184 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 18, 1899. 
|[lNTS FOR ||MATEURS. 
The Primroses.—It is well to reflect for a short 
time before filling every bed and border in the garden. 
There is q-iite a host of plants which in their season 
seem to possess a charm for us beyond almost all 
others. Primroses in all their variations are a class 
of sweet little flowering plants which no one would 
willingly be without. Our gardens would lose quite 
a half of their pleasantness were they absent. Then 
see to it that they are not overlooked at this time of 
year when so much planting is being done. Accord¬ 
ing to taste or circumstances the amateur will plant 
mixed collections, which after all are best, or he will 
confine himself to colours which he most prefers. 
Yellows of all the shades, and pure white, are both 
very pretty. Crimson varieties also enrol a list of 
admirers. Perhaps of the many the yellows should 
be the more encouraged. Strong young plants if put 
in at once will furnish fine plants for the coming 
season. 
Polyanthuses may as well be included under 
Primroses, although indeed they are the superior. 
We get a very rich range of colour in the Polyanth¬ 
uses, ranging as they do from black to faintest 
primrose and cream. They are handsomer and 
better for many purposes than are the Primroses. 
Still for all that we should like to see a fair balance 
of both. 
Yiolets. —These, as all know, are flowers whose 
popularity increases with the population. More and 
more growers take to them annually, and the trade 
or nurserymen have their work before them in 
getting the supply to face the demand. At this sea¬ 
son they form one of our most valuable market crops, 
bushels of the dark coloured and sweetly fragrant 
flowers being daily sold in London and other large 
Centres. The frames—where they are grown in 
frames—so long as such mild weather dominates 
should be kept well ventilated. It is not agreeab'e 
to the plants to allow much rain in about them, 
although an occasional natural watering from a soft 
downpour is very much to their advantage. The 
blooms ought to be plucked off as they appear, other¬ 
wise much of the plant’s strength will be uselessly 
expended. The runners should be kept pinched and 
the soil kept stirred between the plants. 
Yiolas, Calceolarias, Pentstemons, and other 
cuttings in frames must be attended to, chiefly in the 
airing. Should any number of plants damp off, and 
the present is a treacherous time, these may be re¬ 
moved with benefit to those left They will not re¬ 
quire water. Protection must be afforded them on 
all sharp nights. The frames, variously occupied 
with plants other than those named, such for instance 
as Deutzias, Staphyleas, Azaleas, and Roses, will 
only require attention so far as is necessary for the 
welfare of the plants therein, which at this season 
resolves itself into mere airing. 
Plants indoors will be more in the way for re¬ 
ceiving their due share of attention now than at a’- 
most any other time. Mignonette may or may not 
be in flower at this time in gardens. The exact 
period for which blooms are most wanted, whether 
now or later on, will be the ruling guide as to the 
season’s timing and treatment. On no account sub¬ 
ject them to any coddling treatment, and do not feed 
them too luxuriantly. It will generally be found 
sufficient for their needs to give them a rich compost 
and to pot firmly. 
Allamandas.—For furnishing fast growing wall 
coverers or trellis plants the varieties of Allamanda 
may be recommended with all soundness. In places 
or where their exact likings are not understood they 
are known to be shy, but otherwise, when doing 
well they furnish their rich cup or tubular-shaped 
flowers unceasingly for quite a period. They enjoy 
a strong, heavy loam, and plenty of root heat and 
moisture. After the flowering period they may be 
pruned back to firm wood. Being comparatively 
immune from pests they should be well appreciated 
by amateur gardeners. 
Bougainvilleas.—Certainly whatever other climb¬ 
ing plants an amateur's greenhouse may be devoid 
of, we can hardly image one which has not its 
Bougainvillea glabra, B. g. sanderiana, or some form 
of these two. It is hard to tell what really is the 
best treatment. However, if the plants are making 
plenty of wood, plus a fair supply of their coloured 
bracts, then all is as may be wished. If, on the 
other hand, they make strODg, rampant shoots, 
without bearing " flowers,” I should say they require 
to be root pruned, cr confined in the rcoting area. 
