508 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 6, 1901. 
Hints for Amateurs. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
To a great extent the flower garden is ruled by 
fashion, and, following her dictation, it has been 
through a great many varying phases during the 
past fifty years. At one time there was a rage for 
straight lines and violent contrasts, and some people 
were so enthusiastic in their art (?) that they went 
so far as to insert coloured stones, &c., in the beds 
to heighten the effects. Fortunately, this extreme 
did not last long, and gave place to mass-bedding 
and carpet designs, both of which at the present day 
are beginning to be looked upon as vulgar. The 
method fashion chooses now is the natural style of 
arrangement. The master of art she has set herself 
to copy is certain never to lead her astray, and if 
she copies with any degree of accuracy, the effect in 
the garden is bound to be charming, and the eyes 
are not likely to be again wearied with masses of 
scarlet Pelargoniums bordered by a band of yellow 
Pyrethrum, with a fringe of blue Lobelia to set 
it off. 
Herbaceous Plants and Annuals are the class 
of plants called upon now to fill our flower gardens 
generally, and for an effective display from early 
spring to late autumn cannot be surpassed. It is 
with the latter that I am going to deal this week, 
as it is from these that the amateur generally makes 
his selection for his garden. The term annual 
denotes that the plants produce their flowers and 
seeds but once and then die. Many plants do not 
produce their flowers until the second year and then 
die. These are known as biennials, and are very 
liable to get confused with annuals as they often 
produce their flowers the first year when grown 
under cultivation ; but this should never be encour¬ 
aged as the flowers are never so good as when pro¬ 
duced on the fully matured two-year-old growth. 
The great fault found by most people with annuals 
is the shortness of their flowering period, but this 
can be greatly lengthened by judicious treatment. 
On no account must they be crowded together, as 
they are thus weakened by the struggle for life. 
Another thing that tends to exhaust the plants is 
allowing the seed vessels to remain on after the 
flower is dead, as it is into these that the plant will 
throw all its energy when allowed to remain. If the 
ground on which they are to bloom has not been 
prepared during the winter, it should have immediate 
attention. If the soil is of a heavy, retentive nature 
it should have a good dressing of dung. If it is 
not desirable to add more dung, the sweepings 
from roads serve well to open the soil and make it 
better adapted for plant culture. The ground in 
which annuals are grown should be, if possible, very 
friable, as their roots are fibrous and, in the case of 
many plants, very delicate. 
Frequent Waterings, also, will be found to be 
beneficial, as they are mostly surface rooting and 
soon feel the effects of drought. It is in watering 
that the greatest errors in the flower garden are to 
be found. Too often a few minutes are spent in 
damping the surface, which is a waste of time ; for 
if the ground is examined, it will be seen that not a 
drain of the water has reached the roots and only 
serves to cake the surface. What is required in dry 
weather is a thoroughly good soakiog about twice a 
week. Even in very small flower gardens this takes 
more time to do properly than is at first thought 
The aid of a small hose-pipe where the water is laid 
on is invaluble, but great care must be exercised in 
its manipulation or damage from swilling will be the 
result. 
Hoeing.—If the surface of the soil is gently moved 
with a Dutch hoe at intervals, it will prove a great 
check to evaporation and give a very tidy appear¬ 
ance. The Dutch hoe must be used very carefully 
though or the damage done will eclipse the good 
gained. 
Slugs, Snails, Earwigs.—Another thing that 
must never be neglected, if a good display of plants 
is required, is to diligently hunt for slugs and snails. 
The best time to find them is in the evening after 
watering. Wherever there are sigDs of their having 
paid a plant a visit during the night, a flower-pot 
with a wisp of hay in it should be placed on the 
spot; then it is very probable it will take refuge in 
this the next night, if not previously caught. 
\nother good remedy is to scatter soot on the soil 
amongst the plants. This is a very effective remedy, 
but proves somewhat unsightly. An insect that 
often causes wholesale devastation in the garden is 
the earwig. There are many ways of trapping them. 
