136 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 30, 1897. 
||ints for J|mateurs. 
The Flower Garden —Day by day the bardy flower 
garden is putting on a more and more dreary look, 
and before long the herbaceous borders will have 
clothed themselves in the cemetery-like garb which 
characterises them for a great part of the winter, 
when the labels which here and there mark the rest¬ 
ing place of our friends which have, for a season, de¬ 
parted from us, alone tell of latent life, and future 
prosperity. Still, there are a few things that do not 
lightly take their dismissal from the ice king’s hand, 
but brave the elements, unless more than usually 
unkindly until the leaves of the sturdy Oak have 
rustled from the branches and are bestrewing the 
ground beneath us with a carpet, or dancing in 
mournful rhythm to the dreary cadences of the 
autumn wind. Amongst these the later forms of the 
Michaelmas Daisies find an honoured place. 
Up to the time of writing, October has been an 
exceptionally favourable month. We have had one 
or two frosts, it is true, but these have been rather 
unequally distributed, for while in some places the 
tender plants have all been cut down, in others they 
have not been damaged at all. 
Aster diffusus horizontalis —Of all the numerous 
forms of the perennial Asters there is none that is 
more distinct in habit and general appearance than 
this. According to time of blooming it comes into 
the latest section, viz., those commencing to bloom 
in October, and lasting till the severe frosts and bad 
weather, generally of late autumn, put a full stop to 
them. The plant is from 2J ft. to 3 ft. in height, 
and produces a thick branching bush, in which the 
side branches leave the main stems at nearly right 
angles The flowers are small but very freely 
produced, and thus the effect they produce in the 
mass by contrast with the rich green foliage is very 
striking. The outer or ray florets are rather short 
and blush white in colour. The inner or disc florets 
are numerous, and occupy a relatively large portion 
of the flower head. They are rosy-pink in hue, and 
thus the flowers when viewed in the mass appear to 
be wholly of this colour. A. diffusus horizontalis is, 
• taking it all round, a first-rate thing; although the 
sprays do not present quite such a graceful presence 
when cut as many other forms, as they are somewhat 
stiff when taken individually ; still, from its very 
distinctness of habit the plant recommends itself to 
all those who have collections, whether small or 
large of Michaelmas Daisies. 
A. Noyi-Belgii E. G. Lowe. —The Novi-Bslgii 
section is the largest, and probably the most com¬ 
prehensive of any of the sections into which perennial 
Asters are grouped. Some of the forms are early 
flowerers, others come into bloom in mid-season, 
whilst there are still some that fall into the latest 
section. Of the last named E. G. Lowe is one of the 
finest. The height is 4 ft., and the flowers are large, 
and exhibit a delicate light blue shade. 
A. turbinellus. —It is only in the southern coun¬ 
ties that this fine species has a chance commensurate 
with its merits. It comes into bloom late in the 
season, and its beauty is often cut short by frost ere 
it has well developed. This year it seems to have 
made the most of its opportunities, and the kindly 
October, and is in capital condition, The flowers 
are large, and bright violet-blue in colour with a 
suspicion of rose near the tips of the ray florets. The 
height is from 3 ft. to 3$ ft., and the habit is spread¬ 
ing and graceful. The upper part of the stems are 
somewhat sparsely clothed with small and narrow 
leaves, and thus the large flowers really need to be 
placed in proximity to plants of heavier habit and 
thicker growth to display them properly. 
As a pot plant for the conservatory it might be 
turned to capital account. It would help to add a 
spice of variety to the aspect of the house in the 
latter part of October and the beginning of Novem¬ 
ber, when the Chrysanthemums monopolise the 
whole of the attention. 
A. Yersicolor.—From this species have been 
evolved in the course of cultivation several very 
handsome and useful varieties, all of which commence 
to bloom towards the end of September in ordinary 
seasons. A. versicolor nanus is a veritable 
dwarf; being only about 18 in. in height. The 
flowers on first opening are white, but change 
gradually as they get older to rose or rose-purple. 
They are rather moderate in size, but the freedom 
with which they are produced more than compensate 
for this. Oa a good plant the flowers may be seen 
in all colours between the two extremes named 
above, and this is certainly no small part of the 
charm attaching to the species. A. v. Themis is a 
foot taller than A. v. nanus, and the flowers are a little 
larger, but not conspicuously so. A. v. Antigone is 
taller still, since it reaches a height of fully 3J ft. 
The peculiar mutations of colour are common to 
them all; the general habit is the same, and the size 
of the flowers alters comparatively little, although 
we naturally expect to see the largest flowers on the 
most vigorous plants. 
A. Noviae-Angliae ruber.— This is a great favour¬ 
ite amongst the ladies who seldom fail to admire the 
rich crimson-purple flowers. The plant is of robust 
habit and a most vigorous grower, reaching a height 
of well over 5 ft. It is thus a suitable subject for the 
back row in the herbaceous border. The peculiar 
disposition of the flowers in terminal clusters to be 
observed in A. Noviae-Angliae is also conspicuous in 
this variety. When given a fair amount of light, 
and not surrounded too closely by other subjects, the 
stems carry their leaves well to their bases. The 
foliage is a dark green and this, combined with the 
richness of hue exhibited by the flowers, imparts a 
warm and cheering effect to the autumn garden. 
A. Coombe Fishacre. —This is a seedling raised 
from A. diffusus horizontalis by Mr. Archer Hind, 
and is a most valuable acquisition to the later 
flowering section of Michaelmas Daisies. The plants 
run to some 3 ft. in height, and have a very graceful 
symmetrical habit. The flowers are of medium size, 
and exhibit a charming shade of flesh pink. 
