744 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 21, 1900. 
|JlNTS FOR ||mATEURS. 
Hardy Herbaceous and Alpine Plants.—There 
are so many splendid hardy flowering plants in 
bloom at this time that one may well be pardoned 
for once again turning to them. Nothing pleases me 
better than to see something uncommon and 
beautiful flourishing in the confined garden at the 
back or front of a suburban villa. When this 
spirit is awakened, the spirit which impels the 
garden lover to look around to secure what really 
pleases him or her, and to plan the garden somewhat 
different from the next door neighbour's, then there is 
pretty sure to be an interest taken in gardening, in 
its wider sense, and emulation may be thus en¬ 
gendered, to the advantage of the commonwealth. 
Yet it does not always follow that because Mr. A. 
has a smartly kept garden full of choice and some¬ 
what uncommon plants. Mr. B. will take an example. 
One should think that a well kept garden would 
have its influence, and in a measure it does have a 
power,but the "measure” doesnot extend far enough. 
I saw a very marked instance of this kind a few days 
ago when travelling through a municipal borough. 
In front of one of the fine villas of the outskirts 
there was a charmingly planted and exquisitely well 
kept garden. On either side of that garden 
the neighbouring ones are kept respectably 
well; the gardens two doors off are only 
"middlin'," while the next to those are close upon 
being disgraceful. But I know the owners of that 
well kept garden get their money's worth returned 
in the satisfaction they have Well, here I am, 
running away, from the point as usual; what 
discrepancies I've to answer for ! 
Yerbascums.—From the tall Mullein (V. 
Thapsus), down to Verbascum phoeniceum album, 
V. rubiginosun and even dwarfer sorts, between 
this highest and the lowest Verbascum, there are 
some wonderfully fine garden plants. They are 
plants, all of them large leaved, and the majority of 
them are fairly tall. Nothing handsomer than V. 
Chaixii could surely be desired for even the largest 
and finest garden. It grows higher than a tall man, 
is broad at the base branching into a number of 
lateral stems, and the central spike towers up 
straight, being densely crowded with brilliant 
yellow flowers. It is known as the Nettle-leaved 
Mullein, but the likeness of its leaves to those of the 
Nettle is not very apparent. It is distributed 
throughout the southern parts of Europe. V. 
Lychnitis is larger in its parts, and is equally as 
worthy of inclusion. 
Anthemis nobilis, the Chamomile. — This rather 
bald headed little flowering plant is not included so 
much for any merit of its own to be classed with the 
gems of the garden, but simply because I have a senti¬ 
mental temperament and I like all those plants that 
my own great-grandmother and other people used to 
grow and cherish in the old-fashioned garden of long 
ago. It is also an odorous plant, a point which 
further commends it. Growing two or more feet 
high, its habit is compact and its character florifer- 
ous. The designation of " bald-headed flower ” is 
not inapt, for the disc is rounded like some sort of 
brass stud or button and the ray petals are some¬ 
times wanting. It is a small, deep yellow blooming 
composite, found as a procumbent wild plant in 
parts of Britain ; it has medicinal properties. 
Roses.—In a previous note I ran over a few 
points of interest touching the evolution of some of 
the finer sections of Roses. The present note is a 
continuation of the previous reference. 
Climbing Roses are mostly singles or polyanthas. 
There is a section sometimes catalogued as " Climb¬ 
ing Roses" pure and simple, but this is simply a 
nurseryman’s system for facile reference. As a rule 
the climbing Roses, or those of the polyantha type 
as Little Pet, Flora, The Garland, and others, do 
not commence to bloom till June (sometimes well on 
in the month), and they continue till November, 
weather permitting. Of course there are other 
Roses which are not true climbers but which are 
used on walls. 
Polyantha Roses make splendid bedding plants 
when their long shoots are pegged down. Every¬ 
one knows the character of this section of Rose, 
many neat little flowers in clusters, borne at the 
apex of generally slender shoots, and having small 
equally neat leaves. Hundreds, even thousands of 
blooms are produced by plants covering only a few 
square feet of wall or pillar. They do not require 
much pruning, merely a thinning out of inferior 
shoots, and a shortening back of the young growths 
before breaking time in spring. They should be 
planted in good loamy soil to begin with, after which 
they as a rule flourish without further attention. 
