584 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 13, 1899. 
||ints for ||mateurs. 
May Month and Bedding.—On the condition of the 
weather during this month and the way in which we 
work in our gardens the prospects of the season’s 
returns are great or small accordingly. If vegetation is 
retarded now.the working of the whole year becomes 
a lasting worry and never gives the same satisfaction 
when done. But we cannot guarantee the state of 
the elements. We can only make the best and most 
advanced preparations, then wait in hope. With all 
out-door growing crops the use of the hoe must be 
regular both for cleanliness and the beneficial 
physical endowments to the soil. Remember that 
half an hour with a hoe on a breezy bright May day 
to oust the weeds before they flower is equal to half 
a dozen half-hours three weeks later, when they 
most likely will have flowered. Provided good 
weather attends us, much of the summer bedding in 
the south will be under way very soon. But to attempt 
bedding, north from London, until May begins to 
wane is a very foolish practice, to say no more, for 
we never know what a night will be as regards 
temperature, and more than this, the soil is not very 
warm yet. We require a twenty-four hours of soft, 
warm rain to carry the surface heat down to the 
lower depths, and then things will be more feasible. 
People say that if we do not finish bedding before the 
end of Maj , owing to the shortness of our summer, 
the job is not then worth starting. Fallacy ! Plants 
put out between 27th May, and the 10th of June, 
grow up like Rhubarb compared with plants which 
may have been out a fortnight sooner but which 
received a bad start. Now of course these state¬ 
ments are mainly for cultivators in the less depend¬ 
able or colder areas. 
For the benefit of our amateur friends who may 
have the wish to shape out a simply formed bed.here 
are a few hints. To form an oval bed take the 
gardener's rough and ready plan,—place a stout 
stake at each point where you want the ends to be ; 
if you want a 3 ft. bed mark off 3 ft. ; if 4 ft. mark 
off 4 ft. by stakes at each end. Then from the 
centre between the stakes, mark outwards at right 
angles, a quarter of what the length is and put in a 
stake. Thus, say for clearness, the length was 4 ft.; 
then from the centre—2 ft. from the ends—make a 
mark 1 ft. out on one side only. And around all three 
stakes string a cord not tight and not slack. Procure 
a .stick and dip it in whitening to use as a marker. 
Take away the stake denoting the breadth, and with 
the whitened stick press out the cord and move it 
towards one of the ends and slide it round, curving 
along the other side to the stake at the opposite end ; 
round, and close against it of course, arching back 
to the central point from where we started, and the 
oval is marked off. If on turf, then cut the edges 
clean, use good soil for the bed and keep the centre 
well raised. For a circle, place a stake where the 
centre shall be, and string a cord tightly out from it 
to half the diameter of the bed. At this distance 
secure a pin or stake to the cord and you are then 
ready to make the circle, by moving round the 
central stake guided by the stent cord. It only 
requires exactness in measuring to form angles, 
squares, oblongs and such like less intricate, but not 
less pleasing forms, of beds. 
As a general rule for all kinds of bedding plants 
the soil should be moderately rich. For ornamental 
foliaged plants the colours are more intense when 
the plants have been grown in a soil so constituted 
as not to be poor nor yet by any means rich. Rich 
soils allow of plenty of leafage, but the bright colours 
are not produced unless there is much sunshine. 
However, let us make sure of foliage at least and 
trust to Providence for the sunshine. And just a 
hint on "effects” and various systems of arrange¬ 
ment. For ourselves we have always advocated the 
“ massing ” style, that is, having the beds filled with 
plants all of a kind or at least very much alike in 
form and colour of flowers. We need not here state 
the reasons for and against this or other systems but 
leave the cultivators to their own decisions. If the 
"mixed’’ system is preferred then by all means do 
your best to produce the most commendable beauty 
you can. Be tasteful in your blending of colours— 
Flower of Spring Pelargonium, with a blue edging ; 
yellow Calceolarias with purple Violas ; or a mass of 
bright blue China Asters edged with a pure white 
variety. Almost any two colours go well together 
except the deeper hues of yellow. White and orange 
or red, contrast well with pale yellow, and dark and 
light shades of yellow also contrast well. 
Before planting, have the soil in a moist but not 
wet condition. As a general rule it is better to plant 
deep, that is, well up to the bottom leaves of the 
plants. Have them well hardened off before placing 
them in the beds and give them a good soaking soon 
after finishing. Repeat the waterings as often as 
there is need for it, and other things permit. Stake, 
or in some way support such plants as may need it. 
Peg down those of procumbent growth, not, however, 
till they have shot forth a bit. 
About the stuff in the beds at the time of writiDg— 
early May. This must soon be removed now. The 
Wallflower is just at or about its best, and so with 
all the bulbs. Narcissi, Tulips and Hyacinths may 
be lifted and ripened for planting again, or they may 
be propagated by planting the young offsets; but we 
say no more about this. New bulbs for the spring 
beds are bought yearly and the old ones may be 
planted in warm rich borders to remain. 
Roses. —Where two flower-buds are appearing 
from one "eye" take one away, else the result 
might mean a pair of decrepit blooms. Before the 
flowers open, which will not be for some time yet, 
give the Roses a good soaking with weak manure 
water. 
Be on the look-out for any appearances which are 
unnatural or which give evidence of attack from some 
pest. There is quite a number of aphides cropping 
up about this period, and Sawflies or other insects 
are busy laying eggs on everything within reach and 
likely to afford food for their very voracious larvae. 
Many fine blooms or rather what would be fine 
blooms are at this time spoilt by the borings of the 
grubs. As an antidote to fungoid or other disease a 
light dressing of Canary Guano or the Acme Guano 
assists the plants to increased vigour and resislability. 
