24 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Sept, 13 th, 18S4. 
THE 
^MATEUP^S’ pAf^DEN. 
Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums.-— Few plants have 
been so much improved of late years as the Ivy¬ 
leaved Pelargonium, and especially the double- 
flowered varieties. Yet they do not seem to be so 
generally grown by amateurs as one might expect. 
Although double flowers are not quite the fashion 
■just, now, I think a few of the best sorts deserve a 
place in every garden where there is a greenhouse. 
The following are the best double varieties that I 
am acquainted with. Gloire de Orleans, Madame 
Crousse, Comtesse Horace de Choiseul, Comte H. 
de Choiseul, Madlle. Jeannie Wonters, Sarah Bern¬ 
hardt, Albert Crousse, Mont Blanc, A. F. Barron, 
Anna Pfitzer, Faustin Helie, and Lucie Lemoine. 
The present is a good time to look to the stock, 
and to propagate any of the sorts that it is desirable 
to increase. Cuttings strike very readily in a cold- 
frame, or any place where they can be kept dry. 
I like to select the cuttings from short-jointed 
growths as far as possible, as these make the best 
plants. They may be kept through the winter in 
the cutting-pots, but should be placed in a light, 
airy position in a cold house, and only be watered very 
sparingly. Old plants keep best if they are partially 
dried off in the autumn, any straggling shoots may 
be trimmed off before storing them for the winter, 
but they should not be cut back too close. 
I like to start them as early in the year as con¬ 
venience will allow. Old plants will require shaking 
out and re-potting, and the young ones potting off 
singly. They may then be placed in a warm growing 
temperature where they will require very little 
water at the root until they are well started into 
growth, but a slight syringing occasionally will 
help them, and this may be done more frequently 
as the weather gets brighter; as soon as they are 
sufficiently established they may be potted on into 
their flowering pots. To flower them well it is 
essential that they should be grown fully exposed 
to the sun, and they require regular attention in 
keeping them tied out to avoid the young shoots 
getting drawn and weakly. 
As the plants begin to show flower, they may be 
watered liberally with manure-water, say twice a 
week; and after this stage the plants should never 
be allowed to get quite dry. They are subject to 
green-fly and red-spider, and the former must be 
kept down by fumigation, and the latter by the 
constant use of the syringe.—if. 
Parochetus communis (Shameock Pea).— -For 
planting on rockeries or in nooks in suburban 
gardens, few plants are more lovely than this is in 
summer, when its pretty clover-like foliage is partly 
hidden by a profusion of light blue pea-shaped 
flowers. Planted close to a wall, it becomes a 
climber, and it is, therefore, a very desirable plant 
for covering the openings between the taller wall 
climbers. As a basket plant for hanging in town 
areas, in the manner in which we now so often see 
plants arranged, it is very pretty, and in the same 
capacity it may be used in unheated or cool con¬ 
servatories. There are so few good free-growing - 
blue flowers of this habit, that P. communis should 
be more generally grown.— J. 
Adiantum Capillus-Veneeis (Beitish Maiden¬ 
hair). —This is one of the best and most beautiful of 
Ferns for window gardening, and is, moreover, one 
of the easiest to manage provided it is not disturbed 
when once it is well established. It likes the dry 
air of the dwelling house, and as a window plant it 
gives large handsome fronds equal in beauty to any 
of the smaller exotic Maiden-hairs. The chief points 
in its culture are never to let it get dry, and to 
avoid re-potting it even for three or four years, 
unless it has actually outgrown the pot in which 
it is.— J. 
