October 14, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
797 
also a grand subject for large beds. Cut away 
the rough under leaves prior to planting. Edg¬ 
ing can be formed of Primroses, Dwarf Forget- 
me-nots, Daisies, Arabis, especially A. albida 
fi. pi., Crocuses, Scillas, etc. 
Miscellaneous. —Irises, both Spanish and 
English, also late Tulips must all'J be planted 
without delay. 'swot C. C. 
OCCASIONAL 
I NTERVI E WS. -e* 
Conservatory and Greenhouse. 
Mums, having set their buds rather earlier 
than usual this season, the latest of them 
should now be ready for housing. Disbudding 
must still be practised among the late sorts. 
The smaller dowered singles should not be dis- 
budled, but the large-dowered varieties such 
as Edith Pagram should at least be partially 
disbudded. Continue to apply stimulants till 
the flower buds are half opened. Admit air 
freely on all favourable occasions. 
Bulbs. —Any bulbs in the way of Hyacinths, 
Tulips, Narcissi, or Crocuses that are still 
unpotted should be potted up at once even for 
late floweriog, as they never root so well when 
left unpotted till winter sets in. 
Begonias. —Tuberous Begonias, as they die 
down, should be shaken out of the soil and laid 
crown upwards on trays or shelves, and kept 
cool and dry, but protected from frost. 
Gloxinias and Achimenes.— Water must 
now be entirely withheld, and the pots wintered 
in a comfortable temperature. I prefer leaving 
them in their pots till spring. 
Liliums. —Water must now be withheld, 
cut out the stems if thoroughly ripened and 
store in any cool airy place where frost is 
excluded. 
General —A little top air may still be left 
on at night if the weather is mild. 
C. C. 
A RICH BLUE j* 
LEADWORT. 
(Cemtostigma plumbciginoides.) 
This plant is probably more familiar under 
its old name, Plumbago Larpentae, but 
according to the Kew authorities it must be 
saddled with the awe-inspiring title above 
j given. Nevertheless, old name or new, it is 
a really good thing, worthy of cultivation in 
1 any garden on account of its unusual and 
delightful colour, which is a shade of blue 
scarcely to be met with in any other flower. 
It is of truly herbaceous nature, being 
completely dormant throughout the dead 
months of winter, but as soon as early spring 
awakens vegetation, away it breaks into new 
life and growth. The young shoots when first 
pushing up from the rambling root-stock are 
uf a lustrous ruddy hue, changing with age 
and development to a bright and glossy 
green. The plant attains no great height, 
rarely exceeding a foot, but the number of 
stems thrown up by a well-established clump 
is great, and either on a rockery or in the 
herbaceous border it becomes a most attrac¬ 
tive object, especially when, the heads of 
doom intermix with the foliage, which makes 
i most perfect setting for them. 
Propagation may be easily effected in 
ipring by forking up a portion of the plant 
md pulling asunder the shoots arising from 
he base. These may be dibbled into sandy 
oil in a shady corner under a frame or hand- 
ight, taking care to make the soil at the 
ase of the shoots quite firm. Attend to 
catering, and a nice batch of plants will be 
eady for planting out the following season. 
Heather Bell. 
MR. HENRY S. STEVENS, 
Hon. Secretary of the Hastings, St. Leonards , and District Horticultural Mutual 
Improvement Society. 
By a not very subtle process of ratiocina¬ 
tion I arrived at the conclusion, after reading 
an account recently of the annual show and of 
the last monthly meeting, that the Hastings, 
St. Leonards, and District H.M.I.S. must be 
a go-ahead society, and the secretary thereof 
one of those square pegs in a square hole, 
which symbolises the type of man so essen¬ 
tial to the success of undertakings of this and 
a like kind. That being so, I concluded the 
society was worthy of selection for extended 
notice in The Gardening World, and, after 
which has delighted visitors this year to Hyde 
Park, London, and which is, or has until 
lately, been a glory of rich luxuriance and 
semi-tropical splendour. It is a surprise even 
to experienced professional gardeners how Mr. 
Miller, with his very small staff, has been 
able to produce such results as are to be seen 
at Gensing Gardens. The perfection of the 
blooms and the exquisite colour scheme are 
an eloquent testimony to his knowledge and 
skill in garden craft and his fine sense, of art. 
Yet he has got an insufficient amount of glass, 
Mr. Henry S. Stevens. 
making an appointment, went down to the 
Sussex coast, where the popular sister water¬ 
ing-places look out upon the broad blue 
Channel, bent on an interview with Mr. 
Stevens, the lion, secretary of the local horti¬ 
cultural society. 
.It was an alfresco interview, for as Mr. 
Stevens lives at Baldslow, a village some 
miles inland, he had considerately suggested 
I should meet him in Gensing Gardens, St. 
Leonards, and thus save a tiresome journey to 
his place of residence. I am indebted to 
him for the proposal, and not for one reason 
alone, for upon a more charming little plea- 
sance I have never set eyes. It is small, but 
the utmost has been made in laying out the 
tiny, nicely undulating, well-wooded en¬ 
closure. The rare beauty of the flower-beds, 
and of the herbaceous borders in particular, 
is not surpassed in quality and design by, 
say, the admittedly splendid floral show 
and is allowed but a small sum for seeds, new 
bedding plants, and bulbs. And now, after 
all his toiling and moiling and painful econo¬ 
mising, these sums are to be reduced, as also, 
I believe, is the garden staff. Fine apprecia¬ 
tion of the thought and labour bestowed by 
an undeniable horticultural genius! The 
members of the Borough Council recently 
visited the gardens, and, whilst almost 
damning with faint praise this really notable 
display, ended up in their ignoble, soulless 
fashion by demurring to the expense in- 
incurred and curtailing forthwith the 
wretchedly small sum hitherto allowed. 
Appreciation of the beautiful in nature 
and of the incalculable value to the public 
as a refining influence and an educational 
factor of such an irreproachable display is, 
as a rule, beyond the mind of the average 
town councillor, concerned only with every¬ 
day matters and the crass realities of shop- 
