January 18, 1908. THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Address : The Editor, The Gardening 
World, 37 and 38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
The Editor invites enquiries, which may 
cover any branch of gardening. Questions 
should be as brief as -possible and written on 
one side of the -paper only; a separate sheet 
of paper should be used for each question, 
keblies cannot be sent by post. 
Garden Plans .—Gardeners who would make 
the best use of this column are invited to 
prepare and forward to us a rough outline 
drawing or plan of their gardens, ind-ioating 
the position of beds and lawns, the charac¬ 
ter and height of the fence or wall; posi¬ 
tion of vegetable garden, orchard, etc. The 
north side of the garden and any over¬ 
shadowing buildings should be denoted. It 
should also be stated whether the garden is 
-flat or on a declivity, and all large trees 
should be marked. Particulars of the na¬ 
ture of the soil will also help us to give 
satisfactory replies. When such plans are 
received they will be carefully filed, with 
the name and address of the sender, and 
will be consulted by the Editor whenever an 
enquiry is sent 
4 1 
in a relatively low temperature. Wall¬ 
flowers and Forget-me-Nots may be potted 
at once and firmly in a light, rich soil. 
Do not water them till the soil begins to get 
dry. The first watering should be given 
with a rosed watering pot to settle the soil 
firmly. They will take a fair supply after 
the plants commence growing. If you do 
not hurry them they will flower well enough 
by being potted now, but they might have 
been potted up with advantage in Septem¬ 
ber or October Last. If they are brought 
along slowly, however, they should give 
satisfaction. 
COLD FRAMES. 
2 516. Pentstemons Damping Off. 
I have two boxes of Pentstemons which I 
struck early in autumn, but they are now 
damping off very badly without any reason 
so far as I can see. They are sheltered by 
a wall at the back and by a hedge in front. 
I did not think they were so tender, but 
should like your opinion of them. How 
often should they be watered ? Should the 
frame have any special protection? (Per¬ 
plexed, Middlesex.) 
We think it likely that they are tco much 
enclosed by hedges and would have done 
better in a more exposed situation where 
there would have been a gentle circulation 
of air. On another occasion your best plan 
would be to place the frame in a more open 
and sunny situation for the winter, where 
the cuttings would get plenty of light and 
air. Watering will only be necessary when 
the soil is getting dry and brown instead 
of being dark in colour. At the present 
time they will require very little watering, 
however. Plenty of ventilation should be 
given them by tilting up the sashes at all 
times, except during hard frost. The point 
is to keep the foliage dry and near the 
glass. See that there is no drip falling in 
the pots, otherwise that would soon make 
short work of them. They are not particu¬ 
larly tender if protected by a frame and 
kept dry overhead. We have never found 
that special protection, other than a frame, 
was necessary. Indeed some of the varie¬ 
ties will stand out of doors, subjected to the 
freezing and thawing of winter much fur¬ 
ther north than your district. 
2517. Growing Pentstemons from 
Seed. 
\\ ill you kindly give me information as to 
growing Pentstemons? I am anxious to 
grow them from seed if possible. I know 
I am at a disadvantage with being so far 
north. I am entirely in your hands as re¬ 
gards culture. I have worked from your 
valuable paper close upon two years, and 
have not had a failure yet. I have grown 
Cucumbers from your paper most delight¬ 
fully, breaking the record round about. I 
have put all my friends on to your paper. I 
read other people’s questions, and find they 
are very instructive; (Harry W. Holds- 
worth, Yorks.) 
Pentstemons are not difficult to rear from 
seeds. Early in March prepare a compost of 
loam, leaf mould and sand in about equal 
proportions of each. Drain the pots or seed 
pans well, so that there will be no stagnant 
moisture to encourage damping. The seeds 
will take some time to germinate, but if the 
watering pot is used carefully they should 
come along slowly without damping. When 
the’ seedlings have made the first rough pair 
of leaves you can transplant them into other 
boxes of similar compost, and this will give 
them a fresh start. Give them about two 
inches each way. As the weather gets fine 
and your plants are established in the boxes, 
you can transfer them to a cold frame, if 
not there already. In any case they should 
have more ventilation than seedlings just 
germinating or in their early stages. At 
STOVE AMD GREENHOUSE. 
