THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 7, 1900. 
1 16 
ont conspicuously. It Is a deep violet-purple, large 
and strong; Kaiserin is a delicately beautiful pink; 
Venus yields one of the very best, being a bright 
rose, flaked with rosy-mauve, fading towards the 
bottom of the corolla, to nearly white. It flowers 
in clusters. The Moor is a deep crimson-red; 
while Sir Visto is almost white. These are the pick 
of the singles. 
Doubles. —It has been already slated that the 
doubles are preferable rather than the single 
Paeonies. This arises from the fact that they 
are seldom or never formal, but generally very 
beantiful. When grown in beds as recommended, 
Lilies and other plants may be grown between them 
to keep up a succession of bloom. A lovely, and so 
far as colour goes, well named variety is Delica- 
tissima, which is large, full, and of a soft blush shade. 
It is altogether a splendid subject, and ought to be 
secured by all who delight to have the choicest 
flowers in their gardens. Couronne d'Or is a lovely 
thing when at its best, it is then a pale creamy- 
white. Duke of Wellington opens nearly yellow, but 
passes to white. Silenus is a very fine rosy-pink; 
Marshal MacMahon, a full rich purple-magenta, 
very distinct and recommendable for those who 
prefer the darker colours; Mikado is a semi-double 
rosy red; Alice Crousse is a lovely rose variety with 
a flesh-coloured centre ; Countess of Clancarty may 
be taken as one of the choicest of the double whites, 
it is a marvellous thing; Curiosa, a free blooming 
and tall-growing lilac-pink Paeonia, very fine; 
Eugene Verdier, a cheery blush-pink, having also a 
large amount of rosy-cream throughout the petals. A 
few deep golden stamens shine out from the centre. 
In some of the blooms the centremost petals differ 
trom the others in shape, and also in the fact of their 
being edged like a Picotee. This is said to be the 
best of all the varieties in this rose-cream section. 
Faust has broad guard petals of a lilac-pink, and 
the central petals are slightly paler. Josephine 
Parmentier, a deep red with a fainter-coloured 
centre. Leonie certainly is extra fine. It is, indeed, 
one of the best, having large well-built flowers of a 
tender lilac-blush, some of the petals also being 
edged with crimson, a fact which gives it greater 
merit. It is charmingly rose-scented. The flowers are 
of enormous size, borne very profusely, and the habit 
of the plant and its fine leafage combine to make it 
one of the best of the double June flowering 
Paeonies. Lord Salisbury is deep magenta and 
purple. Mdme. de Vatry is a fragfant variety with 
flesh, guard petals, and extra fine. Mdme. Louise 
Mere, beautiful b'.ush-pink, also fragrant; Noblis- 
sima, a finely-formed rose-coloured variety; Sir 
William Harcourt, a rich glowing crimson; and 
John Fraser, one of the best doubles there is, of a 
lovely cerise-rose colour, and capital perfume.— 
D. K. 
-- 
WHITE FLOWERING CLIMBERS. 
Rhynchospermum jasminoides, or to give it its 
proper name Trachelospermum jasminoides, must 
not be confounded with a Composite bearing the 
same name. The plant under consideration belongs 
to the order Apocynaceae, and closely allied to 
Nerium Oleander aDd common Vinca. A native of 
Japan, it thrives when grown in an ordinary green¬ 
house temperature, and at the present time is laden 
with a profusion of chaste and fragrant flowers. 
Frequently it is grown as a pot plant, trained in 
balloon or other such form; but as such, it loses an 
amount of its charm, by reason of the pendulous 
habit of its flowers, which, like unto maidens fair, 
hang down their heads from the admiring gaze of 
ardent admirers. Its culture is simplicity in itself; 
given copious supplies of water, it will flourish for 
two or three years in the same pot. 
In Jasminum gracilis we have, both in fragrance, 
colour and very nearly identical in form of flower, a 
worthy partner. A greenhouse containing these two 
forms requires few additions at the present juncture 
to make it a welcome retreat. 
