7 is 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
October 7, 1905. 
Honeysuckle. 
Too often we overlook the Honeysuckle 
as a house-wall climber. Its fragrance alone 
is enough to recommend it for this use. It 
should be remembered that the Honeysuckle 
will bear very hard pruning, and well repay 
it by a wealth of blossom. Every shoot may 
be cut back to the last pair of opposite 
leaves; and thus pruned, and carefully 
nailed in to the wall, it becomes one of the 
neatest and most beautiful of c imbers, and 
produces flowers almost all summer. It may 
be used over arches either alone or combined 
with roses with most artistic and picturesque 
effect. F. M. Wells. 
Gladiolus Princeps. 
Beyond a doubt this is the most handsome 
and striking Gladiolus at present in cultiva¬ 
tion. It is of extreme size, both in spike and 
individual blossom, and the colour could not 
well be intensified, for it is a vermilion of 
the fullest richness. A large brake of this 
plant would indeed be a glorious spectacle, 
but even a clump of half a dozen bulbs is well 
worth seeing, -and is a conspicuous feature 
of a bank of flowers- It seems to possess a 
robust constitution, and grows well in 
ordinary soil, responding readily to applica¬ 
tions of stimulants. Heather Bell. 
Pea Tops as a Salad. 
A footnote, “ Hop heads ” for the table, on 
page 751 of The Gardening World, has in¬ 
duced me to write this little article. To 
keep up a supply of salads during the winter 
months often taxes the ingenuity of the 
gardener. The forcing of Pea tops is very 
simple. It is merely necessary to sow 
thickly in boxes ; they may then be placed 
in a warm pit or early vinery, and kept in 
semi-darkness Until ready for cutting, when 
about 4 in. or 5 in. high. If they are allowed 
to grow taller the flavour is deficient and 
stringy when cooked. The writer has often 
forced Swedish Turnips to get the tops as a 
substitute for Seakale, and was complimented 
on the excellent Seakale sent in. But for 
obvious reasons I kept my own counsel as to 
the nature of the produce. Rex. 
A Very Graceful Shrub. 
(Tamar ix Pallasii rosea.) 
In general appearance the various forms of 
Tamarisk bear a close resemblance to some 
of the Conifers owing to the very short leaves 
which clothe the slender, twiggy stems. This 
style of growth makes the plants exceedingly 
handsome and graceful, and the wonder is 
that they are so seldom employed in gardens 
away from the sea-shore. The reason for 
this, no doubt, is the suitability of the Tamar¬ 
isk for seaside planting, and the prevailing 
notion that they are not quite hardy. The 
subject of this note has deeper rose-coloured 
flowers than the type, hence the reason for 
the varietal name rosea. The foliage and 
-twigs of the plant are of a light glaucous- 
green and, apart from the flowers, are cer¬ 
tainly very handsome indeed. So graceful is 
the plant as a whole that it might be planted 
as a lawn shrub, because the graceful habit of 
the plant and delicate greenery of the twigs 
would render it handsome even when not in 
flower. 
The Flower Garden. 
Gladioli.—Few flowers are more popular 
with all classes than the several sections of 
Gladiolus. From early summer till late autumn 
the graceful spikes of one or other decorate our 
gardens. 
During a visit to the late International Show 
in Edinburgh we were struck by the enormous 
length of the spikes and the huge size of the 
individual flowers there shown. 
Much has been done by the hybridist of late 
years to develop the fine strains now on the 
market, but that careful cultivation is neces¬ 
sary to bring about the best results goes 
without saying. 
In most places the later sorts are now about 
over, and as soon as all the flowers are past the 
spike should be cut out to prevent the forma¬ 
tion of seed, which has a weakening effect on 
the corms. By no means remove any of the 
leaves until they come off naturally, because 
so long as the leaves remain green the corms 
are benefiting. In some places Gladioli will 
stand the winter in the ground if the soil is 
fairly light and warm, but as a general mle the 
corms should be dug up and stored away for 
the winter. As soon as most of the leaves are 
turning yellow, the corms may be taken up, 
leaves and all, and laid out thinly on a shelf in 
a cool house or shed. As the leaves dry off, 
they will detach themselves from the corms 
naturally, and the latter may then be stored 
away in a place free from frost till next spring. 
