704 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 29, 1901. 
Paeonies.—Last week I dealt with the Rose, this 
week I do not think I can do better than start with 
a few words on a flower that bids fair to rival the 
Rose in colour and scent, but of course not in form 
It is the Paeony I refer to, one of the most old- 
fashioned of garden flowers ; but now that such 
strides have been made in its improvement it is be¬ 
coming a most popular garden subject, and is much 
in evidence at the flower shows held at this time of 
the year. At one time the Paeony was used for 
medicinal purposes, and to this it owes its name, 
from Paeon, a great physician. It is a name that is 
used in a good many forms by many people, and very 
often it is known as Piony ; the proper way to spell it 
is Paeony. With very few exceptions they are per¬ 
fectly hardy, being natives of Norih-West America, 
Siberia, China, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and 
Europe. They are divided into two distinct groups ; 
one is herbaceous, that is it dies down every year 
and sends up fresh flowering shoots every spring, the 
other is a half shrubby one and does not die down in 
winter, this latter one being known as the Moutanor 
Tree Paeony. 
The Tree Paeonies are a very beautiful class, but 
they have one very bad fault, and that is a strong 
tendency to burst their buds too early in the season, 
with the result that the tender young shoots too 
often fall a prey to spring frosts. They have a 
greater tendency to do this in the south than 
they have farther up the country. Tree Paeonies 
are too often encouraged to do this and are killed by 
kindness by keeping them too warm in winter. They 
will not suffer from cold so long as the buds remain 
dormant, but like many other hardy plants, if kept 
too sheltered in the winter they start to grow on the 
first advance of warm weather, which is so often 
followed in this country by cutting frosts towards 
morning, especially in low lying districts. Ore thing 
they delight in and must have, if success is to be 
obtained, and that is a rich deep soil, one with plenty 
of rotten manure incorporated with it. Provided 
with a good soil and plenty of moisture they are no 
more trouble, and will grow freely with very little 
attention. The lightest positions possible should be 
chosen for the Moutan type, as they then have a 
better chance of more thoroughly ripening the wood, 
and like all other plants, the better the wood is 
ripened the better the quality of the blooms will be. 
Although a light position is desirable for them they 
should by no means be planted in a too exposed 
place or they will suffer from the effects of the wind, 
which often proves very destructive to these flowers. 
Propagation.—The herbaceous kinds are easily 
propagated by division of the clumps when they are 
dormant, but this should only be done when abso¬ 
lutely necessary as they are very impatient of root 
interference and often tesent it by remaining 
for the next season in a miserably weak state. The 
Moutans are more difficult to deal with, and unless 
the amateur has had considerable experience it would 
not be wise for him to attempt it ; it is accomplished 
by grafting pieces on to the woody root shoots of the 
herbaceous kinds, P. officinalis generally being used as 
the stock. There is no class of flower to surpass them 
for the number of different shades of red which they 
produce, they may be had from the most delicate 
pink to the deepest of rich crimson. Of course the 
single form is the form true to Nature, but as in in¬ 
numerable other instances when grown under culti¬ 
vation doubling often takes place by what is known 
as petalody, that is, stamens are metamorphosed 
into small petals and thus fill up the centre of the 
bloom. 
Poppies.—The common field Poppy is passed un¬ 
noticed by the majority of British people because it 
is found so plentifully ; but no flower in the British 
flora can come near it in point of brilliance of colour, 
and the same may be said of its sisters, especially 
the Oriental Poppies, which have been making such 
a blaze of colour in most big gardens. It is a 
flower that ought to be in the garden of every 
amateur as well as professional, as when in bloom 
nothing makes a more striking plant in the flower 
borders Like the Poppy of the cornfield they are 
no trouble to grow, and if provided with a sandy 
loam they will grow as freely as weeds. They pro¬ 
pagate easily from seeds or by division, and prove as 
hardy as any plants on the border. The tiny Ice¬ 
land Poppy is found growing farther north than any 
other flower and produces its brilliant flowers in 
districts which are for the greater part of the year 
bound in ice and snow. It forms a most graceful 
subject for cutting, for which purpose it is largely 
grown, and for decorating the rockery it proves most 
suitable. It is safe to say that no flower in the 
garden will produce such an amount of bloom with 
so little attention as the small Poppies, especially the 
pretty Shirley strain, which is the result of selection 
from seedling variations of the common field species. 
The colours are pure and varied, and from a small 
id. packet of seed an astonishing number of shades 
may be obtained. When once established on a 
piece of good light ground they are no more trouble, 
and although they are annuals they do not even require 
sowing again as they seed so freely and come up in 
abundance. If thinned, they prove much better 
plants and produce many more flowers than if they 
were left to themselves, and the strongest allowed to 
Overgrow the weak. 
