656 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 13, 1896. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Watering flower beds—Inmost parts ot the country 
the bedding plants have been having a rather rough 
time of it since they were put out. Scorching sun 
day after day, and no rain, or only local thunder 
showers, have been the general experiences. The 
watering-can and the hose will have to be plied 
pretty regularly over night, as long as this state of 
affairs lasts, in order that the plants may be given a 
chance of getting hold of the soil and establishing 
themselves in their new quarters, after which they 
will be better able to shift for themselves. A small 
Dutch hoe should be brought into use occasionally 
in order to keep the surface of the soil slightly stirred, 
so as to prevent it being baked into a hard crust, as 
well as to keep down the weeds, which, of course, 
are as fond of the moisture as the cultivated plants. 
Thunbergia alata.—For growing in baskets or 
pots suspended from the roof either in the con¬ 
servatory or the window, there is no more pretty 
plant than this. Its cultivation does not offer any 
insuperable difficulties, and really there is no valid 
reason why we should not see far more of it growing 
in cottage and villa windows, and conservatories 
than we do at present. It is true that the plants 
require a little coddling in the earlier stages of their 
existence, but once they reach a decent size they 
give but very little trouble. The seed should be 
sown in a gentle heat towards the end of March, or 
the beginning of April If the plants resulting from 
such a sowing have been properly attended to for 
pricking out, before they got spoiled and drawn by 
crowding, some nice stocky stuff should now be 
available. Wire baskets, lined with moss, are very 
suitable receptacles for their accommodation. 
Failing these, ordinary flower pots suspended by 
wires do not look at all amiss. In making these 
improvised baskets, a loop of wire should be tied 
tightly round the pot, so as to catch just below the 
slightly projecting rim. To this loop the suspending 
strings should be attached. Three of these will be 
sufficient to secure an even balance, and to make the 
pot secure. Strings may be used instead of wires, if 
the latter are not available. The pots should be 
well-drained with clean crocks, and a layer of moss 
laid over, to keep the soil from choking up the 
drainage. This is a very necessary precaution, 
because hanging pots or baskets which have the air 
playing all round them dry up much more quickly 
than plants standing upon a shelf, stage, or the 
bottom of a pit or frame. 
For soil there is nothing to beat a mixture of t no 
parts of good fibrous loam, one of dried horse or cow 
manure, rubbed through a sieve, and a nice 
sprinkling of sharp silver sand. Two or three strong 
plants in a basket or hanging pot will soon make 
flowering specimens. After they are potted up they 
should be kept close and warm for a week or two, 
and shaded carefully, in order to induce them to start 
away quickly. An occasional dewing over with the 
syringe will also assist them greatly. A mistake that 
is very often made by would-be growers of 
Thunbergias is that of giving the plants too much 
water in the earlier stages, just after they have been 
put into their flowering pots. The soil is thus made 
sour, and water-logged, a state of affairs that 
Thunbergias very strongly resent. 
Achimenes—Although these are generally re¬ 
garded as needing a stove temperature they are by 
no means difficult to grow in a cold frame without 
any heat whatever, other than that coming directly 
from the sun. It is true that the early batches 
started in February need artificial heat to start them, 
and keep them going, but later batches may be 
potted up and allowed to start themselves in a cold 
frame. The plants which were allowed to come 
on in this way will now be standing in need of stakes. 
It is true that the stems of these cool grown plams 
are stiffer and stronger than those which have been 
produced under the influence of stove heat, but they 
are not strong enough to be self-pupporting. Five 
or six thin hazel twigs should be inserted all round 
the edges of the pots, and round these the matting 
may be loosely looped. The stakes should not be 
cut off too short, for the plants will yet grow a good 
deal taller. It does not matter, therefore, if the 
stakes over-top the plants by several inches. Clear 
water will do for a while yet, as it is not advisable to 
begin using manurial stimulants too early. Plenty 
of air should be given, but draughts must be carefully 
avoided. A light shading of tiffany will be necessary 
during the day time, when the sun is bright, 
Green fly on Carnation*. —A bright look out for 
green fly must be kept upon all Carnations, whether 
growing in the open ground or in pots. The late dry 
weather has been very favourable to its rapid spread 
and happy is he to whose Carnations it does not pay 
a visit. It may usually be first seen clustering round 
the young tender points of the flower stems. Any 
that are affected in this way, therefore, should receive 
a dusting of tobacco powder, and a subsequent wash 
with clear water. 
