524 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 1, 1905, 
OUR . . . 
Northern Gardens. 
flowering quarters, and tihe weather of late has 
been most favourable for giving them a good 
start; but it must be remembered that 
nothing is gained by overcrowding, and much 
better displays are obtained by giving each 
plant room to fully develop. With Sweet 
Peas and the like, which seed freely, the pods 
must be kept picked off to prolong the flower¬ 
ing period. 
Pentstemons. — Seedlings which were 
planted out, as previously advised, should by 
now be growing away freely, and will require 
supporting. These often grow taller and 
stronger than those which were raised from 
cuttings, though, of course, they do not pro¬ 
duce such a large quantity of flower, so that 
when placing the sticks to them one should 
bear this in mind. Those which were raised 
from cuttings should have the side shoots kept 
loosely tied up, and some weak stimulant may 
be given occasionally, soot water and diluted 
liquid farmyard manure both being excellent. 
Keep the surface soil well stirred to maintain 
the soil in a sweet condition, and prevent 
weeds from ripening their seed. A. E. T. 
ALPINE PLANTS. 
HOW TO GROW THEM ON A 
- - - - SMALL SCALE 
Hints for Amateurs. 
It is not in every garden that an elaborate 
rockery can oe erected, for the necessary stone 
and other materials are expensive and often 
difficult to obtain ; and, again, in the average 
villa garden space is at a premium, and when 
a “ rockery” is but a cramped heap of burrs 
and earth it is, generally speaking, a sorry 
spectacle, forming neither a feature of interest 
nor a happy home for plants of any descrip¬ 
tion. It by no means follows that the owner 
of a small garden must deny himself the 
pleasure of growing alpine plants, for within 
a few hundred yards of the writer’s desk is 
an exceedingly fine collection of the choicest of 
alpines growing, not on a rockery, but on a 
series of raised beds, the surface of which is 
covered with small sandstone chippings ; and 
the vigour with which the plants grow and 
the freedom with which they flower prove be¬ 
yond dispute that the method of culture 
adopted is in every way suited to the require¬ 
ments of even difficult subjects. 
What is in the case mentioned done on a 
large scale can be done on a small scale with 
equal success, and even a small mound can be 
so constructed as to provide a. variety of con¬ 
ditions to meet the requirements of various 
subjects. We will suppose a plot is available 
of about 6 ft. in breadth. This is manured 
and dug ; but instead of keeping a flat sur¬ 
face, the soil from the sides is thrown along 
the centre of the bed, thus forming a ridge. 
If the bed runs east and west, the sides of 
the ridge will face north and south. A light 
trellis work partition may be run along the 
centre of the ridge, and will shade the north 
slope, .so that we have a sunny and shady side 
to our bed. 
The base of either slope will be fairly moist, 
while the ridge will be much drier, so that in 
planting we can arrange the plants according 
to their requirements. 
Now face the bed with the stone chippings, 
and we have a capital site for almost any 
alpine plant, and the bed will become the 
most interesting feature of the garden. 
Heather Bell. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Asparagus Kale. —This is a. sadly neglected 
vegetable. How seldom we see it in any kind 
of garden. It is difficult to understand the 
reason for this neglect, as it has many points 
in its favour. It is hardy, easily grown, and 
comes into use when vegetables are scarce. 
It is also a most economical vegetable, as the 
more it is cut at the beginning the larger the 
crop. It should not be planted too early, and 
its general requirements are similar to 1 Broc¬ 
coli. A large breadth need not be planted, as 
it grows very rapidly, and if not cut at the 
proper time, it gets tough. Some prefer the 
leaves, while others use the tender stalks as a 
substitute for Asparagus. 
Water Cress —Where this is in demand, a 
small trench should be sown now and another 
later on. Take out the trench, about 9 in. 
deep, and, if possible, close under a north 
wall. Place 6 in. of good manure in the 
trench ; then an inch of fine soil ; sow the 
seed thinly, and cover slightly with fine soil. 
Watercress requires close attention as to 
watering; in very dry weather a thorough 
flooding three times a week will be required. 
If properly managed, a trench keeps in bear¬ 
ing a long time. 
