October 21, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
Hardy Herbaceous Border. 
Montbretias.—The best results with the 
new and older varieties are undoubtedly ob¬ 
tained by lifting them in the autumn and 
planting out in spring, and now that they 
have finished flowering and the foliage is 
yellow they can be taken up. Cut off the 
foliage, not too close to the ground, and take 
care when lifting with a fork not to injure the 
bulbs. Well-drained boxes should be used for 
placing them in, and a suitable compost will 
consist of loam and a liberal addition of sharp 
sand to keep it thoroughly porous. Shake all 
the soil from the bulbs, and place in the boxes, 
not too thickly, and when completed stand in 
a sheltered place where they can be covered in 
very severe weather. Montbretias require very 
little moisture in winter, but at no time should 
they be allowed to become dry. 
Gladioli. — These can also be lifted now, 
cutting off the stem a few inches from the bulb 
so as to allow them to dry off thoroughly. 
Remove all the soil, and lay them out thinly 
on shelves in a cool, airy place where frost 
cannot injure them. 
The decaying foliage and stems which are 
now becoming plentiful in the borders should 
be removed when quite yellow, so as to keep 
them clean and tidy, and the hoe should be 
applied to the surface soil occasionally to keep 
down the weeds, which will appear very plenti¬ 
fully from seed if not disturbed. Cuttings of 
the various subjects for next year’s display or 
where it is desired to increase the stock should 
now be got in without delay, and those already 
in frames should have plenty of air admitted 
during bright, favourable weather. 
A. E. T. 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
Transplanting Deciduous Shrubs_l n 
gardens where the well-being of these is con¬ 
sidered it is essential, as the various subjects 
continue to assume larger proportions, that 
a certain amount of moving be done almost 
every year, not only with a view to afford them 
more space, but some are sure to be better 
suited for the most prominent positions. A 
good specimen, for instance, of Pyrus Malus 
atrosanguinea is infinitely superior to an 
Aucuba or a Privet, and it is often desired, 
mcl rightly so, that the most conspicuous sub¬ 
jects should be given a position where they can 
oe well seen, and at the same time are able to 
jxpand and show off the natural habit to the 
lest advantage. Deciduous trees and shrubs 
■an, of course, be transplanted at any time, 
rom the fall of the leaf till the buds commence 
o burst m spring, though it is not advisable to 
plant when the ground is wet and cold during 
December and January if this can be avoided ° 
I he present is an excellent time for trans¬ 
planting many whose leaves have fallen or 
pH do so shortly, as they then have time to 
■ecome settled before the winter sets in. This 
peration is one which requires considerable 
are, and must not be done in a haphazard 
ishion if one wishes to be successful. When 
; h as been decided where a shrub is to be 
lantecl a hole should be made sufficiently deep 
P accommodate a ball of soil, and wide enough 
p allow all the roots to be spread evenly 
pound, and the bottom soil should be loosened 
ith a fork. The shrub should then be lifted 
ith as much soil as possible, and on heavy 
nd this will not be a difficult matter, but on 
;ht soils it may be necessary to place a mat 
und to keep the soil about the roots. Lift 
carefully as possible, and any roots which 
come injured should be pruned neatly away, 
hen placing in the new position spread out 
e roots evenly, especially the fibrous ones, 
akmg some of the finest soil between them 
and tread firmly as the hole is filled in. With 
standards and those which are liable to become 
injured by wind it will be necessary to secure 
them with a good stake, for if allowed to sway 
about the roots become loosened, which in 
many cases would prove fatal. With choice 
subjects a good mulching is of great benefit, 
either of rotten manure or other spare material, 
but this should not be stacked up close to the 
stem, which prevents air and moisture getting 
to the roots. A. E. Thatch ek. 
Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
The Stove and Greenhouse. 
Hardy Shrubs for Forcing.— Many of our, 
most common hardy shrubs are well adapted 
OUR WEEKLY PRIZE COM¬ 
PETITIONS. 
General Conditions. — Competitors must 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular paid 
contributors to The Gardening'World, or other 
gardening journals, are debarred from entering, 
but occasional contributors may compete. The 
name and address of the competitor must appear 
on each article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right to re¬ 
produce, in any way, any article or photograph 
sent for competition. The conditions applying to 
each competition should be carefully read. 
PRIZES. 
A Prize of Ten Shillings will be given for 
the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propagation or 
cultivation of flowers, fruits or vegetables, 
eradication of pests, etc. The paragraph or 
article must not exceed a column, but value 
rather than length will be considered in making 
the award. Mark envelopes “Competition,” and 
post not later than the Monday following date of 
issue. Entries received later than Tuesday 
first post will be left over until the following 
week. 