If further addition in the form of woody climbers 
of the same hue are desired, Trachelospermum 
jasminoides variegatum, and C. Plumbago capensis 
alba may be enumerated ; and in order of merit they 
are few points behind the two former. Though scarcely 
woody climbers, Swainsonia galegifolia alba and 
Solanum jasminoides may also, for variety's sake, be 
added where a diversity of flowers of the same hue 
is desired.— Alpine. 
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA 
Is a plant belonging to the order Cucurbitaceae, 
to speak more plainly the Cucumber or Gourd tribe. 
It is also known as the Apple of Jerusalem or 
Squirting Cucumber. It is an interesting plant, and 
one that requires no other treatment than that given 
to Cucumbers and Melons. My first acquaintance 
with this plant was when residing in Somersetshire. 
Its native home is India, and it was used in days 
gone by by the natives as an addition in their 
curries; but I believe it is now chiefly used for 
medicinal purposes. Sow in spring, using 6o-sized 
pots in a temperature of Go® to 70°, and growing on. 
A 16-sized pot for final shift will give good results, 0. 
if planted out in a border of a warm house and left 
to ramble over roof. I have found it very pretty and 
interesting. I do not think the plant is so widely 
known as it might be. I advise fertilising the 
female blossoms ; it may be grown pyramid shape. 
The fruit is oblong in shape, of a reddish orange 
colour, and when fully ripe it bursts open, and gives 
to view its cherry-coloured seeds within. To any of 
Gardening World readers who may have a blank 
space to spare I would advise them to give this 
plant a trial. I have a few seeds in my possession, 
and should be pleased to send to any one of my 
brother gardeners if applied to. It also answers to 
train over an unsightly space in the houses.— S. 
Jordan , The Gardens, Frithesden, Berkhampstead, 
Herts. 
-- 
FLOWERING BOUGAINVILLEAS. 
To grow and flower this pretty stove climber 
successfully, so that all shoots put out a profusion 
of long wreaths of flower, one must understand its 
culture. It is a plant well worth one's trouble 
growing it. I will describe the mode of treatment 
that I can recommend to those who have hitherto 
been disappointed with it. The most important 
points are (1st) Do not give it much root room. 
(2nd) It requires a high temperature during the 
season of growth, and plenty of light. (3rd) Give 
full supplies of water at the root, and occasionally 
doses of liquid manure, for it will not flower on the 
starving principle. After it is done flowering, remove 
it to an intermediate house, and keep rather dry for 
six weeks or so, when it may be top-dressed or 
re-potted, using a mixture or good fibrous turf, 
leaf mould, peat, sand, and ground charcoal. B. 
Sanderii not being such a strong grower as glabra, 
yields a good proportion of more bloom, the wood 
getting better ripened. B. glabra is well adapted for 
a back wall of a lean-to stove, although its pale 
mauve flowers show best to advantage trained on 
wires to the roof, and are very much better coloured 
when fully exposed to the light. The very strong 
shoots may be cut back, but, like the strong climbing 
Roses, one will get better results by tying them in if 
possible. It is a charming flower for cutting, and a 
favourite with ladies.— John C. Dick, Champ dearie, 
Linlithgow. 
MUSHROOM GROWING. 
A good supply of this favourite is always welcome, 
and where a gardener has to keep up a supply, and 
knows the secret, he need not trouble about a Mush¬ 
room house to grow them, if he has got a good 
roomy stokehole or potting shed. To follow on the 
bed in our early vinery I have the coke cleared out 
of our greenhouse stoke-hole, as we use no fire here 
after the middle of April. The manure and soil 
having been got ready in one of the sheds, it is 
brought in the stoke-hole and made up, the bed when 
finished forming a bank, the bottom 3 ft. wide made 
up in this way, to every 6 in. of manure sprinkle 
over a small quantity of sifted soil; beat firmly with 
a fork ; follow on this process until the bed is 3 ft. 
