312 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 12, 1901. 
INTS FOR mMATEURS. 
Dahlias.—The time is comiDg round again when 
the tubers will be boxed amongst leaf mould to 
secure cuttings from. In the meantime they should 
be taken good care of, so that neither dampness nor 
too great dryness may affect them. The improved 
varieties of Cactus ard single Cactus Dahlias are 
mostly in demand. Such good sorts as Starfish, 
Mrs. J. J. Crowe, Island Queen, Magnificent, Mayor 
Tuppenay, Lucius, Uncle Tom, Capstan, Keynes’ 
White, Harry Stredwick, Red Rover, Matchless, 
Radiance, Octopus and Stella, furnish a list of diver¬ 
sified first-rate sorts. It is not generally known that 
Dahlias can be raised successfully from seeds. 
These may be sown in the usual way, in pans under 
glass, about the middle of February, and will flower 
toward autumn. The method does not improve 
upon the system of cuttings, but there is perhaps more 
interest attached to the work, and this, of itself, 
should find favour with amateur gardeners. 
Hardy and Half Hardy Annuals. — The treat¬ 
ment for hardy annuals is practically the same in all 
cases. The seeds may be sown in the open borders 
or grounds any time after the middle of April, and 
certainly early in May, when the soil is moderately 
dry and beginning to get warmed. Or they may be 
forwarded in boxes by sowing earlier, say March, 
and allowing them the benefit of a warm greenhouse. 
When they bave been transplanted, the young stock 
after developing to a decent size may be planted 
out. 
Among the lesser known hardy and half-hardy 
annuals I would mention the following . — Loasa 
aurantiaca, a plant with a climbing habit bearing 
many very curiously formed, brick-red flowers; 
Argemone grandlflora or Prickly Poppy, which is 
attractive with its white flowers and glaucous 
foliage ; Bartonia aurea, a very showy dwarf annual ; 
Callirhoe digitata, a small plant suitable for 
rockeries, but which is only half hardy. The new 
strains and varieties of Candytufts might be made 
more of. The Indian Hemp, Cannabis indica, 
affords us an ornamental foliage plant for the sub¬ 
tropical garden. Then the Giant Sweet Sultans that 
have been la ely enormously developed are worthy 
of more extended culture. The Clarkias are also 
very beautiful, especially C. elegans alba, C. pul- 
chella, C. elegans Purple King, Salmon Queen and 
White Prince, C minima hlacina and others. Then 
again, both for a light, much-divided foliage annual, 
having in addition splendid lilac-mauve flowers like 
those of a Dahlia, what is there to surpass Cosmos 
bipinnatus ? No praise is too great for this stately 
hardy annual. Cuphea platycentra is a showy and 
profusely flowered dwarf perennial much used in 
London parks as an edging to beds. The blue, 
purple, rose and pink coloured annual Cornflowers 
are worth their place in the most select gardens, and 
few things are more suitable for the amateur, either 
for cut flowers or garden decoration. Love-in-a- 
Mist or Nigella (also called Devil-in-a-Bush) is more 
deserving of notice than what it receives; and so 
with the newer strain of dwarf annual Larkspurs 
that do well on any soil, and enliven the borders 
everywhere. Erysimum perowskianum is one of the 
brightest of the hardy annuals and blooms very 
freely. These are but a few of the finer border 
plants worthy of being included in all seed orders; 
others will be taken notice of next week. 
Planting of all classes of fruit trees and bushes, 
Roses, hardy climbers and shrubs may still be pro¬ 
ceeded with. Lawns for sowing should be levelled 
and prepared. The sowing may be done in March. 
Dull shrubberies could be greatly enlivened and 
improved by deleting some of the commoner and less 
worthy subjects that at present compose them, and 
placing in their stead some of the shrubs that have 
been recommended recently in these pages. There 
are plenty with beautifully coloured foliage for 
winter, and bright leaves or flowers for summer; 
these should be considered. The hardy herbaceous 
border can have additions made to it, although the 
present is a less suitable time than six weeks ago, 
when the Asters were in flower and the various 
heights, &c , of the autumn flowers gave one an idea 
of how to arrange the border to greatest effective¬ 
ness. The presence of bulbs in the herbaceous 
plant borders prevents one from doing much planting 
until they have appeared in spring. 
