August 26, 1905.] 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK 
“ Loveliness needs not the foreign aid of ornament, 
But is, when unadorn'd, adorn’d the most ”— Thomson 
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=»< 
AN AMATEUR’S LETTER 
TO AMATEURS. 
By the author of “ The Garden Decorative 
etc., etc. 
i III. 
Early Planting of Bulbs. 
The Dutch plant their autumn Lulbs con 
siderably earlier thin is the general custom 
here in England. There can be no doub f , 
especially in the case of those subjects that 
flower early in the year, that we should do 
well to follow their example, for if we 
examine such bulbs that have been left 
undisturbed in the soil —left to Nature, in 
fact—we find even so soon as the latter end 
of July they are starting into fresh growth 
A clump of Snowdrops dug up on tne 28th 
of the month showed the bulbs with roots a 
couple of inches long. Now this im ans 
weeks of slow, quiet growth, even during 
the hot, dry season ; and this lengthy period 
of leisurely growth is beneficial in many 
ways; but bulbs left, unplanted until 
October or November are deprived of it. I 
think this is one of the points not sufficiently 
realised by the novice, and it applies to 
many other subjects than those of a bulbous 
nature. Nature loves to work slowly, to 
mature gradually, and to enjoy a long period 
of growth before the production of blossom. 
I know perfectly well that it is not an easy 
task to disturb beds and borders early in 
the autumn in order to plant the bulbs, but 
those I am writing of more especially are 
not those best suited to the forward portions 
of the garden. The Snowdrops, and the 
Aconites, the Scillas, and the Muscari and 
Chionodoxas are never so beautiful as when 
established in the out-of-the-way corners of 
the garden, in the garden copse, along by¬ 
ways, under the deciduous trees, and even, 
it may he, under the o'd gnarled fruit trees. 
I write that last with a sweet spring picture 
of the ground below the Apple trees in an 
old-fashioned suburban garden, all blue with 
the blue of Scilla sibirica. 
To gain the broad, beautiful, decorative 
effects we should not plant a medley of 
different kinds of bulbs together; rather 
should we have all our Snowdrops in one 
portion of the garden, all the Aconites by 
themselves in another, and the Scillas again 
in a third spot by themselves. Far better, 
even if we have to deny ourselves some 
kinds altogether, to achieve these broad bold 
plantings than to have a patch of Scillas, 
and another of Aconites, another of Grape 
Hyacinths, and yet another of Snowdrops, 
all growing in little patches side by s'de. 
Preparing the Ground. 
The ground in these out-of-the-way por¬ 
tions of the garden may be prepared at once 
for receiving the bulbs. It should be dug 
over, and care should be taken that the 
bulbs when planted are not too deeply 
covered. The ground above them should be 
pressed firmly down, and a top-dressing 
from an old and spent hot-bed is of great 
benefit. Those blue Scillas under the Apple 
trees that I have mentioned were every 
autumn treated to such a top-dressing, and I 
must confess I have never seen such a 
wealth of blossom, nor Scillas so fine. 
Many people suppose that because some 
bulbs are impatient of being brought into 
contact with stable manure, that therefore it 
is not good for them. There is little doubt, 
however, that applied in this manner it 
proves very beneficial. 
Propagating Bedding Plants. 
The less protection that can be given 
through the winter to the half-hardy bedding- 
out plants, the more necessary it is to secure 
the cuttings as early as possible, for the 
sooner they are rooted the stronger they will 
become to combat hard conditions. It is all 
very well for those who have heat to strike 
their Geranium cuttings in the open ground, 
and to pot them up as the autumn advances, 
but such a method must not be attempted 
by those who make the endeavour to keep 
such subjects as Geraniums in a cold house 
through the winter season. They must be 
struck in pots, because it is necessary to 
make them as hard, woody, and close-grained 
as possible; that is to say, they must be 
thoroughly sun-ripened, and that in a 
manner scarcely possible in the open ground. 
Half the charm of gardening to me, and I 
think also to most w T ho are enthusiastic con¬ 
cerning their hobby, is experimenting, and 
this testing the hardiness of plants is a 
subject 1 1 me of absorbing interest. Every 
year so many Geraniums are taken into my 
cold house, and every effort is made to bring 
them safely through the ordeal, short of 
giving them fire heat. As a rule, a i r ery 
respectable percentage survives, and I can 
truthfully say these make the finest flower¬ 
ing plants for summer display; but, I would 
repeat, the cuttings must be taken early in 
the season, and they must be ripened while 
they root, as “sappy” cuttings under such 
treatment have little or no chance. I may 
add that the cuttings of the much hardier 
Calceolarias should on no account be taken 
until October. 
Pot Roses. 
There are few things that the amateur 
grows in his conservatory that give more 
pleasure or yield greater beauty than pot 
Roses. Many, however, do not thoroughly 
understand how to treat them during these 
summer months. Only the other day I saw 
a fine batch, some dozen plants, still occupy¬ 
ing their places in the conservatory. Such 
treatment spells failure, for pot Roses as 
they cease to bloom require to be placed out 
in the open, and as the summer advances 
less water may be given. The real secret 
of growing Roses in pots under glass is to 
achieve thorough ripening of the wood at 
this time ; therefore the p’ants should be 
well exposed to air and sunshine. Never 
mind if they are in a windy position, such is 
far more beneficial than being placed in an 
empty frame, or behind any hedge or paling. 
The pots should be placed on ashes, in the 
sunniest position. If not already accom¬ 
plished the present is a convenient time to 
repot, ani this should be done firmly, using 
if possible a good silky loam. 
Some may like to keep the plants close for 
a short time while they re-establish them¬ 
selves, but for many reasons the shoiter the 
time the better, as the ripening proce s is 
not in any way complete, and they should 
