438 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 14th, 1885. 
at every pore. A portion is consumed in then - growth 
while the rest is carried into the growing stemlet, 
thence into the root forming at the end of it, and into 
the bud, which soon appears at the other end of it, 
supplying the materials for their growth.” 
We thus see how the innate energy stored up in the 
seed-pod acts and ministers to the necessities of the 
embryo plants. What can the gardener do ? There 
are two things he can supply that will greatly assist 
the development of the plants; one is suitable soil 
according to the requirements of the plant; the 
other is a suitable temperature in which these forces 
can operate in the most satisfactory manner. We 
have tried to teach amateur gardeners by imparting to 
them a knowledge of certain facts regarding the 
physiology of the plant. Let them assist the 
struggling embryo in such a way as to enable it to 
develope into a sturdy and perfect plant.—Quo. 
THE LATTICE LEAF PLANT. 
The lattice-leaf plant of Madasgascar, Ouvirandra 
fenestralis, is at present in a very flourishing state in 
two of the water tanks in the stoves at Tatton Park, 
Knutsford. For a number of years they have been 
successfully grown here. And as I can remember 
them for nearly twenty years, it is just possible that a 
plant of the first importation was secured, and ever 
since it has been healthily represented at Tatton. A 
few days ago, admiring them with Mr. J. Atkins, who 
last summer took charge of this fine and extensive 
establishment, in answer to my request, he willingly 
gave me a couple of perfect leaves, which to-day I 
have measured, and found one to be 13 ins. long by 
5 ins. broad, the other 12 ins. by 4 ins. These are by 
no means exceptional leaves, as there were hundreds 
on the plants, and whilst a large number would be 
similar in size to those mentioned above, others would 
have been even larger still. 
The conditions under which they are grown may 
perhaps form the subject of a note from Mr. Atkins 
on some future occasion. One thing, however, deserves 
mention, there are no white, shining glazed tiles about 
the tank to show the beautiful skeleton formation of 
the leaves. There is just a possibility that these 
white surfaces are far more injurious—not only to 
plants such as these under water, but even to many 
others on the stages that are compelled to endure 
reflected light the whole of the seasons through—than 
is sometimes admitted.—IF. Sican, Fallcncfield. 
- —s — 
OMPHALODES VERNA. 
I met with this lovely creeping Forget-me-not last 
spring in a Kentish farmhouse garden—one of those 
old-fashioned, delightful, bewitching gardens that was 
planted fully fifty years ago, and which is frequently 
and many of the old-fashioned biennials and perennials 
garden must have been planted fully fifty years ago, 
met with in the more remote country districts. This 
remain to this day, extending themselves by root- 
growths, or maintaining an existence by seeding 
themselves, and the seeds germinating where they 
drop. From time to time this garden has been 
enriched by the bestowal of some new occupant from 
a neighbour, and I imagine that it was in this way 
Omphalodes vema had come to find a place in it, 
though it is old enough to be in every garden in the 
kingdom, for it was introduced from Southern Europe 
as far back as 1633. It had been planted in a moist 
sandy loam on a north border, and here it had spread, 
thrusting out its creeping shoots until they availed 
themselves of the grateful protection and shade of 
some shrubs, and here it was flowering as one would 
always desire to see it—freely and finely. In some 
old gardening books, it is known as the Blue Navel- 
wort, though the common Navelwort is represented by 
Cotyledon umbilicus. This is called the Navelwort 
from the shape of its leaf, but Omphalodes is 
composed of two words signifying like the navel, 
referring to the seeds and not the leaf. 