It is necessary to syringe 'plants upon the walls, 
porches and arbours of dwellings, both to keep them 
fresh and beautiful, and to remove greenflies. The 
above remarks have been written in relation to the 
needs of polyantha Roses, but the same rules apply 
to the single sorts. Before describing some of the 
finer varieties of these two sections, I should like to 
say that there are none too many Roses in any 
garden I have yet seen. The motto of a certain 
influential arboricultural society is “Aye be stickin’ 
in a tree, it will be growin' when yer sleepin’." 
By all means try to act on this rule in regard to Rose 
planting, only plant the Rose, do not just ” stick it 
in." Over old walls, over arches, arbours, pergolas, 
banks, fences, pillars with linked chains, trellises, 
and over the lower boughs of trees and sometimes 
on bare trunks, in all such places let Roses ramble. 
First on the list comes Crimson Rambler. Paul’s 
Carmine Pillar, a large single crimson Rose with 
white centre, is a perfect gem ; and as a decorative 
Rose it rivals the aforementioned. It is never seen 
to better advantage than when trained to erect, 
column-like wire or wooden trellises. Three or four 
of these trellises should be set in a cluster though a 
few feet apart from each other. The Macrantha 
Rose is a single of good size, white tinged with pink 
and very showy. Flora is a profuse flowered creamy 
white polyantha variety. Helene from Crimson 
Rambler, but single, is a fine sort, and very vigorous. 
A new polyantha Rose, also from Turner’s Crimson 
Rambler, is Paul’s Psyche, pale rosy pink and 
exceedingly profuse. Perle d' Or could scarcely be 
excelled among yellows. Gloire de Polyantha is a 
lovely bright rose coloured sort ; Annie Marie de 
Montravel cannot be beaten as a spotless white 
polyantha ; while Etoile de Mai and Etoile d’ Or 
are fine yellow varieties. These may be accepted 
as the choicest of climbing Roses. A few more 
singles are worthy of commendation, however, and 
these are Hebe's Lip, white with carmine edge ; 
Royal Scarlet, which in verity is a royal flower, 
glowing velvety crimson; Polyantha grandiflora, 
with white flowers; Moschata alba, a splendid 
white; Cooling's Himalaica, a glorious white variety 
with yellow brown stemens, and Cooling’s Crimson- 
bedder with charming crimson flowers. 
Hybrid Sweet Briers. — The Penzance Sweet 
Briers, now so well known and so charming in all 
respects, were raised by the late Lord Penzance 
from the common Wild Brier of Britain, Rosa rubi- 
ginosa. They differ from the Wild Brier only in 
being larger flowered, of varied colours, and pro¬ 
bably more robust growth. The fragrance of them 
remains pleasant and good. The best of these Pen¬ 
zance Briers are Flora Mclvor, rose; Lord Pen¬ 
zance and Lady Penzance, shades of copper and 
fawn ; Lucy Ashton, white edged pink ; Meg Merri- 
lees, gorgeous crimson ; Brenda, pink ; and Anne of 
Gierstein, a splendid dark crimson. They should be 
disposed in beds, and may either be mixed or kept 
in shades alone. They are A i, also, for the Rose 
dell as described two weeks ago. 
Erigerons.—The Erigerons, or Fleabanes, are a 
family of dwarf growing border and rockery plants, 
generally of erect habit and bearing a profusion of 
flowers, and some of the species and varieties much 
resemble the Michaelmas Daisies. They are 
generally propagated by division of the crown in 
spring, and do well in any decent garden soil. 
Erigeron speciosus, from North America, is paler 
flowered than most of the genus, but is a good and 
recommendable sort. E. s. superbus, however, puts 
it far in the shade. Indeed, this is the best of all, 
forming charming beds when well treated. Other 
varieties of greater or less value in moist soil are E. 
glabellus, which is dwarf, about i ft. high and erect. 
