Feb. 28th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
413 
dark blue Primula, which is still a desideratum. 
The Holborn Purple is a decided acquisition, obtained 
from crossing Holborn Vermillion with Holborn 
Carmine. The flowers at first come of a rosy-purple 
hue, which becomes intensified with age, and they are 
both of good size and substance. It belongs to the 
fern-leaved section. 
Holborn Vermillion and Holborn Carmine both 
represent good and true strains of plants, bearing 
flowers of the colour named, with the advantage in 
the case of the latter of a good free habit of growth ; 
and in the same category may be named Holborn 
Magenta, a richly coloured fern-leaved variety, 
obtained from Holborn Gem, a pretty novelty of a 
pale blue or mauve colour, with a wire edge of white; 
and Holborn Pearl, a white variety of good substance, 
■with a suffusion of blue in the centre. Elaine is a 
fern-leaved variety, with fine white fimbriated flowers, 
having a conspicuous clear lemon coloured centre; 
while Snowflake is a double or semi-double white of 
great merit. In the same section, but salmon red in 
colour, is Carter’s Prince of Wales, a very showy 
flower. Eosy Morn is one of the prettiest Primulas we 
know, and is seen here in good style. It is of the same 
neat habit as Holborn Blue, indeed, it came out of the 
same batch of seeds, and is of a very pleasing shade 
of purple in colour. Holborn Blush is a very chaste 
flower of a pretty peach colour, and the stiff flowers 
all nicely fimbriated. It is fern-leaved, and in every 
way a fine variety. Venus, spotted and striped with 
carmine, on a white ground, is exquisitely pretty, 
and should become a favourite. 
All the sorts we have named may be seen in quanti¬ 
ties, but there are many individual plants in the 
collection that claim attention while passing through 
the houses, and which, showing “ breaks ” into new 
colours, are being watched and crossed with an 
amount of care and attention that well deserves a rich 
reward. One of these new departures is a genuine 
curiosity—an ivy-leafed Primula—with deeply-lobed 
leaves exactly like some of the Ivies in shape, and 
bearing flowers of such an abortive and nondescript 
character, that one can but pause and wonder how it 
originated, and what it will lead to. 
HoUyhocks. —At a time when herbaceous plants, 
especially of the hardy kinds, are engaging the atten¬ 
tion of so many people, our old friend the Hollyhock 
should again come in for a fair share of attention. 
Unfortunately the dreaded fungus to which this plant 
is subject, has well nigh stamped it out of many 
gardens. Where the plant is subject to the disease, 
it would be well to raise plants from seed every year 
and treat them as biennials, sowing the seed in May 
and planting them out in a prepared bed, to be trans¬ 
ferred to their flowering quarters during the following 
winter, giving them a change of soil each time. If 
the soil in the locality is not suitable, a hole may be 
dug out, incorporating some rotten manure and a 
good portion of strong maiden loam. In gardens 
where there are old stools now in the ground, the 
present time is favourable, if thought desirable, for- 
increasing them. Lift a plant of each kind and place 
it in a pit where a little warmth is afforded, and as 
soon as they show signs of growth, take off the 
cuttings and insert them in small pots, place them on 
a gentle hotbed, and as soon as the cuttings have taken 
root, they should have more air admitted and be 
removed to cooler quarters before they become drawn 
and weak. When the weather becomes sufficiently 
warm, they must be planted out in a bed previously 
prepared, or in stations prepared for them in the 
herbaceous border. 
Phloxes of the perennial class are also most 
desirable plants for the herbaceous beds or borders, 
and like the Hollyhock they may be increased by 
cuttings taken from clumps lifted now, and subjected 
to a slight warmth for a few days prior to removing 
the cuttings. The cuttings should be treated in every 
way similar to those of the Hollyhock, and any sandy 
soil that will grow good bedding plants will suit them. 
Care should be taken that the plants do not become 
drawn after they are rooted. Nothing can hardly 
excel the beautiful trusses of bloom these young 
plants produce, when planted out in a well-prepared 
bed and attended to as to staking and tieing, and kept 
supplied with water in dry weather. They are among 
the most useful plants for cutting from to furnish 
glasses in the dwelling house. 