The best is by laying about Bean haulms or Bamboo 
canes in the vicinity of plants which they attack ; in 
the morning these should all be gone over and blown 
through into a pail. 
In Sowing and Planting care should be taken 
that there is no crowding, or the whole effect will be 
lost. Each plant must be allowed room and not be 
crowded by the next. Care must be exercised in 
asigning the plants to their proper position in the 
bed, so that a small growing plant is not choked by 
its larger growing neighbour. When sowing the 
seeds in the places where they are to bloom, always 
sow a good few more than will be required, as this 
allows the weak plants to be thinned out and only 
the strongest retained. It is a good plan when small 
seeds are to be sown direct into the bed or border, to 
have some prepared soil, and in the patches where 
the sowings are to take place have a shovelful 
pitched in with a fork. It is a great saving of time 
when the seeds can thus be sown direct into their 
permanent quarters ; but it is not always conducive 
to the production of the best plants, for if the 
weather is cold and wet many damp off, and the 
others remain for a long time in that small state in 
which they so readily fall victims to vermin. 
Frames for Seeds and Plants.—If anyone has a 
small frame he should raise as many as possible of 
his plants in shallow boxes. It is much better to 
have two frames, one for raising the seedling and the 
other for hardening them off. The temperature of 
the seed frame should be about 6o° at night, rising to 
70° or 75 q in the day. Sufficient heat 'to maintain 
this temperature at this time of the year is easily 
obtained from a small hotbed of stable dung. Care 
must be taken that the steam from the dung does not 
get into the frame, or the result will be fatal to the 
plants. When the frame is stood on the heap it is 
best to put a layer of soil inside about 3 in. deep, and 
on this sprinkle a few handfuls of lime and soot to 
keep down the worms, &c. The soil for the boxes 
should be well sifted and of a very light nature The 
boxes should be very shallow—about 2^ in. is quite 
sufficient. In the bottom should be put a thin layer 
of crocks or small gravel to act as drainage. The 
seeds should not be sown in drills as is often done, 
but thinly scattered over the surface, and then just 
enough soil sifted over to cover them. As soon as 
the plants are large enough to handle they must be 
pricked off into other boxes and taken to the cool 
frame where they must be kept close to the glass to 
prevent them becoming drawn. As they harden off 
abundance of air may be given, and if the weather is 
favourable many may be put outside altogether, and 
afforded protection at night by a piece of canvas or 
any other available substance. By the middle of 
May most of them may be put into their final posi¬ 
tions ; but this depends on the season, the aspect of 
the garden, and in what part of the country it is 
situated. 
Gourds.—A very good effect may be produced by 
several Eastern Gourds growing up poles. They 
are easily grown if a little well decayed manure is 
put round their roots. The Cucurbita genus is best, 
and if raised easily produce an artistic display of 
fruits. 
Sundry Annuals and Perennials.—Antirrhinums 
(Snapdragons) produce a very good show of flowers 
if sown early, though this is not an annual. A dwarf 
plant that produces abundance of striking flowers all 
through the summer is Brachycome iberidifolia. For 
a depth of blue no flower can surpass Centaurea 
Cyanus, known commonly as the Cornflower. It is 
perfectly hardy, and can be sown at intervals so as 
to keep up a succession. Gaillardia picta is not an 
annual, but if sown in a little heat it flowers the first 
year. 
The Gilias are a pretty genus of plants, which do 
not require to be raised in heat. Grammanthes is a 
genus of dwarf plants with scarlet and yellow flowers, 
and very suitable for a rockery. Lobelia cardinalis 
and others of that class require a gentle heat and 
great care in pricking off, or the plants will damp. 
Lupinus is a genus of plants that are easily cultivated, 
and do not require artificial heat to germinate. 
