440 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 12,1898. 
||INTS FOR ^MATEURS. 
THE HARDY FLOWER GARDEN. 
Yaleriana Phu aurea.—At this season of the year 
there is no more conspicuous object in the herba¬ 
ceous border than this Valerian with the barbaric 
name. Just now, the young shoots present a bright 
golden yellow hue, which, with their gracefully cut 
(pinnately lobed) leaves, renders them exceedingly 
handsome and effective. The cultivation of this 
plant only presents one special difficulty. For 
some reason or other it offers a great and somewhat 
curious attraction to cats, which will find it out from 
a considerable distance, flock to it and roll over and 
over the plants, tearing, meanwhile, the young leaves 
and shoots with their teeth and claws. Any enter¬ 
prising amateur who would like his garden to 
become a rendezvous for all the cats in the neigh¬ 
bourhood should not lose the chance, for a plant of 
this Valerian in the garden will inevitably produce 
this result; and then what a treat it is to listen to 
the caterwaulings and voiced joys and sorrows of the 
various members of the feline assembly ; surely 
madness would lie that way. We would therefore 
advise all amateurs who desire rest and quietness, 
as well as the safety of the rest of their plants to 
shun the Valeriana Phu aurea, despite its high 
sounding name and its handsome appearance. True, 
the plant might be protected with wire, but it will 
act as a bait to the cats all the time, and then woe 
betide the remainder of the occupants of the her¬ 
baceous border. 
Eranthis cilicica.—Almost everyone who knows 
anything or who cares anything about hardy flowers 
knows and loves the little Winter Aconite, which is 
one of the very earliest subjects to brave the in¬ 
clemency of the opening year, and lights our gardens 
with sheets as of burnished gold, but Eranthis 
cilicica, an introduction from Cilicia, as the specific 
name denotes, is unknown to the majority. When 
it becomes known it cannot fail to become a great 
favourite, fully as great indeed as E. hyemalis. To 
describe E. cilicica briefly, it is an enlarged and a 
glorified form of E. hyemalis, being taller and more 
vigorous altogether. The flowers are larger and, if 
anything, have rather more orange in the yellow. 
The involucre of the leaves under the flowers is 
larger, and the individual leaves are as deeply 
divided as in E. hyemalis. Another great difference 
between the two species is that E. cilicica is fully 
from four to six weeks later in blooming than E. 
hyemalis, and thus forms a succession to it. In the 
face of the fact that apart from the yellow Crocuses, 
we have very little yellow amongst early flowers, 
advantage should be taken of this second species of 
Eranthis. There appears to be nothing special 
about its cultivation, for where one grows there also 
will the other. E. cilicica should also prove use¬ 
ful for growing in pots for the cool conservatory. 
Anyway, amateurs who are on the lookout for hand¬ 
some and easily managed hardy plants should by no 
means lose sight of Eranthis cilicica. 
Early Fritillaries—The plants composing the 
genus Fritillaria cover with their respective flowering 
seasons a considerable part of the year, and more¬ 
over, the earliest commence to bloom before the year 
is very old. There is also a good deal of variety 
amongst the different forms, and thus a good sized 
collection must be grown in order to be fairly repre¬ 
sentative. Both for planting in the open ground or 
for culture in pots for flowering in the conservatory, 
the Fritillaries are alike good, and their quaint and 
curiously chequered bell-shaped flowers always com¬ 
mand attention and admiration. 
Of the early flowering forms, the one most worthy 
of attention is undoubtedly F. oranensis, a native of 
Algeria. We saw this species in flower fully a month 
ago, although the plants were growing in a sheltered 
place. During the last week we have observed it in 
good condition in several places; indeed, these later 
flowers were characterised, as might be reasonably 
expected, by much brighter colours. At its best, F. 
oranensis has a most distinctive presence. The 
flowers are rather longer than broad, being a little 
over an inch in length. They are produced singly 
on the flower stems. The colours are deep purple- 
maroon and dark green, the latter colour being 
apparent in a broad central stripe running from base 
to apex of each segment. The purple-maroon 
appears as a broad margin to this green central 
stripe, and the effect of the two colours is sufficiently 
striking. The leaves are about four inches in length, 
lanceolate in shape, and very glaucous and succulent. 
