790 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August loth, 1885. 
SCOTTISH GARDENING. 
Summer Treatment of Fruit Trees. —At this 
season some cultivators think, because the dog days 
are drawing to a close, the nights getting cooler and 
the days shorter, that it is not of much importance to 
water trees, even after a hot and dry period such as 
we have had for a long time. The question to be 
considered is, Can the watering be done thoroughly ? 
Otherwise it is better left alone; nothing can be 
more unnatural or killing to fruit trees than keeping 
the surfaces over their roots moist and cool while 
the feeding portion of the roots are dry and parched. 
Such is too often done with all kinds of plants, indoor 
and out. Fruit trees are not all situated alike. They 
may profit by the absence of moisture at their roots 
in some positions, while in others they may be 
seriously injured. Where soil is shallow, poor, and 
light, a good soaking or two of manure-water followed 
by mulching would do much good, especially for 
next season’s work. If trees are crippled for want 
of the needful this season, it means courting failure 
next year. 
Apricots, being trees which have come specially 
under my observation, suffer very readily when their 
roots are parched at this season ; they are apt to go 
prematurely to rest, and should a wet and warm 
November or December set in, a fresh flow of sap will 
take place, and may' be the forerunner of buds drop¬ 
ping as soon as they expand, or the dying of branches 
may become a formidable evil, continuing year after 
year to decimate the trees. In artificially made 
borders, where concrete or paving is sometimes used, 
there is the greater need to give due consideration 
during the growing and fruiting season to the require¬ 
ments of the roots. When examining and admiring 
the healthy fruit trees, both on walls and elsewhere, at 
Dunkeld the other day, I thought that I never had seen 
wall trees in such suitable quarters before; the natural 
formation of the ground being on a steep descent from 
north to south, allowed not only the trees but their 
roots to have unlimited benefit from the sun. Some 
borders sloping outwards, from walls to walks, were 
from 3 ft. to 6 ft. above the level of the walks. Though 
no excess of wet can do harm, we also think drought 
is defied. Judging from the fine crops of vegetables 
luxuriating on these banks in such a dry season as the 
present, it appears conclusive to us that the fruit trees 
have their requirements well met. Healthy foliage 
with promising crops, as in the gardens referred to, 
indicate that Mr. Fairgreive is likely to retain his 
honours as a successful cultivator and exhibitor of 
hardy fruits in a manner which w’ould be creditable 
to growers living hundreds of miles south of the 
Tweed. We hope to be able to refer to these fruit 
trees in detail at some future time. 
While the roots are not neglected with the water- 
pot when they require it, the trees themselves must 
have skilful attention. Some make short work of tree 
dressing, putting them in the same level as their 
hedges; then in spring the frost, as usual, “ did it.” 
Apricots should be gone over carefully to see if there 
are no “robbers,” and such gross shoots, unless 
absolutely wanted to fill up spaces, should be well 
stopped or removed to allow their weakly neighbours 
to have justice done them. Short, stiff shoots should 
be retained, if wanted, to bear next season. . Sprays 
which cannot carry crops of fruit should be cleared 
away, as such only shut out sun and air. Where 
the whole tree is of free growth, not likely to form 
fruiting buds fit to set next spring, the remedy which 
we have already advised (root-cutting) may now 
in a moderate degree be put into practice—tops and 
bottoms are then being treated alike. If gum should 
be oozing out from the bark, the w T ounds (if any) 
should be made clean and well rubbed with lime made 
into a substance like thick paint. Suckers should 
not be tolerated. 
Plums are very much like Apricots in their habits 
and requirements. They can do with more knife-work 
than Apricots, and artificial spurs can be formed with 
impunity, but the more naturally the trees do their 
own work the more likely are they to thrive. Syste¬ 
matic thinning and stopping the shoots must have 
due attention, as advised for Apricots. Green-fly, 
as well as the thicker-coated black aphis, may be 
troublesome, and if left alone the vermin become 
destructive to young growths. Where the latter will 
admit of it, they should be topped, and all the young 
growths be removed, and buried or burnt. Tobacco- 
powder and soft soap mixed into a liquid with water 
and carefully syringed over the trees cleared a deluge 
of the green insects from a wall of young Plums 
lately, and the same effectually destroyed the black 
enemy on a lot of young Plums. The shoots of the 
latter were dipped into the liquid before they were 
tied to the wall, a handy man going over a large 
space in the course of an hour, and little waste is 
thus sustained. 
