April 4th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
491 
Seasonable Work in the Plant-houses.— 
Gloxinias : The early batch which should now be 
coming into flower, must have careful attention. The 
best position for them will be on a stage that can be 
covered with cocoa-nut refuse, and the plants stood on 
inverted pots. If grown in too dry a position they are 
very liable to the attacks of thrips, and if these once 
get established the plants will be greatly damaged, for 
although thrips may be kept in check by fumigation, 
it is almost impossible to thoroughly eradicate them. 
From the time the plants begin to show flower, they 
should be regularly supplied with liquid manure, 
but this must be allowed to stand some time before 
it is used, so that it may be quite clear, otherwise the 
foliage will get stained. The plants must on no 
account be allowed to become too dry in the pots, 
or the flower-buds will become dormant. 
Seedlings should be potted o3 as soon as large 
enough. It is by giving them proper attention at this 
stage that success mainly depends, and if allowed to 
stand too long in the store-pots it will be impossible 
to make good 'plants of them the same season. On 
the other hand if well managed they will make good 
flowering plants, and come in very useful to succeed 
the old plants. 
Acbimenes.— It is a good time now to start a batch 
of these for flowering in August and September, when 
they will be found to be very useful by way of a 
change. We like to start ihem in shallow pans or 
boxes, and transfer them to the pots or pans that they 
are to flower in after they have made a good start; 
growth, say, from 1 in. to 2 ins. The compost that 
suits them well, is fibrous loam, leaf-mould, and well- 
rotted manure in equal parts, with a good sprinkling 
of sand added, or if leaf-mould is not to be had, peat 
may be used instead. The pots must be well drained, 
and the plants should be potted loosely, so that the 
roots can work through the soil freely. 
Tydseas. —This is another useful class of gesneria- 
ceous plants, and some of the varieties are very 
beautiful, the foliage being of a rich deep green, and 
the flowers can hardly be excelled in brilliancy of 
colouring. Like all plants belonging to this order, 
the time of flowering can be regulated by starting 
them into growth at different periods. Those started 
now will come into flower early in the autumn, and, 
if well managed, will continue flowering for a con¬ 
siderable time. When started they should be kept in 
as small pots as possible until they are well advanced 
in growth, and in potting them on the size of the 
pots must be regulated according to the growth 
they have made, but care must be taken not to over¬ 
pot them. Although they must not be allowed to 
become too dry in the pot, yet over-watering must be 
carefully avoided. The same compost as recom¬ 
mended for Achimenes will suit them very well. 
Niegelias (Gesnebias).— Although a few varieties, 
such as N. exoniensis, N. zebrina, Ac., are often met 
with, yet it is surprising that the beautiful Continen¬ 
tal varieties are not more generally grown, as, apart 
from their beautiful foliage, there is such a grand 
variety of colours in their flowers, including white, 
yellows of various shades, and all shades of red, from 
pale pink to deep crimson. These will also succeed 
well under similar treatment to the above. 
-- 
Dwarf - flowering Bedding Plants.—Dwarf 
plants are frequently sought after for bedding pur¬ 
poses, and for several reasons. In exposed places 
the wind has not so much effect on them as it has 
on tall plants, and in geometrical designs, plants of 
one height are indispensable. I have grown the 
Dwarf Jacobaeas (Seneeio elegans) for several seasons, 
and like them very much, and I have seen other 
people, both gardeners and visitors, stop to admire 
them. They are easily raised from seed in spring in 
a gentle heat, and they keep on flowering with us 
until cut down by frosts. They do not exceed 9 ins. 
in height, are very free-blooming, and can be pur¬ 
chased in three distinct colours, viz., crimson, purple, 
and white. Another very dwarf plant is the Evening 
Primrose, fflnotheramacrocarpa. This is not an annual 
like the foregoing, but a hardy perennial. It makes 
a pretty bed, producing large yellow flowers, that 
open in the evening. It soon covers the ground 
after planting, and can be raised from seed in spring. 