Where thorns are to be seen in the axils of the leaves 
this may be taken somewhat as a definition upon the 
luxuriance of the supply from the roots. “ Instead 
of the Thorn shall come up the Myrtle tree,” to 
make a quotation ; but we may use the sense by say¬ 
ing that by confining the roots of the Bougainvilleas, 
instead of thorns there shall appear flowers, and 
this is true. 
Lapagerias.—Again we have exceedingly hand¬ 
some flowers. In the flowers of these plants we 
have something which is very rich; something 
which has great substance, and which, like anything 
else that is substantial, commands our respect. 
Lapagerias are easy to grow, provided that the pro¬ 
per conditions as regards border and temperature be 
provided to them. Their pruning is simply a 
matter of taking out older shoots which may have 
flowered, and which are only crowding other and 
younger shoots. An intermediate house or a cool 
house temperature will suit them. A good compost 
should be made somewhat after such proportions as 
three parts of rough, turfy loam, having body in it, 
to one of leaf mould, dried natural manure, a 
quarter of J-in. bones, charcoal, and coarse brown 
sand. The plants should not be placed too deeply, 
but ought to be well firmed. Water should be 
regularly supplied to them, though in lesser 
amount during the winter or resting period. 
Their one great drawback is in the fact that they 
are wretched subjects for green and black fly. 
Fumigating is expensive and of little avail. The 
syringe or garden engine should be plied against 
them once a week so long as growth is in progress. 
Window Gardening.— So far as possible the col¬ 
lection of plants in the dwelling house should con¬ 
tinually be increased at least up to a certain pitch, 
but this, of course, must we suppose be regulated by 
the enthusiasm of the owners. What makes me say 
this is the fact that there are very many fine places 
about our houses which might be made to contain 
beautiful plants which have, even the smallest of 
them, an influence for good. Bath rooms might 
very well be furnished, and why not have small 
Maidenhair or Pteris Ferns upon the mantelshelves 
of any wall of the rooms where the air is sufficiently 
warm without being " scorching ” or drying. When 
the plants appear to be suffering, as no doubt they 
would after a time, they could be taken to a properly 
constructed house to recuperate. 
Sweet Briers and Roses. —The question need not 
be asked, Do you love Roses ? for everybody with a 
soul does. Now is the time to plant up hedges of 
the Sweet Brier, and what is more fragrant or more 
picturesque or better for furnishing sprays of bloom 
during summer. Some capital Roses are:—pink, 
La France, Paul Neron, Her Majesty ; crimsons, etc., 
Thomas Mills, Mr. Harry Turner, Prince Arthur, 
Star of Waltham, Fisher Holmes, Jules Margotten, 
etc.; white, Merveille de Lyon, Boule de Neige—a 
good wall Rose, and others. The old White Per¬ 
petual Moss Rose and Eugenie Verdier are nice 
varieties in their special section. Nothing surpasses 
Glolre de Dijon as an all-round Rose, being particu¬ 
larly good for covering walls, although when it gets 
old the lower parts are apt to become bare and 
scraggy. Aimee Vibert as a standard or bush Rose 
for the open takes a lot of beatiDg. 
The Fruit Houses. —Washing, pruning, tying, re¬ 
novating of borders or top-dressing of the same, is 
work which at this time claims our attention. New 
trees may be needed in place of old ones, or an en¬ 
tirely fresh start may be made. Three good 
Peaches for all ordinary purposes are:—Royal 
George, Early Rivers, and Princess of Wales. 
Humboldt Nectarine may be recommended. 
For Vines, Black Hamburgh, Black Alicante, Gros 
Colman, Madresfield Court, are all splendid Grapes, 
and not beyond the careful amateur who has plenty 
of leisure. 
Present Work. —Cleaning up in all its various 
phrases, together with repairs, planting, pruning, 
and the laying of edgings and lawns, is work which 
will otherwise keep the garden lover employed.— 
Beacon. 