Though the Omphalodes greatly resembles the 
Forget-me-not, the flowers are larger and of a more 
intense blue. I never saw it in such perfection as on 
the genial sunny slopes of Belvoir Castle, where every 
choice spring-plant appears to flourish in a remarkable 
degree, and where that king among spring gardeners 
—Mr. William Ingram—uses it to such excellent 
purpose. There it grows profusely, and flowers early 
and freely, affording patches of lovely blue, preceding 
the Forget-me-nots, but prophetic of their later floral 
service. This,Myosotis dissitiflora, Anemone appenina, 
Scilla siberica, and the deeper violet-coloured Aubrietias 
all yield varying shades of blue, diversified by tints 
of this same colour aflorded by other serviceable 
subjects. Last spring I brought from Kent, and 
planted under a west wall, where it could have some 
shade during the hottest part of the day, a patch of 
the Omphalodes. I was afraid the hot summer would 
have roasted it up, though I almost buried it by using 
a deep covering of cocoa-fibre, but it is growing freely 
to my great delight, and has extended itself, and will 
I hope bloom well. But except it is in very favour¬ 
able situations it cannot be expected to flower freely. 
It is a plant requiring a cool, shady spot, and one 
fairly moist. There is a white variety of it, but for 
spring work it is scarcely so valuable as the blue 
type.— B. D. 
PERPETUAL FLOWERING 
CARNATIONS. 
I have received the following communication, 
which, -with your permission, I should like to answer 
through the medium of The Gaedexixg World. 
“As an amateurl am passionately fond of Carnations, 
but I find great difficulty in striking the cuttings at 
this time of year. The plants from which my 
cuttings were taken, are some in flower and others 
coming on; they are kept in a temperature of about 
53 degs. to 60 degs. The cuttings were formed of the 
young side - growths about IJ-in. long, and were 
inserted, one in the centre of a 2-in. pot in sandy soil. 
They were placed in a propagating - case and get 
bottom-heat at night, but little (if any) by day, for if 
sunny the fires are stopped, so as not to run the 
temperature up too high by means of both sun and 
fire, but I find my cuttings keep going off ; would you 
oblige me by answering the following questions :— 
“ 1. 'What ought to be the condition of the cuttings 
when taken off ? 
“ 2. If they should be kept quite close, plunged in a 
dung-bed day and night ? 
“3. If gently syringed daily, and at once closed up 
again—or should they, after their dewing over, be 
allowed to dry and then be closed up and kept close ? 
“ 4. Is a dung-bed the best to strike them in, or a 
propagating-case such as mine are in ?” 
It does not seem quite clear as to what is the cause 
of failure in striking the cuttings. The temperature 
in which my correspondent’s plants are kept is rather 
high, but that would be beneficial, rather than other¬ 
wise, for the production of suitable cuttings for 
propagating purposes, provided they are clean and 
healthy. The cuttings as described appear to be 
about the right stamp, but the method of placing one 
in the centre of each 2-in. pot, I think, is not common, 
as it is well known that most cuttings root more freely 
when they feel the sides of their pots, and my 
experience with the Carnation teaches me that it is 
no exception to the rule. I think that a regular 
bottom-heat night and day is better for the cuttings 
than shutting it off part of the time. Is it possible 
that “Amateur,” after draining these small pots well, 
placed the heel of his cuttings upon that drainage. If 
so, they will not root, or at least are very slow in doing 
so, and are very liable to go off. 
1. Small side-shoots taken off the sides of flowering- 
stems, from 14 ins. to 2 ins. long, with a heel, make the 
best cuttings. 
2. Great care is necessary in the preparation of beds 
of fermenting materials, for if not well fermented the 
rank steam is liable to injure almost any vegetation. 
Carnations dislike a stuffy and close atmosphere, so 
that it is necessary to leave a chink of air on night 
and day to let off superabundant moisture and steam. 
I never plunge cutting-pots on dung-beds but very 
slightly. They should remain in this situation till 
rooted. 
3. I never damp my cuttings of Carnations except 
when watering them, which is done through a fine 
rose-pot in the morning, and then water is only given 
to such as are dry. As before stated, the frame is 
seldom closed up, owing to the steam generally rising 
from dung-beds. 