It is very distinct from the well-known Gazania 
splendens, another very dwarf yellow-blooming plant; 
this is raised from cuttings, the same as the ever 
popular Verbena. Some gardeners of our acquain¬ 
tance make it a practice to save their own seeds of the 
Verbena, and never propagate it by cuttings, and 
they are plants that keep green in the beds after 
many other subjects have been cut off by frost. The 
last dwarf bedding plant I shall notice is Cannell’s 
Dwarf Blue Ageratum. This does not grow above 
4 ins. or 5 ins. high, and is very distinct from Agera¬ 
tum Imperial Dwarf, but it must be propagated by 
cuttings.— T. W. 
Rhododendron Countess of Haddington.— 
Though by no means common in gardens, this grand 
hybrid Rhododendron is one of the gems of the 
genus, and well deserving of cultivation in those 
gardens where there is not the convenience of a 
warm greenhouse for the more modern hybrids of 
the Indian section. It is a good free grower, with 
large dark green leaves, and produces large flowers of 
a delicate blush white colour. There was a splendid 
specimen shown at the recent exhibition in St. 
George’s Hall, Liverpool, by H. Cunningham, Esq., 
which bore quite fifty trusses of flowers. I have also 
seen a fine specimen in Mr. Lee’s garden at Downside, 
Leatherhead.— Scotas. 
Useful Greenhouse Plants.—Among the many 
greenhouse plants, few, if any, are more serviceable 
than the good old Scarborough Lily, Vallota purpurea, 
which everyone should have, as it is easily managed 
and comes into bloom freely, the flowers being very 
bright, showy, and lasting long in perfection. Iman- 
tophyllum miniatum is also a fine thing, and quite as 
easy to grow, as all it needs is plenty of water and 
little or no interference at the roots, the way it does 
best being that of allowing it to stand in the same 
pot for years. Agapanthus umbellatus also succeeds 
well under similar treatment, and all the Palms will 
bear pinching at the roots ; but to keep these of a good 
colour, and most other plants that are short of soil, 
liquid manure should be used two or three times a 
week. This may easily be made by steeping a little 
soot and cow manure in water, but it is better to buy 
some of the many artificial compounds and apply them 
according to directions, as they are inodorous, and 
have a very beneficial, stimulating effect, that soon 
shows itself by the improved health and strength of 
the plants it is given to.— Alpha. 
-- 
Portulacas for the Front Row of Borders.— 
The attention of amateurs and others is often directed 
to plants that are of doubtful hardiness and refractory 
to manage unless the exact conditions favourable to 
their cultivation are hit upon. Those who want a 
bright front row for a warm sunny border should try 
the Portulacas, and note their effectiveness for the 
position. A single row of plants will form a band 
about a foot in breadth of dwarf mixed, orange, 
yellow, crimson, rose, striped, and^ spotted flowers, of 
an unusually attractive character. If seeds are sown 
now under glass, and planted out in June, they will 
make a grand display during the summer and autumn 
months.— Cambrica. 
-- 
The White Mexican Tiger-Flower.—Those 
who have the well-known scarlet-flowered Tigridia 
pavonia (and it is a plant which every amateur should 
grow in pots for its striking blossoms) should make a 
point of getting for it as a companion the new white 
variety of T. speciosa, which was certificated by the 
Floral Committee last autumn. Its flowers are well 
described by its introducer, Mr. Ware, as being 
“ simply lovely, of enormous size, produced in great 
abundance, and distinct in appearance from any other 
plant in cultivation. The colour is a delicate white, 
with a slight creamy tinge, while the centre is heavily 
spotted with crimson, violet, and red. The family, 
taken as a whole, is one of the most gorgeous of the 
Iridaceai, and can be strongly recommended to every 
lover of beautiful flowers. The blossoms are very 
transient, yet are produced in such rapid succession 
that a clump is always covered with bloom from 
August to October. They can be easily grown in 
pots, or planted out in a warm dry border.” 
