June 24, 1899. 
679 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
RYECROFT NURSERY. 
We lately had a run through Mr. H. J. Jones’ estab¬ 
lishment down at Ryecroft Nursery, Hither Green, 
Lewisham, and found him as usual up to the eyes in 
work. He has a hard time of it scheming to find 
house room for all his varied stock ; but if his stock 
is large his ranges of houses are also great. Thousands 
of Chrysanthemums were growing apace after the 
first pinch, the bulk of them being out-doors, unpro¬ 
tected, and in 5-in. pots. The next shift is the last 
one for a large proportion of the plants. Of course 
hundreds more are grown into bushes and necessitate 
greater root-space. The idea of growth at Ryecroft 
is that of keeping the plant stocky, firm and yet aye 
pushing ahead. At this period, however, it is the 
tuberous Begonias chiefly, the Gloxinias and fancy 
Pelargoniums whose brightness and variety of bloom 
bring visitors to the nursery. From the show made by 
the Begonias at the recent great Temple Show no 
more need be added. Gloxinias are equal to the 
Begonias and the Pelargoniums are pictures of good 
cultivation. It is rather a pity that they were not 
advanced enough to go up to the Temple Gardens in 
company with the Begonias; but we may see them 
at a later show. 
We were delighted also with the new strain of Pelar¬ 
goniums raised by Mr. Jones, and resulting from the 
cross of Ivy-leaved and zonal species. The habit 
and succulency, as well as the general figure of the 
blooms, takes more after the Ivy-leaved species than 
the other. These are sure to become popular. 
Houses are also filled with decorative table-plants, 
Cocos weddeliana, Kentias, Maidenhair Ferns, 
notably the pink Adiantum scutum ; and two very 
long span-roofed houses were filled with Mr. Jones’ 
Tomato "The Cropper,’’ whose style of growth and 
habit of setting low down and close between the 
bunches warrant its adoption by growers. It goes 
without saying, too, that there were thousands of 
Dahlias and the more popular of florists' flowers in 
the frames and pits or elsewhere, and all hardy and 
just like the stuff to yield a big crop of flowers. 
Everything was very creditable. 
- 
SPANISH IRISES FROM STOVER 
PARK- 
A box containing Spanish Irises and other flowers 
has reached us from Mr. A. McDonald, gardener to 
Harold St. Maur, Esq., Stover Park, Newton Abbot, 
Devon. A noticeable feature of these Irises was 
their remarkable vigour, as indicated by the size of 
the flowers and the stoutness of their stems, not¬ 
withstanding the hot and dry weather which has 
been prevailing there for some time past. The 
yellows were very fine and varied considerably in the 
depth of the hue. Equally choice and even more 
variable were the white varieties, some of which 
were variously tinted with pale yellow besides having 
the customary orange blotch which the florists seem 
unable to wash out in the raising of new varieties. 
Even those that were otherwise pure white, retained 
the conspicuous orange blotch. They were in no 
way inferior in vigour to the yellows. Some of the 
blue varieties were bright and cheerful, while others 
had the falls variously tinted with subtle shades of 
copper, bronze or olive for which the Juno or Spanish 
Irises are notable. One of these peculiar varieties 
was particularly interesting by reason of the contrast 
it made with the blue, white and yellow sorts. The 
falls were of a rich velvety brown, the colour being 
evenly defined where it surrounded the lozenge¬ 
shaped yellow blotch, having a long handle to the 
same. 
Accompanying the Juno Irises were some fine 
varieties of the German Iris, having dark purple, and 
dark blue flowers respectively. Iris squalens, the 
Elder-scented species was also represented by two 
varieties, a light and a dark, but both devoid of the 
brown hue often present in the standards Gladiolus 
Colvillei The Bride is now in full bloom, the spikes 
sent being strong and carrying long racemes of bloom, 
so useful for cut flower work. A short dense spike 
of Polianthes tuberosa was remarkably heavy for 
its length, a piece of stem 10 in. long carrying forty- 
three flowers. A few of the upper flowers were of 
course only half grown, so that the stem would still 
lengthen a little. The flowers were in pairs at each 
node, and the spike was therefore densely crowded. 