4. I certainly do consider a dung-frame, when 
properly managed, the best place for propagating 
these cuttings, and one which is sometimes adopted 
by some growers, when every other convenience is at 
hand. I would recommend “ Amateur ” to try the 
plan of putting his cuttings around the side of 5-in. 
pots, with one 2 ins. or 2^ ins. in diameter plunged in the 
middle, and place them at the foot of a frame in which 
either Cucumbersor Melons are being grown. Of course, 
now that the sun has greater power, more care must 
be taken as to shading, Ac., than when put in during 
the months of January or February, but if I were 
asked what month to choose for getting the greatest 
percentage of cuttings to root I should choose March, 
and a dung-frame as the situation. A few squares of 
glass laid over the cutting-pots, and resting on the 
labels above the plants, assist in keeping the cuttings 
a little closer, quite early in the season, but they are 
not necessary at this time of year.—C. Warden. 
— —? — 
USEFUL AMATEUR’S PLANTS. 
I propose drawing attention to a few of the less 
seldom grown, though very useful cool greenhouse 
plants, that any amateur who has tried his ’prentice 
hand on Geraniums, Fuchsias, and Ferns, can succeed 
with. These are Diplacus, Coronilla glauca, 
Eupatorium, Crassula coccina, Tropasolums, Hermine 
Grasshoff and others ; Lantanas, Libonia floribunda, 
and Cupheas. I am not going to say that these all 
require simple, or even similar treatment. All plant- 
culture is simple when it is thoroughly understood; 
and if groups that can be propagated and grown under 
similar circumstances are classed together, it may 
assist the amateur in becoming acquainted with moie 
varieties. 
In one feature the group named above are in accord, 
and that is that they all root readily from shoots or 
slips taken off with an heel. Slips from these plants 
in the best condition for rooting should be “ slipped 
off ” by the base from old plants that have been rested, 
shaken-out, re-potted, and started afresh in a little 
bottom heat. The rooting process should be carried 
on in a bottom and top heat 5 degs. or more higher 
than that in which the old plants made their start. 
Should a hot-bed or a plunging bed be at the command 
of the operator (a useful one can be made up in a 
corner of the cool greenhouse), he will be able to root 
these things readily, either in thumb pots, or pricked 
round the edges of cutting pots. 
A plan that I have found successful in getting up a 
small stock quickly is to put each cutting separately 
in a thumb pot, and to place all the pots in a 
plunging box, having a sheet of glass large enough to 
cover it. I pack the pots in cocoa-fibre and shade 
them with a newspaper for a few days. I find that 
by using the pane of glass and the plunging-box, there 
is less risk of damping off, as one good watering when 
the slips are put in, will carry them through the 
rooting stage. A light sprinkling overhead may be 
required occasionally, but a flooded state is objec¬ 
tionable. Lift the glass every day or two and wipe it 
dry. A good soil for rooting these plants in may 
consist of three parts turfy loam, not too fine, and one 
part each of leaf-mould, sharp sand, and finely broken 
lime-rubbish — rejecting the fine dust. One crock 
fitting loosely over the hole in the pot and a good 
pinch of moss will be sufficient drainage in the first 
instance. 
There is not so much hurry in potting on these 
plants if raised in thumb-pots, as when the cuttings 
are placed in cutting-pots, as they turn out and 
re-pot better if the roots are allowed to get a good 
hold of the soil in the thumb-pots before being 
disturbed. If these plants are wanted to bloom early 
in a small size, pottings into 3-in., and afterwards into 
5-in. pots will be all that they will need ; and pinching 
back to two or three joints will—except in the case of 
the Crassula which will be as well unpinched—form a 
nice head. The Diplacus will require slender stakes 
12-in. or 15-in. long; so will the Eupatorium. The 
Tropseolum may be allowed to droop downwards on 
the front of the plant-shelf, or it may be trained to a 
ladder. The others will require a centre-stake. In 
re-potting use plenty of crocks, pot firmly, and add 
one part of well-decayed manure to the compost. 
For larger specimen plants 8-in. pots will be 
required; and the shoots must be kept pinched back 
till ready for the last shift. But the amateur will have 
some difficulty in getting a show of bloom the first 