Dahlias. —It is now time that a few roots were put 
into heat, if it is thought desirable to increase any 
of the varieties, or, perhaps, I should say whether 
increase is looked forward to or not, for none do 
better than good strong cuttings the first year. The 
Dahlia was sadly out of favour a few years ago, and 
about that time there were many gardens in which 
the plant was not represented by a single specimen, 
hut now, probably, there are but few gardens in which 
it is not to be found. The two sorts that we are 
increasing most are the Cactus Dahlias, Juarezii and 
Constance, especially the former, which is admired by 
all wTro see it. The single varieties also do well when 
grown from cuttings. To insure success in propagating 
these plants it is necessary to take the cutting off 
when no more than 3 ins. long, and if the heel is not 
taken, secure the next joint to it, as it would be unwise, 
if a number of cuttings were wanted to cut all the 
eyes away, so as to prevent the plant from breaking up 
again. The cuttings should then be inserted either 
singly in small pots, or several in a larger one, taking 
care to keep them correctly named. The pots can 
then be plunged to their rims in a dung-bed, be shaded 
from bright sunshine, and kept moist. I have known 
gardeners who have failed to root these plants in 
moist heat* but who have succeeded with them when 
placed on a shelf in the full sun in a warm house and 
never shaded. One of the largest Dahlia growers in 
this country propagates his plants on a bed of tan, 
which does not differ very much from a well-prepared 
bed of tree leaves and manure. As soon as the 
cuttings are rooted they should be removed to cooler 
quarters, and be potted up as required, and prevented 
from becoming drawn and weak, if good flowers are 
expected.— C. W. 
FLOWER SEED SOWING. 
Mabch and April are the two months when the 
necessary work in the garden presses heaviest upon 
the gardener. It is a season of untiring exertion ; 
it is during these two months that the great bulk of 
the work of seed sowing is performed. Flower seeds 
are divided into three main sections, viz., annuals, 
biennials and perennials. The first of these— 
annuals—are plants which, raised from seed, perfect 
the flowers, ripen their seed and die the same 
season. Annuals make a bright display, and it may 
be kept up nearly the whole season. They are divided 
into three classes: — Hardy, half-hardy and tender. 
Hardy annuals may be sown in autumn, and in early 
spring. Such things as Silene, Candytufts, Eschscholt- 
zias, Collinsias, Limnanthes and others make a superb 
display when sown in autumn, as they thoroughly 
establish themselves in the soil, which they cannot 
always do when sown in spring, and flower grandly 
and much earlier than when sown in the spring. 
Half-hardy annuals will not stand sharp frost, but 
much depends upon the nature of the soil and the 
situation where they are sown ; as a general rule, they 
should not be planted out in the open ground until 
all danger from frost has passed. 
Tender annuals should be sown in a little bottom 
heat, and require greenhouse culture except in a few 
instances. Under the head of tender annuals we get 
Balsams, Cockscombs, Globe Amaranthus, and a few 
others, but Balsams will do well in the open ground 
during the summer, if the soil be fairly light and 
good, and the position an open, warm and sunny one. 
Biennials are those which grow the first season, flower 
the next and then die. The following are a few 
leading biennials:—Dianthus chinensis, (Enothera 
Lamarckiana; certain stocks, Sweet William, though 
to some extent a perennial; Wallflowers and others. 
They may sometimes be induced to flower for two or 
three successive seasons, by preventing them from 
going to seed. Their general culture is the same as 
annuals, and some are of a more tender character 
than the others. 
Perennials are those -which live and continue to 
blossom for several years. If planted very early in the 
year in the open ground, or if brought forward in a 
hot-bed or the greenhouse, they will bloom the first 
season. Many of these are hardy enough to stand 
the coldest of our winters, dying down in the autumn 
and coming up in the spring from the old roots. 
Generally they should be taken up once in two or three 
years, have the roots divided and then be re-planted. 
