June 25, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
681 
Cucumbers.— L. James : From the description you 
give of your Cucumbers they have evidently got a 
bad dose of red spider. The best thing to do would, 
therefore, be to root them out, cleanse the frame, put 
in new soil, and plant afresh. If you do not wish to 
sacrifice the plants you can only pinch off the leaves 
that are badly affected with the pest, and keep the 
syringe vigorously at work for about ten minutes 
morning and afternoon. In this way you may suc¬ 
ceed in getting rid of the spider, for it cannot stand 
regular and forcible applications of clear water. 
You see in a frame it is impossible to apply any in¬ 
secticides with advantage to the plants. 
--- 
THE BAMBOO GARDEN AT KEW. 
For many years past Bamboos, taking the term in 
its widest sense, have been grown in the Royal Gar¬ 
dens, Kew, but the most of them were grown under 
glass till 1892, when a Bamboo garden was laid out 
for the reception of such species as prove hardy in 
the latitude of London. Previous to that year 
Bamboos were chiefly represented in the open air 
collections by Arundinaria japonica, Bambusa For- 
Arundinaria gigantea in the open air here, for it 
requires a stove temperature, and at Kew and Syon 
House throws up main stems 50 ft. to 60 ft. high in 
the course of four months. The Bamboo garden, 
having been planted in 1892, is now well established. 
It passed through the severe winter of 1894-95, and, 
therefore, furnishes evidence of the relative hardiness 
of the species collected within its confines. There 
are over forty species and varieties in the collection 
at the present time, which will be passed in review 
separately in these pages. Several others have been 
tried and found too tender to give satisfaction in the 
open ; they have practically taken French leave, so 
that there is no necessity for discarding them. 
Arundinaria Laydekeri flowered in 1895, here and in 
other parts of the country, after which it died, and 
so proved useless for general culture. A. falcata, A. 
spathiflora and A hookeriana have also been tried, 
but were too tender, and may only now be seen in 
the Temperate House. To these may be added 
Phyllostachys heterocycla, so that no further 
mention of them need be made here. 
The Bamboo garden is situated near the banks of 
the Thames and towards the western end of the 
Rhododendron Dell, from which it is entered by a 
walk. It is roughly triangular, this being the form of 
dined to clay, but being retentive of moisture serves 
to supply the plants with the quantity necessary to 
support their vigorous growth, particularly when 
throwing up the main stems as suckers from the 
root. These stems are covered with sheaths, at 
least in their early stages, but the leaf surface they 
support is reduced to a minimum. The material for 
these main stems must be stored in the roots and 
stems of previous years, but an abundance of 
moisture is necessary to make rapid growth possible. 
The beauty of the plants depends chiefly upon the 
branches, twigs and foliage developed the second and 
succeeding years upon the upright young stems. The 
latter do, indeed, supplement the general effect of 
the plants, but particularly in the case of the species 
of Phyllostachys, whose stems and twigs become 
naked and polished when fully developed. 
Some start into growth early, and have stems 
nearly of their full length by the beginning of June ; 
while others are later and just commencing to 
development their young stems. While some are in 
full leaf, others are only commencing to move, being 
still furnished with last year’s foliage, which, with 
rare exceptions, passed through the winter safely. 
Indeed, the garden has never appeared in better con¬ 
dition after having passed through the winter than it 
tunei and Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens. The 
hardy species of Bamboo range themselves under 
those three genera, but the tribe Bambusae includes 
some twenty-two genera, most of the species of 
which, being natives of tropical countries, cannot be 
grown in Britain except in heated glasshouses. 
In the more favoured and warmer districts of this 
country several amateurs began to ascertain their 
hardiness and their great beauty for garden decora¬ 
tion, and in the course of a few years became 
enthusiastic cultivators. In 1S90 we inspected a fine 
collection in Guernsey, but had no idea even then 
that the bulk of them would have proved so hardy in 
the southern parts of this country. A. B. Mitford, 
Esq., Batsford Park, Moreton in-the-Marsh, 
Gloucestershire, has since proved the pioneer in 
popularising Bamboos for outdoor culture in this 
country, and has written a book on the subject. 
The idea of establishing a Bamboo garden at Kew 
was a happy conception on the part of the authorities 
there, as it gives the public an idea of the sub¬ 
tropical appearance and decorative effect of these 
shrubby grasses at the command of the owners of a 
garden. It also shows what species may be relied 
upon to withstand the inclemency of our climate. 
We can never hope to see arboreal species like 
View in the Bamboo Garden at Kew. 
the large central bed or area, which is outlined by as 
many walks, from which others pass off in different 
directions into the surrounding woods. The Bamboos 
occupy the central area, as well as the borders and 
banks surrounding the whole. Shelter is afforded by 
tall, mostly deciduous, trees, of which Oaks, Beeches, 
Sycamore, and Spanish Chestnuts are the principal. 
On the high banks are masses of single rambling 
Roses, Smilax, Philadelphus, and other shrubs, 
forming a background. Various interesting flower¬ 
ing plants have been planted at intervals, including 
Lilium giganteum, Kniphofiias (Red Hot Poker), 
Eremurus robustus and E. elwesianus, the showy 
spikes of the two latter often inducing the public to 
trespass over the ground in order to make a closer 
inspection of their magnificent racemes of flowers. 
Several strong growing grasses are also associated 
with the Bamboos proper, including Miscanthus 
lEulalia) japonicus, M. j. zebrinus, M. sinensis, 
Pampas Grass (Gynerium), and the South European 
Reed, Arundo Donax. The latter, although shrubby, 
is not a Bamboo, and generally dies down to the 
root in winter. It throws up strong stems during 
summer, and is, therefore, a fit associate for the 
Bamboos of warmer countries. 
The soil consists of a heavy substantial loam, in- 
did this spring, the foliage of many species being 
almost perfect, and glittering in the morning sun¬ 
shine. Some being in full growth carry the leaves of 
two or more seasons. During July, August and 
September the Bamboo garden will be in its finest 
condition; but even now is particularly interesting 
and draws a great many visitors. 
The accompanying illlustration will afford a 
glimpse of this retreat, and give a general idea of 
the whole, together with the surroundings, but the 
individual plants must be seen for the full apprecia¬ 
tion ot their individual beauty. Nothing which exists 
amongst the ordinary collections of trees and shrubs 
are at all comparable to these woody grasses, which 
have a distinct and characteristic beauty of their 
own. The photograph was taken at the angle where 
the path enters from the Rhododendron Dell, and 
gives a view along one side of the central area. On 
the left is a mass of Bambusa pygmaea, one of the 
best of the very dwarf ones owing to its hardiness 
and vigour of growth. Beyond it is a Gorse bush, 
appearing dark in the picture, and behind it are the 
tall and very upright stems of Arundinaria Hindsii. 
At the corner on the right is a dense mass of the neat 
habited Phyllostachys ruscifolia, which has been 
compared to the Butcher’s Broom. Further on are 