All the forms mentioned above have, in addition 
to many others, been very fine with Messrs. Barr & 
Sons, at the Long Ditton Nurseries, 
Flower Beds. —It will be necessary to see about 
the task of clearing the flower beds of their summer 
occupants or rather of their remains, since it is not 
wise to let the autumn advance too far before the 
beds are cleaned up and filled again for the winter 
and spring months. All plants that were of any value 
which it was desired to keep, will have been lifted 
and consigned to safer quarters before the frost cut 
them down. The rest may be dug up at once and 
consigned to the rubbish heap. After this, the beds 
should be dug over. If they are not to be filled 
again until summer, the soil should be left fairly 
rough on the surface, for the frosts of winter to 
pulverise and sweeten. On the other hand, if they 
are to be filled with spring-flowering subjects, such 
as bulbs of various kinds, the soil must be broken up 
smoothly at once, in readiness for planting. In any 
case a dry day should be chosen for the digging. 
EcheYeria secunda glauca—This pretty and 
useful little edging plant is gifted with a strong 
constitution and will stand a good deal of cold if the 
soil is fairly dry at the same time ; hence, they are 
generally left out until the last moment. In mild 
winters the plants do very well if planted under the 
shadow of a wall—or better still, a corner where two 
walls meet—and covered during frosty weather with 
dry straw or bracken. We can never tell, however, 
what the winter is to be; and hence it is advisable 
to be on the safe side and transfer the plants straight 
away to a frame. During the summer they have 
made a considerable number of offsets. These should 
be pulled away from them with a few roots attached, 
and planted separately. The old plants may then 
be discarded, for the offsets will make neat and 
handy sized plants for next year. Make up a bed of 
sandy soil in a frame, and dibble these offsets in close 
together. Do not water them but keep them shielded 
from rain and snow all the winter. All the protection 
required besides the light may be furnished by 
throwing a spare mat over the frame during frosty 
spells.— Rex. 
-«+.- 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
" Amateurs' Page ” on the top of their letters. 
Feeding Goldfish. — Kioto : You will find instruc¬ 
tions how to feed goldfish on p. 109 of the issue of 
The Gardening World for October 16th. 
Asparagus Beds.— A. L. : Go over the beds with 
a sharp knife, and cut off the stems close to the 
ground. Remove and burn them subsequently. The 
beds may be dressed with short half-rotted stable 
manure for the winter, or with a mixture of soot and 
sandy soil. If you lift the roots and force them they 
are of no further use, and may be thrown away after 
the produce has been gathered from them. 
Broccoli.—I have a plantation of Broccoli in my 
garden in which the plants have grown to a great 
size, but a friend tells me that they are too strong, 
and that the frost will kill them. Is this true ? and 
if so what can I do to prevent it.— Means. 
You must tiy to check theoverluxuriant growth in 
some way, for your friend is quite right in saying 
that the winter will be likely to prove fatal to plants 
in such a condition. Some growers advise lifting the 
plants and laying them down in a trench close 
together with their heads to the north. If this is 
too much trouble take a digging fork with loDg tines 
and loosen the plants grip of the ground by inserting 
the fork under them, and raising them up. The 
growth will be checked, and the tissues will become 
hardened and better able to put up with frost. 
Keeping Onions. — A. Munson : Your best plan will 
be to “ rope" the Onions, and hang them up against 
the wall in the shed you mention. The bulbs are 
not easily injured by frost, for they will stand a lot 
of cold if they are in a dry place. Should they be¬ 
come frozen, avoid handling them until they are 
thawed, or they will go rotten very quickly. 
British Botany.— Geo. T. : You have been making 
a mistake, which many have made before you, viz., 
that of grinding away at the textbook, and neglecting 
to examine living specimens. Such a course is sure 
to result in failure. In future, after reading a des¬ 
cription of a wild flower from the book, try and com¬ 
pare notes with a living plant. This, by the way, 
you will not have many opportunities of doiDg for 
the next few months. 
Named Gaillardias — A. 0 . B.: You will find the 
following varieties some of the best:—Magician, 
orange-scarlet, with orange-yellow margin ; Minerva, 
scarlet, edged with yellow ; Somerset, pure yellow,a 
large fine flower handsomely quilled ; and William 
Kelway, bright scarlet, edged with golden-yellow. 
If you are going to fill a bed entirely with Gaillar¬ 
dias we should advise you to invest in a mixed col¬ 
lection, and not attempt to keep them separate, but 
just plant them in mixture. You will find this come 
rather cheaper. 
Chrysanthemums not Flowering.— ’Mum : The 
reasons why your plants did not flower last year may 
be several. We think the late potting had a good 
dfeal to do with it. Then again the plants were un¬ 
doubtedly late and weak. You do not say whether 
they formed buds or not. Very often the buds on 
plants which have badly ripened wood come hard, 
and only a few ragged florets appear instead of a 
good head. From the description you give of your 
plants you have evidently every right to expect 
flowers from them this season. 
Too Early Chrysanthemums. —g.: If youareafraid 
that the flowers will be too early you should shift the 
plants to a cool shed. This will retard them con¬ 
siderably. Flo .vers that are fully expanded will if 
cut with stalks of a fair length, and the leaves are all 
stripped from them last a long while if put in water 
and kept in a cool room. They must have plenty of 
light, however. 
Orchids for Beginners.— E. L. : The articles on 
the best twelve Orchids for beginners appeared in 
the issues of The Gardening World for April 24th, 
May 8th, May 22nd, June 19th, June 26th, July 10th, 
and July 24th of the current year. They were 
written by a practical man who has had a deal of 
experience in this charming class of plants, and you 
will find in them a lot of useful information. 
Lapageria for the Orchid House.— Odonto : The 
Lapagerias will do well in the cool Orchid house, 
and the shade given will not be too much for the 
Orchids if care and judgment is employed. You 
may order the plants at once. 