The whole plant is from 8 in. to i ft. in height 
according to the particular soil in which it is grown, 
and the special character of the season. 
F. pluriflora is a second species, rather rare in 
cultivation, that is deserving of the amateur's atten¬ 
tion. It is a native of California, and is unique with 
regard to the colour of its flowers, which exhibit a 
pretty shade of rosy-lilac, passing off as the flower 
ages into rosy-purple. In habit and style of growth, 
the plant resembles F. oranensis, but the leaves are 
scarcely so glaucous, and there is the notable differ¬ 
ence that from two to four (usually three) flowers 
are produced on a scape, instead of the flowers being 
solitary. The flowers, too, in addition to the differ¬ 
ence of colour are rather narrower in proportion to 
their length, and their individual segments are 
narrower, and not of so much substance. F. pluri¬ 
flora is altogether a most charming plant, with only 
one disadvantage, for like other rare and pretty 
things the price is rather high. 
Talipa Yiolacea—The gaudy florists' Tulips have 
their admirers by the thousand, and some of the 
more showy species are also able to bask in the sun 
of popular favour, but there are many Tulip species 
that are but little known to most, and entirely un¬ 
known to many. Among these we may place Tulipa 
violarea. Amateur gardeners who delight in having 
a corner of their rock-garden devoted to the rarer, 
and, as some would call it, the more refined floral 
gems, have in Tulipa violacea just the kind of plant 
that will suit them. A special interest attaches to it 
from the fact that it is the earliest to flower of all the 
Tulips. The plant is very dwarf in habit, never ex¬ 
ceeding 6 in. or 7 in. in height, although it is fre¬ 
quently a good deal under that. The flowers, as may 
be expected, are small, but they make up for that by 
their delicate fragrance. The colour is a rich red- 
purple. The plant is a native of Persia, and as yet 
a comparative stranger to many gardeners. 
Narcissus pallidus-praecox.—It is not always 
necessary to pay a high price for a good thing , 
indeed, in far too many cases, a plant is prized 
because it is priced too high for many people to be 
able to obtain it. In Narcissus pallidus-praecox we 
have a very handsome Daffodil which can be obtained 
at a very reasonable figure. The pale yellow blooms 
are at the present time much in evidence in all parts 
of the garden, no matter whether the situation is 
exposed or sheltered. The recent inclement weather 
has tried the blooms considerably, but they have stood 
the test remarkably well, and indeed look little the 
worse for the experience, although their lives will 
be undoubtedly shortened thereby. N. pallidus- 
praecox is the earliest of the large trumpet Daffodils? 
and as such is worthy of every attention. 
N. minimus.—This miniature trumpet Daffodil is 
really one of the most useful of all the Daffodils, for 
what it lacks in size it makes up in refinement. 
Coupled with the latter is a happy, adaptable 
disposition that enables it to be grown with equal 
success in the open ground, in nooks, in the rockery, 
or Alpine gardens, or in pots or pans in the green¬ 
house and conservatory. The abnormally early 
character of 1898, as far as we have gone, has re¬ 
sulted in proportionate precocity on the part of this 
plant, for it has been in bloom in the open for weeks 
past, and is, at the time of writing, a veritable blaze 
of gold. Everybody should know it, and then every¬ 
body would grow it in some fashion or other.— Rex. 
On Striking Chrysanthemums —I observed in 
the Amateurs’ Page a few days ago, a complaint 
from a correspondent who was unsuccessful in his 
attempt to strike cuttings of the Queen of Autumn 
Flowers. Having had very successful results this 
year I record my practice, hoping it may be of 
interest. 
