536 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 24, 1897. 
fiNTS for Amateurs. 
Chrysanthemums — Those who take up Chrysanthe¬ 
mum culture soon find out that it gives them plenty 
to think about. Besides the regular every day atten¬ 
tion with regard to watering, and airing in the first 
five months of the year, the various shifts from pot 
to pot mark off so many epochs, as it were, in their 
history. It may seem to the beginner that no sooner 
are the plants in one lot of pots than they are calling 
out for a shift into larger ones. Certain it is that 
healthy vigorous plants are not long in filling the 
new soil with roots. Add to this the fact that it 
imposes a great check upon the plants if they are 
allowed to become root bound to any degree, and the 
apparent mystery is explained. 
The majority of fairly early and healthy plants are 
now in need of one of these shifts. Up to the present 
time the potting has not been at all heavy, as the 
plants are now in large sixties. The soil too has not 
needed much trouble to be taken with it, but this will 
have to undergo a slight alteration now. First of 
all the tyro wants to know if his plants are in need 
of potting. To find this out, carefully knock the 
plant out of its pot, taking care not to disturb or 
break the ball in any way. If the roots have made 
their way to the sides of the ball so as to be in con¬ 
tact with the pot, a shift onwards is required. 
Now for the soil!—Bearing in mind that rank 
growth does not necessarily mean healthy growth, 
the cultivator must guard against making the soil 
too rich. For this season we would strongly advise 
him not to mix any chemical manure at all with the 
soil. A light sprinkling of soot will not do any harm, 
but even this is just as well left out, for its loss will 
not be felt. Use of good loam two parts, and one 
part of leaf soil. The Utter should be picked over 
to see that it is free from fungoid growths, and may 
then be rubbed through a half inch mesh sieve. Add 
a fair quantity of river sand and mix the whole well 
up together. This soil will be quite good enough as 
the plants will be out of it, and into other larger pots 
before they have had a chance to take all the good¬ 
ness out of it. It will thus be sufficiently rich to 
insure a short jointed and sturdy growth. 
Clean pots are also of the first importance. They 
should measure from 5^ to 6in. in diameter, or 
the size usually known as 32’s. The drainage 
must likewise be carefully looked after. Merely 
throwing a handful of crocks into the bottom of a pot, 
and allowing them to sort themselves, is not giving 
proper drainage. The hole in the bottom of the pot 
must first be covered with a crock placed concave 
side downwards, a few crocks a little smaller in size 
"being placed on the top, and finished off with some 
small pieces. A handful of moss or of the rougher 
part ol the compost must be put in next to the 
crocks. This precaution is necessary, otherwise the 
fine soil would be washed down in among the crocks, 
when the drainage would soon become choked and 
useless. 
In potting see that the young plant is placed 
exactly in the centre of the new pot, but it may stand 
about half an inch deeper in the new quarters than 
in the old ones ; that is the level of the old ball of soil 
will be covered by half an inch of the new compost. 
A potting stick or rammer is generally required to 
give the requisite firmness to the new soil, but this 
must not be taken as an invitation to ram until the 
soil is as hard as a brick, and half the young roots 
are bruised and injured, some of them nigh unto 
death. Pot with moderate firmness, and we must 
leave each amateur to construe this as his ideas 
prompt him. 
After potting. —Up to the time of potting the 
plants have been given plenty of air, plenty of water, 
and plenty of light. All these conditions were good 
for them then, but they must be modified consider¬ 
ably for the next week at least. The plants should 
be returned to a cold frame, and placed on a bottom 
of ashes. Here they must be kept rather close for 
the first day or two, gradually increasing the amount 
of air given until they seem to have tided over the 
check consequent upon the shifting. The soil being 
fairly damp water must not be given directly after 
potting, as is far too frequently done, but instead 
give a gentle syringing morning and afternoon. This 
will serve to keep the foliage clean and bright, and 
by keeping the atmosphere in immediate contact 
with the leaves moist and kindly, will hinder and 
prevent that excessive transpiration of water from 
the leaves which is the cause of the flagging of newly 
potted plants. Plenty of light must be given as pre¬ 
viously, but it must be diffused light, and not direct 
sunlight. For the first few days at least we should 
advise a light shading of tiffany if the weather prove 
bright; of course if it is dull there is no need to 
trouble, and the conditions of the light upon a cloudy 
day are exactly what is required, and what we give 
artificially during bright weather by means of shad¬ 
ing. 
If the above instructions are followed there should 
not be any difficulty in lifting theplants from ihe one 
stage to the other. 
Spiraea confusa. —As this handsome shrubby 
Spiraea has been giving such a brilliant account of 
itself this season, it may be as well to point out that 
here amateurs have just the sort of plant to suit them. 
It is hardy, easily grown, free-flowering, and hand¬ 
some, after which category of good qualities it may 
well be asked what is there left to wish for ? For pot 
culture for blooming in the conservatory during 
spring it is a huge success, the more perhaps that it 
is naturally of dwarf and compact habit and does 
not soon become unwiedly with regard to size. The 
pretty white Hawthorn-like flowers are produced in 
dense clusters (corymbs), at the ends of the branches 
both large and small. The flowers last fairly well 
when cut, and placed in water but there is no dis- 
putting the fact that they look better in a state of 
nature on the plant itself. The great value of this 
Spiraea is that the plants can be left out of doors 
through the winter or as much of it as is deemed 
necessary, and may then be brought into a gentle 
heat as required. They do not like too much forcing, 
which tends, as with not a few other things to make 
them drop their buds. Manure water may, of course, 
be given with great advantage in the spring when 
the flower buds are swelling, and also in the summer 
when the plants are making their growth ; but at no 
time must the soil be allowed to get dry. Still it is 
astonishing how much vitality these plants have, for • 
we remember seeing one that had been without water 
for two months, and was to all appearance at death’s 
door if indeed it was not inside it. This plant was 
put out in the open ground, and soon threw up shoots 
from the bottom as gaily as ever, and seemingly none 
the worse for the experience. The top of course was 
all dead, and remained so. 
