6 
Sept. 6,1884 
in loamy soil,- and place them in a cold, shady pit 
or frame, there to remain until spring, when they 
may be planted out wherever they are required. 
Androsaces and other delicate alpines thus planted 
out of pots are much more certain to succeed than 
when lifted from beds and transplanted. Looking 
after the stock of herbaceous and alpine plants is 
one of the pleasantest duties the gardener who is 
fond of them has to perform, and the present time 
is the most favourable to see to it, although another 
overhaul will have to take place in spring.— J. B. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. 
The changes about to be wrought in this market 
and its surroundings, which have been undertaken 
by the Duke of Bedford at his own expense, without 
even applying for Parliamentary powers, are ex¬ 
tensive and devastating in regard to the associations 
of the neighbourhood, but nevertheless destined to 
largely increase the capabilities of the market. 
In order the better to explain what the intended 
alterations in the surroundings are, we must reef 
to some of the more recent history of Covent Garden 
Market, Based on the original charter granted to 
the father of the present Duke, the “ market rights ” 
are bounded by the quadrangle round the existing 
building. The buildings in this quadrangle being 
the property of the Duke, are of course within his 
jurisdiction, but for market purposes his rule is 
limited by these, and in the surrounding streets 
and alleys his power, albeit they are part of his 
estate, is nil. The streets leading into the market 
square are deemed public thoroughfares, and are 
under the government of the Local Government 
Board, the vestry, and the police. 
When, some years ago, it was found that the 
flower business of the market was increasing with 
rapidity out of proportion to the provision provided 
for it, and that besides its growth per se it was 
daily more crowded for space owing to the develop¬ 
ment of the vegetable and fruit trade, it became 
necessary to do something to free the block which 
arose from the little available space being daily 
crowded with flowers, cut and in pots, placed 
wherever a few feet of unoccupied space could be 
found. In the face of these facts it was that, in 
1859, the Floral Hall, now used as an adjunct to 
Covent Garden Opera House, was opened for the 
purposes of a flower market, a scheme which was 
never a success. The market area of “ the Garden 
being still overcrowded, the Duke of Bedford erected 
the present flower market, running from Tavistock 
Lane to Wellington Street. The structure, which 
possesses considerable ornamental features and some 
merit, was from its opening a great success, all 
available space being rapidly applied for. 
Owing to the limitations of the original charter, 
the flower market is not to be regarded as part of 
Covent Garden Market, but simply as a warehouse 
let out in tenements to those who there ply their 
trade. In conformity with this state of things, the 
market is not kept always open, but is closed except 
at such times as sales are being effected. It may 
here be parenthetically mentioned that, owing pre¬ 
sumably to the recently developed so-called aesthetic 
taste, the flower trade has of late years increased 
enormously, while a large quantity of flowers is daily 
bought by dealers, as soon as the market opens, for 
the Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester 
and Liverpool markets, and despatched by the 
newspaper trains, it being found that flowers can 
be purchased in the London market at a lower price 
and in a greater state of perfection than, after de¬ 
ducting the cost of freight, is the case in those towns. 
At the present time it is found that the- floral business 
of the market has again outgrown the resources of 
the existing building, and a short time ago it became 
necessary to take some measures to relieve the block 
which constantly occurred in the business transacted 
in Covent Garden. 
The work of enlargement, which is already in 
progress, comprises the pulling down of the greater 
part of the north side of Tavistock Street, the demo¬ 
lition of the Hummums and the Bedford Hotel, with 
the piazza on the east side of the square, and the 
covering in of the north nave of the market build¬ 
ings, at present open to the sky, Tavistock Street 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
is already down ; the Hummums are still standing, 
though their days are numbered. In the large space 
thus obtained an addition to, or rather a continua¬ 
tion of, the existing flower market is to be erected 
in the same style of architecture and on the same 
scale as that already in use. The space obtained on 
the east side of the market span is to be thrown into 
that already existing, and will afford considerable 
additional accommodation to the heavy traffic at¬ 
tending the market. In addition to the increased 
accommodation this scheme provides for, a great 
metropolitan improvement is to be effected in the 
widening of Tavistock Street to more than half its 
present width again, allowing for increased facilities 
of locomotion, and considerably tending to relieve 
Bow and Wellington Streets of the congestion of 
traffic with which they are at present incommoded. 
No account of the proposed alteration and im¬ 
provement of Covent Garden Market would be 
complete without some reference at least to the 
question of sanitary requirements, which has re¬ 
cently been discussed in a. manner not always 
free from personality in more than one periodical 
publication. It is complained, and with good 
cause, that the surroundings of Covent Garden 
are frequently, some papers say generally, in a 
very unseemly and unhealthy condition ; that the 
approaches to the market are, in the early morning 
at least, generally congested, and that the market, 
as a whole, is little short of a nuisance. The 
following are the main points:—The Duke has 
powers over the square of Covent Garden, but none 
over the adjacent thoroughfares. Covent Garden 
itself is kept clean by a contract with the best man 
obtainable, whose carts and men are always on the 
spot, and always at work, day and night. The 
contract, which amounts to many hundred pounds, 
all but equals that of cleansing the whole of the 
adjoining five vestry districts. As a matter of fact, 
bearing in mind that it is impossible to pass fruit 
and vegetables from hand to hand without making 
a litter, the market itself is well cleared. The 
approaches to the market are, however, in the 
charge of the Strand Local Board, and their con¬ 
tractor only undertakes to clear up once in the 
24 hours .—The Globe. 
BOUVARDIAS. 
