March 19, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
243 
Summer Culture of Violets. 
To maintain a supply of these very useful flowers during 
winter it is essential to procure good plants for putting in the 
frames in autumn.; and the first consideration in this is to find 
suitable quarters for their growth during summer. If not 
already done, a. piece of ground should be at once prepared for 
I receiving the young plants when they are ready to be planted 
[out. As the Violet is almost a shadedoving plant, I should 
prefer a border under a north or east wall, where they may 
have the benefit of shade during the hottest part of the day. 
The ground should be roughly dug over and thoroughly mixed 
■with a good quantity of leaf-soil and wood ashes; and if the 
soil be at all heavy some coarse road scrapings will help to 
lighten it. This, when dug, should be allowed to stand rough 
in order that it may sweeten with frost; and as soon as plant¬ 
ing time arrives 'it should be neatly raked over and all stones 
and rough lumps be removed. 
When the plants have finished flowering in the frames take 
them up with a fork and carefully sever with a. sharp knife 
pieces which have young fibrous roots attached. Some divide 
the old plants and plant them out, but I think the best results 
are obtained from planting the rooted suckerg. Do not take 
too many at a time or they will flag before they can all be got. 
in. Plant them about 1 ft. apart both ways, using a trowel, 
and be. careful to plant firm. When this is completed give 
them a good .watering to settle the soil about the roots. If 
the weather should be hot, syringe them overnight, and morn¬ 
ing, as this keeps them growing and also tends to ward off 
attacks of red spider, which is especially fond of Violets. They 
will soon make headway under careful treatment., and will 
throw cut runners, which should be picked off at one leaf 
p from the crown of the plant. 
As the plants increase in. size, a. watering of weak liquid 
manure about once a week will help to. build up nice sturdy 
•crowns. A mulching of spent, hotbed or Mushroom manure, 
sifted through an inch sieve, should be placed round the plants, 
about 1 in. thick. This will check evaporation during hot. 
weather and keep the ground cool and moist underneath. If 
these directions are closely followed I have no hesitation in 
saying that by the time the plants are ready for lifting in 
September or October they will be found to have made good, 
sturdy growth and plump crowns; which, when planted out., 
! should he well able to stand the vagaries of our winter climate. 
B. Thatcher. 
Wistow Gardens, Leicester. 
Gloxinias. 
| lour illustration of these beautiful flowers in your issue 
of February 27th cannot but call forth admiration from all 
quarters, e> pec tally from those who are. fond of their garden 
and have not the convenience to. grow and flower them. And 
the plate will remind the gardener that now is the time to. 
sow seeds which, with good and careful culture, will produce 
: nice flowering plants by the month of August next; in fact, ■we 
nave had them right into. November from early March sowings, 
and at. Christmas last we had several plants with a dozen 
flowers open a.t one time; but these were old conns that had 
hem resting from the end of June last. With a good stock 
Ana a sto-v© heat it is not difficult to ha.ve' Gloxinias in bloom 
nine months out. of the twelve. The tubers can be kept for 
■ several years, and flower profusely year after year when well 
grown, which they must be from the start. 
The. seed being so. minute, great care is required in the pre¬ 
paration of the seed pan or pot and the. sowing of the same ■ 
•ri-in. pots are suitable, carefully drained and filled almost level 
to the nm with finely-sifted loam, leaf-soil, and silver sand, after 
i couple,of inches of rougher material has been placed over the 
nocks. Make the whole, fairly firm, a.nd water throuo-li a. very 
ne rose can a few hours before sowing, which must be done 
• >n y on a. very even surface, and all the covering necessary is 
merely a dusting of silver sand. Place in the propagating-box, 
.or a piece of glass over the pan or pot, and stand in a tem¬ 
perature of 70 deg., shading from the sun, when in about a 
fortnight the seedlings should appear, and the glass gradually 
removed, and the pan stood quite near the glass roof to prevent 
damping, still shading when bright. Be careful not to over- 
water, and as soon as fit- to handle dibble into other pans or 
pots 3 in. asunder, potting up singly into 3-in. pots before the 
leaves cover each other, and pinching out any stray flowers 
until after the plants are shifted into 5-in. or 5-|-in. pots, in 
which they should flower, and a.t this potting use flaky leaf- 
soil with the loam, as well as a dash of soot, and pot fairly 
firm, a.s the roots are very fine. 
A shelf within a foot of the glass, in a temperature of 65 deg. 
a.t night is a suitable place for Gloxinias while growing, and 
a dewing overhead from the syringe two. or three times daily 
should Avard off that tiny mite and the thrip, so disastrous 
to foliage and flower alike when grown in a, parched atmo¬ 
sphere. As soon as the roots can he seen working freely down 
the sides of the pot, weak doses of manure water may with ad¬ 
vantage be given once a week, those from the cow-yard suiting 
them the best, the writer fancies. Though classed as a stove 
subject, where they do best up to. June month, I have grown, 
them very successfully in unhealed pits and frames from mid¬ 
summer, but. they must be given a start with a little fire-heat. 
The overhead moisture must be discontinued AAffien the flowers 
begin to expand, and a.t this stage the plants may be stood m 
the Conservatory or show-house; but out of the reach of cold 
currents of air, where they will last some weeks. Tubers that 
have been resting during the winter will soon be growing, and 
should he relieved of the old soil and repotted into suitable 
size pots, those of 7 in. in diameter being large enough to grow 
good specimens in. When past their best, gradually inure 
them to more ventilation a.nd less root waterings, and as soon 
as the foliage ripens off the pots can be stood under the stage 
of an intermediate bouse until the time again comes round for 
restarting, which may be done after three to four months’ rest, 
with Avell-ripened tubers of not less than a. year old. 
Bioto-n. James Matne. 
Veronica subsessilis and its Propagation. 
There can be no. possible shadow of doubt that this plant 
is oue of the most beautiful and useful we can possibly have 
for the herbaceous border. Its lovely habit and its bright 
green lanceolate foliage; combined with its magnificent spikes 
of the moist intense Prussian blue flowers, place it at once well 
in the foremost rank of the most beautiful and noble of the 
hardy plants. It has also, the great advantage of lasting in a 
fresh state when cut for an exceedingly long period; in fact, I 
have known, a bunch of these lovely spikes—for they are lovely, 
some of them measuring nearly 1 f t. in length—to. be quite 
fresh after being left in a vase with no water at all for quite 
three \veeks. Those who have, the pleasure, of growing this 
plant will no doubt have noticed that it seems to expend all its 
energy in its flowers, and consequently produces few shoots 
that can be taken off about. September for cuttings. I ha.A r e 
tried cutting up the flowering stems, and if these are put. about 
September in. a cool frame; growth often takes place in the 
spring from the buds which were underground. These growths 
are not, however, sufficiently vigorous to show the flower of 
the. plant to. its full advantage, so. I have resorted to. spring 
propagation. I lift a. few roots and place them in .an inter¬ 
mediate temperature; and in .a, feAv weeks quite a young colony 
of shoots has sprung up, and these, when .about 2 in. in length, 
are ready to be taken off, trimmed, and dibbled either into 
pots or seed-boxes. Use. a sandy, loose, compost, place, on a 
little bottom heat, and in a week or so. the cuttins'S are rooted. 
They can then, be potted singly, the tops pinched out and in¬ 
serted as cuttings; which will encourage, bushy growth. Harden 
off in a frame for a week or so; and plant out in April, ancl 
you will be rewarded by the magnificent, sight of a larc'ft 
clump, or perhaps bed, of Veronica subsessilis in flower. 
J. W. M. 
