488 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
•April 1, 1899. 
Hints for ^mateurs. 
Apricots and Peaches on Outside Walls.—The 
terribly severe weather that we have experienced of 
late has been a very dangerous experience to Peaches 
and Apricots in flower, and unless these have been 
covered up warmly the blooms have had all the life 
taken out of them. Do not be in too great a hurry 
to take down the coverings in the day-time, for it is 
important that the sun should not be allowed to 
shine directly upon blossoms and rudiments of 
young foliage leaves that have been frozen. It is far 
better under such circumstances to leave the cover¬ 
ings on all day, for it gives the frozen flowers and 
leaves time to thaw gradually, and the injury done 
will then not be so severe. On the other hand, if 
the coverings are rudely pulled off, and the sun 
given full opportunity to shine away upon the trees, 
the leaves and blooms will be sure to be blackened 
and ruined. 
Later Peaches which are only just coming into 
bloom, should be covered up in time. If a suffi¬ 
ciency of mats, tiffany, or frigi-domo cannot be had a 
great deal may be done by sticking in between the 
branches of the trees boughs of evergreens, or 
pieces of heather, which will throw off a lot of frost. 
The Almond.—There is no more handsome 
hardy-flowering shrub in our gardens than the 
Almond, Prunus Amygdalus, or Amygdalus com¬ 
munis, as it used to be called, and March may think 
itself specially honoured in that the tree chooses to 
bloom in its company. Unfortunately, the early- 
flowering proclivities of the Almond, although they 
constitute its chief charm are also its chief danger. 
The present season is a case in point. Daring the 
first two weeks of March, many a villa garden in 
town and city, suburb and county, were rejoicing in 
the lively pink blossoms of our friend, which are ever 
freely produced with great freedom if the tree is 
given anything like an ordinarily suitable position. 
But what flowers can stand 22° of frost, and then 
look as if they liked it ? Certainly not the Almond, 
although it will put up with a few degrees and come 
up smiling after the ordeal. We do not always get a 
March of such severity as that of 1899, however, and 
thus lovers of hardy flowering, deciduous trees, should 
not be discouraged from planting it. To tell the 
truth the Almond is already a great favourite in town 
gardens, and is one of the few hardy flowering trees 
that the town villa gardener knows and that is pro¬ 
bably the reason why so much of it has been planted, 
and not because of the intrinsic beauty of the plant. 
Being naturally of neat and bushy habit, and not a 
fast grower, it is exceptionally suitable for small 
gardens, and plants with a clean stem of 4 ft. or 5 ft., 
and a well balanced head 6 ft. or 7 ft. in diameter 
may often be seen. Trees of this size flower fully as 
freely as larger and older ones, and it is many years 
before they become of unwieldly size. 
Indian Azaleas.—There is a great tendency on the 
part of many amateurs to neglect Indian Azaleas 
after they have thrown all the flowers they are going 
to for the season. This little piece of neglect, bad as 
it is in itself, is doubly unfortunate in that it comes 
at a time when the plants are in the wotst possible 
condition to stand it. The growth which is to bear 
next season’s flowers commences immediately the 
present crop of flowers has disappeared. If next 
year is to be as well served as this year, therefore it 
is imperatively necessary that the plants be induced 
by every means within the power of the gardener to 
make strong, healthy growth. The plants should 
therefore not be turned ungratefully out into the cold, 
but be put into a warm pit and kept regularly 
syringed. Under these favourable conditions the 
youDg growth will be strong and healthy. 
Early Peas.—As long as the present weather lasts 
the early crops of Peas in the open garden must be 
protected, whether they have come from seed sown 
in the open in November, or from plants raised under 
glass and planted out at the beginning of March. In 
the case of dwarf varieties like American Wonder 
and Chelsea Gem, it will be the safest plan to rig up 
a temporary, light wooden frame-work round the 
plantation and cover it up with mats. Tall growing 
varieties should be staked at once, for the stakes in 
themselves, although it may seem rather curious that 
it should be so, shelter the young plants a good deal. 
The protection they give may be supplemented by 
laying a few boughs of evergreens, or a little straw 
along close by the base of the sticks. 
Jsolepis gracilis.—This pretty little grass-like 
plant is one of the most useful and good tempered 
subjects in the greenhouse. It is always green, 
always growing unless the treatment accorded it be 
unusually bad ; indeed there is nothing that will 
stand a greater amount of killing than Isolepis. As 
it is in so much request for filling jardinieres and 
small fancy pots of all sorts, dotted about amongst 
Ferns in under-glass ferneries, and even employed 
for edging beds in the flower garden during the 
summer months, it is advisable to get up a good 
stock of it in readiness for possible needs. This 
can easily be done by dividing up the old clumps. 
A strong plant may be divided up into four pieces, 
each of which will in a few months make a plant 
nearly as big as the one from which it was taken. 
With smaller specimens we must be contented to 
make two divisions. 
The process of dividing although not a difficult is 
apt to be a tedious one, for the roots form a matted 
mass that cannot always be separated easily. This 
is more particularly the case when the soil is wet. 
The pressure with the hands that is needed to make 
the division under such circumstances is sure to 
leave the soil attached to each division compressed 
into a hard ball. If the divisions be potted up in 
this condition it only needs for this ball to be once 
allowed to get dry, and the plant is sure to perish, 
unless it is knocked out and repotted, for it is 
impossible to get water through the wall of brick¬ 
like hardness. A blunt, thin-bladed knife should 
therefore be called into requisition. The soil may 
consist of equal parts of loam and leaf soil with 
plenty of sand. After potting place the divisions in 
a gentle heat, and give them a sprinkling with the 
syringe twice or thrice a day. 
