THE GARDENING WORLD 
601 
May 21, 1898. 
Cineraria Seed not Germinating — Ohio : There 
may be several reasons why your Cineraria seed has 
not produced plants. The first is that the seed is 
bad, but, on the other hand, if you procure it from a 
trustworthy source this reason need not be enter¬ 
tained. Then again, you may have sowed too deeply 
or watered too heavily ; indeed, it seems probable 
that a combination of these two is the reason for 
the failure, having caused the seed to rot. Do not 
throw the seed-pan away yet, however, for you may 
get a few plants out of it yet. 
Isolepis gracilis. — E. Searle: You may readily mul¬ 
tiply this pretty edging plant by splitting it up into 
pieces. From your large plants in 5-in. pots you should 
easily get four good pieces, each of which will be 
quite large enough. Pot the divisions up into 3-in. 
pots, using rather light soil and draining the pots 
fairly well. If you have a warm house or pit, place 
the divisions in it for a week or two to give them a 
start ; after that, they will be ready for the con¬ 
servatory. 
Lifting Tulips —C. T. : When the stalk of the 
Tulips can be bent without breaking, the plants may 
safely be lifted. They should then be laid in ashes 
to finish ripening. 
Plants for hanging Pots .—Enquirer : There is 
quite a number of plants that you can have in small 
suspended pots in your greenhouse besides Ferns. 
Amongst variegated subjects there is nothing finer 
than Sibthorpia europaea variegata, and Nepeta 
Glechoma variegata, to which attention has lately 
been drawn in the Amateurs ’ page. The dwarf blue 
Lobelias are also very bright and showy, whilst the 
common yellow-musk Mimulus moschatus, and its 
large-flowered and exceedingly handsome variety, M. 
m. Harrisonii are both good. The chaste little Cam¬ 
panulas, C. isophylla, and C. i. alba have been so often 
alluded that it is almost unnecessary to mention 
them again. Thunbergia alata and its varieties will 
also flower in your house if you raise them and grow 
them on to a good size in a gentle heat before con¬ 
signing them to the cooler quarters. A rather un 
common plant, but one which makes a pretty subject 
for hanging pots is Fuchsia procumbens, and you 
ought to get it, as it is easy to grow, and may be 
propagated to any extent by cuttings. 
Tomatos, Melons, and Cucumbers—You evi¬ 
dently intend to have a mixture, U. We have 
frequently seen Melons and Cucumbers grown in the 
same house, but never the three together. However, 
you can but try. The Tomatos and Melons will need 
all the sun you can give them, and the Cucumbers 
like the shade, so as your house is a lean-to, plant 
the two first-named in the front bed, and the 
Cucumbers in the bed behind. We shall be glad 
to hear how the experiment succeeds. 
GREENWICH PARK. 
In connection with Greenwich Park, an interesting 
event takes place on Saturday the 21st inst., when 
the ceremony takes place of opening the grounds 
belonging to the Ranger s Lodge for the use and 
enjoyment of the public. On two previous occasions 
we announced that the said grounds were to be 
opened ; and in the interim extensive preparations 
have been made to put them in order for public 
enjoyment, the date of opening being selected in 
honour of the Queen’s birthday. 
In 1753, Philip, Earl of Chesterfield purchased the 
house now known as the Ranger's Lodge on the 
south side of Greenwich Park. Besides, the Earl of 
Chesterfield, other notable personages have lived in 
the house, including the Duke of Montagu, the 
Duchess of Brunswick, sister of George III., Prin¬ 
cess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester in 1816, Lord 
Haddo, afterwards Earl of Aberdeen, and Lord 
Wolseley, who was the last to live in it. Prince 
Arthur, afterwards and now Duke of Connaught, 
stayed at the Ranger’s Lodge from 1862 to 1873 
while pursuing his studies at Woolwich. The house 
and kitchen garden are to be let or sold, while the 
pleasure grounds, extending to some 13 acres of 
crown property, are now added to Greenwich Park, 
which, like Kew, is a royal park, under the charge 
or care of the Chief Commissioner of Works. 
Some little time ago Mr. A. D. Webster, a great 
authority on all that pertains to woods, forestry, and 
ornamental plantations, was made superintendent of 
the park, and ever since has been closely engaged in 
effecting improvements in every corner of it with 
the object of bringing it in line with the modern re¬ 
quirements of this thickly populated and fashionable, 
south-eastern suburb of London. Mr. Webster has 
made no attempt at remodelling the grounds, but 
has been and is renovating them upon the old lines 
so as to maintaia the quaint, antique English style 
as much as possible. 
As the Ranger’s Grounds are the object of the present 
ceremony, we may here pass them in review, enter¬ 
ing the same by the superintendent's lodge on the 
south side of the park. A great mound of soil here 
has been converted into an American garden. After 
clearing away the old tangle of rubbish, much peat 
was added to the natural soil, which was then 
planted with Andromeda floribunda, Azalea mollis, 
Kalmias, Heaths, Menziesias, in variety, Rhododen¬ 
dron praecox, R. p. Early Gera, choice hybrids of R, 
ponticum and many other subjects of that class. 
Even here some fine old trees exist, including the 
Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and the Tree 
of Heaven (Ailantus glandulosa) each about 65 ft. 
high, also a fine specimen of the rare Pavia flava. 
By the path side is a unique specimen of the com¬ 
mon Thorn, measuring 52 ft. in height, and girthing 
7 ft. at ground level. 
A little further on is The Dell (see accompanying 
illustration), a deep hollow, which has been partly 
cleared of old shrubbery and replanted with American 
shrubs. Some old specimens of the Pontic Azalea 
(Rhododendron flavum), several fully 12 ft. high, are 
now in full bloom. The Snowy Medlar (Amelan- 
chier .canadense) has justgone out of bloom. Fine 
old deciduous Oaks, Elms, and other deciduous trees 
occupy the high grounds. 
A little further on the visitor comes upon a redoubt 
(see illustration) constructed or thrown up in 1863 
by H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught while residing at 
the Ringer’s Lodge,and then known as Prince Arthur. 
Near the latter building is a neatly constructed and 
curious bath supposed to be between 200 and 300 
years old. It was covered by a house which fell to 
ruins over the site, and when the debris was cleared 
away the bath was discovered underneath. On 
entering the old kitchen garden, which has been 
allowed to relapse into a wild state for many years 
past, we found it to be quite in the old English style, 
oblong in outline and surrounded with high brick 
walls. The vines in an old vinery still continue to 
flourish, but they have been tended by a caretaker. 
In the garden Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), 
The Dell, Ranger’s Grounds. 
Redout made by H.R.H the Duke of Connaught. 