Standard Goosebeeey Teees. —Dr. Eobertson, 
of Errol, in the Carse of Gowrie, in a paper on 
“ Fruit Culture ” read at a meeting of the Perth¬ 
shire Society of Natural Science, said :—“For those 
who have small gardens like myself, let me tell you 
how to economise space. If you grow your bushes 
in the usual way, in a clump from four to five feet 
apait, and the same distance between the rows, you 
can grow a standard gooseberry or currant between 
every bush in your rows, and in that way you could 
plant them double thick, as a gardener would say, 
and still have sufficient room for sun and air. Only 
a little more manure is required, there being more 
roots to feed. Now, I am sorry to say, that such a 
thing as a standard gooseberry is not to be had 
from the nursery. You can’t get them to buy, but 
you can raise them for yourselves, and grow them 
to much advantage, as they bear the finest fruit. 
In the spring select from the kinds you wish to 
raise a piece of last year’s growth — the white 
wood—the longest you can get; pick out all the 
buds, except two or three at the top ; put it five or 
six inches in the ground, and let it grow straight 
up, and when it is as tall as you wish—say from 
four to five feet—take off all the branches the fol¬ 
lowing spring except three or four, which allow to 
grow into a head. Another plan is by grafting one 
gooseberry stock upon another, till .you get the 
required height. I have them growing in my 
own garden, raised in both ways, and they do 
remarkably well. You can have red and white cur¬ 
rants in the same way, and they are really beautiful 
objects in the garden, not to speak of their useful¬ 
ness. Even in a lawn or grass border they are as 
ornamental as the finest standard roses; and, when 
the fruit is hanging in red and white clusters 
under the green leaves, you would call them ringlets 
formed by nature, fit for an empress or a queen.” 
The Turnip Eooted Egyptian Beet. —Let me 
recommend amateurs to grow this very useful Beet. 
It is handsome, of good colour, and very early, 
which is one of its best recommendations. It can 
be made very useful for collections of vegetables 
early in the season, as it turns in earlier than any 
one of the long varieties. I am not at all certain 
as to the origin of the Turnip Eooted Beet, but as 
the common form is said to be found in a wild state 
along the Egyptian and Mediterranean coasts, the 
Turnip rooted type may be but a shoot from the 
ordinary red beet, and it originated in all probability 
on the Continent. We were at a country show a 
few days ago, where vegetables are largely shown 
by cottagers, and we found there very fine examples 
of this Beet from Cottage Gardens. A little pre¬ 
judice, no doubt, exists against its use, but that 
will be conquered bye and bye.—R. 
BRITISH FERNS. 
Ferns constitute perhaps the most beautiful 
portion of the vegetation of our globe. The eye never 
seems to weary in surveying their exquisite forms 
and colours, both of which are extremely variable. 
Few groups of plants are more widely cultivated,— 
and deservedly so, for the conditions under which 
many of them thrive are of the simplest kind; so 
simple, indeed, that they come within reach of every¬ 
one. A considerable number of species are so hardy 
that little is required beyond a suitable situation and a 
sufficient supply of water, both of which may readily 
be provided for in the construction of a hardy 
Fernery. 
Our Native Ferns, with their varieties, invariably 
constitute the bulk of the outdoor Fernery, and 
although greater variety is attained by the addition 
of a number of hardy exotic species; still it is 
possible to arrange a very effective group with 
British species alone, some of which—as the Lady- 
fern and Hart’s-tongue—have numerous and very 
beautiful varieties. 
A complete collection of British Ferns, however, is 
very difficult of attainment, and for several reasons. 
Some of the species are very rare, and in conse¬ 
quence difficult to obtain. Others are very impa¬ 
tient of removal, and difficult to establish, even 
when the greatest care is taken in moving them ; 
as Botrychium Lunaria, Ophioglossum vulgatum, 
Ceterach officinai-um, Asplenium septentrionale, A. 
viride, A. Euta-muraria and one or two others. A 
few others, although British, are only found in very 
sheltered situations in the warmer parts of our 
coasts, and require protection when removed to 
other localities; as Adiantum Capillus-veneris, 
Asplenium marinum, Trichomanes radicans, Hy- 
menophyllum tunbridgense, H. Wilsoni and one 
or two others in some localities. But many of these 
difficulties may be surmounted with a little effort, 
for which the pleasure of seeing the species estab¬ 
lish themselves is ample reward. 
