8 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
January 7, 1905. 
Malmaison Carnations in Winter. 
lhe observation of a few simple rules will enable the Carna¬ 
tion enthusiast to gather a fair quantity of good blooms during 
the dullest months of the year, but the smallest details require 
to be observed, for herein lie the elements of success. 
As for the summer-flowering plants, June and July are the 
best months for layering, and as soon as the layers are rooted, 
proceed to pot up into 4-in., 5-in. or 6-in. pots, according to 
the strength of the layer and the roots attached. Pots 5 in. 
in diameter will be found a happy medium, and the soil used 
should be of a porous character, as anything.approaching pasti¬ 
ness is fatal to good results. Return to a cold frame, keep 
close, and shade for a few days until the roots begin to work, 
" hen air must be admitted freely; but shade is necessary 
during the hottest part of the day. 
About September or October the roots will be seen to be 
creeping round the outside of tlie ball, which indicates the 
need for a larger root-run; but before shifting into larger,pots 
any plants that are not breaking naturally should have their 
points removed with a: sharp knife, not pinched by the finger 
and thumb. Delay the repotting of these plants until they 
survive the check. 
I may here mention that Carnations, or any other plants 
for that matter, should not be allowed to have their roots 
matted before repotting, but ought to be done just when the 
old ball is conveniently filled without being matted. They 
never experience a check in this way, but push their feeding 
points into the fresh soil from the beginning. 
Assuming the layers were jjotted up into' pots 5 in. in 
diameter, the next shift will be into pots 7 in. wide, and some 
time spent in mixing a suitable compost will be amply repaid, 
lluee parts of a. sandy fibrous loam, one part half-decayed leaf- 
mould, half part spent Mushroom dung (too much of this 
makes the soil pasty), river sand, according to the nature of 
i he loam, a handful of soot, a 6-in. pot of some Carnation 
manure, a good sprinkling of old mortar and wood ashes will 
be found an excellent rooting medium. Allow 1J in. of 
drainage, pot firmly with a wooden rammer, and return to 
frame for a day or two, or place by themselves in a Carnation 
house, for frost must be guarded against. 
Durfflg the winter months a temperature of from 40 to 
45 deg. will be suitable, the higher figure when mild weather 
pi ev ails. Apply water only when absclutelv necessary, taking 
care that no water gets on to the foliage, and keep the air dry 
and bracing. With the longer days more water will be neces- 
sary, and an occasional dose of clear soot water will be most 
helpful. About the end of May or so the flower-spikes will 
begin to appear, which ought to be pinched out, and continue 
doing so with one-half of the plants until the beginning of 
August, and the other half a. month or six weeks later. 
Remove the inert surface soil in June, and give a good top¬ 
dressing of some patent manure mixed with good soil? Water 
alternately with cow or sheep droppings diluted in water, and 
clear rain water. This will cany the plants through their 
flowering period. Allow three, or not more than four, flower- 
spikes to develop, each carrying three or four buds. The rest 
must be got rid of by thinning so as to allow a nice length of 
stem for cutting purposes. Thus you will have nine to twelve 
perfect blooms to a plant. Flowering as they do in the dark 
months of the year, great care is necessary that no superfluous 
moisture hangs about the house, or the blooms will be affected. 
If dull weather sets in, keep a genial warmth in the hot-water 
pipes, and air moderately and carefully. These plants can be 
flowered the following winter by shifting them into 9-in. pots 
in the spring, and grown as the previous year, when you will 
have more blooms, but less size and poorer colour. 
I would recommend, wherever practicable, to use turf that 
has been growing on the top of rocks and stones. Such turf 
is one mass of fibre, so essential to the good cultivation of Car¬ 
nations. p 0M p 0M 
Readers Competition.—— Particulars of weekly prize see 
centre page. 
Costus igneus. 
M hy is it that one seldom sees the above named plant ? I 
ha^ e visited many places, and it has come under my notice 
but very few times. 
The reason I pen these few notes regarding it is because I 
think it is deserving of more worthy attention, especially on 
establishments where table decoration has to be considered. 
.lhe gardener is oft-times at his wits’ end to know what to 
gi^ e his employer for a change on the table in the wav of 
decorating. So, if he has room at his command, I would 
recommend him to grow a few' plants of this to bring about 
one of the desired changes. The way by which it can "be seen 
to the greatest advantage is when used on the cloth or other¬ 
wise laid on the tracing. The foliage being of such a heavy 
nature renders it useless to be used in vases. It produces 
strikingly handsome flowers of a deep orange colour, and when 
in bloom attracts much attention by its conspicuity. 
It should be accommodated in the stove, although it will 
thrive in a lower temperature, but will not produce" so many 
flow'ers when grown cooler. 
I find the readiest mode of increase is by division earlv in 
spring, and potting the plants on when required in a compost 
consisting of three parts fibrous loam and one part peat and 
leaf soil, with enough sand to keep the compost open. 
They dislike heavy syringing owing to the points of the 
growths acting as a receptacle for the water, which causes 
them to damp off. During the growing season the syringe 
must be freely used on the underside of the leaves or they will 
soon become infested with red spider. Feed the plants with 
occasional doses of weak liquid manure, so as to strengthen 
the crowns for the following season. 
Water should be partly withheld as soon as the plants show- 
signs of going to rest. Pot up again or divide them in the 
spring of the year as required. jj jj 
Streptosolen Jamescmii. 
To ascertain the worth and beauty of this excellent -Teen- 
house plant one must possess it both as a pot plant and planted 
out with a fair amount of head room. 
Cuttings strike quite easily at almost any time of the year if 
placed m a good sandy mixture and kept close in a temperate 
house ; and cuttings struck in spring and grown on to a 5-in. 
pot will by the following spring make excellent plants and 
furnish a fine head of flower with which to decorate the con¬ 
servatory. From the time they are put in as cuttings they 
should be. allowed to grow without stopping, and winter them 
cool m 4-in. pots, and in spring give just a shift and put in a 
tidy stake to keep them safe; but when they show the flower- 
heads the stake should be shortened back so as to let the top 
droop over as it gets heavier. When in flower it will be droop¬ 
ing over in a manner that will show itself almost to perfection 
and looks grand dotted through among other dwarfer stuff. 
It being a very quick growing plant it must not be over potted 
to get it to flower thus, and it is surprising the amount of 
flower that a plant in a 5-in. pot will product'. After flower¬ 
ing it should be slightly pruned and potted in larger pots, when 
it will again come in for the conservatory when in flower. 
For the end of a conservatory, if planted out, it will grow 
with great rapidity, covering a large space in a short time, and, 
if pruned hard back after flowering each spring, when it has 
reached the limit of its space, it will be a sight when in flower. 
It being very hardy, it may be termed everybody's plant, 
and everyone who possesses a greenhouse should certainly grow 
a few plants in pots. 
I would almost be inclined to say that cuttings struck in 
autumn would make excellent subjects for the flower garden 
the following summer, but in this I am inexperienced : but 
it is quite- possible the editor can here rectify matters. I 
know if the heads I had here last May could be had in a flower¬ 
bed in August, they would be an acquisition to that part of the 
garden. 
As to soil, it is not particular, the usual potting compost 
suiting it admirably, but it should be potted very firmly. 
J. R. B. 
