336 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 16 , 1908. 
by night. At the second potting you should 
use a compost of two parts of loam., one 
part of leaf soil, and a good sprinkling of 
sand. You thus see that we advocate keep¬ 
ing the plants growing from the time they 
germinate until they bloom. Few people are 
successful in resting Cyclamens, 'but prefer 
to rear them annually front seed, as they are 
really less trouble 'and give a greater quan¬ 
tity of flowers, if you desire to rest them, 
however, this could be done by putting them 
in a cooler house, where they would require 
less water, and allow them to become mode¬ 
rately dry .though not dust dry. Some 
people plant them out .in cold frames during 
April or May, where they finish their 
growth, go partly to rest, and then commence 
growing again late in summer. When grow¬ 
ing along young plants you should keep 
the .soil constantly moist, but never sodden. 
The point is to give water in. sufficient quan¬ 
tity to wet the whole of the soil whenever 
watering becomes necessary, and to give no 
more until the sail is getting dry again. 
We do not advocate standing Cyclamen in 
the shade while making their growth, and 
when flowering in winter it is also unneces¬ 
sary. Later in the spring, if blooming in 
March, shading would keep the blooms in 
condition for a longer period, 
2848. How to Grow Primulas. 
Will you tell me how to grow Primulas? 
What soil do they require, and whether much 
or little water? (R. S. T., Essex.) 
The present is a good time to sow seeds of 
the Chinese Primula. Make up a compost of 
equal parts of loam and leaf mould, with 
some sand to make it porous. Drain the 
pans well, as the seed lies some time before 
it germinates. Sow the seeds thinly, and 
sprinkle them with a than covering of the 
finer portions oi the s.ame compost. Both 
the .loam and the leaf mould should be 
sifted for seedlings. Stand the seed pans in 
a temperature of 60 degs. As soon as the 
first or seed leaves are fully developed you 
may prick off the seedlings into shallow 
boxes or singly into thumb pots. These boxes 
or pots should be stood in a cold frame fac¬ 
ing south. It will be well to shade these 
seedlings whenever the sun gets bright. Use 
tiffany or some thin sort of white or grey 
sheeting that will simply break the force 
of the sun and yet allow plenty of light to 
get at the seedlings. They will grow slowly 
at first, but when they have made a few 
leaves you could examine the state of the 
roots toy turning out a port or two, and when 
getting fairly round the outside of the ball 
of soil you should give the plants a shift 
into a larger size port. At this potting use 
two parts of loam, one part of leaf mould, 
and one part of well-rotted cow manure 
rubbed up fine. Sufficient sand should be 
added to make the soil porous. At the same 
time, as shading becomes necessary at any 
time from now onwards, it will also be ne¬ 
cessary to give a little ventilation by tilting 
the .sashes at the back. This creates .a genial 
atmosphere that kee.ps the plants growing 
stead-ilv along. Watering should be regu¬ 
larly attended to, .and only those that are 
getting dry should be watered. Avoid the 
practice of giving each pot water whether it 
requires it o.r not. While the po.ts are small 
the most convenient plan is to use a fine rose 
on the watering pot that does not spread the 
water about, and you can thereby confine it 
to those pots which you desire to water. 
During the summer, therefore, shading dur¬ 
ing the heat of the day, ventilation and regu¬ 
lar .attention to water .are the principal 
points to toe attended to. The shafting 
should, of course, be imperative whenever 
the p< ts are fairly filled with roots, but 
not pot bound. Towards autumn less shad¬ 
ing will be necessary, and if any plants show 
signs oi flowering the blooms should he nicked 
out to strengthen the plants. Towards the 
end of September take the plants .into the 
greenhouse in a temperature of 50 degs. to 
55 degs. by night, which will be sufficient 
for the whole of the winter. You do not tell 
us what convenience you have, but if you 
have no cold frames, then you will have to 
keep the plants fairly close to the glass of 
the greenhouse to encourage good .growth, 
but if .the sun. beats strongly upon the glass 
it should he shaded, as we have advised for 
the frames. The same rules for watering 
hold good for the summer and winter, 
namely, to keep the soil just continually 
moist hut not sodden. Five-inch pots will 
grow plants of good .size, .and the compost 
for the final potting may be the same .as the 
first. We should ‘not advise you to keep old 
plants of Primula for the second year, as 
they give more trouble than seedlings. 
ROOM PLANTS. 
2847. The Five-Bladed Clover. 
I have a small plant of the Fdve-.bl.aded 
Clover in a pot. Can. it be grown in a 
window, and if so, when would it -require 
shifting, .and what compost is best for it? 
(T. Birstall, Leicestershire.) 
The F.ive-toladed Clover is a variety of Tri¬ 
folium repens, or the common Dutch Clover, 
and is, therefore, perfectly hardy. You 
could grow it in a window, but we doubt if it 
would keep the dark purple colour of the 
leaves under those conditions. You could, of 
course, try it. If the plant is large for the 
pot, then you should give it a size larger. 
Any patting compost will suit it that consists 
chieflv of loam, leaf mould -and sand. It 
will givie ,g|codj /satisfaction', however, in 
loam and sand, the latter being given in 
sufficient quantity to make the soil porous. 
