70 
THE GARDENING- WORLD. 
Oct. 4th, 1884. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
The beauty of the flower garden so far as its 
summer occupants are concerned is diminishing fast, 
and a few degrees of frost, with which we may be 
visited any night now, will ruthlessly destroy the 
floral picture that took us so long to complete. Under 
these circumstances the Pelargoniums of last year s 
striking which are intended to be saved for another 
year should be lifted at once. The plants should 
be taken up with a four-pronged fork, and the 
roots, together with the tops, should be consider¬ 
ably reduced with the knife before being placed 
closely together in boxes about 2J ft. long, 9 in. 
wide, and 4 or 5 in. deep, in light soil, which should 
be made firm about the roots as the process of 
boxing the plants is proceeded with. This done, give 
sufficient water to settle the soil about the roots, and 
afterwards store the plants thus boxed in any frame, 
pit, or house, out of the reach of frost and excessive 
damp, and keep them rather dry at the roots during 
the winter months. If 4-in. and 6-in. pots can be 
spared it would be advisable to winter the bicolor and 
tricolor-leaved sections in them, placing from one to 
three plants, according to size, in each pot. 
The beds thus cleared of their summer occupants 
should be levelled with the rake and again be filled 
with such spring-flowering plants as the Golden Gem 
Viola, Daffodils (Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus), the 
common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), and Alyssum 
saxatile compactum—four distinct shades of yellow. 
Myosotis dissitiflora (Forget-me-not), Imperial Blue 
Viola, Nemophila insignis, and Aubrietia deltoidea, 
afford a like number of shades of colour, ranging from 
light blue !to purplish lilac. In Dean’s Viola White 
Bedder, Arabis albida, and White Daisies we have 
three white free-flowering plants; and in Silene 
pendula ruberrima and Bed Daisies we have the 
material for supplying masses of pink and crimson. 
In addition to Crocuses, Snowdrops, Hyacinths, Tulips, 
and other bulbous plants, there are many hardy 
perennials besides those enumerated above which are 
suitable for the spring garden, but those already 
mentioned, if the colours are judiciously arranged in 
masses, will be found sufficiently floriferous, effective, 
and varied in colour to render the flower garden in 
spring as charmingly beautiful as it can be made in 
summer. 
The beds in which the double Daisies are 
intended to be planted should have a sprinkling of 
new soot incorporated with the surface soil as a 
preventative to the attacks of the grubs of the Daddy- 
long-legs (Tipula oleracea), which are very destructive 
to the roots of these old-fashioned but nevertheless 
indispensable spring-flowering plants. The plants in 
every case should be taken up with a little soil 
adhering to the roots and be planted the same depth 
in the ground as they were before, making the soil 
moderately firm about the roots in planting. In some 
instances the yellow and blue Violas will be already 
established in their winter quarters, having been 
planted last May in the beds in which they -were to 
remain during the winter and spring months—the 
former among plants of Calceolaria amplexieaulis, 
and the latter mixed with Bijou and Manglesi 
Pelargoniums. The silvery leaves and pale pink 
flowers of the last-named excellent bedding Pelar¬ 
gonium is very effective when contrasted with the 
blue flowers and green foliage of the Viola. Thus 
grown the Violas may be had in flower in the garden 
more or less all through the year.— W. 
-- 
POLYGONUMS FOR THE WILD 
GARDEN. 
The genus Polygonum is widely diffused throughout 
both hemispheres. It contains about two hundred 
species, mostly weeds, but with a few notable excep¬ 
tions. It is not our object at the present time to 
enumerate these exceptions generally, but to call 
attention to a few species of sterling merit for the 
wild garden. They belong to the section Pleuropterus. 
The species of this section may be distinguished from 
all others by their notched stigmas, which are broader 
and flattened towards the apex. Another character is 
•—and from an ornamental point of view it cannot be 
overlooked—that the male and female flowers are 
always borne on distinct plants. One sex has six 
perfect stamens and abortive stigmas, the other has 
three notched stigmas and abortive stamens. It is a 
small section, confined to East Temperate Asia and 
Japan, and consists of five species, all of which we 
have seen in cultivation. The following characters 
will suffice to distinguish them; their value from a 
decorative point of view is mentioned under the 
respective species:— 
P. sachamnense. —This is undoubtedly the noblest 
species in the genus. It forms clumps of 6 ft. to 8 ft. 
high and the same in breadth. The stems are erect 
for some distance, and then droop gracefully all round. 