The odour given off was delicious, but very powerful. 
Sweet Peas are also in bloom in Devon, a fine scarlet 
variety having flower stalks 10 in. long and therefore 
very suitable for cutting. A large, light blue 
Clematis, of the C. lanuginosa type, was very hand¬ 
some on account of the breadth of the eight over- 
lapping sepals. Mr. McDonald tells us that the 
weather is so dry that most of the time is taken up 
in watering. The above flowers, however, do not 
seem to have suffered in any way. 
THE HOME FOR TROPAEOLUM. 
A fallacy that prevails among many is that 
Tropaeolum speciosum will not grow in England, or, 
to put it in a milder form, does not grow to the 
satisfaction of the gardener. 
The why is a question that may be answered in 
various ways, and perhaps the most general is, 
patience, and try again. This fibrous rooted plant 
requires a cool moist and deep soil in which its 
roots can revel with freedom, and to be shaded 
from the hot sun’s rays. The best or one of the best 
places to grow it is under Conifers of any kind, 
where the surface is shaded from the sun to keep 
the roots cool; the foliage as it grows will make its 
own way up them to the most favoured side, which 
will be found to be the sunny side, and soon cover a 
space that will be envied by all. These roots do not 
require to be disturbed, but simply mulched in 
autumn, when they soon repay for any little trouble 
that is given them. I have seen them growing in 
this position in Sussex, and as near London as 
Finchley, until they have become a perfect weed, 
but a very welcome and effective one.— W. L., 
Middlesex. 
KitcRen Garden calendar. 
Owing to the continued dry weather it has been 
almost impossible to get winter greens planted. 
These ought now, however, to be got out if possible 
that they may have time to make a good growth 
before autumn. This is particularly the case with 
the early kinds, such as autumn Broccoli, Brussels 
Sprouts, and the first lot of Savoys. Late Broccoli 
and Borecole, though all the better for being trans¬ 
planted early, will take no harm so long as they are 
not overcrowded in the seed bed ; if there are any 
signs of this prick the plants out about 4 in. apart 
each way till the ground can be got ready and an 
opportunity presents itself for getting them out in 
their permanent quarters. Celery ought to be got into 
the trenches as soon as convenient, all except the 
latest being planted during the present month or by 
the beginning of July. There will be some difficulty 
in establishing Lettuce during dry weather, especi¬ 
ally if the plants are allowed to get the least over¬ 
grown before transplanting takes place. The ground 
ought to be thoroughly moistened before planting 
and afterwards, so that the soil may be settled round 
the roots. Roots of all kinds have had some diffi¬ 
culty in making headway, for what with cold winds, 
bright sunshine, and frosty nights, growth has been 
very slow, and where the ground was not in good 
heart this difficulty has been greatly aggravated. 
Peas where the soil is light show signs of prema¬ 
ture ripening, and unless assistance be given them 
in the way of mulching and thorough soakings with 
liquid manure they will fail to give satisfactory re¬ 
sults. It is difficult to grow Peas in hot, dry weather 
on light, gravelly soils unless special preparations are 
made at the time of sowing. Those who took this 
precaution and have since attended to mulching, &c , 
will find the benefit of their trouble rewarded in the 
way of less watering and a greater bulk of crop. 
Late Peas should now be sown. Those who prefer 
varieties of medium height would do well to sow 
Autocrat, Late Queen, or Michaelmas, all of which 
are good. Of the taller kinds, Ne Plus Ultra, Duke 
of Albany, Exhibition, and other popular varieties 
of that class will give satisfaction. 
French Beans are now making headway, par¬ 
ticularly where the ground is in good heart. No 
crop pays better for looking after than does Runner 
Beans, as they will produce an enormous amount of 
food from a small space of ground. But to do them 
well in dry seasons entails a great amount of labour, 
as the flowers will not set when the ground is dry, 
neither will the pods swell so rapidly or to anything 
like the size as when the ground is moist; for this 
reason on light soils it is always preferable to take 
out trenches as for Celery, and fill them in with de¬ 
cayed manure for the plants to feed upon when the 
weather is dry. 