CliYias.—At one time Clivias or Imantophyllums, 
to use an alternative name that used to be very 
common, were always grown in heat. The plants 
grew freely enough under the high temperature, but 
it has since been proved that they will do equally 
well in cooler houses; indeed in any selection of 
say, six greenhouse flowering plants Clivias would 
be sure to find a place. The flower spikes are now 
making their appearance, and manurial stimulant 
will be grateful to those plants that appear to be pot- 
bound. If the present cold weather continues a 
sharp look-out should be kept for drip. A little pool 
of water collected in the heart of the plant will, 
with a low temperature, be almost sure to cause that 
plant to damp off. If the house is so constructed 
that drip is not to be feared, condensation of 
moisture always takes place during periods when 
low temperatures prevail. The plants should there¬ 
fore be looked over each day and any water that 
may have collected tipped out. 
Caladium Argyrites.—Those who have a warm 
house or pit at command should not lose sight of 
this little gem of a Caladium. It is totally distinct 
in habit and appearance from any other of the 
broad, huge-leaved varieties that so much excite the 
envy and admiration of both amateur and profes¬ 
sional gardener at the various shows held in the 
more important centres. To grow these large 
Caladiums properly needs a lot of heat, plenty of 
house room, and other conveniences that only fall to 
the lot of the favoured few. The wee Argyrites, 
although it revels in heat fully as much as its more 
gorgeous sisters and brothers, is contented with less 
fuss, and may be easily managed by any amateur 
who takes ordinary care. A mixture of loam and 
leaf soil with plenty of sand and a few small lumps 
of charcoal suits it admirably, and charming little 
plants may be grown in thumb pots. The silver and 
green leaves are freely produced, and maintain their 
variegation well, even under adverse circumstances. 
On several occasions we have seen this little gem 
used for table decoration, and in each case it has 
been much admired by all who saw it. The pots 
may easily be covered with green tissue paper, or 
better still, enclosed in ornamental bowls or pots. 
This the diminutive pots in which they are growing 
render it easy to do.— Rex. 
Experiments in Tea Planting are being conducted 
in one of the Jewish colonies in Palestine known as 
the Door of Hope. This colony is situate near the 
source of the historic Jordan, and plenty of water is 
forthcoming. 
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 of their letters. 
Christmas and Lenten Roses.— Q .: Christmas 
Roses are Helleborus niger and its varieties, whilst 
the Lenten Roses are Helleborus orientalis and H. 
viridis and their numerous varieties. The Christmas 
Roses bloom in December and January, and occasion¬ 
ally well into February, when the Lenten Roses, 
which are in flower now, take up the tale. The 
names “ Christmas ” and 11 Lenten ” thus refer to the 
respective blooming periods of the plants. Why they 
were ever called Roses is a bit of a mystery. 
Early Mint.— M. N.: You will never get early 
Spear Mint (Mentha viridis) on a north or east 
border. For early picking you should have a few 
clumps planted on a south, south-west, or west 
border, although you need cot have the whole of the 
stock there. Why not lift two or three clumps, put 
them in boxes and place them in the greenhouse ? 
You would then get a little to go on with. 
Plant for Back Wall of Yinery.— Ego: Taking 
all things into consideration you cannot do better 
than plant the handsome Asparagus plumosus on 
the back wall of your vinery. A border 15 in. in 
depth (including 3 in. of drainage) and 1 ft. in width 
would be ample root run. This fine Asparagus does 
well in such a position, and the fronds come in very 
handily for cutting, whilst from a decorative point of 
view, the effect produced upon the wall is very pretty 
and striking. 
Hyacinths in Soil and in Glasses.—I have tried 
the single red Hyacinth Norma in soil in pots in the 
ordinary way, and also some bulbs in water glasses. 
The bulbs that were set aside for the water were 
fully as good as those potted in soil, and I gave 
every attention to each section. I find that the 
bulbs that have been grown in soil in the more 
natural way have not only thrown larger spikes 
but the flowers are better, larger, and brighter in 
colour, and yet the size of the bulbs would not alone 
warrant this. I am induced therefore to come to the 
conclusion that water culture is not so likely to bring 
out fine flowers as culture in pots, and I shall not 
attempt to grow Hyacinths in glasses any more.— 
Norma. 
There is no doubt but that Norma's experiences 
are fairly characteristic of general experiences, for 
after all water culture for Hyacinths is more or less 
of a make-shift. Finer flowers can be produced from 
the soil, but then glasses are supposed to be more 
elegant than the “ugly, dirty, glaring, red pots” 
which are so much abused. Personally, we don’t 
mind seeing a flower pot if it is clean, but there are 
many people who do, and so we continue to grow 
Hyacinths in glasses, and they will probably be so 
grown until the “ crack of doom.” 
Three Good Stove Ferns.—Please tell me the 
three best stove Ferns for exhibition purposes. I 
have Adiantum cuneatum grandiceps; would that 
do for one ?— S. C. N. 
Yes, this is one of the finest Maidenhair Ferns in 
cultivation. Two other good ones are Davallia 
mooreana, and Nephrolepis davallioides furcans. 
Richardias in a Wreath.— K .: Medium-sized 
flowers would look very well in a. wreath. You may 
either have them standing upright, or laid down, but 
they display themselves to the best advantage when 
in the upright position. Three flowers, or at the 
most four, would be enough with the other material 
that you use. 
Tree Carnations.— W. B.: Stop the young plants 
when they are about 5 in. long. All you want to do 
is to pinch the points out, and then side shoots will 
be sent out lower down. 
Fig Trees .—Samos : The young growths should be 
stopped at the fifth or sixth leaf, and not allowed to 
run on unchecked. Unless you do this stopping you 
will probably be ” left lamenting” for your second 
crop of Figs. 