Two Prizes of Two Shillings and Six¬ 
pence each will be given for the best supple¬ 
mentary replies to questions asked in “ The G.W. 
Enquire Within ” eolumn. These replies should 
be brief. 
A Prize of Five Shillings will be given for 
the best novel device for saving labour, protecting 
plants, or a garden utensil, which reaches us 
during any week. A rough sketch must accom¬ 
pany the brief description. 
RESULTS OF LAST WEEK’S COM¬ 
PETITIONS. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “Annette,” for her article on “The 
Small Garden,” p. 799 . 
A prize for a supplementary reply was awarded 
to “ J. Coomber,” for his article on “Roses and 
other Shrubs,” p. 803; and another to “ B. E. G. 
Bowyer,” for an article on “ The Onion Maggot,” 
p. 805. _ 
A prize was also awarded to “ G. Waller,” 
for a device, “Garden Scrapers,” p. 805. 
for forcing, and when in flower are unsurpassed 
for making a bright display in the greenhouse 
or conservatory when there is a scarcity of 
other flowers. The process is very simple and 
inexpensive, and consists of lifting any medium¬ 
sized shrubs that may be growing in the 
shrubbery, or beds, and potting them up, or 
failing these they may be purchased at this 
time at a reasonable price. The best results 
follow when they are potted up immediately 
after the fall of the leaf ; the roots will then 
strike anew into the fresh soil before actual 
lorcing is carried out. 
Essential points are to afford a short rest 
before introducing into warmth, by keeping 
them m a sheltered spot in the open, and to 
avoid subjecting the plants to a high tempera¬ 
ture at any time ; the more gently they are 
forced the better will be the results. If con¬ 
venience exists, the plants should be plunged in 
a bed of new tree leaves and stable litter, in 
about equal proportions, and the temperature 
of the pit, or house, should be kept at 50 deg. 
by night, and not exceed 60 deg. in the day. 
-Maintain abundance of humidity in the atmo¬ 
sphere by syringing overhead and damping the 
floors, and remove the plants to a cool airy 
structure when the blossoms commence to 
open. 
Some growers retain the plants in pots 
throughout the year with good results, but in 
such cases considerable care is necessary to 
first promote healthy growth after flowering, 
and then to ripen that growth in order to 
ensure free flowering in the following winter or 
spring, as the case may be. The better plan is 
to introduce the plants to a genial temperature 
soon after flowering is over, and when growth 
is well advanced gradually harden off, finally 
transplanting into good positions in the open 
and grow on liberally. They should remain 
undisturbed for a couple of years. Some of 
the best flowering subjects for the purpose are 
Azalea mollis, Kalmia latifolia, Deutzia gracilis, 
Rhododendrons in variety, Staphylea colchica, 
rrunus sinensis, Andromeda japonica, Lilacs 
(both single and double), Cerasus and Thorns. 
Two good subjects adapted for forcing on 
account of their variegated foliage alone are 
Acer Negundo variegatum and Prunus Pissarcli. 
K. M. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Cochliodas,—Three of the four species o 
this. genus which are at the present time in 
cultivation are best known in gardens as 
Mesospinidium. These comprise C. rosea, C 
sanguinea, C. vulcanica, and its variety, C. v. 
grandiflora. They produce racemose scapes of 
flowers of rosy pink tints of colour in the spring 
and early summer. They are closely allied to 
the Odontoglossum, and they succeed well 
grown in the cool Orchid house, under the 
same conditions as those which meet the re¬ 
quirements of Odontoglossums, Masdevallias. 
etc. Potting requirements are best attended to 
when the new roots make their appearance at 
the base of the recently developed or developing 
growth, usually about the months of Septem¬ 
ber and October. They may thus be re-potted 
at or about the time that the Odontoglossums 
are potted. 
The compost may consist of about equal 
portions of fibrous peat and chopped sphagnum 
moss, to which a little coarse silver sand maj 
be added. . If the operator has had experience 
with Orchids in leaf soil, about one-third of 
partly-decayed Oak or Beech leaves may be 
included with advantage. I would again point 
out that unless experience has been acquired 
witli the treatment of Orchids, even with a 
very small proportion of the ingredient in the 
compost there is considerable risk. I am not 
in the least blaming the material—it is the 
treatment that is at fault. The pots used 
should be just sufficiently large to contain the 
plants comfortably, and filled to one-half their 
depth with chopped Bracken roots. When pot¬ 
ting is complete, water with rain-water poured 
through a moderately coarse rose on the water- 
can, thoroughly wetting the compost through. 
After this, only sufficient water will be neces¬ 
sary to keep the surface moss in a growing 