The number of British species is variously esti¬ 
mated from thirty-seven to fifty by various authors, 
according to their ideas of what constitutes a 
species. Babington in the seventh edition of his 
manual of “ British Botany ” enumerates forty-six, 
two of which can only claim a place in our Flora on 
the ground that they occur in the Channel Islands. 
In the following enumeration a brief reference to 
the habitat is given, with such other notes as may 
seem of importance under each species. The 
classification is from Babington’s Manual, with 
some of the better known synonyms given in 
brackets. 
Ceyptogeamme crispa. Eock Brakes, or Parsley 
Fern. (Allosorus crispus ).— An elegant species, 
occurring amongst loose stones on mountains, in 
Scotland, northern and western England, and Ire¬ 
land. It thrives well in moist, shady situations, 
with a liberal addition of broken sandstone amongst 
the soil, as it is very impatient of stagnant water 
about its roots. 
Polypodium vulgare. Common Polypody._ 
Abundant on shady banks, walls, and old trees, in 
many localities throughout the three kingdoms. 
Several beautiful varieties of this hardy, evergreen 
species are known, all of, which thrive in most 
situations on the hardy fernery. 
P. Phegopteris. Beech Fern.—In moist situa¬ 
tions, in hilly districts, in northern and western 
England, Scotland, and Ireland. A very beautiful 
deciduous species, thriving in moist crevices in the 
open rock-work. 
P. Dryopteeis. Oak Fern—An elegant deci¬ 
duous species, occurring in shady, mountainous 
places in northern, central, and western England, 
Scotland, and Ireland. It thrives almost anywhere 
on the open rock-work, a loose soil best suiting its 
slender creeping rhizomes. 
P. Eobertianum. Limestone Polypody. (P. cal- 
careum ).—A slightly stronger species than the last, 
of which Bentham classes it as a variety, though its 
appearance and habitat are very distinct. It is 
found in limestone districts in several parts of 
England, and is recorded from one locality in 
Scotland. It prefers a more exposed situation than 
the Oak Fern, and to grow it well a considerable 
quantity of roughly broken limestone should be 
added to the soil. 
P. alpestee. Alpine Polypody.—A very pretty 
species, found in high mountain valleys in Scotland, 
and much resembling small forms of the Lady Fern 
A moist, well-drained, and shady situation, with 
plenty of air, is best adapted for the growth of this 
plant. 
P. flexile. Slender Alpine Polypody.—Perhaps 
with Bentham we may better consider this as a 
slender variety of the last, differing chiefly in its 
less branched frond. It is found in Glen Prosen, 
Forfarshire, and requires a very shady, airy situation 
to develop its beauties. 
Woodsia ilvensis. Oblong Woodsia,—A pretty 
species, found in the mountains of Scotland, northern 
England, and North Wales. To cultivate this species 
well, a northern aspect protected from sunshine 
should be chosen; good drainage is most essential, 
and a plentiful supply of water during the growing 
season. The soil should be good fibrous peat with 
the addition of a little loam, silver sand, and broken 
sandstone. 
Woodsia hypeeborea. Alpine Woodsia. ( IF. 
alpina ).—A smaller species than the last and more 
difficult to cultivate, though it requires similar 
treatment. It is found on exposed alpine rocks on 
Ben Lawers, Perthshire, and Clogwyn y Garnedd, 
Snowdon. 
Lastrea Thelypteeis. Marsh Fern. — This 
species occurs iu marshy and boggy places through¬ 
out the three kingdoms, though usually very local. 
It is a distinct and beautiful deciduous species and 
should find a place in every Fernery, as it grows 
freely in any moist situation. 
L. Oreopteris. Sweet Mountain Fern. (L. mon- 
toun). A beautiful and distinct species, somewhat 
