794 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 16, 1890. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-- 
SEASONABLE WORK in the GARDEN. 
Gardenias.—All the earlier batches of plants 
should by this time have made good growth, and in 
order to induce them to rest, so to speak, for a time, the 
temperature during the day should not be allowed to 
run up very high, while the sashes may be entirely 
removed at night till the middle of next month, or 
later according to the state of the weather. This will 
also greatly assist in ripening the wood. 
Heaths, Epacris, &c.—Collections of these in the 
open air require very careful attention to prevent the 
plants from getting over dry at the roots. Notwith¬ 
standing any rain they get, the lower part of the soil in 
the pots is liable to get dust dry, while the surface 
indicates a sufficiency of moisture. Pots that are liable 
to frequently appear dry may require watering twice in 
order to thoroughly moisten every part of the soil. 
Pelargoniums.—Some of those that were cut 
down early will now be in a sufficiently forward state 
for shaking out and re-potting. They may be put into 
much smaller pots, and be shifted on again as they 
require it. Plants that flowered late and have been 
thoroughly dried off and ripened, should now be cut 
down, pruning them into shape. Stand them in a cold 
frame and syringe occasionally to induce fresh buds to 
start. 
Pelargoniums for Bedding Out_Attention 
should now be directed to the obtaining of a supply of 
cuttings for next year’s work. Cuttings taken off now 
cm be inserted in the open border, where they will 
form good roots by the time they require to be lifted 
and housed for the winter. They will root all the 
more readily if some leaf-soil and sand be mixed with 
the soil. They can either be dibbled into this or a 
shallow trench may be taken out and the cuttings laid 
in it at equal distances apart. Fill in the soil, make 
it firm, and give a good watering. 
Verbenas.—Cuttings can now be obtained in great 
quantities. They should be inserted in sandy soil in 
their store pots, and placed in a cold frame, where 
they will root without the aid of fire-heat. By putting 
them in now they will not only have plenty of time to 
root, but the exposure that can be given them after 
the process has been effected will consolidate the wood, 
and enable the plants to stand the winter better. 
Lobelias.—The best plan to adopt for wintering a 
stock of Lobelias of the named kinds is to reserve a 
few pots of each from spring-struck cuttings. The 
flower stems should be removed, in order to encourage 
the growth of young shoots. Then the requisite 
number should be put in store pots, so that they may 
be well rooted in the fresh soil before winter. 
Iresine, Cupbea, and Ageratum.—Cuttings 
of these and similar bedding plants should be inserted 
in pots as soon as the work can conveniently be done. 
"Where carpet bedding is done, a good stock of Mesem- 
bryanthemum cordifolium variegatum should not be 
forgotten, as cuttings struck in a cold frame now will 
keep through the winter much better than those struck 
in heat later on. They may be put in pots or pans, 
and watered till they form roots, after which they may 
be kept drier and well ventilated, to harden them. 
The Orchard House.—Trees that require re¬ 
potting should have the operation performed after the 
fruit is gathered, if possible. Trees that have not borne 
a crop may be seen to at once. If much re-potting has 
been done while the leaves are still active, the house 
should be kept rather close and moist for a few days to 
prevent flagging. The roots .of trees in pots generally 
will still require a fair amount of water to aid in the 
proper maturation of the leaves and wood. 
Oranges.—While the fruits are swelling, a plentiful 
supply of moisture will be required at the roots, as well 
as a rather high temperature. The syringe must be 
freely used, in order to keep down insect pests. Scale 
and mealy-bug must be thoroughly kept under, or the 
trees will soon get covered with a black filth. 
Strawberries in Pots.— Runners rooted into 
small pots for forcing purposes should be placed in 
their fruiting pots without delay, in order that the 
roots may thoroughly permeate the fresh soil, and the 
growth be completed before the advent of dull, damp 
weather. When the crowns are ripened off early, the 
plants flower and fruit all the more freely when taken 
to the forcing pit. 