The effects of the Frost. —It is quite possible that 
we may have to deplore the loss of most of our crops 
of hardy fruit, owing to the severity of the late frosts, 
but upon this point it will be impossible to speak 
definitely just yet. Wall trees that have had pro¬ 
tection given them in addition to that afforded by the 
wall will be all right, but we tremble for the standard 
trees with their mantles of white, and pink blossoms. 
With us everything was pretty dry, however, and it 
may chance that we shall have to thank this for our 
prospective crops of fruit. Another grain of comfort 
and of hope lies in the fact that there was plenty of 
bloom, and some of it may have escapecf by being 
sheltered by their more unfortunate relatives. 
Certainly we do not despair as yet, and especially 
when we see apparently delicate flowers, such as the 
Daffodil and Primrose, pass in triumph through the 
biting cold. Thus may it be with our fruit trees. 
Hardy Fernery. —Where no bulbs for spring 
flowering have been planted amongst the hardy ferns, 
there will be nothing to hinder the giving of a top 
dressing. This should therefore be done at the 
earliest opportunity, sprinkling the soil evenly over 
the spaces between the plants, but keeping it off the 
actual crowns. There is nothing to heat well de¬ 
cayed leaf soil for the purpose, and if a supply of 
this is to be got hold of the ferns will prove them¬ 
selves very grateful for it. 
Paths across grass.— There is an old saying that 
no good gardener will cut a corner, but will go round 
it by the path in the proper way. If this be true 
there are very few good gardeners in existence, for 
it seems a mania with many people to make short 
cuts across the grass, or to set up equally unsightly 
tracts near the edges of the grass. The present is a 
good season of the year to remedy these defects, for 
by sticking in a few wooden hoops or bushes along 
the worn places, the latter will be preserved from the 
feet of those who fear not law or order. A very few 
weeks of genial spring weather will strengthen the 
grass so that the obstacles may be removed, whereas 
if remedial measures were not taken now these self¬ 
same spots would be bare and unsightly throughout 
the whole of the summer.— Rex. 
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Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone 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. 
Ash Path.—Ashes make a very clean and service¬ 
able path, J. Wilkins, provided a little care is taken 
to furnish a good substantial bottom. From 4 in. 
to 6 in. of clinkers, brickbats, or similar rubbish will 
give a good bottom, over which about 4 in. of ashes 
should be laid. The latter should be wet, in order 
to allow of them binding together. A heavy roller 
passed over all several times will give the requisite 
solidity. Such a path as this will need to be watered 
and rolled pretty frequently during the summer or 
it will “ kick up,’’ and the surface will be rough and 
unpleasant to walk upon, but any way it will be far 
preferable to the dirty clay-gravel you refer to, 
which would be little better than a quagmire in wet 
weather. 
Laying out a Garden. —It is not easy to gather 
from your letter, Y. 0., just exactly what sort of a 
piece of ground it is that you wish to make into a 
garden. The size (40 ft. by 60 ft.) is fairly good for 
the town, and you may be able to grow a lot of 
pretty things in it, but in this space it is not possible 
to do very much in the way of effect. Above all 
you do not say how it is situated with regard to 
shelter. You might have a border about 4 ft. in 
width running all round it, whilst the rest could be 
laid down in grass. In addition to the border 
several small beds could be cut out of the grass, and 
these might be filled with such special subjects as 
Violas and Carnations, or if you wish to go a step 
higher, Cannas, tuberous Begonias, or Fuchsias. A 
border such as that suggested would hold a lot of 
stuff, and we think would please you. Your best 
plan will certainly be to call in the aid of some local 
jobbing gardener, who would be able to see literally 
‘‘how the land lies.” In any case we should advise 
you to steer clear of elaborate arrangements of 
cunningly devised beds, for they are never more out 
of place than in a small garden. 
Gladiolus Colsillei alba —Jaspar has a number of 
potfuls of this Gladiolus. The plants are showing 
flower, but he wants them to flower later on, and not 
now. He accordingly writes to ask what he can do 
to keep them from flowering. 
Put them in a frame or other place where they 
will get no direct sunlight, and keep them as cool as 
possible. This will retard the opening of the 
flowers for a fortnight or three weeks. 
Forcing Hawthorns. —This is not, as you would 
seem to suggest, Charles T. at all a difficult matter, 
although we are agreed that it is not a common 
practice. We know at least of one large private 
garden where it is carried on, the plants being in 
full flower at the present time. In this case the 
" Mays ” are forced, not because of their beauty, 
although they look very beautiful, but on account of 
family sentiment. The double scarlet form does 
exceptionally well. You must avoid giving the 
plants too much heat in the early stages or the buds 
will drop. Apart from this there is no difficulty. 
Spiraea japonica.— B. B. and W. Rackitt : Plant 
the Spiraeas out in the open ground ; they will be of 
no use until next autumn twelvemonth. 
Azaleas do not want any pruning, Tyro, as they 
never make a lot of growth in one season, and after 
the earlier stages, that is the first three years of their 
life have been passed, growth is evenly made all 
round. It may be necessary to put in a few ties just 
to pull very strong growths into place; and dead 
sprigs may be cut out, although if you look after 
your plants properly you should not be troubled 
much with these. 
Chinese Primulas.—These are not annuals, 
Wilhelm, that is they do not die after one season of 
flowering. They are usually treated as such, how¬ 
ever, for the reason that the flowers on young plants 