The leaves are large, sometimes attaining a size of 
18 in. long and 10 in. broad, though usually smaller; 
they are cordate in shape and quite glabrous. The 
flowers are yellowish-green in colour, and borne in 
numerous axillary divaricate spikes, near the end of 
the branches. It forms a most beautiful clump on the 
lawn, and is very suitable for the shrubbery border or 
wild garden, its greatest drawback being the habit of 
throwing out underground suckers some distance from 
the stem; these, however, can easily be removed as 
they make their appearance. It is a native of Amur, 
Japan, and Sachalin Island—hence its name—and is 
well-figured in The Botanical Magazine, t. 6540. 
P. cuspidatum. —Smaller than the previous species 
in every respect, and usually attaining a height of 
4 ft. to 6 ft.; the branches, too, spread in a similar 
manner. The leaves are ovate-cordate in shape, 
suddenly narrowing into a cuspidate point, and are 
generally from 3 in. to 4 in. long. The axillary flower- 
spikes are much branched, and the flowers are white, 
hence, in this one respect, it is more effective than 
P. sachalinense. It is equally suitable for the wild 
garden or shrubbery, and should be planted a little 
nearer to the front. It is a native of China and Japan, 
and a good figure may be found in The Botanical 
Magazine, t. 6503. 
P. compactum. —This is a still dwarfer plant, rarely 
attaining a height of much over 3 ft. It may be 
readily distinguished from P. cuspidatum by its com¬ 
pact, more erect habit, darker green somewhat smaller 
leaves, -with more waved margins, and by the simple 
unbranched flower-spikes. Its compact floriferous 
habit is very pleasing. At present it is rare in culti¬ 
vation, but when better known it will probably be 
equally valued with the others. Its native country is 
Japan, where it has been found on Mount Fusiyama. 
It was first described and figured in The Botanical 
Magazine, t. 6476. 
P. Weyrichii. —The three previous species have all 
glabrous leaves ; this one is distinguished at a glance 
by its having the under-surface densely covered with 
greyish-white tomentum. The stems are 4 ft. high, 
erect and very little branched ; the leaves are cordate 
at the base, attenuate to a rather long point above, and 
from 5 in. to 9 hr. long ; the inflorescence is ample, and 
chiefly confined to the apex of the branches. We have 
only seen the female in cultivation, and unfortunately 
the flowers were over. The habit is not so pleasing as 
in the previous species, but its value from a decorative 
point of view is hardly settled as yet, for it is dying 
away much earlier than those species. It is a native 
of Japan. 
P. multiflorum. —This species has twining stems, 
hence it will not be confounded with the foregoing. 
It will climb to a considerable height on a suitable 
support. The leaves are cordate, acute, and 2 in. to 3 in. 
long. It cannot be described as a decorative plant, 
though we mention it for the double reason that it is 
the only other known species of the section, and further 
that we have met with the female plant in cultivation. 
The flowers are borne in little spikes, and are very 
inconspicuous. It is a native of China, Japan, and 
Formosa. 
In conclusion, we may say the plants are perfectly 
hardy, will luxuriate in any ordinary garden soil, and 
may be readily propagated by means of the under¬ 
ground suckers; indeed) too readily, as these suckers 
require to be frequently removed to prevent them 
overrunning other plants, and so becoming a nuisance. 
— X. 
■ -- 
Hops. —The acreage of land this year under Hop- 
cultivation in Great Britain is 69,258 acres; showing 
an increase of 1,242 acres over 1883. 
LONGPOD BEANS. 
Why is it that some writers of Kitchen Garden 
calendars persist in recommending that the 
Mazagan Bean should be sown as a first early ? 
