July 18,1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
615 
Notes on Hardy Herbaceous Plants. 
The' hot, drying weather we are experiencing at. the time 
of writing proves beneficial to the growth of plants after the 
recent deluge of rain, but at the same time it must be req¬ 
uiem bered that the surface soil becomes veiy hard and dry 
unless means are taken to prevent this. Frequent hoeings 
will prove of great value, as by keeping the soil well loosened 
a free growth is made, and plentiful supplies of water, both 
at the roots and overhead, should be' given, the best time for 
this being evening, when, the sun has gone ofi the plants. 
Where the time can be spared the practice of mulching is 
inestimable, and for this purpose old mushroom-bed manure, 
sifted, long litter, or similar material can be used, as this 
keeps the ground in a very moist condition. To borders of 
Chrysanthemums and the like, which are making favourable 
headway, weak stimulant® may be given, one of the safest 
and best to use being farmyard manure liquid well diluted, 
lleliable artificial manures' are also' good, but they must he 
used with discretion and washed in well after applying. 
The herbaceous borders' are now looking very bright where 
judicious arrangement has been studied, and the advantage 
of staking the plants out, as I have before advised, may be 
readily seen and appreciated, for not only do the plants cover 
a, larger space', but the growths must naturally be much better 
developed and the results finer. 
There are many plants in flower worthy of mention, but 
some of the most beautiful will be found among those men¬ 
tioned below. 
Onenothera Youngii. —Where good masses of bright colour 
are wanted this plant is very serviceable, as from now on¬ 
wards it produces' plenty of bright yellow flowers to make a. 
good display. It is of upright habit, about 2-j,- ft. in height, 
and requires plenty of water in dry weather. 
Onenothera Fraserii. —Though this is the same colour as 
the above, it differs greatly from it, and, in my opinion, is 
the better- variety. The habit is very branching, so that a 
much larger quantity of flower results, and it does not suffer 
so much from drought. 
Campanula latifolia alba. —In the back of the border this 
is now making a good display. It is one of the tallest of this 
family with stiff stems, 4 ft. to 5 ft, in height, which produce 
large flowers on the upper half of the stalk. Tins is easily 
propagated by divisiou, and, while growing, likes plenty of 
water. 
Campanula G. F. Wilson. — In this we have a plant quite 
worthy of the name, it being one of the very best summer 
flowering alpines, or a large mass makes a fine show on the 
front of the border. The flowers, deep blue in colour, are 
produced about six on a stem, front 6 in. to 9 in. in height, 
and last a long time in perfection. 
Spiraea Aruncus Kneiffii. —This charming variety_of the 
common Goat’s Beard, “ Spiraea Aruncus,” is destined to be¬ 
come, I believe, a favourite with, all lovers of hardy plants 
when more generally known. The finely divided foliage and 
elegant spikes or plumes of flower, combined with a healthy, 
robust habit, render the plant a conspicuous object in the 
border or at the water’s edge. 
Anchusa italica superba. —Blue flowers are fairly plentiful 
at tliis season, but- in the above we have a blue which sur¬ 
passes all the rest. The name, superba, is well deserved, and 
no plant that I am acquainted with is more effective or more 
jeautiful at. the present time than this. Young plants struck 
m t le autumn and planted last spring have made a pyramidal 
growth, now flowering freely, and for cut purposes are most 
useful, having long stems and remaining in good condition 
for a long time. 
angustifolium album. —Tbe white variety of the 
Willow Herb is a deservedly popular plant, and a mass a 
yard or two m diameter calls forth much Admiration. Though 
no so free at the root as the common variety, it can be divided 
occasionally, and thus he kept well in bounds. 
ox Miss Lingard. —Few Phloxes, either early or late 
flowering, can surpass this charming variety, which is now 
making a. fine display, the individual flowers being large, 
white, with a pale lilac eye, and the spike large and well 
built. In the border grown in a mass it is one of those 
plants one only has to see and then desires to possess. 
Violas.— These are now producing a wealth of blossom, 
and when a, border is devoted entirely to them and the colours 
well blended few things are more beautiful. It is well to pick 
off the decayed flowers, or seed-pods will form and shorten 
tiiei flowering, and if they require it they should be again 
pegged down, and plenty of water given. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenliam House Gardens, Elstree. 
Among the Orchids. 
The Mexicali Laelias. —This beautiful section of winter 
flowering plants, comprising such kinds as L. anceps in its 
varied forms, L. autumnalis, L. gouldiana, L. albida, L. fur- 
furacea, etc., should now be in full growth, and will need eveiy 
encouragement to induce them to. develop them new pseudo¬ 
bulbs, from the centre of which may be found, as soon as the 
leaves expand, the flower scape. It is while the plants are in 
this S'tage that they require the greatest observation to keep 
them clean from insect, pests, which is not always an easy 
matter. Plants that are exposed during the hottest parts of 
the day will naturally require plenty of ventilation. 
If the situation happensi to be within reasonable distance of 
trees or outside vegetation, during periods of strong winds, 
black thrips are driven from their abode® and are conveyed to 
the roofs of our house®. With the free ventilation there is 
nothing to. prevent these pests reaching the plants, and if 
once allowed to become established they are with difficulty 
destroyed, and soon do sufficient damage to cause the per¬ 
manent. disfigurement of the foliage. It is well, therefore, 
to keep the plants under close observation, and, as soon as 
observed, fumigate the house and spray the plants overhead 
once or twice a week with XL All wash. Full advantage must 
be taken of the assistance afforded by the sun’s rays. 
Close early in the afternoon, freely syringe the plants over¬ 
head, draw off the roof-blinds (where any are in use during 
the hottest parts of the day) at the. time of closing, and allow 
a high temperature with saturation of atmospheric conditions 
to prevail for the. next few weeks. Unless the growth reaches 
maturity and becomes thoroughly ripened, it is useless to 
expect satisfactory results when, the flowering season, arrives. 
Seedling Orchids. —Plants, from seed that were sown in 
February and March should now have reached the second pot¬ 
ting stage. In dealing with this subject, in previous numbers 
of The Gardening World, I have done my best to point out 
the desirability of removing young seedling Orchids as early 
as possible from their seed-bed, and to. transplant them into 
prepared pans or. single pote. The sooner the plants get a 
separate existence, the greater progress' may be anticipated. 
I might repeat again that I consider the best time to remove 
young seedling Orchids is when the node is completed ; that 
is, just before the seed leaf is commencing to form. If the 
small plants are closely observed, it will be found that at this 
stage they emit from the outer centres several minute hair¬ 
like protrusions. These act as anchors to secure the plant in 
position until the leaf has advanced and the new roots appear, 
when their function is completed by the roots themselves 
getting hold of the potting compost. If the young seedlings 
are removed at this stage, the plants will have a double' advan¬ 
tage, which is best illustrated by the greater progress pro¬ 
cured. 
As soon as the third leaf appears' the. plants, if in. good con¬ 
dition, will he found to be emitting new roots. It is here 
again advantage may he procured by affording the plants 
reasonable root room, and, if attended to when the young roots 
are appearing, they soon get hold of the new compost and 
re-establish themselves without, any apparent check. Perfect 
resting requirements are out of the question with young Orchids 