high at the back. When finished, thrust a pointed 
stick in the centre of the bed. In from two to three 
days the bed will be ready for spawning. When 
doing this, break the bricks into about eight pieces; 
place them on the bed, about 9 in. apart; make 
holes with a garden trowel, and press the spawn in 
the surface, being on a level with the manure. Now 
cover the bed with 2 in. of soil that has been through 
a fine sieve, beginning at the bottom of the bed and 
working upwards. When finished, beat firmly with 
a clean spade. Do not cover the bed with straw 
shaken from manure until you see signs of spawn 
working; then cover lightly, leaving a small heap in 
corner f®r woodlice ; they will keep to the heap and 
not trouble the bed. When the surface gets dry 
sprinkle with a fine rose, with water about 80®.— 
J. Wallace, King's Lynn. 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 
Of late, much has been written concerning the pro¬ 
pagation of this esteemed autumn and winter flower¬ 
ing plant that makes one a bit shy in again bringing 
it to notice unless there is something new to chronicle. 
Well, after reading in your pages from two or more 
writers that this gem could be so readily increased 
by leaf propagation, I went in for it rather extensively 
with the hope of raising a good batch, but I regret 
to state my hopes were not realised, for out of a 
batch of four dozen large healthy leaves placed in 
pans of sand and cocoa-nut fibre respectively, only 
four plants, or one out of twelve formed a shoot. 
Many more made lengthy roots but entirely failed to 
push forth a growth. I must own I had to move the 
pans from the propagating house proper to a slight 
hotbed owing to alterations going on in the former. 
This may have given them a check, but as base 
cuttings make plants in less than half the time (at 
least with me), I shall depend upon the latter for my 
supply. I had three old plants to work from and put 
in forty cuttings in pure river sand, in large 60- 
sized pots. Everyone rooted, and have been growing 
freely since, while the four leaf plants are anything 
but vigorous. It would be interesting to learn if any 
other grower of this Begonia has been successful 
with the leaf propagation.— J.Mayne, Bicton. 
-- 
CEANOTHUS FLORIBUNDUS. 
It has been remarked, " that blue is the prevailing 
colour of flowers during the spring and early 
summer.” The prodigality of this colour is assumed 
to be due to its contrasting effect against the brown 
hue of the earth; hence, such a contrasting and 
evident colour, being easily discerned, would un¬ 
doubtedly be most favoured with insect visitors, the 
result of which would culminate in the fertilising of 
their flowers, and the production of seed. If by 
means of this natural selection, wild flowers of this 
colour are in preponderance, the same cannot be said 
of spring flowering shrubs. If, owing to this lack of 
blue, Ceanothus floribundus had no other recom¬ 
mendation, it would be sufficient to secure it a place 
in our shrubberies. Apart, however, from its colour, 
this subject, an evergreen—which, when grown 
against a south wall is quite hardy—is extremely 
floriferous. During May and June, its branches, 
protruding from the wall at nearly a horizontal plane, 
are studded their entire length—frequently 2 ft., with 
numerous tiny clusters, of sky-blue coloured flowers, 
which are very acceptable.— Alpine. 
- 
KitcRen Garden Calendar. 
Since writing the last calendar we have been 
favoured with plentiful rains, so that the planting 
out of all winter green crops should be pushed for¬ 
ward as quickly as possible where space will admit 
of doing so. Last season there was much difficulty 
in getting the plants established owing to the soil 
being so dry, but this summer in most places the 
soil is sufficiently moist to give them a good start. 
Where planting out cannot be done at once, do not 
fail to have the plants pricked out a sufficient dis¬ 
tance apart to induce them to grow sturdy and be 
stronger to plant when other crops have been re¬ 
moved. With such showery weather weeds have 
grown apace, and rendered it very difficult to keep 
them under. Every effort, however, should be put 
forward to destroy them before they commence to 
seed, otherwise they will be a source of trouble for 
years to come. 
Turnips may now be sown in larger quantities, as 
they will not so soon go to seed, or become stringy. 
One of the best varieties for sowing at this date is 
Veitch’s Red Globe The flesh is pure white, crisp 
and delicately flavoured. Snowball is also a fine 
quick growing kind. These should be sown in drills 
not less than eighteen inches apart, and should be 
thinned out to a foot between the plants, for when 
grown too close together they are liable to make 
too much foliage. 
Seakale. —Look over the plants again, and should 
there be any that have two or more growths remove 
all except the strongest, otherwise they will fail to 
