April 11, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
321 
The Pruning and Transplanting of Hardy 
Bamboos. 
The most favourable period of the year is fast approaching 
for the pruning and transplanting of hardy Bamboos, and a 
few words on the subject may not be out of place. From the 
rapid way in which Bamboos grow when under congenial condi¬ 
tions it would be inferred that transplanting could be done at 
almost any time with good results ; such, however, is not the 
case, and a very great difference exists between a Bamboo that 
lias been transplanted at the right time and one transplanted 
at the wrong time. The very best time of the year to trans¬ 
plant Bamboos is during May, when growth is active and the 
young culms are growing fast. If the plants are moved care¬ 
fully when in this condition they suffer very little and continue 
to grow satisfactorily. If, on the other hand, Bamboos are 
transplanted in winter when at rest it is quite likely that they 
will remain shabby and make very little progress for at least 
a year ; partioi larly is this the case when the roots are dis¬ 
turbed much. If the clumps to be transplanted are small, little 
difficulty will be experienced, as they can easily be transferred 
from one position to another on a mat, a good ball of soil beino- 
removed with the plant. Large specimens are more difficult 
to deal with. If a specimen is to be broken up, it can verv 
readily be divided up into pieces as large as are required 
during the process of lifting; if, however, the specimen is to 
be removed whole, more trouble must necessarily be taken, 
lirst, the plant should have all its branches tied together, afte. 
which the soil should be taken out for a distance of 18 in. all 
round the ball, the latter being in accordance with the size of 
the plant. \\ hen this is done a tunnel should be made beneath 
the plant through the centre of the ball, wide enough to admit 
of two planks 11 in. wide and 3^ in. thick being planted 
through the-centre. When this is done, the plant should be 
tilted up by lifting the plants at one end. Other planks should 
be placed beneath the centre two, on which rollers can be used. 
The plant may then be run up the planks on to a trolley and 
transferred to its fresh quarters. When placing in the fresh 
hole a central channel 6 in. deep must be made, into which 
the central planks will drop ; this will facilitate their removal. 
After the. planks are taken out, this channel must be packed up 
hrmly with soil to prevent sinking. After transplanting, a 
good watering must be given, and a top-dressing of leaves or 
manure will be of service. 
Pruning is also best done in May, though this is not so 
important; and a few species which require cutting down 
a together are better done in April. Many species have a ten- 
encj to become very thick if not pruned, and these should 
ie taken in hand annually. When pruning, it is not advisable 
to shorten the shoots, but to cut the oldest right out. The 
number of shoots to cut out must, of course, be left to the 
isolation of the operator. Some of the dwarf species, such 
as rundinaria pygmaea and A. A'eitchii, are improved by 
■ring movn down to the ground every alternate year. If this 
i is one early in April they are green over again by the end 
0 - ay, and present a much better appearance than if a lot 
'it old branches were left in. 
May is also a^good time to propagate Bamboos. This may 
4 • ? ne ^ ’b^i^'gn °f the clumps or by the removal of rhizomes 
nc i are wandering aw'av from the clump. If the pieces taken 
t We roo, t ed they may be planted in nursery quarters ; 
! , not weU footed they should be pot ted up-and kept in a 
i 0Se 10ruse un th root action has begun and new' leaves have 
for n - llaC 6 • though it is advisable to get good strong pieces 
P^pupating purposes, it. is not essential, for quite small 
tn yn''V 1 a , ® r00 ^’ F^l Irt'ow, though they take much longer 
f, 6 ^ 0CK P^ts. Some few can be increased by cuttings, 
in n J 6 S emS °^. some > if laid down on a bed of cocoanut fibre 
,,, , f°m CaSe ’ ::, i11 throw shoots from the dormant, buds which 
Bamlrl-, 1 ^ !f adl ly. This is the case with Arundinarias and 
work 1 i 61 - i lan PhyUostachys. Needless to say for this 
rn-onJT°* S dormant buds must be selected. ‘ In the 
can Vm ° am boos as we H as in the planting, leaf-mould 
- 66 y U8ed ’ as it forms a rooting medium to which they 
are very partial. 
W. Dalliuore. 
New or Interesting Plants. 
Orchis Longibracteata. 
Many of the species of Orchis are showy and interesting for 
their bright colours, but that could hardly be applied to the 
one under notice, which reached Kew quite recently from Max 
Leichtlin, who obtained it from Sicily'. Tire flowers of this 
species are by no means conspicuous, however, having greenish 
sepals and petals, and a lip tinted with brown. The most im¬ 
portant feature of the flower is its delicious fragrance, resem¬ 
bling that of Lily of the Valley r . The plant remained in bloom 
for some -weeks. 
A Hybrid Freesia 
A short time ago an interesting Freesia might have been 
seen in the T range at Kew, amongst other species and varieties 
in bloom at the same time. The seed parent was F. refracta 
Dendrobium luteolum. 
Leichtlinii and the pollen bearer, F. rosea. The result wms a 
flower with a bright yellow tube, an orange throat, and yellow 
markings. The segments themselves were shaded with rose. 
The results can scarcely be described as very conspicuous or 
attractive, but those who obtain these should not. stay their 
hand with the first cross, but proceed with the work in order 
to encourage the evolution of larger flowers and better colours. 
Eranthis cilicica. 
At first sight this closely' resembles the ordinary E. hyemalis, 
but the involucral leaves are much more numerous, a fact that 
may be due simply to the fission of the primary ones. The 
principal segments of this involucre numbers from eight to 
twelve, but these are again divided into linear segments. The 
sepals are. golden, yellow, and similar to the better-known 
winter Aconite. It is a native of Asia Minor, and appeared in 
this country about ten years ago, but. very few people have 
y r et had the opportunity' of growing it. 