Work for January. — By the middle of the 
month the early preparations are being made for 
seed sowing; the orders ought, therefore, to be made 
out as soon as possible. 
Hollyhocks.—People nowadays grow many more 
things as annuals than they did in the days gone by. 
The Hollyhock is an example. Possibly it was the 
awful disease which blighted and scourged the Holly¬ 
hock about twenty [years ago that has caused the 
growers to frequently change their stock, but the 
fact that they can be easily and surely raised from 
seeds is a point in favour of this practice. Very 
distinct and good varieties should be propagated 
from cuttings, as seedlings are always more liable to 
vary. Seeds can be sown now in pans. When the 
seedlings have appeared prick them off into other 
pans or boxes. The plants may be potted up a little 
later, and should be grown on in a cool house till 
they are hardened off for planting early in April. 
They enjoy a warm, sunny border, as light and rich 
as possible, but really any good garden soil will suit 
them. When the plants die down toward the end of 
autumn the " crowns ” may be protected by cover¬ 
ing around them with leaf mould. Where old plants 
exist at the present time a few cuttings may be 
struck. I do not advise any coddling system, as 
that was the ruin of the plants by being weakened, 
and so were thrown open to the disease which caused 
the destruction of nearly all these stately old- 
fashioned plants throughout Europe at the time I 
just lately mentioned. Yet at the same time a bottom 
heat of 63° to 65^ until the plants are struck and 
established is advisable. After this give them the 
cold treatment in cool houses or frames to ensure 
sturdy plants. The plants will require tall stout stakes 
when they have developed to half their height, and 
they grow 6 ft. to S ft. high I am very fond of the 
old Hollyhock (Althaea rosea), the parent species of 
the many grand and handsome varieties of the pres¬ 
ent day. This old friend, however, bas single 
flowers. It may be useful to remark that the Holly¬ 
hock disease has in most cases been stamped out. 
Perfectly clean cuttings and seeds (for disease is 
said to be transmitted even by seeds) can now 
be obtained from the nurserymen who make a 
speciality of hardy plants. Holly Hoke is an old- 
fashioned method of spelling tbe popular name. The 
plant was one of the earliest th t found their way to 
England from China,where so many of our beautiful 
hardy plants and shrubs hail from. This was in the 
year 1573. 
Petunias.—The Petunia is almost an instance of a 
neglected plant—a beautiful flowering plant left un¬ 
appreciated. I say almost, for it does find some 
amount of attention. It is one of the finest of the 
annual plants, and as such is largely used in bed¬ 
ding, but that is not really culture. The charmingly 
sweet, double pink, and white varieties are very 
attractive, and fitted to give a great deal of pleasure 
to any flower-lover who has a small greenhouse A 
sowing may be made now to furnish indoor plants. 
They must be carefully watched after they have 
germinated, and should as soon as possible be 
pricked off into pans filled with turfy soil, having 
one part each of sand and leaf mould. When they 
have become well rooted in the pans, and bave made 
ample foliage lift them carefully, and pot them into 
5-in. pots, after which they should be grown in a 
house with a temperature ranging from 55 0 to 6o° or 
62°. The air should be moistened. Avoid draughts, 
and allow the plants as much light as can be had, 
which means a place on one of the shelves near the 
glass. Stake the plants neatly, and no pinching 
should be necessary if the plants are grown firmly. 
Still, it is the worst practice imaginable to allow the 
plants to become leggy or straggling. When well 
treated, and if the seeds or cuttings are from a good 
strain, nice floriferous plants should only be 15 in. to 
18 in. high, and bearing large blooms. I prefer the 
double varieties to the singles, as the latter seem so 
ephemeral and unsubstantial? and nowadays we 
must have substance with grace and beauty. The 
double mixed selection might be tried, and it will 
certainly give a great deal of interest to raise and 
tend them. The double fringed Petunias, with the 
Grandiflora type of the singles, are specially good 
for pot work. Messrs. Carter & Co. and Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons seem to specialise Petunias rather 
more than other firms. 
