December 23, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
257 
EVERGREENS AS POT 
PLANTS. 
With a good selection, an admirable show may be 
made by growing small evergreens in pots. Either 
as plants for the window, or placed into beds for 
winter furnishing they are very useful. In the former 
case great care should be taken that they do not 
become dry at the roots. This is fatal to their 
beauty; their leaves drop, and in the case of 
Conifers a sickly appearance is soon shown. We 
make this error more frequently in winter than 
summer. During the former, most subjects require 
chary use of the water-pot, and so shrubs are apt to 
get neglected. The exposed positions of most win¬ 
dows gives drying winds much power, and during 
cold, drying weather the roots are soon parched. 
I like to use a window box for the pots to stand in, 
and then place some Moss or Cocoanut fibre around 
them ; a far more uniform moisture is thus secured. 
Then instead of leaving the flower-beds bare from 
October until May, why not use a fev' small ever¬ 
greens ? In the spring they can be easily lifted and 
placed in some odd corner until needed again. Not 
that they are unworthy of a prominent position all 
through the summer, but a change in the beds is 
more pleasing. ■ Even if only a few are used in beds 
otherwise filled with bulbs, the long spell of bareness 
will be broken. 
A good loam will grow all of the plants I name in 
this paper, and from their many forms and colours a 
pretty combination is by no means difficult. 
Golden shrubs ; Euonymus japonicus aureus, Aucuba 
japonica. Box, Elaeagnus maculata aurea. Golden 
Ivies: Osmanthuses, Chamaecyparises, numerous 
Retinosporas, and varieties of Cupressus Lawsoniana, 
Junipers, Yews, Thujas, and others. Most of these 
also possess many constant silver forms, while for 
non-variegated shrubs the choice is almost un¬ 
limited.— P. 
--f-- 
THE ASPARAGUS 
FERNS. 
I HAVE headed these notes with the common name 
applied to the subjects under consideration, but I 
may say at once that they are in no way related to 
any of the numerous Ferns. The only way I can 
account for this popular name is the fact that they 
are Asparagus, whose graceful foliage has been much 
used in place of Ferns. There are several varieties 
and all are very useful, both in a cut state and grow¬ 
ing in the greenhouse or conservatory. I would 
also like to call attention to their value as room 
plants; some have been used by me in this form for 
over two years. The varieties I have found most 
useful in this connection are A. plumosus and A. p. 
nanus. These are quite distinct. A. tenuissimus is 
also good for the purpose. 
The African Asparagus will form one of the 
prettiest climbers it is possible to have, and when 
growing along a rafter or over a trellis their beauty 
is seen to great advantage. There are also many 
cases where a string or wire could be stretched from 
place to place, and which the shoots of these green¬ 
house Asparagus would soon ramble along. Their 
appearance when trained along singly is very grand, 
and there is the further advantage of being able to 
cut the whole length to the most use for decorative 
purposes. In market nurseries fine pieces of twine 
are always arranged with this object; in fact, the 
shoots of Asparagus are spoken of as strings. By 
slipping the piece of string out we have a splendid 
festoon of green, and one which will last for some 
weeks. Nothing can be more graceful in decoration 
than these when disposed in a loose manner over a 
tall epergne or even over mirrors upon the chimney- 
piece. The new style of bouquets known as shower 
bouquets are very dependent upon festoons of these 
and the smilax. 
Whether they are grown in pots or in the borders 
of a house must depend upon circumstances, and 
also upon the purpose they are intended to serve. 
Stronger growths are obtained when the roots are 
not too confined, and they are safer as regards their 
water supply. They do not seem very fastidious 
about soil, almost all being acceptable ; perhaps the 
best is a mixture of loam, leaf soil, and peat in equal 
quantities, with a dash of sand to keep it open. Nor 
are they hard to satisfy in the matter of temperature 
—a stove, warm greenhouse, or intermediate heat all 
being suitable. Indeed, they will stand the varia- 
. tions from these with impunity, but grow most 
rapidly in a warm and moist atmosphere. Shoots 
of 10 to 15 ft. are annually produced from the base, 
and under warm treatment will continue to do so 
without any appreciable check. 
Their hardiness as cut foliage makes them most 
valuable, as they will last for a long time in a tem¬ 
perature too low for the majority of greenhouse 
Ferns. All of them may be increased by division 
and from seed, while most may be propagated from 
cuttings; strange to say, A. p. nanus does not root 
like the type, A. plumosus. Insect pests are not 
troublesome, scale being about the worst, but slugs 
are partial to the young growths as they push 
through the soil. In conclusion, I know of no green¬ 
house climber more graceful while growing, or of 
greater decorative use when cut than these African 
Asparaguses.— Experience. 
--4-- 
COTONEASTER BUXIFOLIA. 
Being perfectly evergreen, this beautiful shrub is in¬ 
teresting at all times of the year, yet is seldom seen 
in gardens compared with the fre uency of Cotone- 
aster microphylla and C. Simonsii. Like the former, 
the species under notice is a native of the Himalayan 
regions, and was introduced in 1824. It would be 
difficult to say why it has not found its way into 
gardens everywhere, for there are many estates, 
large and small, on which it might be planted to ex¬ 
cellent purpose. The margin of clumps of trees 
and shrubs would be a suitable position for it, or it 
might be planted on the top of rockwork amongst 
large boulders of stones, or amongst rootwork in 
situations where plenty of space could be afforded it. 