Bouvardias rank among the most useful of 
flowering plants, and they are the more valuable, 
inasmuch as that by a little management they may 
be had in flower throughout the year. Many 
growers recommend the planting-out system for 
obtaining cut flowers, and this treatment succeeds 
very well, especially in the case of the summer and 
autumn flowering stock. We prefer, however, to keep 
them in pots, more especially those intended for 
winter flowering. By keeping up a succession of 
young plants, the older ones may be discarded as 
soon as a crop of flowers has been cut, and these 
will produce a second crop of flowers if cut back and 
started again. 
Propagating.— Plants that have been ripened 
off and cut back early, may be put into heat early 
in January, and it will not be long before the first 
batch of cuttings will be ready to be taken off. We 
prefer them when they have made about an inch of 
growth, cutting them off close to the old wood. 
The ordinary stove propagating house suits them 
very well. But the early batch will require some 
care to prevent them from damping off. This 
“damping off,” as it is called, is caused by a very 
fine thread-like fungus which spreads over the sur¬ 
face of the pots, and which is certain to destroy the 
whole lot of cuttings if not taken in hand in time. 
We find that the best way to prevent the appearance 
of the fungus is to use new cocoa-nut fibre refuse 
for plunging in, and to be careful that no woody 
refuse or manure exists in the soil; and as the 
fungus sometimes also spreads from the labels, we 
mark the pots instead of using labels. The greatest 
care, however, will not always prevent the fungus 
making its appearance, but its progress may be 
arrested by pulling out all cuttings affected by it 
and shaking a little hot dry sand over the surface 
of the pots. By the time the cuttings are well 
rooted they will have made sufficient growth to re¬ 
quire stopping, and this will give another batch of 
cuttings. We usually stop them once before potting 
them off, and pot them as soon as they begin to 
start into growth again. 
Fotting. —The compost we prefer is made up of 
good fibrous loam, peat, and well rotted stable 
manure, with a liberal allowance of sand, and where 
good leaf-soil can be had it may be used freely. 
They should not be potted too tight, and the pots 
should be well drained. After the plants have 
been put in their flowering pots and have become 
well rooted, a slight sprinkling of Clay’s fertilizer, 
or a little liquid-manure will be beneficial to them. 
Varieties. —Although the varieties are not nu¬ 
merous, a few useful additions have been made to 
the list during the last few years, and first among 
these should be mentioned the beautiful double 
white Alfred Neuner. The double pink President 
Garfield is very pretty, but not bright enough in 
colour for general market work. B. rosea occulata 
is a very pretty variety with flowers about the same 
size as the old longiflora, and something after the 
colour of the Miss Joliffe carnation. Elegans quite 
supersedes the older variety Hogarth as a scarlet, 
being brighter in colour and a larger flower. Dazzler 
is another good scarlet variety ; and longiflora flam- 
mea, though not quite so bright in colour as the 
two former, is still a good useful sort. The white 
varieties that we grow are eorymbiflora Humboldtii, 
Jasminoides, candidissima, and alba elegantissimn, 
which latter is identical with The Bride and Vree- 
laudii. Reine des Roses is a good pink variety ; 
and the yellow flowered Jasminoides fiavescens, is 
very pretty when it first opens, but the colour fades 
too quickly. 
HARDY PLANTS FOR WALLS. 
The present time is a good one for making a 
selection of hardy plants suitable for growing on 
walls, as many, or at least the great majority, are 
now in their true character and, therefore, in the 
best possible state for making comparisons, noting 
their peculiarities, their good qualities or defects, 
or their suitability for growing on certain aspects 
and in different situations. With a view to assisting 
those who contemplate planting during the coming 
autumn, and who have not opportunities of making 
comparisons but are desirous of growing only plants 
of recognised merit, we give the following list, 
naming in most cases the aspect upon which we 
have seen them do best, believing that upon this 
point, quite as much a3 soil, depends in a grea 
measure the success or failure of their cultivation. 
Taking them in alphabetical order, the first genus 
we come to is Ampelopsis, of which there are three 
well-known species—viz., A. hederacea, A. japoniea, 
and A. Veitchii or tricuspidata, each and all of which 
will grow and luxuriate in almost any soil or situa¬ 
tion. The latter, however, is by far the best of the 
three, and is unquestionably one of the most hand¬ 
some of our ornamental leaved climbers—the bright 
reddish tinge which the foliage assumes in the autumn 
months rendering it an attractive and conspicuous 
looking object indeed. Aristolochia Sipho is a very 
free-growing climber, and not at all fastidious as to 
soil or situation; its fine and handsome heart- 
shaped leaves ought to secure it a place in all collec¬ 
tions of plants grown specially for covering walls. 
Bignouia oapreolata and B. grandiflora require a 
south or west aspect, but seldom grow well in the 
northern counties. Berberis Darwinii is eminently 
suited for growing on low walls. Calycanthus occi- 
dentalis var. macrophyllus succeeds well on either an 
east or north aspect. Ceanothus azureus, floribundus, 
and Veitchianus are plants of great merit, but being 
somewhat tender in constitution, they require a south 
or west aspect; they are very fioriferous, producing 
in August au abundance of beautiful bright blue 
flowers. Chimonanthus fragrans and its variety 
grandiflora require a good soil and warm situation. 
Of Caprifolium (climbing honeysuckle) there are 
several species, but amongst the best will be found 
the following;—C. aureum reticulatum, flavurn, 
luteum, odoratissimum, pubescens, sempervirens, 
and coccineum. With the exception of C. luteum, 
which requires a south or west aspect, they will 
row well in almost any situation. 