Do not cover the corms with soil or sand, or 
roots will commence growing too soon. 
About the beginning of March the corms may 
be laid out on boxes of sandy soil, first lightly 
rubbing off the loose outside covering. Here, in 
the course of a few weeks, they will form 
rosettes of white fleshy roots. About the 
second week in April they may be carefully 
transferred to the open ground, planting prefer¬ 
ably in groups of about half a dozen. Use 
plenty of sharp sand about the corms, and 
cover to a depth of about four inches. 
B. W. J. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Seakale.-This popular vegetable requires and 
must have a short season of rest after the 
growth is completed if the best results are to 
follow, and it behoves all enthusiastic vegetable 
growers to do their best to get it in prime 
condition as early as possible as well as late in 
the season. That which has been grown on a 
southern border is now ripening up the crowns 
well, and after the first touch of frost a portion 
may be safely lifted, trimming off all the root¬ 
lets which will in due course serve for making 
into cuttings for another year. The crowms 
should be stored in ashes under a north wall 
for a week or ten days when these can be 
introduced to heat in the darkest part of the 
Mushroom house for choice. Thoroughly 
syringe with tepid water morning and evening. 
Rhubarb. This as a rule does not force Dearly 
so easily, it requires a somewhat longer 
period of rest, and it is quite useless to attempt 
to force any other than the very earliest 
varieties at this season of the year. The stools 
should be dug up with a good ball of earth and 
may be left fully exposed to the weather for 
quite a fortnight, after which it may be trea f ed 
in the same way as Seakale. 
Chicory. —This constitutes one of our most 
useful vegetables cultivated in the garden for 
winter salads. It is not only generally con¬ 
sidered to be of great medicinal value, but is 
generally liked and its appearance always re¬ 
commends it. It is easily grown, and forces 
most readily all through the winter months. 
Trim off the green leaves close to the crown 
and place in the Mushroom house or some other 
warm place. It generally takes from a fort¬ 
night to three weeks to have it in perfection. 
Turnips. —Make another good soving of 
these on finely-prepared land. Should the 
season be at all favourable these will produce 
nice bulbs by early spring, and if not, the greens 
are sure to be useful. I strongly recommend 
Webbs’ Prizetaker for sowing now. It is a 
green-topped variety, very hardy, and the 
quality excellent. Attend to the thinning of 
earlier sowings and apply a dressing of fresh 
soot about every ten days. 
Celery. —Take advantage of fine days and 
apply small quantities of soil at the time for 
blanching, but before doing so thoroughly 
clean away all side shoots and split leaves, and 
give a thorough soaking of liquid manure to 
the roots. E. Beckett. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
Fruit Garden. 
Indoors. 
Pine Apples. —The bright sunshine during 
the early part of September was most accept¬ 
able for these plants, and the fruiters 
especially, but great care must be exercised 
with the watering, or much harm will be done. 
Let the water be at a temperature of 75 deg ; 
feed liberally those that are swelling their 
fruit each. time when water is required, and 
support the fruit with two sticks, one. on either 
side, and tie with strong pieces of raffia or filis 
cord. Withhold overhead damping, but keep 
plunging material, well moistened each day, 
especially near the hot water pipes, and 
endeavour to maintain a night temperature of 
68 deg., advancing to 80 deg. with the sun, 
guarding against cold winds from the north or 
east where it has been stationed for some little 
time. Succession plants for starting early 
next spring should be kept quiet, affording but 
sufficient water to-prevent any check to the 
plants, and ventilating freely on mild, sunny 
days, a night temperature of 60 deg. being 
suitable for the present, and recently potted 
suckers w ill be at home with a like tempera¬ 
ture. 
Vmeries. —Early forced Vines in borders 
that is, those that are started in December or 
early January, may have the lateral shoots 
shortened back to within eight inches or so of 
the spur with a view to assist the back buds to 
plump up. Still allow full ventilation, a few 
degrees of frost doing the Vines good, all fruit 
trees being more satisfactory after undergoing 
a thorough rest. Houses containing ripe fruit 
must be carefully ventilated, admitting but 
little on wet, foggy days, and a gentle heat from 
the hot water pipes will be necessary except on 
bright days. Dispense with surface damping 
of the borders, and remove straw or bracken 