Generally speaking, this would be behind the space 
allotted to herbaceous and Alpine plants. The spread¬ 
ing and ascending stems vary from 3 ft. to 5 ft. in 
height, but cover a much wider area of ground in 
the case of old plants that are allowed to assume 
their natural habit and dimensions. The elliptic leaves 
are dark green above, woolly beneath, and similar in 
size to those of the Box, hence the name. The white 
flowers are rather large for the genus, and produced 
in clusters of two to six along the shoots of the pre¬ 
vious year, and on the numerous spurs of older wood, 
so that they are very abundant and even effective 
during April and May. The blossom is followed by 
large, dark red fruits in September, when a large 
bush becomes really handsome. Whether in flower 
or fruit, or entirely without those accompaniments, 
the shrub is desirable for the foliage alone. The 
species was at one time confused with C. microphylla, 
and that probably helped to keep it in obscurity and 
overlooked ; but planters may rest assured that it is 
perfectly distinct, and a much bolder plant. There 
is a figure of it in the Botanical Register, sub. t. 
1229. Our illustration will give an idea of a fruiting 
spray. 
-—*»- 
PLANTING CLEMATISES. 
It often happens that these very showy flowers do 
not thrive as one would expect from seeing them in 
other positions. Some of this may be from the drip 
during constant wet weather, and I fear sufficient 
attention is not afforded to this point. A plant is set 
in against a building, and very often there is an 
extra amount of water drawing towards the roots 
more or less throughout the winter. I am certain 
this is the cause of many failures ; and if the matter 
is looked into it will be discovered that oftentimes 
there is a greater proportion of water dripping upon 
the plants which fail. 
A second cause with some varieties is their 
objection to the foster roots they are worked upon. 
A very uneven swelling takes place at the junction of 
root and graft, and although in many subjects this is 
remedied by their going upon own roots from this 
point, the Clematis does not break so freely from 
this sort of swelling as many plants. It is a good 
plan to partially layer the young plants when first 
turning them out. If a tongue be cut about an inch 
long and a font or so up the stem of Clematis wood, 
this will often root out freely when layered, and will 
still be drawing as much support from the old roots 
as it requires. 
There is great advantage in affording plants a 
choice of support; whether they shall provide their 
own entirely or reap the benefits from both. By 
layering a shoot or two of Clematis in this way new 
life and vigour is often put into the growths, as they 
root particularly free and may be gradually removed 
to fresh soils.— A. P. 
^ - 
SOME BRITISH FERNS. 
{Concluded from p. 245) 
Species and Varieties. 
In indicating some of the best species and varieties 
of British Ferns, I shall only touch upon those which 
I possess, or am well acquainted with ; therefore the 
four or fiv'e thousand plants which are located at 
Kew, and which are in a flourishing condition, can 
only be mentioned here as well worthy of attention 
and regard. Mr. Charles T. Druery, F.L.S., to 
whom I am indebted for much of my informa¬ 
tion, says that, “ our British Ferns at Kew have been 
materially enriched and extended by contributions 
and bequests from some of the best and choicest 
collections in the country. To such an extent, in¬ 
deed, has this been done that the bulk of the most 
marked and beautiful types may now be seen there in 
perfection, a new range of rockwork having been 
specially devoted to them.” Mr. Druery is an en¬ 
thusiastic cultivator and a correct writer, which 
latter attribute is particularly valuable, as much is 
often written on this subject which will not bear 
strict scientific analysis. 
As some method must be adopted in commenting, 
even casually, on those species and varieties which 
I purpose emphasising to-night, perhaps the 
alphabetic one will answer as well as any other, 
especially as this arrangement will introduce, or give 
the premier place to, the beautiful Maidenhair 
(.Adiantum Capillus-Veneris). The exotic Maiden¬ 
hair is well known ; it is in everybody's hands, and 
on everybody’s table ; but its British ally, although 
not so much to the front, is in every way a formidable 
rival to its greenhouse relative. The native species, 
however, requires much the same treatment as its 
foreign rival, and unless that treatment be accorded, 
no great satisfaction will result, for this lovely Fern 
is only found on the warmest parts of our coasts. 
We can hardly imitate these conditions—hence the 
plants we usually come across do not exhibit that 
luxuriance which they attain in their native habitats. 
It grows freely in some parts of Wales, on the Irish 
coast, and on the rocks about Ilfracombe. But why 
does it still continue to exist in these places ? There 
is only one answer. Because it is inaccessible. 
Therefore the specimen on the table has been 
obtained from other sources. All this is very tan¬ 
talising, but it must be borne with ; so, while we 
gaze up at the beautiful fronds far out of reach, we 
may ponder on the noble sentiments which induced 
the great Linnaeus to name it after the Goddess of 
Love. 
The Parsley Fern (Allosorus crispus) is another 
somewhat scarce plant in our cool greenhouses, 
although in certain districts—notably the Lake dis¬ 
trict, Scotland, and Wales—it may be found in 
great abundance, and a friend of mine has seen it 
growing in great luxuriance on the Mendip Hill in 
Somerset. One day he was struggling with a fine 
specimen on an old dry wall for this Fern, like the 
Maidenhair, affects stony places—when a native came 
by, and with the aid of his "blucher,” reduced the 