They have been hybridised largely, and present a 
great diversity of colours. Space will not allow me 
to give more genera, but a nursery catalogue will 
supply all that is required in that direction.— F J. C. 
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. 
Double Wallflowers.— E. L. : The old varieties in 
cultivation are usually propagated from cuttings in a 
cold frame or under a handlight during the summer. 
There is, however, a strain of double German Wall¬ 
flowers which can be raised true to character from 
seeds, and may be sown thinly in boxes or seed 
pans, and transplanted into cold frames or into the 
open ground as soon as the seedlings have made a 
few leaves. If put directly into the open ground, 
the soil should be prepared by working some leaf 
mould into it or old potting bench soil to assist the 
young plants in taking a fresh hold. In showery 
weather this would be entirely unnecessary. On 
the other hand, if the plants are put Into a friable 
soil and watered every other day till fresh roots are 
pushed out, the seedlings may then be left to their 
own care 
Raising new Pyrethrums from Seed.— A. C. : 
By taking pollen from a variety which you admire 
and transferring it to the stigmas of the florets of 
another variety from which you expect to raise 
something good, you may succeed in obtaining seed 
which may be sown as soon as ripe in seed pans or 
pots stood under a handlight or in a frame kept 
close. The seedlings should be protected through 
the winter in the same way and frequently inspected 
for slugs, which are very fond of Pyrethrums. As a 
hobby this might furnish you with an interesting 
pastime; but as a commercial speculation there is 
nothing in it, unless you are fortunate enough to 
secure something strikingly new. You could, no 
doubt, raise many varieties fit for the decoration of 
your own garden, but so many have been raised 
that the difficulty of getting anything really new is 
very great. 
Ivies for Covering a Low Wall.— J. Wardley : 
The small-leaved varieties would be most suitable 
for your purpose, as they grow more slowly than the 
broad-leaved types, and appear more refined and 
neat in consequence. Amongst green-leaves varie¬ 
ties, you could plant Hedera Helix palmata, H. H. 
digitata, H. H. donerailensis, H. H. cuspidata 
minor, H. H. Emerald Green, H. H. conglomerata, 
H. H. lucida and H. H. gracilis. Very pretty 
variegated Ivies are H. H. marginata, H. H. mar- 
ginala aurea and H. H. marginata rubra. The last- 
named is a very pretty one, as the margins of the 
leaves assume a deep red hue in autumn and retain 
it till spring. You will be most likely to secure it 
by asking for H. H. elegantissima, under which it is 
grown in many nurseries and gardens. 
Watercress in Ordinary Garden Soil.— J. T. W.: 
It is possible to get fairly passable pickings of the 
Watercress in ordinary garden soil provided you 
adopt some means to make the plants fairly happy. 
For instance, you could not get good leaves from 
plants in dry soil and in fully exposed positions. If 
the plants grow at all they would be tough and rank 
in flavour. Select a position shaded behind a north 
wall, if possible, but not under the shade, the drip 
nor the influence of tree roots. Failing a wall you 
could devise some cheap screen which would keep 
the sun from falling upon the plants. Then mark 
off a bed, take out a portion of the soil so that the 
surface of the bed will be a little below the level, as 
it will be easier to keep it moist. Then dig in some 
well rotted cow manure and leaf mould in the bed, 
as these materials will serve to retain moisture. Sow 
the seeds thinly and water the ground frequently 
during warm and dry weather. 
A Carpet Bed of Hardy Plants.— T. R . : There 
are many subjects which, if neatly planted in well 
planned beds, would afford a considerable amount 
of satisfaction, not only during the summer, but 
practically all the year round. It is advisable to 
dig up and replant once a year, and spring is the 
best time. For making a dwarf green carpet you 
could use Herniaria glabra, Thymus Serpyllum, 
Leptinella dioica and Sedum lydium. The latter 
turns red in spring and more or less so at other 
times in cold weather. Gray or white plants for 
covering the ground would be Antennaria tomentosa 
