markets, for mixing with 
other cut flowers, and for that purpose it is exceed¬ 
ingly useful. We noted it amongst other annuals in 
the borders at Gunnersbury House, Acton, 
The Amateur’s Garden, 
A House for Tea Roses.—I propose to plant 
a span-roof house, of which I enclose a ground plan, 
with Tea Roses, and should be glad of advice as to 
the best position for the beds, their depth, the best 
compost to use, and the best varieties to plant, with 
brief hints on their management. The house can be 
heated up to 70° if required, and I propose to plant 
Roses worked on the Seedling Briar.—T. 0 . [The 
plan shows that the house is not very suitable for 
growing Roses. In the first place the hot water 
pipes are so near to the wall that there would be no 
possibility of using it for short climbing Teas, such 
as Marie Van Houtte and Rubens, and however it 
is arranged the pipes will be among the Roses planted 
out. If the pipes could be laid up and down a path 
in the centre of the house it would be worth while 
going to the extra trouble. We would advise a 
centre path 3 ft. in width, laying the flow and return 
each side of a short wall say some 18 in. in height. 
This wall would assist in forming a nice bed 
for the Roses to be planted out in. Another 
plan would be to leave the pipes as they are, 
making a couple of side borders in the same 
way as suggested, and then plant out the Roses, 
keeping them quite a foot from the hot water pipes. 
The advantage of this plan would lay in the greater 
benefit of the heat rising close to the glass, and so 
drying it off during damp and muggy weather. Less 
heat would be required this way than if the pipes 
were up the centre part, but you would lose the wall 
room. Altogether we should choose the plan first 
recommended, and use the top of the walls at the 
sides of the path to stand a row of pot plants on. It 
would be possible to grow a Marechal Niel on one side 
and William Allen Richardson on the other ; these 
strong climbing varieties could be trained up to the 
glass and spread fan-shaped to right and left. You 
should not plant more than one climber on each side 
of the house, or you will darken the house too much 
for the remainder of the plants. The best kinds of 
Tea Scented Roses to grow in such a house are, 
Niphetos (white), Catherine Mermet (pink). Sou¬ 
venir d’un Ami (pink), Fransisga Kruger (yellow 
buff), and Madame Lambard (deep rose varying to 
red). If you wish for red Roses, you might plant a 
Reine Marie Henriette in place of one of the two 
climbers ; this Rose comes a grand colour under 
glass, and if treated similar to Marechal Neil, will 
flower equally as free. The best treatment for all 
climbers under glass is to grow as much clean, 
vigorous wood as possible, getting this well matured, 
when it will flower from almost every eye the follow¬ 
ing spring. After the flowers are secured cut the plants 
back rather hard, removing most of the wood that 
has just flowered. This plan will induce more 
strong growths, and will also let more light into the 
plants underneath. As you propose using plants 
upon the seedling briar stock, your soil should 
be of a somewhat stiff and heavy nature. Turfy 
loam, with a little clay well mixed amongst it, and 
enriched with pig manure, is a famous compost for 
Roses on this stock. Another good soil is well de¬ 
cayed vegetable refuse, and odds and ends, often 
procurable from any rubbish heap. Dig the bottom of 
the bed deeply, before adding either of the above soils, 
and if the position is a very wet one you will do well 
to mix some coarse sand or road-grit amongst this 
bottom soil. Plant the Roses a little deeper than 
they were before, taking care that the junction of 
Rose and stock is well below the soil. Grow the 
Roses as steadily as possible, and do not use fire-heat 
more than enough to keep the house between 55 0 
and 65°. Syringe the plants well upon all bright 
mornings, and in spring and summer they will bene¬ 
fit by an evening syringe. We always use tepid water 
(70°), and have a very little of the best soft soap dis¬ 
solved in the water—this prevents mildew ; and if 
you avoid too sudden changes in the temperature, 
dryness at the roots and cold draughts, you will not 
be troubled with this worst enemy of the Rose. A 
slight fumigation upon two successive nights, im¬ 
mediately any aphis appear, will generally settle 
them. Do this upon following evenirgs, and be careful 
not to give it too strong ; the syringing in the morn¬ 
ing will kill those that were not quite dead from the 
-’smoke. During very hot weather a slight shading 
will be needed, but as a rule the more light they 
can receive the better.] 