I procure a box or boxes, according to the number 
of cuttings I wish to root, deep enough to hold a 
60-size pot, say, when filled with cuttings and a 3 in. 
label inserted. Having filled my pots with suitable 
compost and inserted my cuttings, correctly labelled, 
&c., I give them a good watering, put them in the 
box and place on the box a sheet of glass, not 
necessarily immediately after watering. The foliage 
may dry a little, but the glass should fit closely so 
as to exclude external air, and if it is removed once a 
day, and the moisture wiped off and replaced, 
success is almost sure to follow. 
It is advisable to look over the cuttings and search 
for any sign of damping, which is indicated by one 
or two of the leaves having a brown and mouldy 
appearance. All leaves so affected should be care¬ 
fully removed, and in about three weeks roots will be 
formed. In from four to five weeks the plants may 
be removed to airy quarters, being then able to sup¬ 
port themselves. I had almost forgotten to say that 
I place the box on the bench near the light in a cool 
vinery, from which frost is only just excluded. I 
have potted most of my cuttings within a month of 
inserting the cuttings. By this, I mean I have 
shaken them out of the cutting-pots and potted them 
singly in 60-sized pots, and, at the time of writing, 
February 24th,these cuttings are sturdy plants in cold 
frames, which will, with the return of genial weather 
(like Oliver Twist), be asking for more—not porridge, 
but pot room.— P. 
Correspondence. 
Questions ashed by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
Anyone 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 oj their letters. 
Old Nepenthes.—I have two old plants of Nepenthes 
in a warm house that have become very tall and un¬ 
gainly. They are growing in baskets suspended from 
the roof. I should like to reduce them to more 
respectable proportions, and assume that the best 
method of doing so will be to cut them back. 
J. Askew. 
Yes ! your best plan will be to cut the old plants 
back, say, to within 6 in. of the base of the stem. 
The present is a very favourable time for doing this 
and we should advise you not to delay, for you will 
thus give the plants the chance of a long growing 
season wherein to build themselves up. The)growtbs 
that you cut away from the old plants will serve as 
cuttings if you cut them up into pieces a few inches 
in length with two or three leaves to each piece. 
These cuttings will root pretty readily if inserted in 
sphagnum moss and sand with a few pieces of fibrous 
peat and a little charcoal mixed, and placed in a high 
temperature with plenty of moisture. Do not 
attempt to repot or re-basket the old plants until they 
commence to make some growth. You may then 
shift them, employing a compost of good fibrous 
peat, sphagnum, sand, and charcoal. 
Propagating Double Begonias.— Robert N. : You 
may start the old tubers into growth as soon as you 
like by placing them in shallowjboxes, covering them 
with sandy soil, and transferring them to a warm 
house. As the shoots make their appearance they 
may be taken off and inserted as cuttings. A tem¬ 
perature of about 65° Fahr. in a propagating frame 
will insure these cuttings rooting quickly. Do not 
deprive the old tubers of every shoot unless you do 
not desire to keep them any longer. The removal 
of the young shoots is, of course, very weakening, 
arid if carried to the extreme must necessarily resdklt. 
in the death of the parent plants. 
Gardening Guide.— N. N.: You will find all the 
information you will need, and a lot more beside in 
Sutton’s *' Culture of Vegetables and Flowers from 
Seed,” price 5s., direct from the Reading firm, or 
from the publishers, Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall, 
Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., Paternoster Row, 
London, E.C. A new edition (the seventh) has just 
been published. 
Selaginella to Name.—£ ; The Selaginella is S. 
apus, commonly met with in gardens as S. apoda, 
and S. densa. It likes a warm greenhouse tempera¬ 
ture, but will do fairly well in a cool house. 
Cocoa-nut Fibre Refuse—Would it be advisable 
to mix a little cocoanut fibre refuse with the soil used 
for potting Ferns.— 5 . Acton. 
The fibre would answer very well in the case of 
small Ferns or other plants that have not to stay 
long in the same pots, but for larger plants we would 
nOt recommend it by any means. The fibre soon 
gets sour, and the soil is soured too, as a natural 
result, when the poor plants have a very uncomfort¬ 
able time of it. 