It is not an early Bean. It is later than the 
Common Longpod, while the Common Longpod is 
later than that best of all Beans the Seville Early 
Longpod. Why very few people sow the Mazagan 
now-a-days. A retail seedsman in a good way of 
business will tell us that he sells very few Mazagans, 
and these to some old-fashioned gardeners who are 
left stranded high and dry on the shores of time. It 
is assumed that the Mazagan possesses some peculiar 
hardihood of character, but I do not think so, certainly 
not a bit more than any other Longpod Bean. The 
Chiswick trials of a few years ago proved most conclu¬ 
sively that it is scarcely a Second Early, and I have 
witnessed the same result in other trials, and whether 
Beans are sown in autumn or in early spring, I say 
sow the Seville Longpod, or, failing that, the Aqua- 
dulce or Mammoth Longpod. Both are robust growers, 
hardy and early. For a second and third crop sow 
one or both of these over again, or Johnson’s Won¬ 
derful Longpod. Those who prefer the large Windsor 
Beans can sow Taylor’s Windsor or any good selection 
from it. Sow in early, light, free ground in autumn, 
and then the crop may be relied upon. As soon as 
the foliage is well above the ground draw the soil up 
about it and encourage their free growth by hoeing, 
and in any possible way. Don’t sow Beans in autumn 
in heavy, wet ground—they will decay, and a poor crop 
will result. A market gardener sows his Early Beans 
in autumn on a sloping, sunny, south border, and he 
gets them in extra early in consequence. Let amateur 
gardeners do the same as far as it is possible to do so. 
There is an excellent Dwarf Bean that is not so much 
grown as it deserves to be—namely, Beck’s Dwarf 
Green Gem. This originated rather more than twenty 
years ago as a sport from the Dwarf Fan or Cluster ; it 
is very dwarf, a great cropper, of ^delicious flavour, and 
comes in well to succeed the Seville Longpod. The 
origin of this variety throws light on the means by 
which we became possessed of the Green Windsor and 
the Green Longpod. They are, no doubt, sports from 
their white counterparts.—B. D. 
-— g—■ — 
ORCHIDS AT WOOLTON WOOD. 
Woolton Wood, Liverpool, is the residence of 
Holbrook Gaskell, Esq., who has for a long time been 
one of our most enthusiastic Orchid collectors, and so 
carefully and judiciously has he followed the pursuit 
that his collection contains many unique species and 
varieties, and all are in a healthy and thriving 
condition. The Cattleyas and Lafiias are pleasant 
to look at, so clean and sturdy are the plants, and 
so well furnished with flower-sheaths and spikes, 
some of the rare varieties of L. anceps literally 
bristling with them. At present there are not many 
Cattleyas in flower, but the perpetual flowering, 
beautiful, and fragrant C. Gaskelliana is still doing 
duty here, as in most other places where a few plants 
of it are grown. C. bicolor is also in flower, as well 
as the rare C. Whitei. 
The Masdevallia-house is also spare of bloom, only 
M. chimasra, M. bella, M. velifera, the unique M. 
Gaskelliana, and a grand variety of M. Davisii, with 
massive flowers in. to 2 in. across, being in bloom, 
but what a sight of green, fleshy-leaved, vigorous 
plants! Masses of every shade of M. Harryana, 
which have borne forty or fifty blooms each, equally 
stout plants of M. Veitcliii and M. ignea, &c., and a 
great potful of the rare M. macrura. All are grown as 
cold and moist as possible, and are carefully shaded 
in summer. In this cold-house, too, are some good 
specimens of Oncidium macranthum, and a large 
robust mass of Oncidium incurvum, which has been 
reclaimed from its miserable, spotted, heat-stricken 
condition by being brought into the cold, and it is now 
sending up a quantity of flower-spikes. 
The Odontoglossums are also grown cold, and they 
are in fine order. The flower-spikes are appearing 
freely to form a great show presently, and the usual 
number of fine varieties will again furnish their 
lovely flowers, among them being the Woolton plant 
of 0, histrionicum bellum, 0. crispum Chestertoni, 
O, crispum Horsmanni, 0. crispum Chelsoni, 0. 