Cauliflower intended for consumption during 
August and September ought now to be liberally 
treated, otherwise the heads will not be of that fine, 
close texture so desirable. It is impossible to have 
delicate flavoured hearts from plants that present a 
bluish appearance, as this denotes a deficiency in 
those elements that constitute the plants’ food. An 
abundance of moisture must be freely afforded them, 
and both lime and ingredients supplied in such a 
manner as will keep the plants in a healthy con¬ 
dition. 
The art of growing vegetables may be summed up 
in a few words, viz., an abundance of suitable plant 
food placed within the reach of the roots. Moisture, 
room for development, and a genial temperature, 
given these, he who cannot produce the choicest 
samples of vegetables is not worthy of the name of a 
gardener. But as the former needs in most instances 
to be added to the soil either previous to sowing or 
during the time of growth this requires some know¬ 
ledge of the different plants' requirements, and this 
can only be gained by practice. The latter is one of 
those things over which the cultivator has no con¬ 
trol, and to which he has to submit ; this it is that 
causes him so much trouble and disappointment. He 
may, however, in some measure assist the growth 
of plants under these adverse circumstances by close 
attention to their wants, in the way of watering, 
shading, and shelter. These, however, must be 
given at the right time, otherwise they will be of 
little value .—Kitchen Gardener. 
—-—f-- 
Ttie Drctilfl Grower’s Calendar. 
Cattleyas and Laelias. —For making a fine show 
there are few Orchids that can compare with this 
gorgeous class. Small wonder then that you find 
them grown in quantity in most of the leading 
establishments. A well grown and flowered plant 
will always commend admiration, even if associated 
with the finishing touch afforded by a few Maiden¬ 
hair Ferns. That the addition of a few well-grown 
Ferns sets them off to the best advantage goes with¬ 
out saying. 
Our leading nurserymen are fully alive to the 
advantages gained by mixing Palms and Ferns when 
setting up groups of Orchids for the public eye—as 
witness the imposing arrangements put up at the 
Drill Hall at each fortnightly meeting. Depend 
upon it then that it is good for the gardener to follow 
the lead of the trade, and to set his plants off to 
look their best. With the advantage of a show house 
this becomes a simple matter. Even without such a 
structure it ought not to be difficult to make the best 
of the plants in flower. We ourselves generally 
mass the Cattleyas and Laelias together at one end 
of the house in which they are grown, and the 
Odontoglossums likewise. Thus with a few Ferns 
interspersed to hide the pots a very pretty effect 
is obtained. When damping down in the afternoon 
the flowers can be spared being made wet and thus 
become spotted before they are half over. 
Cattleya aurea. —Our plants, after being kept 
moderately dry, are making a great quantity of 
roots, and as we can just feel the sheaths in the 
leading growths a more liberal treatment as regards 
moisture will now be adopted. Like C. gigas, they 
must not be over watered in the early stages of their 
growth. As a matter of fact I believe we give all 
Orchids too much water, that is, we do not allow 
them time between each watering to get anything 
like dry, but keep putting it into them without ask¬ 
ing ourselves whether they want it or not. I am 
afraid there is too much rule of thumb which causes 
a great many failures. My experience is that hardly 
two plants are alike in their constitution, and there¬ 
fore must be treated accordingly. By constant 
attention and keen observation one can arrive at a 
high standard of perfection, but not without, and I 
would, therefore, impress upon all youDg gardens to 
study the nature and composition of all plants under 
their charge, and then when called upon to take 
charge of a place they will be in a position to make 
full use of the knowledge stored up during their 
years of hard work, and little or no encouragement 
perhaps, and less credit. If everyone, however, 
tries to leave a place better than they found it they 
will deserve well of the calling—S. C. 