Pigs.—When the second crop of fruit in the early 
house has been gathered, advantage may be taken of 
the opportunity of thoroughly cleaning the trees if they 
have been infested with red-spider, by the use of the 
garden engine. After this they should be encouraged 
to thoroughly ripen their wood by a moderately high 
temperature and a dry atmosphere, giving at all times 
plenty of ventilation, so conducive to their welfare. 
Vegetable Seed Sowing.—In the course of a 
few days a sowing should be made of Cauliflower and 
Lettuce for earty spring use. More should be sown 
than is actually required, in order to meet the losses 
that are likely to occur during winter. Good Cauli¬ 
flowers for early work are Early London and Frogmore 
Early Forcing, when they can be obtained true to 
name. 
The Pride of Penshurst Carnation.—I ob¬ 
serve in your issue of the 2nd inst., in the remarks 
made on border Carnations at Chiswick under the 
head of “ Yellow Kinds,” it is said that “the Pride of 
Penshurst, as seen out of doors here, is a poor, weak 
grower.” Bemg very much of an amateur myself, 
having only begun to grow Carnations last year, I 
cannot say what might be expected of this particular 
flower, only I thought it worth while to say that I 
have succeeded with it here almost in the middle of 
the city. I grew the plant from a layer which I got 
last year, and allowed it to remain outside all the 
winter. This year I have had six blooms similar to 
the one I send you. Some of them have been con¬ 
siderably larger, and I have still over eighty buds on 
the same plant, of which about twenty are in flower 
now. A friend of mine here has also been successful 
in getting a great many flowers off the Pride of 
Penshurst, and for number of blooms it is unrivalled 
so far as I have seen here. The plant I have has grown 
to the height of 3 ft., and although the flowers are 
perhaps not what a professional would think much of, 
it looks in the mass of flowers very pretty indeed.— 
Robert Williams, 11, King's Crescent, Aberdeen. 
The White Everlasting Pea. —What can 
be done with Lathyrus latifolius albus, which is 
popularly known as the white Everlasting Pea, is well 
shown by Mr. E. Cornish in Peacock’s Nursery, 
Hammersmith. Some large specimens have been 
planted against the brick-built ends of the hothouses, 
and being now in full growth and bloom, they may be 
compared to a hedge covered with their racemes of snow- 
white flowers. One of the great recommendations of 
this Lathyrus is that it is perqnnial, and long lived. 
Slow increase is made year by year, and no further 
trouble or treatment is necessary than simply to fasten 
up the stems in some way to prevent them from 
smothering other plants, or to preserve a neat appearance. 
If grown as n. screen, any rude trellis work will be 
sufficient against which to train the stems ; and if 
isolated bushes are grown, a branching pole, such as the 
top of a Spruce or a young tree, easily obtainable where 
young woods are being thinned, would be found the 
most suitable means of support, so as to show off the 
plant in its best form. 
Fuchsia, Countess of Aberdeen. — In the 
short days of winter, and under our leaden skies, 
the flowers of this Fuchsia are pure white. This 
purity of colour, however, it loses during summer, even 
when grown under glass. Some flowering specimens 
may now be seen in the gardens of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, at Chiswick. The erect stiffish habit 
is noticeable, while the flowers are quite pendent. 
The tube of the latter is now yellowish or flesh-coloured, 
while the recurved sepals are pink, and the petals white 
or blush. The stamens are pink, with violet anthers, 
and the white style has a pale creamy stigma, fading 
to orange. Such a diversity of colours is remarkable, 
and shows how tenaciously the Fuchsia clings to its 
original colours, and can hardly, even by the art of 
man, be persuaded to depart from them. For winter 
flowering, however, it will be appreciated by not a few 
when the variety becomes more widely known. 
Godetias.—When seen in quantity of any one kind, 
a .striking effect is produced by some of the choicer 
varieties now in cultivation. Two white kinds, named 
respectively Duchess of Albany and The Bride, sown in 
strips of considerable length are very effective. The 
plants are all of a uniform height of 12 ins., and beiDg 
laden with bloom present a white mass completely 
hiding the foliage. One of the finest of the coloured 
kinds is Lady Albemarle. The flowers are large, 
deep rosy-purple with a broad blush or pale pink 
margin to each petal. 