Most of the work to Plums should be finished this 
month, and the less left for winter the better. Great 
care should be exercised to direct leaders so that they 
grow equidistant over the walls, allowing the weakly 
ones to have as much advantage in growth over the 
strong ones as possible. When young trees have 
covered the space allotted to them they should have 
their shoots all on a par with each other, and by 
careful stopping of rampant growths equalization can 
be managed pretty fairly. Cherries are managed as 
simply as any trees can be. If a good start is made 
with young trees (I prefer maiden trees to trained 
ones), and the shoots are nailed out in the fan shape, 
with careful attention to stopping, a good-sized 
tree can be grown the first season after planting. 
The centre shoots require checking with finger and 
thumb. Young growths are increased, which may 
be utilized as permanent branches. We have a 
number of young Morellos which were planted last 
season, and scarcely a knife has been used on them 
yet. Some are trained upright, some fan-shaped, and 
others horizontal. When they came as “maidens ” 
from a nursery, they were planted, and most of the 
young lateral growths were laid out at full length, and 
now a wall is fairly covered, and a sprinkling of fruit 
over it also. 
Morello Cherries, when grown to full size and the 
space allotted to them is covered, may be induced to 
form natural spurs, but to keep on stopping and 
cutting the wood short means growth minus fruit. It 
is better to get them into a fibry state at the roots, 
keeping them within bounds in solid soil, then the 
growths are short, stiff, and fruitful. All out-growing 
shoots should at this season be rubbed off, the trees 
kept thin, and the shoots for fruiting next year be 
kept close to the wall. We do not speak of what may 
be done with Morello Cherries as bush fruits, which 
are sometimes tried in northern districts in the full 
sun with tolerable success. When Morello Cherries, 
or, in fact, any kind of Cherries, are allowed to grow 
grossly they are very subject to suffer from gumming, 
and die off ; a calcareous, hard-rammed soil removes 
much of this difficulty. 
I have read that when this Cherry is grown under 
glass it loses much of its acidity and attains a flavour 
which ranks it as a dessert fruit. Where Morello 
Cherries are grown as a market fruit and do well 
they are very remunerative, but when much knife- 
work is done to them they bear in very scanty propor¬ 
tion. The shortening of them back should be avoided 
if possible; rather depend on bringing them into 
subjection by action at the roots, and the present time 
is very suitable; if fruit is ripening it may be better 
to wait till it is gathered. If the walls are covered 
with branches equidistant, and the shoots close to the 
wall at starting time retained for bearing, little tying of 
the young wood is necessary. At the Royal Gardens, 
Windsor, many years ago, I had pointed out to me the 
fine crops of Morello Cherries-, and was shown how the 
young wood was kept regular over the tree, so that 
when the shoots which had borne fruit were annually 
removed the young ones took their place and remained 
unnailed or fastened, but then they were so short and 
stiff that they appeared like long spurs. The fruit was 
abundant and very dark, but nothing like the size I 
have seen Cherries in some other parts of England 
and some parts of Scotland. Other kinds of Cherries 
I have always found to do best with a proper system 
of spurring and occasionally removing old wood to 
make way for new growth.— M. T. 
Geranium ibericum. —This is probably the largest 
flowered kind among the taller growing species. It 
forms neat symmetrical bushes about 2 ft. high, and 
produces an abundance of flowers of a rich purplish- 
blue, as large as a florin. It is very distinct in this 
respect, and a good summer-flowering perennial. 
SELECT HARDY PERENNIALS. 
(Continued from p. 775.) 