If, however, disease has appeared, remedial applica¬ 
tions must be given. Ewing’s Mildew composition 
is easily used and effective in ridding our Roses of 
this dire evil. 
Alstroemerias.—We have lately heard a great 
deal about the growth and culture of these certainly 
graceful and richly coloured flowering plants. We 
like them by their English name, Peruvian Lilies, 
though to be strict they are not Lilies, but belong to 
the Amaryllidae order. They are peculiar in that they 
like a warm soil. It need not necessarily be light, 
but we do not advise a heavy one for them. Deep 
working of the medium, whatever it be,is a necessity, 
for if there is one thing more than another which 
they succumb to it is the condition of a hard, cola 
and wet bottom or subsoil. Plant them then either 
in autumn—about September—or where the district 
and the soil are wet and cold, reserve them till this 
present period of springtime, and choose the sunniest 
border, for they do best in beds or borders massed. 
A depth of 9 in. or a foot is not too much, for the 
tubers or rhizomes are strong enough to push about, 
though too delicate to be near the surface, excepting 
the older types. When the plants have grown a foot- 
and-a-half high, run a cord round the bed and place 
some narrow Spruce branches throughout the bed as 
a support for those in the centre. After the flowers 
have passed, cut off the seed vessels, for they but 
extract substance from the soil and rob the rhizomes. 
In form the flowers are like the larger varieties of 
Gladiolus that are hardy. Some of them are A. 
aurantiaca, rich orange spotted with carmine; A. 
aurea, golden ; A. braziliensis, red with brown mark¬ 
ings ; and A. peruviana, yellow and purple. 
Miscellaneous.—Sow Sweet Peas, Lupines, 
Mignonette and other hardy annuals. Make notes 
on the best Daffodils, and other named varieties of 
the various kinds of bulbs for next season's ordering. 
Finish planting Coniferae. Keep things clean and 
always on the move.— Beacon. 
-» B— — — 
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. 
Distance from Spur to Spur of Yines.— Reader: 
The distance from spur to spur on a Vine depends 
originally very much upon the vigour of the young 
canes, and the distance from leaf to leaf of the first 
year of the same. A fair distance would be from 
18 in. to 2 ft. from spur to spur along one side of 
the rod. The spurs on the opposite side of the rod 
would, of course, alternate or come about half way 
between the others. All the buds on a Vine will 
develop into spurs if properly treated during the 
second year of their growth. This is induced by 
tying down the rods horizontally while the lateral 
buds are bursting and developing young shoots. If 
the spurs are too close to permit of the foliage being 
properly exposed to light, some of them may be cut 
clean away at the winter pruning. Perhaps we do 
not quite understand what you mean, but we see no 
object in cutting back young Vines till the proper 
season for pruning after the leaves have fallen. If 
they are growing too rapidly give more air to steady 
the growth, and encourage the development of 
shorter internodes, that is, spaces between one leaf 
and another. 
Protecting Strawberry Blossom. — A. Ward: 
The simplest and least expensive method of pro¬ 
tecting Strawberries from late frost is to lay a 
quantity of dry, loose straw along the lines between 
the rows of plants. Should the sky be clear, the 
atmosphere chilly, and presenting every appearance 
of a frosty night, you can run along between the 
lines and throw the straw over the plants, thus 
rendering them quite safe. As the air gets warmer 
in the morning, take the straw off the plants. 
Planting out Onions. — Tom: It depends very 
much upon the condition of the Onions themselves 
and the condition of the weather. If the plants 
have attained some size, and have been thoroughly 
hardened off you may plant them out if the 
weather presents a settled appearance. The 
ground should some time previously have been 
thoroughly dug and well manured, so that it will be 
settled and firm by the time you plant the seedliDg 
Onions upon it. 
Slugs and Zinnias.— Spade : Slugs often prove 
troublesome in the way you state, and the presence 
of soil and manure in the frame makes it difficult to 
destroy the slugs. You can effectually save your 
Zinnias, however, by filling pans or large saucers 
with water, then by placing a half brick or some¬ 
thing similar in the middle of the water you can 
stand a box or seed pan upon the brick. Slugs do 
not like the water, so that when the Zinnias are 
isolated in this way they are saved from further 
molestation. 
Dwarf or French Beans. — Aro: Early sown 
Dwarf Beans, if they escape frost, have the advan¬ 
tage of giving a supply of pods in advance of the 
Scarlet Runners, but there is always the liability of 
their being cut down by frost, particularly in the 
early part of June, but sometimes later. It might 
be worth your while to have long strips of canvas, 
tarpaulin, or even matting to place over the rows of 
Beans at night until towards the end of June. You 
could render them safe in this way. Stick some 
stout pegs into the ground at short intervals along 
the rows, and tie long rods to them to keep the mats, 
&c , off the Beans. 
Hollyhocks from Seed. — T. G. : You can hardly 
expect to flower them this year, so that it is un¬ 
necessary and unadvisable to hurry them in heat. 
Beyond germinating the seeds in a mild heat, say 
that of a greenhouse, we should leave them to the 
natural aid of sun heat. After they have made a 
rough leaf or two you can prick them off into boxes, 
in. apart each way. Before they get crowded 
prepare a piece a ground for their reception, where 
you can plant them about 12 in. apart in the rows, and 
18 in. from row to row. You can then keep the 
ground clean by means of the hoe. 
Treatment of Helichrysums.— A. G. B.: Give 
them treatment very similar to what you give to 
Stocks and Asters, that is, raise them in a gentle 
heat or on a hotbed. Prick off the seedlings in 
boxes before they get crowded in the pots or seed 
pans, for that is often the mistake made in the early 
stages of various annuals. About the beginning of 
next month they may be planted in the open, giving 
the plants at least 9 in. between each in the rows, 
and 12 in. from row to row, and nearly as much if 
planted in clumps. 