Lobelias in pots.—Lobelias do just as well when 
grown in pots as they do in the open ground, or in 
window boxes. No one, moreover, can gainsay their 
effectiveness as front row plants in the greenhouse, 
or conservatory. A few of the stronger plants may 
well be kept back from the bedding stock, and potted 
up. A large sixty pot is quite large enough, and 
almost any soil will do, providing it has sufficient 
sand in it to make it porous. Pot fairly firmly, and 
relegate the plants to a cold frame afterwards. Here 
they may be kept nearer the glass, and shaded rather 
more closely than usual for about a week. After 
this they may be removed, if desired, to the green¬ 
house when they will not be long in commencing to 
flower. For brilliancy of colour, and showiness, 
there is nothing of course to equal a good blue 
variety, although some people greatly admire the 
white one. A few of the latter, therefore, may well 
be included, if only for the sake of the increased 
variety. One great thing to remember in growing 
Lobelias in pots is that they must have plenty of 
water. Once they have filled their pots with roots, 
and they will not be long in doing this, they will need 
to be looked over for watering twice a day as long as 
the hot weather lasts. 
Palms in dwelling rooms. —Do not forget to take 
these out of doors occasionally, lay them on the 
grass, and give them a thorough syringing. Most 
house-wives are particular to a fault in seeing that 
the dust does not remain for any length of time upon 
their furniture, and duster and brush are vigorously 
plied to get rid of the offending dirt, but how about 
the poor plants ? They are frequently left to put up 
with the dust as they best can, regardless of the fact 
that a settling of filth upon the leaf of a plant will do 
that plant far more harm than a similar coating will 
highly polished furniture. After the plants have 
been well syringed as suggested, before returning 
them to their several places, a sponge may be rubbed 
over the leaves to take the drips off. Not only 
Palms, but Aspidistras, Aralias, Ivies, and indeed 
foliage plants generally, (excepting Ferns), profit 
greatly by being treated thus to an occasional 
shower bath, and the beneficial results of the latter 
will be seen in green, healthy looking foliage instead 
of yellow, sickly leaves that look anything but 
pretty. 
Tuberous Begonias.— If the plants are of a dwarf 
stocky habit, they will not require staking in the 
early stages, that is to say, up to the first two or 
three weeks of the flowering period, for the stems 
will be strong enough to bear the weight of the 
flowers. As the stems elongate, however, some 
support will be needed or they will become lopsided. 
In inserting the stakes they must not be put in close 
to the stems or the tuber which lies beneath will be 
injured. They must be pushed in near enough to 
the sides of the pot, so that their points may not 
injure the tuber. Heavy double flowers will also 
need to be supported by a thin strand of matting 
fastened to the stake.— Rex. 
—-- 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
"Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Apples failing to set. —Would you be so kind as 
to let me know through your valuable paper the 
cause of my Apples not setting ? The trees are 
fourteen years old, growing on strong heavy soil two 
feet deep, with a sub-soil of a yellow clay. They 
were root-pruned two years come November. There 
is plenty of blossom, but no fruit. I enclose speci¬ 
mens of the bloom, as it drops, and shall be much 
obliged for a remedy — A. Polton. 
As far as we could judge from the specimens sub¬ 
mitted, the female organs of the flowers have either 
not been properly developed or have been crippled 
by the action of the frost. The first contingency 
may be brought about either by poverty of the soil, 
or by lack of water. The latter would seem to be 
the more probable one in your case. Another season, 
if anything like drought prevails, it will be well to 
see that the trees are not suffering from lack of 
water. 