Geum coccixeum plenum is one of the brightest among 
summer-flowering perennials, and in all respects a 
first-class plant. It is a variety of the very old- 
fashioned “ Scarlet Geum,” though a vast improve¬ 
ment upon it. The flowers in this case are of a 
bright dazzling scarlet, double, and borne in great 
profusion for a considerable time. It grows about 
2 ft. high, and forms compact tufts of hairy leaves, 
from which spring numerous, somewhat branching, 
flower-stems. It is impossible to ever-estimate its 
value, and no collection can be complete without 
it; even where hardy plants are not grown extensively, 
this finds a home. No plant is more easily managed, 
and none more cheaply procured; it comes true and 
freely from seed, and wherever seen in flower meets 
with many admirers. I may add that it commences 
flowering in June and continues till quite late in the 
autumn. 
Geum montanum. —From the brilliant scarlet of the 
above we pass to the golden-yellow of the “ Mountain 
Avens,” which, in its way, holds a somewhat unique 
position, for either on'the rockery or in the front row 
of a border this is very effective in early spring. It 
forms compact tufts of leaves close to the ground, 
and produces on stems about a foot high its showy 
golden blossoms. Being very hardy, and suited to 
almost any ordinary garden soil, from stiff clay to 
light sandy loam, is sufficient to prove it of easy 
culture. It may be increased by division of the root- 
stock in early spring, after flowering on in early 
autumn. The seed of both species may be sown as 
soon as ripe, or kept till later on. They usually 
germinate very freely. 
Gillenia (Spir.ea) trieoliata. —Though a desirable 
border plant, this is by no means common. It is a 
very pretty plant, growing 2 ft. 6 ins. high, forming 
an erect bush ; the stems somewhat slender, wiry and 
branching, are terminated by panicles of white flowers. 
It is of rather slow growth, which may in a measure 
account for its comparative rarity, and is best increased 
by division. 
Gnaphalium Leontorodium, “ Edelweiss.' —There 
are few among us who have not heard something of this 
much sought for plant. To discover its whereabouts 
and to return with some specimens rudely torn from 
the rocky earth in which it grows, seems one of 
the attractions for many visitors to its native home, 
and this has been carried on to such an extent as to 
almost threaten its extinction. Few plants probably 
are so popular as this one, for now it may frequently 
be seen in large towns exposed on cards for sale. 
Though of considerable interest, it cannot be regarded 
as beautiful or in any way a useful plant; still it is 
one which effects a ready sale, and has many admirers. 
Strictly speaking, it is a true, hardy perennial, 
though the results I have obtained from it as such 
are not equal to my experience of it when treated as 
a biennial, and when grown as such it makes much 
finer heads of flowers. It is grown and treated by Mr. 
A. Brown, gardener to S. E. Bouverie Pusey, Esq., of 
Pusey House, Faringdon, Berks, in this way, and is 
used as an edging to some few flower beds. It grows 
vigorously here, and produces its woolly heads with 
great freedom. The true flowers are yellow, and 
rather inconspicuous, and are enveloped by a whorl 
of oblong leaves, densely set with short white down. 
It prefers a sandy loam with plenty of grit. Seeds 
sown as soon as ripe will make plants sufficiently 
large to flower next summer. 
Gunnera scabra. —This is a giant of enormous pro¬ 
portions among hardy perennials, and is, when estab¬ 
lished, a noble foliage plant. If the reader will 
imagine a gigantic Rhubarb with leaves about 5 ft. in 
diameter on stout stems thickly set with short thick 
spines, and averaging from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high, he will 
have a good idea of the dimensions of this Gunnera ; 
still it takes years, undisturbed, to attain these dimen¬ 
sions even in the most favoured localities. It is best 
suited for isolated positions on the lawn, and as it 
makes plenty of roots a deep soil is preferable. It is 
said to be partial to damp, though much the finest 
specimen I have seen was some twelve years since in 
the Exotic Nurseries, Tooting, a soil characterized by 
extreme lightness, rather sandy, and resting on a thick 
bed of gravel. Its native home, however, is among 
