308 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 21, 1897. 
Hints for Amateurs. 
As the summer wears on and merges into the ripened 
beauties of autumn, with the ever lengthening nights 
and the ever shortening days, with the heavier dews 
and the lower night temperatures, the flower garden 
puts on a mellow beauty that is quite distinct from 
that of other seasons, for there is a glory of the 
spring, another glory of the summer, and another 
glory of the autumn. Here, towards the end of the 
August month we are passing over the subtle 
boundary that separates summer from autumn, and 
although we would fain put back the clock of time 
for some reasons, we know that it is necessary that 
leafy June and sultry July should be succeeded by 
golden August and fruitful September. Nature is 
striving apparently to make us oblivious of the fact 
that the summer has all but flown, for the days glide 
on smoothly, and we wake from a pleasant spell of 
time oblivion to discover with something akin to a 
shock that bare stubble is now only to be seen in 
the place of the fields, which but yesterday were 
" white already to harvest.” 
To leave the field of moralising and come to 
matters prosaic we find that the year has been in 
many respects a trying one. Drought has sorely 
handicapped the gardener and tried almost beyond 
endurance the constitution of many of his pets. 
Many lawns, erstwhile green and smiling, are bare, 
scorched and brown, and yet instinct as they are 
with life the dewy nights, and possibly the rains, of 
September will work a wondrous change. Water 
may be applied by the medium of hose or can, and 
yet it never has quite the same effect as the rain that 
comes from the clouds. This is especially the case 
with the grass. Plants growing in beds or borders 
it is quite possible to keep in fair condition during 
dry weather by regular waterings, but the labour of 
keeping a lawn or fair-sized grass plot well supplied 
with moisture, when for day after day and week 
after week the sun glares pitilessly down, is immense 
—so immense indeed as to be well nigh beyond the 
amateur whose grass garden is of any size unless he 
is situated under the most favourable conditions, and 
can afford to laugh at the claims of water companies 
as well as those of everyday business. 
It is a capital plan at this time of the year to have 
a peep at as many of our neighbours gardens as 
possible, in order to see if there is any idea good 
enough to borrow, or any plant new to us that may 
be employed with advantage in our own gardens. 
In these matters the lover of gardens is rarely a 
jealous individual. He or she would, of course, feel 
very indignant if anyone else dared to copy them in 
matters of dress or house furnishing, and yei they 
do not feel at all outraged when Mr. or Mrs. So 
and So follows them in growing some specially hand¬ 
some plant or employing others in a particular way 
— on the other hand they take it in the light of a 
compliment to their good taste and horiicultural 
ability. 
Notes of such a kind taken now may be turned to 
good account next season. 
Galtonia caudicans—Among the flowering 
element nothing is more conspicuous at this season 
of the year than the charming Cape Hyacinth. The 
long racemes of large, pure white, ball-shaped 
flowers have a most distinguished appearance. The 
maximum height of the flower scape is between four 
and five feet, and as the leaves are from 2 ft. to 
2 J ft. in length, and produced in a tuft, the plant is 
possessed of a sufficiently commanding presence. 
It may thus be planted on the lawn as siDgle 
specimens with admirable effect. It is more 
generally, however, planted in beds, but it should 
always be in association with something else, as a 
bed entirely filled with it is apt to be somewhat thin, 
and moreover is not very ornamental during the 
greater part of the year. Some dwarfer plants are 
needed both as carpet subjects to cover the ground, 
and also to yield a display over a longer period than 
the Galtonias can do of themselves. Violas seem to 
naturally suggest themselves for the purpose, for 
they are both good carpet plants and most profuse 
and continuous bloomers when well looked after. 
Galtonias also do well wben planted with Gladioli. 
Here the fiery crimson-scarlet of G. brenchleyensis 
and the pearly-white of the Cape Hyacinth will at 
once suggest themselves as a capital contrast, as 
indeed they a r e. Beds of small and thinly-planted 
Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Olearias, Osmanthus, and 
other dwarf ornamental shrubs are much improved 
by having something planted between the plants, 
and here Galtonia candicans renders valuable aid 
to the various Liliums which may be utilised for the 
the purpose. A few clumps of it in the herbaceous 
border at a sufficient distance from the edge also 
answer very well indeed, and a few bulbs may well 
be spared fcr this. Any ordinary garden soil will 
suit Galtonias well, but they naturally prefer a soil 
which contains a good proportion of peat or good 
leaf mould. 
Heliotrope. — This pretty plant is a great favourite 
in gardens not only by reason of its beauty but also 
for its delicious fragrance. Curiously enough, how¬ 
ever, there seems to be only one idea common 
amongst by far the greater majority of gardeners as 
to how it should be grown. The usual plan is to 
treat it as an annual, that is to strike cuttings each 
year, plant them out, and let them bloom until frost 
cuts them down in the autumn. The shoots are all 
pegged carefully down so as to cover the ground, and 
the plants are thus kept apparently dwarf and close 
to the ground. Plenty of flower is produced, of 
course, and the effect is good, but this is only one 
way of growing Heliotrope, and there are several 
others just as excellent and far more uncommon. 