Judas tree.— The name of this is Cercis Siliquas- 
trum, M. N. It is a very pretty tree indeed, and if 
Judas specially favoured it, it is only evidence that 
he had good taste, whatever his moral character 
might have been. In the northern counties it 
usually requires the protection of a wall or a 
shrubbery, when it thrives exceedingly well. 
Old Man Cactus. —Pilocereus senilis is the 
botanical name ot the Old Man Cactus, Axe. It is a 
native of Mexico and Guatemala, where it attains a 
height of from 20 ft. to 25 ft. 
Yine leaves scorching. —The leaves of the vine 
you sent, M. S. R., have been scorched. Although 
vines like plenty of sunlight, they must be looked 
after carefully or the leaves are apt to become dis¬ 
figured as yours have been. You must give air 
rather earlier in the morning so as to dry up the 
moisture that settles on the leaves during the night. 
These tiny globules of water act as miniature burn¬ 
ing glasses, and scorch those parts of the leaves 
they cover. Bad glass is also a fruitful cause of 
scorching. 
Trimming Tomatos. —You may cut out the side 
shoots or lateral growths, F. A . G., and if necessary, 
remove some of the leaves ; but be very careful not 
to take out too much of the foliage, for this will do 
far more harm than good. 
Yegetable Marrows. —Perhaps it may be of 
service to S. T. Grayson (p. 640) and to others who 
wish to grow Vegetable Marrows, if I gave my own 
methods of culture. About the middle of May I dig 
a number of pits, each about a yard square, and trom 
a foot to 15 in. in depth. These are filled with half- 
rotted stable manure, and the soil placed on the top. 
On the mounds thus formed, the plants are put out, 
generally about the beginning of the last week in 
May. Two are planted on each mound and covered 
with small hand-lights. These latter are closed at 
night and opened in the day. Shading is given 
during bright days for at least a week after planting. 
I also sprinkle the plants overhead each evening. 
Treated like this they are not long in making a 
start; and as soon as all danger of frost is past the 
lights are taken off them. At the time of writing, 
plants which I put out on May 18th (they were a 
little earlier this year owing to the hot weather) are 
growing away famously. The greatest mistake 
which it is possible to commit, and it is one that is 
much too frequently made, is to allow the young 
plants to remain in their pots until they become 
starved and yellow looking. Such plants are much 
longer in making a good start after they are planted 
out, than others which have not been starved in like 
manner.— R. 0. O. 
Cutting Asparagus— It will be true economy, G. 
Elton, to cease cutting Asparagus from your bed by the 
end of the present week. The plants will then get a 
chance to recover themselves after the exhausting 
operation of cutting. If an Asparagus bed is properly 
managed, and not cut too hard it should produce 
good grass for many years. There are beds between 
twenty and thirty years of age in different parts of 
the country that are bearing well now, and simply 
because they have not been cut too hard at any time, 
more especially in their infancy. 
Heliotropes in pots. —A few of the strongest of 
the plants should be held back when the bedding- 
out is in progress for growing on in pets. If neces¬ 
sary they should be shifted on into a size larger pot 
than they now occupy. A compost of equal parts of 
loam and leaf soil with plenty of sand will suit them 
very well. Keep them rather closely shaded for a 
few days after the potting, as bright sun following a 
check of this kind soon causes the plants to flag. 
An occasional dewing over with the syringe will help 
them wonderfully. All through the summer they 
may be grown on in a cold frame, which suits them 
capitally. Another shift into 6 or 7-in. pots will be 
required, if fairly large-sized specimens are needed. 
Pinching must be resorted to as soon as one or two 
shoots are observed to be going ahead at the expense 
of the others. Nicely shaped plants will thus be 
obtained, that will flower away with great freedom 
towards the end of the summer. 