San Jose, now known from the dreadful scale of 
that name, is a most beautiful city in California. 
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. 
A dozen recommendable Chrysanthemums.— 
Untutored'. We presume you want varieties whkh 
are remarkable rather for their decorative merit and 
ease in cultivation than first-class show varieties. As 
you say it is not easy for amateurs or rather novices 
to make a selection either from catalogues or from 
articles in the press. Well, the following are all 
valuable for your purpose :—Charles Davis, Viviand 
Morel, Source d’Or Improved, White O J. Quintus, 
Vivid, O. J. Quintus itself, Souvenir de Une Petite 
Amie, John Shrimpton, White and Yellow Des- 
granges, Margot, Mrs. Rundle, and Mr. Bunn. But 
a couple of dozen more ought to be added. 
The Stag’s Horn Fern.— Crypto: The commonly 
known Stag’s Horn Fern is botanically called Platy- 
cerium alcicorne. It need not necessarily be grown 
on pieces of bark or stumps. Very fine specimens 
can be and are grown in baskets. The great 
leathery ** horn-like ” vegetative structures or leaves 
as you care to call them soon spread in great 
luxuriance over and all around the sides of the bas¬ 
ket. You can grow it to perfection in a greenhouse. 
Good rich turfy loam and some peat and charcoal 
will be found to suit it well. 
" Book on Fruit Culture.”—O hs Desirous: Many 
books might be mentioned, but one which first rises to 
mind and which was specially written for amateurs is 
that of Mr. S. T. Wright, the Superintendent of the 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Chiswick. 
The appendix of fruit pests given in the book are at 
first sight appalling to one unacquainted with fruit 
growing, but it need not be thought that insects are 
always about. Favourable circumstances, of course, 
will generally promote attack from some quarter, but 
by care the evil can often be " nipped i’the Dud.” 
J. Wright's essay on " Fruit Culture frr Profit,” 
gives plenty of valuable information on the subject. 
Hedge Plants.— A. Johnstone, R.: As has often 
been said, if you want a quick growing hedge subject, 
plant the Privet. Alasting, handsome, sheltering, and 
very ornamental but rather slow growing hedge may 
be got from planting Yew or Holly. The russety hue 
of the Beech is beautiful in winter just as its green is 
sweet and fresh in spring. It grows at a moderate 
pace and makes a first-rate hedge plant. 
Yiolets Damping Off.— J. Easter : We know from 
experience with Violets in the smoke and sulphur 
laden atmosphere surrounding some parts of busy 
Yorkshire that it is difficult to grow Violets satis¬ 
factorily under such conditions. We can furnish no 
reason for the collapse of the foliage. Fogs are in no 
way productive of good. May they not have had a 
sharp frost and then have been bared to the sun. 
Keep the soil stirred between the plants and take off 
all dead leaves; ventilate cautiously yet fully during 
the mild weather. 
Moving Fruit Trees. —This is quite a proper time 
to perform such operations, Sligo. Y'oung trees you 
need have no fear or anxiety about. Directions have 
been given on this point in recent issues. Large 
established trees sometimes have to be shifted, and, 
of course, these entail care and more work. Begin 
well at the outside and work inwards and under the 
tree. Remove the heavier clods of soil from the top 
of the roots, but retain as much ball as possible. 
Lay mats beneath the side first excavated then work 
around the other. There will have to be a number 
of men to lift the whole thing into a cart or trolley, 
whence it may be carefully removed. The "bead” 
or branches should be tied in bunches, and these 
again should be surrounded by one strong cord. The 
new station having been prepared, and some fresh 
loam in mixture being in readiness the tree may 
then be put into position, the roots being then well 
taken care of, and the soil made firm. 
Plumbago capensis. — Arrol: This lovely plant is 
half hardy. A greenhouse will suit it quite well. 
Plant the young plant in a border, or, perhaps, if it 
is not yet very large you had better grow it on for 
some time yet in a pot. It likes a fairly warm, rich 
and moist border. Cut back the shoots after flowering. 