E. g. asper has the deepest tinted flowers of all, 
these being mauvy coloured. E. macranthus grows 
2 ft. high, and has fair sized blooms, bushy habit, 
and is vigorous. Along with the Fleabanes may be 
mentioned a dwarf and very early flowering Siberian 
Aster—A. sibiricus. It only grows i ft. high, so 
that even for the front of a border it can be recom¬ 
mended with all confidence, and the habit, form, 
and colour of the starry flowers distinguish it as one 
of the gems of the garden at present. 
Lychnis chalcedonica is an old-fashioned 
favourite, well known to most people. Being such a 
fine thing it might be in place to recommend more 
liberal employment of it. It bears brilliant scarlet- 
crimson flower heads of good size on erect stalks; 
3 & ft. high. 
nula britannica.—For those who wish a long- 
lasting flower and a plant which succeeds well on a 
dry soil, this dwarf and bushy, wiry stemmed plant 
with Daisy-like flowers of a brilliant deep yellow 
colour may be put before them with respect. It is a 
real good hardy plant. 
Coronilla varia.—Almost like a Galega, bushy, 
slightly different in foliage and habit, is this remark¬ 
ably fine plant. It requires to be grown upon some 
support, such as pea sticks, whence it branches 
freely and forms bushy, round formed plants, having 
literally loads of pinky-mauve racemes. On good 
soil this is a plant worth the having, and one, the 
like of which there are few.— Beacon. 
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 tot> of their letters. 
Soot for Onions, &c— W. Ewart: Soot contains 
ammonia, carbon, and also some other ingredients 
in small quantity. It is sown at the rate of forty to 
sixty bushels per acre, or one peck to one and a half 
pecks per rod. It should be applied and hoed-in ; 
the addition of lime helps to retain the ammoaia. 
Common salt is slightly advantageous to Turnips, 
Cabbages, &c., at the rate of 2 ozs. per square yard. 
Judging Cottage Gardens and Allotments.— 
J. R. : The merits of the gardens, not their size, 
ought more especially to be accounted. Judging is 
usually done by points, ten usually being a maxi¬ 
mum. Vegetables as follows:—Peas, Beans, 
Cabbages, Winter Greens, Onions, Turnips, 
Marrows, and Rhubarb receive eight marks each. 
Hardy fruits the same, but Potatos receive ten 
marks, as being the most important of cottage 
garden crops. The greater the variety of vegetables 
well grown the higher the points. 
American Blight on Fruit Trees.— L. T. S. : At 
this time of year use spirits of wine. 
Pruning Ivy.— Jas. Wells : The present is 
decidedly a bad time of year to prune Ivy. If you 
wish to cut it in, do so just before growth starts in 
spring. 
Crambe orientalis.— L. M. : The plant you 
mentioned may readily be raised from seeds sown in 
pans about the beginning of the year, the young 
plants being planted out later in the year. A sunny 
position and a deep sandy soil suits it well. For 
planting in open wood-glades it is serviceable. 
Wall Yine.— S. Wanner : To aid the bunches now 
most advanced, cut away a few, not many, of the 
shoots surrounding them. Shorten or pinch the 
stem upon which the bunch that you leave grows. 
Nail the shoot somewhat close to the wall for 
the sake of obtaining all the reflected heat possible. 
Thin the berries as soon as they are the size of very 
small Peas. Keep the plants syringed early morn¬ 
ing and evening. Crops for various uses, princi¬ 
pally wine-making, can be got from open air Vines 
on walls. Mulch and water the roots well. 
Vegetable Marrows in Boxes.— Groom Gardener : 
As a rule Vegetable Marrows like as much room as 
possible, both for the development of their roots and 
stems. In fact, the place they are frequently planted 
on, is either a manure heap or a leaf mould bing. 
We have seen them grown in large boxes, but to be 
successful they require a great deal of rich top¬ 
dressing and heavy liquid manure feeding. From 
lack of this your plants have no doubt suffered, 
hence the dropping of the blooms. 
Is Clematis coccinea Hardy ?— L. : We have seen 
it grown on open walls in the south. Unless your 
garden is exceptionally well situated and sheltered 