Pansies.—These old favourite shave been neglected 
somewhat of late, but they still have many enthusi¬ 
astic cultivators, and they deserve to have, for they 
are almost indispensable where a show of dwarf 
flowers is required. Named sorts are perhaps ex¬ 
pensive, but this need not deter anyone from culti¬ 
vating the beautiful " Heartsease,” for with a packet 
of seed and a little careful management blooms can 
be obtained which, to all but a specialist, are equal 
to the named varieties, and I will venture to say 
very often superior. For planting out in the spring 
the seeds ought to be sown in pans of light soil about 
September. If they are required for planting out in 
the autumn they should be sown in May or not later 
than the middle of June. When once a stock has 
been obtained, the poor varieties may be weeded out 
and the others renewed as they require it by young 
plants taken as cuttings, by which method Pansies 
propagate freely. If propagation by cuttings is 
resorted to they should be taken towards the end of 
the summer and inserted in light sandy soil either on 
a sheltered border or in a cold frame and protected 
from the sun. The Pansy has the advantage over 
.many other popular flowers in being able to thrive in 
a variety of soils. To grow good Pansies fit for 
exhibition, the soil must be rich. A good compost 
is made from fibrous meadow loam and cow dung 
with plenty of sharp sand added. They require to 
be cool at the root, and perhaps it is for this reason 
that they do much batter in north Britain than in 
the southern counties. When watering them always 
give a good soaking so that it runs down deeply into 
the soil, for if they are only sprinkled the roots will 
be encouraged to come to the surface, where, in 
addition to suffering from heat, they are very liable to 
injury by becoming too dry. If blooms for show are 
desired the shoots must be limited to five or six, and 
the blooms kept pinched off until they are wanted for 
the show-board. If they are grown in a position 
where the sun shines on them during the middle of 
the day, they should be afforded some slight pro¬ 
tection on very bright days, such as a piece of muslin 
or a few leafy branches. 
Saxifraga Cotyledon.—This plant has been seen 
much in the flower markets this season, and seems 
to have a ready sale. It is very easy to grow, and 
makes a very pretty picture at this time of the year. 
It is a remarkably free flowerer and, with the aid of 
a greenhouse, is very easy to grow. It often grows 
when in a good condition to 2 ft. in height. The 
culture is very simple, as it grows without any 
trouble if supplied with a light soil and not too 
wet. It is an alpine, and like all plants hailing from 
there requires plenty of light and not too much heat 
It was introduced to this country in 1596, so it is 
quite an old acquaintance. Saxifraga pyramidalis 
and S. nepalensis are only robust forms of this 
species, although they are often classed as 
distinct. 
Saxifraga sarmentosa —This is known under a 
variety of names, such as Wandering Jew, Creeping 
Sailor, Mother of Thousands, Aaron's Beard, Old 
Man's Beard, &c. I cannot say anything about its 
requirements, as it will grow almost anywhere if 
given ordinary treatment. I only mention it to 
remind readers of these columns that it is a plant 
worth growing, and proves a very useful one for 
small window baskets where it always looks pretty 
with its long trailing shoots and profusion of flowers 
when in season. The runners will root on anything 
if it is moist, and, of course, it is by these that the 
plant is best multiplied. 
Cimicifuga.—This is another good plant for the 
amateur's garden, especially in a rockery corner 
where its tall, graceful spikes make a pretty picture 
during the summer. It is easily raised from seeds 
or by divisions of the root. The seeds must be sown 
as soon as they are ripe in a sheltered spot. The 
plant is often known as the Bugwort, its name, no 
doubt, accounting for that, as it is derived from cimex, 
a bug, and fugo, to drive away, a virtue it is said to 
possess. It delights in a moist position, and always 
does best when partially shaded. 
Dahlias.—I must just give another reminder 
to those who have youDg plants of these growing 
vigorously, that if they do not seem inclined to 
break freely they should be forced to do so by pinch¬ 
ing off the top ; this is the only way to ensure a good 
bush of bloom, and a plant of good shape. Be sure 
they do not suffer from drought cr the buds will be 
deformed, and remember if they have not had the 
soil in which they are planted recently enriched with 
manure they will require frequent waterings with 
liquid manure during the growing season as they are 
gross feeders.— Hortus. 
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. 
When to Plant Herbaceous Plants. — House: Of 
course the spring or autumn is the best time to 
transplant these, but if you are leaving your garden 
you can lift your plants, cut them down somewhat 
and then plant them in your new garden. If you 
supply them with plenty of water and good soil they 
ought to get well established and be benefited by 
the shift by the next season. If you could make 
arrangements to leave them where they are until the 
autumn they would not suffer so much, if any then, 
by being removed. 
Calochortus.— O.K. : It would not be the cold 
that killed your bulbs as the last winter was not at 
all severe. Perhaps it was the wet, as they often go 
off during the resting season if too wet. It is from this 
that you should endeavour to protect them, not from 
cold. 
Caterpillars.— Cabbage : The Caterpillars of the 
large white Cabbage butterfly (Pieris Brassicae) have 
various colours at their different stages. When they are 
very young they are green in front and yellow 
behind ; as they get older they get hairy and dotted 
with black; when full grown they are about ij in. 
long, green above and yellow underneath. Along 
the middle of the back is a yellow line edged with 
black spots. During growth it changes its skin 
several times. 
Primula Kewensis.— Grower: This beautiful new 
hybrid Primula only requires ordinary greenhouse 
treatment, and the treatment which is afforded to 
either of its parents will suit it admirably. The 
parents are Primula floribunda, the showy little 
dwarf yellow Primula of our greenhouses, and P. 
verticillata, the Abyssinian Primrose. 
Streptocaipi for Cutting.— F.: We have seen 
these flowers used extensively for cutting, and they 
seem to last well. Whether for cutting or house 
decoration the numerous beautifully coloured hybrids 
which have been brought out recently are valuable 
subjects, as they produce their blooms so freely and 
flower for such a long period. 
Pitcher Plants .—Greenhouse : It is impossible for 
you to grow Nepenthes unless you possess a hot 
glasshouse where they can have plenty of heat and a 
saturated atmosphere. Sarracenias are better suited 
to your requirements, and will thrive in a light 
greenhouse if they are provided with a close atmo¬ 
sphere and plenty of heat when they are throwing up 
their new pitchers. The flowers which are produced 
early in the year are very handsome and curious. 
Amaryllis.— S. S .: It is a great mistake to let 
your plant dry off as soon as it has finished bloom- 