ARDENING fjtdSCELlANY. 
Specialties at Chiswick. 
A FEW weeks ago I visited Chiswick Gardens, and took 
note of the Tomatos—then in a most promising con¬ 
dition ; and others who have opportunities afforded 
them will no doubt flock to the favourite old garden to 
inspect the Tomatos, as suggested in The Gardening 
World. It would be most interesting to many who 
are not favourably situated for a visit to Chiswick to 
read a description of the Fig house and its contents. 
When I recently saw these Figs in pots my time was too 
limited to take names, but certainly the sight was, in 
a horticultural sense, one of the most gratifying I have 
witnessed for some years. The house full of Pelar¬ 
goniums was a specialty of great interest, and I hope 
some one will give us details of them also. [See p. 741. 
—Ed.]— Stirling. 
Cropping Off Strawberry Leaves. 
I have reverted to the system of defoliating Straw¬ 
berries more than once, and though I can say little in 
its favour from practical experience, I am able to state 
that it is practised by others whose success as Straw¬ 
berry cultivators is very decided. Among the best 
Strawberry crops I have seen this year was one where 
the complete removal of foliage by means of a knife, as 
soon as the crop is gathered, is always practised, and a 
good mulching of rich manure follows the operation. 
A complete set of new foliage is the result of this, the 
plants being fresh and healthy throughout the winter, 
and the crops are nearly perfect. Such an instance I 
saw at Wilton House, a small place near Droitwicb, 
under the management of Mr. Joyner, who has been 
gardener there to S. Tombs, Esq., for many years, and 
his Strawberry culture has been second to none with 
which I am acquainted. His crops of Latest of All 
were excellent, and the fruit of immense size. We have 
seen the results of Mr. Joyner’s practice for years past. 
— Stirling. 
Ceroxylon niveum. 
The leaves of this bold and striking Palm are a long 
time in assuming the characteristic form in the seedling 
state of the plant. The majority of cultivated Palms 
produce pinnate or divided leaves at a very early stage, 
resembling, in fact, those of the adult plant, except in 
size. We noted some specimens the other day in the 
nursery of Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper 
Holloway, with leaves about 2 ft. or 3 ft. in length, 
rather deeply serrated near the apex, but otherwise 
undivided. They are deep green above, almost snowy 
white beneath, and vary from 8 ins. to 12 ins. in width, 
resembling a Curculigo, but several times larger.- The 
plant grows very slowly, and the leaves ultimately 
become pinnate, retaining the silvery white colour of 
the under surface. 
Welfia regia. 
The leaves of this Palm are bifid at the apex or 
abruptly pinnate, with three to four pinnce on each 
side. The leaves are of a deep bronzy red metallic 
hue when young, and this character they retain for 
some time. We noted recently a number of specimens 
about 2 ft. high in the nursery of Messrs. B. S. 
Williams & Son, Upper Holloway. The leaves of older 
trees have more numerous and longer segments. The 
trees ultimately attain a height of 60 ft. 
Choice Torenias. 
Two of the most popular and ornamental species of 
these plants may be seen in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at Chiswick. T. Fournieri, a 
native of Cochin China, is of erect habit, producing 
its showy flowers in great abundance. Three out of 
the four lobes of the corolla have each a large con¬ 
spicuous blue blotch, or the blotches of the side lobes 
are almost blackish violet. The upper lobe is white or 
faintly flushed with lavender-blue, and near the base 
of the lower lip is a characteristic golden yellow blotch, 
while the lower part of the tube is also of the same 
hue. In the white variety the yellow still persists, 
while the three lower lobes present a faint blush tint, 
fading as the flowers get older. The other species is 
T. flava, a native of India, and better known in gardens 
at the present day under the name of T. Bailloni. The 
leaves are ovate, and somewhat similar to those of the 
last, but the habit of the plant is procumbent. The 
flowers are of a bright golden yellow, with a dark 
brownish red or almost black tube, especially on the 
upper side externally. 