If you would like to increase the plant as 
rapidly as .possible the best plan is to ^lant 
it in- the garden border and let it run for a 
time. The trailing shoots will roof in the 
ground and you could then have several in 
pots if you so desired, while .still keeping 
a stock in the open ground. Those out of 
doors will take on the best colour, and you 
will see by contrast which you like the best. 
WINDOW BOXES. 
2848. Baskets and Boxes. 
Would you be so kind .as to inform me 
wihat plants would toe suitable -to grow in 
hanging baskets bung from a balcony which 
is on the south side of the house .and there¬ 
fore gets the full heat of the sun’s rays the 
whole day. Also name plants to grow in 
boxes on the balcony. I should be glad if 
you could name the enclosed. I cu.t it from 
a standard tree. The blossom is pink and 
appeared some time before the leaves. (An¬ 
nual Subscriber, Hants.) 
There are many subjects which may be 
grown -in hanging baskets, and amongst them 
you might use dwarf and tall Nasturtiums 
(Trop.aeolum). The tall Nasturtiums should, 
of course, be round .the outside, where they 
would hang down. Another basket could be 
filled with Ivy-leaved and Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums. The last-named could be planted 
in the centre if fairly high, and the Ivy¬ 
leaved varieties planted round the sides so 
as to hang down. Petunias .also grow well in 
such situations, especially the single kinds. 
Possibly the .double ones could be grown also 
under like conditions, but they do not give 
such .a display .as the single ones in our ex¬ 
perience. Creeping Jenny (Lysimacbia 
Nummularia) should be planted round the 
sides .to hang over. The flowers will last 
for a time and make the plant gay, but the 
green trails should serve for the whole sea¬ 
son. Drooping Fuchsias, such as Wave of 
Life and Rose of Castile, could be grown 
in baskets. Tuberous Begonias might also 
be employed, placing one or more plants of 
an upright growing variety in the centre 
and some drooping ones, if you have them, 
round .the edges of the basket, so as to thanj 
over. In the dry position you mentioi 
watering will be a very important operation 
Indeed, during the warmer part of summer 
after the baskets are well filled with roots 
it will be necessary to water them twice ; 
day. Weak Liquid manure once or twice ; 
week ooul.d also be given to advantage 
Plants suitable for boxes on the balcony ar 
very much the same as those for the baskets 
but as the boxes, presumably, are a fair dept 
and wider, it will be easier to keep them i: 
moisture than the baskets. For the boxe 
we would recommend Ivy-leaved and Z0112 
Pelargoniums, white and yellow Marguei 
ites, Antirrhinums, single Petunias, Calceo¬ 
larias, East Lothian Stocks, dwarf Nastu: 
tiums, and the tall variety if you desire thei 
to hang over, French and African Mar 
golds also grow well under those condition: 
T.he boxes, where you simply require a lo- 
edging, could be edged with white or bit 
Lobelias, according to what is in the boxe 
the different colours being planted for tl 
sake of contrast. The specimen sent w; 
Prunus Amygdalus, the Almond. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
2849. Violets. 
I have a bed of Violets, but the flow, 
stalks are very short. Can I get them 
grow longer by giving them manure wat 
or any other special treatment? (A. Powel 
Cheshire.) 
During the winter Violets do not produ 
very long stalks, and the spring that is no. 
well over .has been very ungenial to fr 
growth, and no doubt that has kept the 
dwarf. Another year you could plant sor 
in a frame for the purpose of getting lor 
stalks during the winter or in the early pa 
of the spring. Any rough sort of frame w 
be sufficient to bring plants on earl 
whether the weather is mild or not you cou 
make u.p a bed of fermenting manure, cov« 
ing it w-ith 4 in. or 6 in. of soil and pla 
the Violets .in that. The simplest plan 
all would be to fix up some boards round t 
sides of the bed and lay a sash over the 
during winter. This shelter will cause t 1 
plants to grow earlier and the Violets > 
have longer stalks. Some varieties are bet'; 
in this .respect than others. For instance, 
you were to get Princess of Wales, Prince 
Beatrice or La Parme, they are strong gro- 
in.g and would give you longer stalks. 
2850. Sweet Peas. 
I shall be glad of an answer to the folic- 
ing questions on Sweet Peas : (1) Are It 
first flowers the best for seed or the ots 
when the plant" beginning to be exhaust', 
puts forth an abundance of short-stemmi 
flowers? One gets more seeds at that.tii. 
but are they as vigorous? (2)-What is f 
best time to pick Sweet Pea flowers—mornii. 
early, with the dew on them, midday, or Is 
afternoon? I mean, so as to ensure the bj 
results in the flower vases. <(3) I find tit 
after being picked and put in water s 
flower.s droop and shrink and do not sei 
to recover till the next day, when some t 
the colour is .already less bright. I e 
flowers tare the ilargest the third da} 1 
water. I .have tried putting the flowers ; 
tepid water, but find no difference. 1 
course, I know they should have fresh war 
every day and a bit of each stalk cut - ■ 
(Osbert Ward, Teneriffe.) 
( 1) We are not certain that it has b 11 
fully proved whether the seeds from the ea} 
flowers are better than, those from the 1 e 
ones. The conditions under which you gi ' 
yours no doubt favour the ripening of se ' 
right .to the top of the plant. In this coun} 
the seed of the pods usually checks grow . 
and there would not be many seed pods 1 
the top of the plants, if any. Towards. e 
n-ortih of Britain the upper pods never n n 
at all. Judging from analogy with sd® 