The Kitchen Gardener’s Calendar. —Globe 
Artichokes : Now that the plants have made sufficient 
growth to admit of offsets being taken to make good 
any vacancies that may have been occasioned during 
the winter, and also for making new plantations, it 
is a good plan to destroy a few rows of the old plants 
every year, and to plant an equal number of rows of 
young ones. These may be planted in clumps of 
three plants set triangularly, in rows of clumps 4 ft. 
apart, and at the same distance from clump to clump. 
When planting, the soil should be made firm around 
each plant with the hands, after which they should be 
watered (in the absence of rain) to settle the soil 
about the roots, and the ground between them should 
be afterwards mulched with a few inches thick of rotten 
dung. These plants will yield a good supply of 
Artichokes late in the autumn and long after those 
planted a year or two previously have ceased to bear. 
Though the purple variety of Artichoke is somewhat 
earlier, the green one is the best for general use. 
Seed Sowing. —Make a small sowing of the Pine¬ 
apple short-top Beet in good open soil, in drills 15 ins. 
apart, and from 1 in. to 2 ins. deep. Then close the 
soil over the seeds with the feet, treading and after¬ 
wards raking the soil so as to render the surface firm 
and level. The general crop of this esteemed vege¬ 
table may be sown about the middle or 20th of the 
present month. Make another sowing of Peas of the 
Telegraph and Stratagem type for gathering from 
early in July, also make small sowings of Turnips 
(Early Snowball) at intervals of two or three weeks. 
Thin out Carrots and Turnips to a couple of inches 
in the rows ; they can be finally thinned out a few 
weeks later, which, in case of mishap to the plants 
while young, wall be the safer practice. Use the 
Dutch hoe freely between the rows of young crops, as 
also between those of autumn-sown Onions, Spinach, 
Cabbages, Broccoli, and in every place where weeds 
appear. 
Forcing Department. —Attend to the thinning, 
stopping, and tying of Tomato shoots, and give 
copious supplies of tepid diluted liquid manure to 
plants swelling their fruit, and give plants intended 
for planting out and training against south and west 
walls about the middle of May larger pots, as they 
require more room at the roots, so as to secure good 
large plants as the time for planting them out arrives. 
By following this practice, which we have done for 
several years, Tomatos may be gathered from plants 
out-of-doors from the middle of July till the plants 
are cut off by the frost.— H. IV. Ward. 
Alesander or Alexander.—Is this plant grown 
still in kitchen gardens ? Its botanical name is 
Smyrnium Olusatrum, and it is said to have received 
its common name from the Greek, which means 
“a helper of man,” because formerly believed to possess 
powerful medicinal properties. It is called Alesander 
from its Italian name, “ herba Alesandriafla,” it 
being supposed to have been brought originally from 
Alexandria. Fifty years ago its cultivation was 
generally mentioned in calendars of garden operations. 
Probably the more extended cultivation of Celery 
during the past half century has had something to 
do with the almost entire neglect of the Alisander. 
When grown it was for its leaf stems, which, when 
branched, were eaten as we now do Celery. 
. The seed was sown during the early part of April, and 
on to that of May, in drills some 3 ft. apart, and when 
the seedlings were large enough they were planted out 
in rows at similar distances. When about a foot high 
they were earthed up, for the purpose of becoming 
blanched in the same way as Celery. Unlike Celery, 
the plants would last for a couple of years, but it was 
always considered best to raise seedlings annually, 
growing them in a rich light soil, and giving an 
abundance of water and liquid manure. I do not 
think any one would find the seed of this plant 
quoted in a single seed catalogue published in 
London. Some day it will be re-introduced, as Dio- 
scorea battata is just now being done, and sent out 
as a new salad plant at a high price.— Quo. 
