October 31. 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
905 
crowding be avoided, especially so from this time and on 
through the dull, dark days of winter. Apart from this, the 
real beauty of a plant is. lost when crowded. I am in favour 
of arranging the various kinds in batches as far as possible, 
as then each can be better treated, according to its require¬ 
ments, and the effect is as good, if not better, than when 
intermixed. Let each plant, of whatever kind, stand clear of 
its neighbour. Frequently arranging or turning the plants is 
of immense benefit in maintaining symmetry. In the con¬ 
servatory that is used entirely as a. show-house it is not always 
advisable or possible to carry out the system of massing each 
kind by itself; some people do not care for it, preferring a 
general arrangement for effect. K. M. 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
It is the general plan in many shrubberies to cultivate some 
annuals and perennials; in fact, this is the only place where 
many are enabled to grow them, and now that the majority of 
these have gone out of flower it will be advisable to clear them 
away without delay. This will afford one an opportunity of 
giving the shrubbery a thorough cleaning from weeds and] 
other rubbish, and if the ground is in a suitable condition the 
surface soil should be well stirred with the draw hoe. The 
commoner herbaceous plants can be split up, as these, if left tooi 
long without division, frequently become veiy large and prove 
harmful to the shrubs. The wet weather has seriously inter¬ 
fered with tire transplanting of trees and shrubs, especially on 
heavy land, but it will be advisable to postpone this work until 
the ground is in a more workable condition. To replant trees 
now that the ground is in. such a soddened condition is to prac¬ 
tically sign their death-warrant, and much harm will accrue 
by so doing. One may be able to do so on light sandy soil, 
but on that of a heavy texture all work of this kind is better 
left till a good dry spell sets in. 
Hoses, Honeysuckles, etc., growing on pillars in the 
shrubbery should have the final tie or nail in now ; also those 
growing on arches, trellis work, etc. Some of these are still 
carrying quantities of flower. The hybrid varieties of Clematis 
coecinea, such as Duchess of Albany, Countess of Onslow, and 
Grace Darling, are valuable for this purpose, and flower until 
late in the autumn. 
Some Varieties of Sambucus. —All the varieties of Elder- 
are valuable shrubs, not only on account of their diversity of 
form, but also because they will succeed in practically any soil, 
however poor, in almost any position, and require but little 
attention. 
The common Elder, Sambucus nigra is conspicuous when 
laden with its huge flat heads or cymes of white flowers, which 
are succeeded by numbers, of black, shining berries. Of this 
there are several noteworthy varieties, one of the most con¬ 
spicuous being S. nigra argenteo-variegata, which has silvery 
variegated leaves, and is by no means a strong grower. This 
is worthy of a place in the choice shrubbery. S. nigra foliis 
j aureis, with golden foliage, makes a conspicuous shrub for 
bedding, but. requires pruning hard down early in spring. For 
the same purpose the cut-leaved Elder, S. nigra laciniata., is 
also valuable, and should be subjected to the same treatment. 
There is also a white-berried form, S. nigra fructu alb©.. 
Another very common species is S. racemosa, which closely 
resembles S. nigra, except that the fruits are a. bright scarlet 
in colour, thus rendering it a desirable addition. Of this there 
is a cut-leaved variety named S. racemosa serratifolia,, and also 
i a golden form of the latter—S. r. serratifolia aurea—which is 
i ©specially valuable for massing purposes. A newer form is S. 
racemosa tenuifolia, which has very finely divided leaves, and, 
m addition, is quite a> dwarf grower. All the Sambucus may 
be readily propagated by inserting cuttings ; that is, dividing 
i U 'P Hie stems when the leaves have fallen, placing them fairly 
close together outside in a protected corner. 
The Golden Canadian Poplar (Populus monilifera aurea). 
—At the present, time there is perhaps no other tree which is 
more brightly coloured than this, and the effect produced by 
the golden foliage is very striking when, associated with others 
in the shrubbery. Grown a,s a, specimen tree with a 6 ft. to 
8 ft. stem it is of great value, whether used for forming an 
avenue or as single plants. When grown in this way the 
shoots of the current year should be pruned back to within 
two or three eyes of the two-year-old wood, and a, shapely head 
will then be formed. This should be. done when the leaves have 
fallen. It can be propagated from cuttings in the same way 
as advised for the Elders. This Poplar is also of great value 
for bedding purposes in such places as the woodland, wilder¬ 
ness, etc., and if pruned close to the ground annually will 
reach a height of 3 ft, or 4 ft. In all cases it should be given 
a, thoroughly open position, so that the sun may bring out 
the colour to the best advantage. 
Guercus coccinea, Waterer’s Variety. —Of all the varieties 
of Oaks there is none which are so beautiful in autumn as this, 
and in all collections, however small, it should be afforded a. 
prominent position. The. leaves assume a brilliant scarlet) 
colour and remain in good condition for a. long period, and 
though not a. fast grower this Oak succeeds well in a good 
deep soil, and forms a shapely, small tree. 
A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Hardy Fruit. 
Medlars.- —This fruit is scarce with us, hut where there is a 
crop it should be gathered and placed on an airy shelf and 
allowed to ripen, examining them occasionally, and removing 
any that are decaying; the fruits need to. be fairly soft before 
they are fit for jelly making. 
Planting.. —In my last communication a fortnight since I 
dwelt upon the preparation of the ground for the reception of 
fruit trees in general, and will now dilate for a. few moments 
as to. the requirements of bush fruit and the Raspberry. All 
these enjoy a fairly rich root-run, and the quarters to be devoted 
to such should be.deeply dug, burying the manure at the 
bottom of the second spit, using it fairly well decayed on light 
soils, but more of a strawy nature when dealing with cold 
retentive soils, though in the latter case planting should be 
delayed for a, few weeks, so that the soil may ibe allowed to 
settle down, which it will soon do should tills continual down¬ 
pour of rain go on much longer; further, no planting must be 
attempted with the ground in such a. soddened state, even if 
the same can be got in readiness for it. 
Red Currants. As a rule these are the first to lose their 
foliage, so may take precedence over other fruits as regards 
transplanting. An open position should be^ given this fruit, 
the rows running north and south, and the. bushes ought to 
stand 5 ft. asunder each way; another foot between, the rows' 
would be all the better if space could be given. It. may not. 
be amiss to state that the man holding the bush should give it 
a few smart shakes while another man fills in, so that the finer 
part of the soil may work down among the fibrous roots, making 
all firm with the feet; and if a. strawy mulch can be applied 
as soon as a hard spell of frost sets in, the bushes, will the 
sooner get hold of the new surroundings and make a. much 
better show when spring or early summer arrives, should a dry 
season set in for a change. It is unwise to keep old bushes about 
after a dozen years or so, younger bushes carrying- very much 
finer fruit, and not so much subject to canker. We have 
several varieties of White and, Red Currants, and the following 
will be found satisfactory: White Grape and Transparent in 
the former; Fay’s Prolific, New Dutch, Prince Albert, and 
Ra,by Castle among the reds. Black Currants thrive better in 
a moist soil, though with good cultivation they succeed in all 
soils and situations. The cream of them will be found in 
Baldwin’s Champion, Boskoop Giant, and Lee’s Prolific. 