Amaryllis may be got out now for potting up. 
After potting in a compost of thoroughly sound 
loam, leaf soil, and coarse sand, place the bulbs in a 
house with a temperature of 6o° as a minimum. Do 
not subject them to a dry atmosphere, and, indeed, 
the lers forced they are the better. 
Achimenes may also be brought out and prepared 
for an early start. 
Gloxinias are never wearisome. A few sowings 
from now onward will provide a succession of 
batches. The best of the rested crowns or tubers 
may be potted up and started at the end of the 
month. 
Greenhouse Cinerarias should be grown quite 
ccol. Many of them have already come into bloom. 
A little feeding with Canary Guano or Clay’s Fer¬ 
tiliser is advisable where the plants are not yet fully 
developed. 
Cannas may either be sown now or the old tuber¬ 
ous roots may be potted up, starting in an inter¬ 
mediate house. Where seeds are to be sown it will 
be necessary to steep them for ten hours in water. 
Their testa or skin is so thick and hard that it re¬ 
quires this length of lime. 
Grevillea robusta seeds may be sown now, or the 
plants may be propagated from cuttings. Seeds 
take a very long while to germinate, and they come 
very irregularly. Fuchsias may also be pruned and 
started.— Beacult. 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs oh 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. 
Hippeastrums. — L. R. T. : Allow the bulbs to rest 
till the end of January, when they may be potted 
up. Good bulbs are being offered now by bulb 
merchants, but where any bulbs are turned out of the 
soil or the pots in whkh they have been growing 
they should be placed in cocoacut fibre. There is 
no gaiD in turning them out of the old soil until they 
are about to be potted. 
Gold Ferns Damping.— J. T. L .: Gold and silver¬ 
leaved Ferns are at all times liable to damp off from 
the nature of them. They should ne^er at any time 
be dewed or syringed, and at this season the least 
possible amount of moisture should be sprinkled 
about where they are placed. They may also be kept 
on the dry side until the time they are top-dressed 
in spring. The ba ket treatment answers perfectly 
well. 
Making an Indoor Rockery.— K. Johnstone ; 
Elaborate rockwork or grottos require the presence 
of skilled artisans who work in this special line. 
But if you only wish to make a small rockery such 
as one finds where two span-roofed houses are 
separated internally by only one partition, and which 
is constructed at the side of tbe central path where 
the stage would be, then this is an easy matter to 
arrange. An iron grating should be laid down "first 
1 ft. above the hot water pipes. Over this spread 
stout turves, and immediately proceed to fix up a 
few of the larger stones. All along the front an iron 
bar something like a length of railway line should uo 
securely fixed as a substantial edging. The smaller 
stones for the edge could then be placed into position 
in such a way as not to appear too formal. The 
work of fixing in the large stones, and of filling in 
good soil, and then smaller sized stone c , leaving 
pockets for Dracaenas, Ferns, Sansevieras, Ficus, 
Strobilanthes, Saintpaulia ionantba, Heliconias, 
Marantas, &c., should be completed. The larger 
stones can be put in so as to support each other, or 
they can be fupported by smaller ones around them. 
By planting surface creeping plants, the rockery will 
present an effective appearance in tho first few 
months. It must not be made steep else there will 
be no chance of top-dressing it afterwards, nor of 
watering it properly. 
Gooseberry Planting.— A. S. : Plant now in 
deeply dug and well enriched ground. Gooseberries 
like an open situation. Allow the bushes 4^ ft. from 
each other. 
To make an Edging-Bridge — Arthur-. The 
edging-bridge to save the boxwood and other kinds 
of edging in gardens, must be made of stout planks, 
which should be fitted together with a middle leg. 
The gradient, however, must be easy to mount. Deal 
boards about 3 in. in thickness, and from ijft. to 2ft. 