Tomatos. —In Scotland, of course, these are 
all under glass. Those in pots and carrying 
heavy crops must be well fed. Nothing seems 
to suit Tomatos better than ichthemic guano 
in liquid form. An occasional watering with 
liquid made from sheep or cow droppings is 
also very beneficial. Those in borders should 
get a good sprinkling of some good fertiliser, 
such as Thomson’s. Prick slightly into the 
soil and water well in. 
General Work. —This season the watering 
pan is the tool mostly in demand. It is but a 
make-shift at the best, but with such a long 
spell of drought, we are forced to have re¬ 
course to hand watering. Weeds, continue to 
grow, and the Dutch hoe is constantly re¬ 
quired. If kept well under this season, weeds 
give little trouble during the fruit-gathering 
season. C. Blair. 
Preston, Linlithgow. 
Flower Garden and Pleasure 
Grounds. 
Herbaceous, beds and Borders. — Such 
things as Pyrethrums, Paeonies, and Lupins 
should have the flower stems partially cut over 
as soon as they go out of flower to promote 
tidiness ; staking and tying must still be at¬ 
tended to where necessary. 
Dahlias are now growing freely, and should 
have their shoots thinned out and the remain¬ 
ing ones tied loosely to the stakes. Tar twine 
will be found most reliable! for tying the flower¬ 
ing shoots when they appear. 
Sweet Peas.. —Those that were forwarded in 
pots or boxes will now be showing their flower 
stems, and will be benefited by a dressing of 
soot or other stimulant, watering it in if the 
weather is dry. 
Roses. —Aphis is much in evidence this 
season, and must be kept in check. Over- 
vigorous shoots should be pinched to maintain 
a balance of growth. Continue to tie in tin 
shoots of the climbing varieties, and thin ou 
where necessary; those of medium vigoui 
(relatively) may be expected to give the best 
results. 
Conservatory and Greenhouse. 
Liliums, where not already done, should bt 
top-dressed, as this is a most important opera¬ 
tion with these plants ; turfy loam, with ai: 
equal quantity of horse droppings, answers 
very well. Attend to staking, using as slendei 
stakes as possible. 
Agapanthus —As these do best when rathei 
under-potted, tliey should receive occasional 
doses of weak stimulant to help them to throw 
up their vigorous flower stems, surmounted 
by their umbels of blue or white flowers. 
Stage Pelargoniums.— These, though not 
so popular as they once were, are well worth 
growing. When done flowering tliey should bt 
stood out of doors on a bottom of coal ashes 
to ripen their wood. 
Climbers.— The growth of these should bt 
regulated and tied in. One of the most attrac¬ 
tive climbers here is a twelve-year-old plant 
of Ivy-leaved Pelargonium—Madame Thibaut 
It has been smothered with its delicate pink 
trusses since April. Fuchsia Phenomenal is 
also a very good plant, either for a rafter or a 
pillar. 
Petunias. —Spring struck plants in frames 
should be pinched again for autumn flowering. 
C. C. 
Hardy Fruit. —Now that work in general 
is a little less pressing after the bedding out 
■season, a thorough inspection of all wall trees 
can be engaged in, commencing with Peaches. 
These are the better for thinning and 
tying, and after the hard east wind which 
we have been subjected to there are a good 
many blistered leaves, which are better to be 
removed at once. These ought to be collected 
and burned, as when -they are allowed to fall tc 
the border they may transmit the spores tc 
other healthy leaves later in the season 
Thinning and disbudding should be attended 
to at the same time. The same may be said 
of Apricots and Plums, which in some cases 
have set enormous crops. When this has beer 
done, a good application of a weak solution o! 
quassia extract applied with the engine wil; 
be very advantageous. In this way the walls 
are reached before the foliage becomes toe 
thick, and thus being well into the surface o: 
the wall, it keeps down spider and wood lice 
which are troublesome, especially where wall: 
are old. A little timely watering now wil 
help the swelling of the fruit later on, anc 
where mulching has not been got on, it ougli 
to be applied now. 
Strawberries. —These are now looking well 
and, where there is time and opportunity 
another watering will be of great benefit ii 
assisting the crop to swell. Keep the hoi 
going on all the fruit quarters to assist ii 
kefeping out the drought by loosening the sur 
face of the soil, and at the same time keepin; 
down the weeds. J. Fraser Smith, 
The Gardens, Cullen, 