Heliotropes make capital specimen plants, and when 
trained as pyramids, or over wire arches to form 
screens or arbours they form objects that are very 
ornamental and graceful in the flower gardens. Such 
screens or arbours, afford a handy niche for the 
placing of a rustic or ornamental seat, if the size of 
the garden allows of such adjuncts. We have re¬ 
cently seen Heliotropes made use of in this way, and 
were charmed with the result. The cultivation of 
plants suitable for forming pyramids is simple 
enough. Cuttings should be taken now in order to 
obtain a good long season of growth. Insert the 
cuttings in very sandy soil and place them in a gentle 
heat until roote 1 . After they have made plenty of 
roots, and have begun to grow away freely the 
points may be taken out. This will induce them to 
throw out a number of growths which may be trained 
as desired. The plants must be kept growing all 
through the winter, an intermediate stove tempera¬ 
ture being just what they like. Potting must be seen 
to as required, but the shift from the cutting stage 
into small thumbs will give all the room needed until 
winter is past. By planting-out time next spring the 
plants will be in large thirty-two sized pots, and will 
be each carrying a number of strong healthy shoots 
For large pyramidal trellises, measuring say 5 ft. in 
diameter by as many in height, about three plants 
will be required. These will soon cover the trellis, 
and flowering will go on at the same time as in the 
case of the small pegged down plants. 
Standard trees are also very ornamental. These 
may be obtained from cuttings as in the case of the 
trellis plants,grown on with a single stem until they are 
of a sufficient height, and then pinched. These may 
be grown on from year to year, and will thus require 
to be lifted and potted up each autumn befjre frost 
has injured them, which is usually about the middle 
of September. — Rex. 
— - 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked 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. 
Wild Briers. — Would you tell me the best time of 
the year to plant wild briers, and when to bud 
them l—H. B. 
The briers should be obtained and planted in 
November, as early in the month as possible, as new 
roots are then formed at once. July and August are 
the months for budding. The exact time, however, 
will depend upon the condition of the stocks. The 
bark of both stock and bud should " lift ” easily from 
the wood, otherwise success will not be obtained. If 
this state of affairs is to be had in July, then this is 
the best month of the year for budding purposes, 
although any time up to the middle of August will do 
well. 
Chrysanthemums.—I have a number of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums that are now in large 48-sized pots. The 
plants are about 15 in. in height, and fairly strong. 
Will they need re-potting ? and if so, is it too late to 
do it. I had some similar plants last year, and 
potted them up about the third week in August. 
They did not flower at all. Was this due to the 
late potting ?— H. J. R. 
We should not advise you to re-pot the plants 
now, unless they are very pot-bound, when a small 
shift may be given. It will be more profitable to 
feed them well and grow them on in the same pots 
in which they are at present. The late potting you 
gave your plants last year was most likely the reason 
why they did not bloom. 
Campanula isophylla alba — H. J. H .: This 
Campanula can be easily propagated from cuttings 
taken from the young shoots which are thrown up in 
great numbers from the base of the plant. It is of 
no use to put in pieces of the older growths as 
cuttings, as they will only produce flowers. After 
your old plants have bloomed they may be cut back 
a little, and this will induce them to produce the 
young growths required. The beginning of Septem¬ 
ber will not be too late to insert the cuttings. 
Grapes.—The fact that your bunches of Grapes 
contain a lot of little berries is sure proof that they 
were badly thinned. These little seedless berries 
are the result of leaving in the bunches a lot of small 
miserable stuff that ought to have been cut out, and 
their places taken by better berries that would have 
contained seeds or pips in the usual way, and would 
have swelled to a proper size. 
Thinning Figs.— Enquirer-. If the trees have 
developed a very heavy crop of young Figs it will be 
a good plan to remove some of them, as it is 
impossib'e that they can all ripen. The size and 
flavour of those that remain to finish will be 
improved thereby, and the trees will be somewhat 
lightened in their task. 
Morello Cherries — L L.A .: All the side shoots 
or at least as many as there is room for, may be 
nailed in at their full length. Do not let them cross 
each other, but let their course be along a strait line, 
like one of the radii of a fan. The shoots springing 
from the face of the branches, and growing outwards 
may be cut clean away. 
Strawberries for Forcing.— Young Man : The 
layers must be potted up at once into 6-in. pots. 
The soil should be fairly rich, and may consist of 
two-thirds of good loam to one-third of old mush¬ 
room bed manure with a good sprinkling of sharp 
river sand. Pot firmly, and stand the plants on a 
level bottom where they can be watered easily and 
quickly. 
Marguerites —I have several white Marguerites 
that have been flowering very freely all through the 
summer, but have now become very shabby. There 
is scarcely a leaf on them, and never a flower. Are 
they of any further use ?— T. G. S. 
Cut the plants back a little ; that is to say, remove 
the tops fiom the shoots, knock them out of their 
pots, and plant them out in the open ground. If 
you keep them sprinkled they will not be long in 
breaking into growth, and by the time the frost 
ccmes, will have made nice little plants again. 
They may then be lifted and potted, when they will 
flower all through the winter. Marguerites ate 
really everlasting flowers if only you treat them well. 
Freesias.— M. N : The very small bulbs will not 
flower next year, and it is advisable, therefore, to 
grow them on by themselves. Get a pan, drain it 
well and fill it nearly full with light soil. Sow the 
little bulblets pretty thickly over the surface, and 
cover them in the usual way. They may thus be 
grown on to flowering size. 
Flower to Name. — Subscriber : Aconitum lycoc- 
tonum is the name of the flower you send. 
Tuberous Begonias. — Subscriber : Tuberous 
Begonias may be kept ever the winter by simply 
leaving the tubers in their pots with the old soil, and 
storing them in a dry room with a temperature of 
not less than 40° Fahr. If the plants are now grow¬ 
ing in the open ground you may lift them after the 
foliage and stems are gone, lay them in shallow boxes 
and cover them with sand. The boxes should be 
placed in a rcom of the same kind as the pot plants. 