2513. Wintering Cannas. 
Will you kindly give me information re 
Cannas through the columns of the Garden¬ 
ing World ? I have several which I raised 
from seeds sown last July. These plants are 
now about 18 in. high and have not flowered, 
but begin to show signs of decay in the fo¬ 
liage. Would it be best to take them out of 
the pots and to dry the bulbs and plant 
them out of doors about lla) : next? This 
is my first attempt at growing Cannas and 
I do net, as yet, understand their nature. 
Any information would greatly oblige. (J. 
Els worth, Dorset.) 
Your Cannas could scarcely have bloomed 
last summer, seeing that you started so late 
to raise perennial plants. We should not 
advise you to take them out of the pots, 
but to leave them there, and it is not neces- 
. sary to drv them. Indeed, we think it 
would be better to keep them just sufficiently 
moist to prevent any undue dry-ing up of 
the rhizomes or roots. If you have heat, 
which we presume you have, we should ad¬ 
vise you to repot them some time in Febru¬ 
ary cr early in March. Place them into 
heat. This will give them time to get a 
good start before planting them out at the 
end of May or beginning of June. The 
latter month would be the better if the 
weather is in any way unsettled, as it fre¬ 
quently is about the end of May. It is the 
wind and possibly strong sunshine that 
would harm them then, unless they have 
been previously- well hardened off and- 
planted in a sheltered situation. The size 
of poi necessary would depend upon the size 
and vigour of the seedling, but it need only 
be just sufficient to enable them to make a. 
good start. When they commence to grow 
and the roots are beginning to fill the pots, 
give them an abundance of water. Harden' 
them well off a week or more before time 
to plant them out, keeping them near the 
glass in a cool well-ventilated greenhouse. 
Indeed, cold frames would be suitable for 
hardening them off. Next autumn when the 
foliage gets damaged by frost you can cut 
the stems down and lift each plant without 
dividing it. If you have a cool greenhouse 
you can lay the roots thickly together under 
the stages for the winter, and they will re- 
■ quire no other attention till time to repot 
them in spring. The frost should be just 
kept out of the greenhouse. 
2514. Spot on Carnations. 
Can you tell me what is the matter with 
my Carnations from the enclosed leaf? Two 
of my Malmaisons have got it very badly 
and though I dusted them with sulphur it 
does net seem to make any- difference. Hop¬ 
ing you w-ill be able to help me in this dif¬ 
ficulty. (H. E. Brooks, Bucks.) 
Your Carnations are attacked by the fairy 
ring spot caused by- a fungus named Hetero- 
sporium echinulatum. It is the result of the 
-damp weather and bad light during the past 
season, or you may- have been keeping the 
house too damp and close. The plants 
ought to be kept clean and dry during au¬ 
tumn and winter, and if water should be 
spilled on the floor of the house when water¬ 
ing it should oe mopped up. Remove those 
leaves that are marked by the ring-like spots 
and burn them. At the same time you 
should sytringe the foliage on the morning 
of a fine day- w-ith a solution of sulphide of 
potassium at the rate of ^ oz. to the gallon 
of water. This will not kill the fungus in¬ 
side the leaves, but it will destroy the spores 
outside and prevent them from attacking 
fresh leaves. It may be necessary to repeat 
the operation between this and spring if 
the fungus should burst out again on the 
leayes. This is a method of keeping the 
fungus in check, and the plants that are not 
very badly attacked at least might get over 
the malady when they commence growing 
again. Several of the advertised remedies 
for Carnation diseases are v.-orth -while try¬ 
ing. Keep the plants on the-dry side and 
do not feed them with anything in the win¬ 
ter. Healthy- cuttings from the top of the 
plants may- be taken and rooted during this 
and the following two months, and you may 
be able to get rid of the trouble in that way. 
Keep all diseased plants by themselves. 
2515. Potting- Wallflowers and For- 
get-me-Nots. 
Some Hy-acinths and Daffodils I potted in 
, October and placed in the greenhouse have 
now commenced to grow- and promise well. 
I burn small coals and have no difficulty in 
-keeping up the heat. What would you con¬ 
sider the best temperature to keep the house 
at by- night for this class of plants? For 
the sake of variety, I -would like to mix 
amongst them some Wallflowers and Forget- 
me-Nots in pots. Would they bloom if 
potted up at this time of the y-ear, or when 
could it be done? (Beginner, Lanark.) 
A temperature of 40 degs. for some time 
y-et will be quite sufficient till the light gets 
better. Of course, if you desire to hurry 
them into bloom, y-ou could gradually- raise 
the temperature to 50 degs. by night with a 
rise by day. The flowers will be better, 
however, and last longer if brought forward 