Like the annuals and biennials, they are divided 
into hardy, half-hardy and tender; the two latter 
require to be started in heat. 
Now, a few words as to the culture of these plants 
from seeds ; for many persons appear to suppose that 
the matter is so unimportant that if put into the soil 
in the roughest fashion they will be certain to do well. 
In sowing out of doors the soil should be of good 
character, fairly light, and well pulverized, as well as 
deeply stirred, so that the roots may descend into it. 
The surface should be levelled, and the seeds sown 
thinly — much more so than is generally done ; and 
then a little fine soil scattered over them. Should 
the weather prove warm and drying immediately after 
sowing, a little shade may be necessary, and occasional 
sprinklings with water. A little cocoa-fibre refuse 
lightly and thinly strewn over the surface will be 
found of great advantage. As soon as the plants are 
large enough, the weaker ones should be thinned out, 
leaving the strongest to grow. 
It is a practice with some lovers of annuals to start 
some varieties in pots or pans in a warm house, 
transplanting them as soon as the weather iiermits, 
the result being that if the spring is favourable and 
the plants do well, they flower earlier than those sown 
in the open air. But in growing these on into size, 
great care must be taken that the plants are not 
allowed to become drawn. 
Half-hardy annuals, being of a tender character, 
should not be sown in the open ground until the 
middle or end of April, and in an early light sandy 
soil. Forty years ago, when the choicer annuals were 
much more grown than they are in the present day, 
we remember one enthusiastic cultivator who used to 
make up a bed of long stable dung and leaves to the 
height of some 4 ft., and by making it of this height 
allowing for sinking. Some slabs of deal were laid 
along the sides and across the ends to form an edging 
to the bed, and 4 ins. of a good light soil specially 
mixed for the purpose was added. The seeds were 
sown thinly in lines across the bed, and a suitable 
covering was provided by putting stout Hazel rods 
into holes made in the slabs, bending them over and 
inserting them into similar holes on the other side. 
Then, when necessary, a covering of mats was placed 
over the bended rods, and all was made snug and 
warm when frost threatened. At most there was but a 
gentle heatinthe bottom. In those days nota few hardy 
annuals were raised in this way and transplanted, 
as well as such things as Stocks, Asters, Zinnias, 
Ac. In default of such a bed, the seeds should be 
sown in pans or pots of fine soil, distributing them as 
thinly as possible, the pots placed in a gentle heat and 
shaded from the sun ; when the plants are large 
enough, prick them out into other pots, and plant out 
in the open ground as soon as it is safe to do so. 
Biennials and perennials may be sown in spring and 
all through the summer if necessary. Many of them 
may be sown in the open air, but the choice kinds 
should be sown in pans, raised in a cold frame, and 
transplanted to the open ground. 
Not a few persons sow seeds of Wallflowers, Stocks, 
Honesty, Canterbury Bells, Scabious, Sweet Williams, 
Arc., too late in the season to get plants strong enough 
to flower well the following spring and early summer. 
Instead of sowing in August, they should sow- in April 
and May, transplanting at the end of August and in 
September. Advantage should be taken of what the 
market gardeners term “ dripping,” i.e., showery 
weather, to perform this work. Plants placed out 
during moist weather soon lay hold upon the soil, 
establish themselves, and grow away merrily during the 
autumn. Sometimes a very severe winter will punish 
biennials and perennials, especially where keen frost 
follow-s close upon the heels of rain. But very severe 
winters are exceptional times.— Quo. 
— j— ■ — 
Alocasia begin.*. —This fine new Alocasia, which 
obtained a Certificate of Merit at the International 
Exhibition at St. Petersburg, is figured in the January 
number of The Illustration Horticole. It w-as intro¬ 
duced from Borneo by the Compagnie Continental 
d’Horticulture, of Ghent. Its pubescent leaf-stalks 
mark it at once as very distinct, for this character is 
comparatively rare in Aroids. The leaves are deeply 
cordate, dull dark-green above, with darker pubescent 
veins, and purple-brown beneath. 
