i8o 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 14, 1908. 
four sepals, occasionally five of a rich 
dark velvety plum-purple colour, and to 
see these flowers at their best, the plant 
should be grown on pillars in open situa¬ 
tions or against walls either of bricks or 
stone of a light colour, as these show up 
the dark-coloured flowers to the best ad¬ 
vantage. Another very good plan is to 
make an archway over the gate to the 
garden and plant a Clematis at either 
side. 
A hole of some size and depth should 
be taken out for the purpose of introduc¬ 
ing fresh soil if the natural staple should 
be inferior, and at the same time enable 
the operator to mix with the soil a good 
quantity of well-decayed cow manure. 
The plant is a strong feeder, and the 
long young stems and leaves require con¬ 
siderable moisture during the heat of sum¬ 
mer. This early preparation will enable 
the plant, however, to grow vigorously for 
several years, especially if a top dressing 
is given when the stems are cut down in 
the autumn. The accompanying illustra¬ 
tion shows a plant on a pole, about 10 ft. 
high in a situation shaded from the sun 
at mid-day in the rockery at Kew. 
Salvia - - 
splendens. 
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. 
Sir,—With regard to the article on Sal¬ 
via splendens from seed, by “C.C.,” in 
last week's issue of the “G.W.” (Febru¬ 
ary 15th), I am inclined to think that any 
amateur or beginner growing this for the 
first time from the directions of your cor¬ 
respondent would be disappointed in their 
effort and perhaps lose heart. My ex¬ 
perience is that Salvia splendens resents 
manure in any form, especially artificial 
manure, such as is used in Chrysanthe¬ 
mum potting soil. 
Would you allow me to give a practical 
hint that I have found from experience to 
be most beneficial in helping me to grow 
Salvias with marked success? Seed should 
be sown early in March, as “C.C.” re¬ 
commends, in soil consisting of equal 
parts of good sifted loam and leaf-mould, 
with enough sharp sand to keep the whole 
open. 
When large enough to handle, prick 
out the seedlings into boxes and grow 
on in a cold frame. Early in June plant 
out like an ordinary annual in a nice 
sunny border or any spare ground where 
they can get the sun to harden the growth. 
Pinch once after planting out. When 
they are well set with buds early in Sep¬ 
tember, they will dig up with nice balls. 
Pot in the soil recommended above, shade 
slightly from hot sun for a week, and you 
will have beautiful, healthy, vigorous 
plants, with dark-green foliage and an 
abundance of bloom from October to 
January". I find manure in the soil has 
a tendency to turn the leaves brown and 
make the plants'look unhealthy". 
D. M. Allan? 
Acryse Park Gardens. 
- * 4-4 - 
It is a mistake, says a writer in 
‘•'Nature,” to suppose that hard winters 
kill insects. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters, discussing any 
gardening subject. 
Letters should not exceed iyo words 
each in length, and must be written 
on one side of the paper only. 
Two Prizes of ps. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the 
best. 
Early Nasturtiums. 
Cypripedium Calceolus. 
The seeds I sowed in November (four 
in a 5-inch pot) are looking very strong 
and healthy, although they had only been 
given an odd corner. I am now going to 
tie them to twiggy sticks and put them 
near the glass, then whdn growth com¬ 
mences I shall pot them off into separate 
pots, and soon after that pinch the points 
out. Potted firmly in poor soil and not 
given too much water they will provide 
nice bright blossoms fully two months 
earlier than the outdoor ones, and who 
despises even the “common” Nasturtium 
when grown out of its ordinary season ? I 
don’t for one ! 
D. V. E. 
Worthing. 
Caladium argyrites. 
This is the smallest and most elegant 
variety of the whole collection of Cala- 
diums. A good stock of it should be 
grown by everyone who has a stove. 
The leaves are small, with the ground 
colour light green, the centre and mar¬ 
gins of the leaf white, with many irregu¬ 
lar blotches scattered over the remaining 
portion. It is a beautiful ornament in 
the stove, and a perfect gem as a decora¬ 
tor of the dinner-table. It is one of the 
best for cutting, the leaves being effec¬ 
tive when used in any of the various ar¬ 
rangements of cut flowers, provided the 
plants are treated in a manner that will 
enable the leaves to keep fresh for a rea¬ 
sonable time. It appears to do with less 
heat than any of the other varieties, and 
should be grown near the glass, with no 
more shade than is necessary to keep the 
leaves from injury by the sun. 
Argyrites. 
Sideritis hyssopifolia. 
This exceedingly beautiful and service¬ 
able little plant will be much appreciated 
by lovers of alpine flowers when it has 
become better known. It is very neat 
and elegant, of prostrate trailing habit, 
with dark green, somewhat glossy, foli¬ 
age. The flowers are a pretty shade of 
creamy white, passing to citrine yellow 
towards their centres; they are borne in 
spikes on tough, wiry stems about nine 
inches long. It is a capital plant for a 
sunny, well drained rockery, and pro¬ 
duces a most remarkable effect when 
planted among rough stones, over and 
between which the leafy stems will spread 
themselves in natural freedom. It is of 
easy culture, and may be grown from 
seed sown in the open ground in April. 
It should be watered freely during hot, 
dry weather. 
W. F. Glover. 
Langpott. 
The above is the only British species 
of the genus Cypripedium and the largest 
flowered of our native Orchids. The 
flower spikes bear one and sometimes two 
large flowers of a dark brown colour, 
with an inflated clear yellow lip, netted 
with darker veins. My plant of the 
above has been grown for the past nine 
years in common garden soil of a light 
nature, in a back garden sheltered from 
the north by a dwelling-house, from the 
south and east by a wall, and in a posi¬ 
tion where it never gets the sun until 
3 p.m., even in the middle of summer. 
It produced five flowers the first year aftei 
planting, and the other year it gam 
•seventeen. Perhaps this is not a satis¬ 
factory rate of increase, but it has been 
a source of pleasure to those most inter 
ested. Thus, the man with a back gar¬ 
den can be the proud possessor of an 
Orohid as well as the millionaire 
S. H. 
Stirling. 
The Auricula. 
The above is an old-fashioned flower 
and one of the choicest. Roughly speak 
ing, its cultivation in England dates bad 
between 200 and 300 years, but it is onh 
of recent years that it has reached suci 
perfection. 
The Auricula is quite hardy, but th. 
richness of the colour of the flowers ant 
the delicate nature of the leaves mah 
it nefcessary, if the highest results an 
desired, to give it some light protectioi 
fropi heavy rains and' cold winds. Nev 
varieties are raised from seed, which ma 
be sown at any time, while named varie 
ties are increased by off-sets. 
Auricula 'seed-pots should never b 
thrown away when the first batch of plant 
have been pricked out, as other seedling 
may appear months afterwards. A fe’ 
good named varieties are:—Rev. J. E 
Horner, Mrs. Potts, Acme, Prince: 
May, Black Bess, Mabel, and Robei 
Trail. 
C. T. 
Highgate, N. 
Gathering Violets. 
Many mistakes are made in pickin 
and bunching Violets. When pickin; 
do not damage the bloom in any way 1 
catching hold of it or near it. By catcl 
ing hold as close as possible to the shoot < 
runner you can produce a long ster 
which makes it better for bunching, 
have seen people’catch hold close to tl 
bloom to pick them, and instead of ha 
ing a stem four or five inches long, thi 
get one half an inch. The Violet 
spoilt, of course, and if done many dm 
you will soon lose a bunch. 
-Do not crush them together in yo 
hands, like we see the children pickii 
