J une 20, 1903. 
tub gardening world. 
527 
' be got out, and the bottom put in order before attempting to 
plant anew. The new piece need not extend more than 4 ft, 
for the first two years, and “ cut-backs,” or those raised from 
j eyes this spring, are the most suitable to plant at this date, 
preserving the ball of roots intact, planting with great care, and 
affording'a thorough watering, shading for a few days if in- 
I dined to droop. Under good treatment the Vines will reach 
the top of the house by the end of the summer. Ply the syringe 
mornings and again about 3.30 p.m. Good turfy loam three 
parts, and the other part old plaster or mortar rubble, broken 
brickbats, or lumpy charcoal, make a good rooting medium 
when thoroughly blended. J- Mayne. 
Bic-ton Gardens, Devonshire. 
Notes on Hardy Herbaceous Plants. 
Bedding Plants.—Where spring bedding is practised the 
plants will now need dividing and replanting in their summer 
quarters, and for this purpose a. spare piece of ground m a 
cool, shady part of the kitchen garden should be utilised. Such 
plants as Polyanthus, Primroses, Aubrietias, Beilis perennis 
tl. ph, Myosotis, and the like, which need propagating, can be 
separated and planted in rows, and any cuttings should be 
inserted in a cold frame. 
Asters.—The Michaelmas Daisies will now require consider¬ 
able attention as to staking and tying up the growths. The 
general plan is to place one stake to a plant, and bunch the 
shoots together ; but this is not at all to be recommended, as 
it presents a rather slovenly appearance, and the best possible 
results are not obtained. Whenever possible the plants 
should be staked out, so as to give them as much space as 
possible, using several stakes to each plant. The shoots should 
be looped up singly with matting, and any weak ones which 
are not wanted can be removed. By staking them out in this 
manner a. very much larger space is filled, and when once one 
has seen a. good border tied out like this the bunching method 
would not be practised afterwards, I think. The heavy rains 
have done the Asters a great deal of good, and have also helped 
to wash away some of the blight which was unusually plentiful, 
but caterpillars will still be found eating out the points of the 
young growths, and these should be taken out carefully and 
killed, or they will seriously damage the plants. 
A small application of some good artificial manure will 
prove beneficial in showery weather. Such varieties as vimi- 
neus, ericoides, and the dwarf bushy-growing sorts which w r ere 
propagated last autumn, and planted out in the spring, should 
be stopped, so as to induce them to break freely. 
Penstemons. —If these have not been supported, one neat 
stake should be placed to each plant, and the leading shoot 
tied loosely. If any plants are forming flower spikes, a.s they 
sometimes do at this season, these should be picked out so as 
to allow the side shoots and bottom breaks to go ahead. Keep 
the soil well stirred with the Dutch hoe. A good Pentstemon, 
but one little known, is Newberry Gem, which is quite a dwarf 
grower, requiring no staking and very suitable for bedding. 
The flowers are bright red in colour. 
Summer Flowering Chrysanthemums. —Whether growing in 
a border or dotted about singly, these will now need support¬ 
ing, and for this purpose good willow sticks are very service¬ 
able. As with Asters, several should be used to a plant, and 
the growths tied out so that each head of flower may be dis¬ 
played to the best advantage. Give a dusting of soot occa¬ 
sionally, and a mulching of old mushroom bed manure or 
similar material will keep the roots cool and help to retain 
the moisture. 
Violas. —Keep the dead blooms picked off these, for if allowed 
to stay they will shorten the flowering period, and peg the 
growths down as they require it. 
St. Brigid Anemones. —The improved strain of these have 
now become justly popular, and for spring and early summer 
decoration they are practically indispensable, being valuable 
for cutting, and having a great variety of colour. If it is 
desired to save any seed, this should be done on a. fine day, and 
it can be sown when ripe enough. To obtain the very best 
results with these, a small trench should be taken out, and 
some rotten manure placed in. The soil taken out should then 
be replaced, and the bulbs planted not more than 2 in. below 
the .ufrcc. 
Keep herbaceous plants staked and tied, and many will be 
greatly improved if a good mulching is given. The value of 
this is not sufficiently appreciated. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. A. E. Thatcher. 
Among the Orchids. 
Cattleya dowiair.—There is a considerable difference 
between C. dowiana from Costa Rica and the variety in cultiva¬ 
tion under the name of C. d. aurea or C. aurea. Even in the 
structure and habit of growth it is quite as distinct as any two 
varieties of the species. The flowers are of finer substance and 
colour. These superior qualities are, perhaps, most apparent 
in the offspring that have been produced from its influence as 
one of the parents. C. dowdana is not so tractable to cultiva¬ 
tion as C. d. aurea, and it is rarely met with in vigorous health 
where it has been in cultivation a few years. It is also shy 
flowering, and requires careful treatment, plenty of strong 
light, and thoroughly ripening to induce it to flower in a satis¬ 
factory manner. 
One of the principal difficulties in its successful cultivation 
lies, no doubt, in the fact that it starts into growth very late 
in the season; consequently, before the growth has matured 
and the flowers have passed, the winter season has set in. To 
induce it to mature satisfactorily, one naturally retains the 
plants in the most suitable conditions likely to assist its growth. 
With these warmer and moist conditions soft growth is pro¬ 
duced, which is most difficult to ripen, and with practically an 
immature growth to commence the following season’s growth 
the prospects are that it will be difficult to procure anything 
like a vigorous growth, and a considerably diminished pseudo¬ 
bulb is the result. A great deal depends on the time of the 
year when the plants are procured in an imported state. If 
early in the season, satisfactory results are procured the first 
season. This goes a long rvay towards future success and the 
longevity of the plants while in cultivation. 
If once procured early, one’s experience with the species will 
be sufficient to illustrate the necessity of starting the plants as 
early as possible in the season, and to place them in a warm, 
humid position, so that the plants may continue to mature 
annually before the dull season sets in. It will, no doubt, be 
pointed" out that under these conditions there is a probability 
of the plants producing secondary growth. To guard against 
this, the plants may be removed to such conditions as that pro¬ 
vided in the fall of the year for the resting Dendrobiums ; this 
will not only prevent secondary growth, but will greatly assist 
m maturing the newly developed pseudo-bulbs. 
The plants do best in baskets or shallow pans, so that they 
may be suspended near the roof glass. Ample moisture is re¬ 
quired during the growdng season, but very careful watering is 
necessary while the plants are at rest, 
C. dowiana aurea is not nearly so difficult to' manage. It 
is a plant that resents repotting or disturbing at the roots at 
any time. It will do well on the exposed side of the Cattleya 
house, suspended near the roof glass. The plants now having 
started well away into growth must have every encouragement. 
The most treacherous time with this variety is just when the 
growth has advanced 2 in. or 3 in. Any excess of moisture, a 
cold chill from the use of water below the normal temperature 
of the house, or a drip from the roof, causes the young growth 
to turn black at the base, frequently ending in the total loss 
of the lead. Care must be taken to allow the potting compost 
to become thoroughly dry between waterings until the growth 
is so far advanced that the sheath may be seen inside the de- 
