THE 
GARDENING WORLD 
345 
May 23, 1908. 
ill sunlight; as its foliage is small and 
ght, it does not interfere with the plants 
eneath it. 
Each shoot should be tied separately, 
ood “trails” make a nice change from 
m ilax for the dinner table. 
Watford. H. Oborne. 
ponogeton distachyon. 
Most persons who are fond of flowers 
ave more than a liking for aquatic 
lants, but seem to have all sorts of queer 
otions regarding their manner of growth 
nd requirements. 
There are many amateur gardeners who 
ave a space in the greenhouse where a 
nail tank, two feet by two feet, and - 
bout a foot or eighteen inches deep, 
mid be placed and providing plenty of 
ght could reach the water, and all the 
loming sunshine, these conditions suit 
le pretty Cape Pond Weed, second to 
one. 
Two plants obtained in pots from any 
urseryman would not cost more than 
vo shillings each, and all there is to do 
to sink them in the tank. 
When in flower, which would be from 
ebruary onwards, with very few rests 
ntil November, the Aponogeton is an ob- 
:ct of interest and beauty, and its haw- 
lorn-like scent finds it many friends. 
Debutant. 
Worksop. 
ompon Dahlias. 
Though the florists’ show Dahlia has 
>st much of its popularity, the Pom- 
on section, with their Ranunculus-like 
owers, are still favourites for house and 
arden decoration, or at exhibitions, 
/hat could be more effective than a 
ump of three or four plants, say, of 
acchus, with its telling scarlet colour? 
r, could we wish for anything sweeter 
tan a vase of the chaste Nerissa, with its 
lver-tinted rose-colouring ? The flowers 
re specially useful for all kinds of floral 
ocorations, standing the handling better 
ian their more fragile compeers. After 
siting many exhibitions I find the fol- 
nving are the very best for competi- 
on :—Adelaide, blush, edged lavender ; 
acchus, scarlet; Darkest of All, darkest 
laroon; Ideal, yellow ; Queen of the 
/hites, white; and Nerissa. A good se¬ 
ction for cutting purposes is :—Bacchus, 
leal, Nerissa, Cheerfulness, old gold, 
pped crimson; George Brinkmann, 
hite; and Sunny Daybreak. 
S. H. 
Stirling. 
-*+*- 
sparagus Island. 
■ “At Kynance Cove, in Cornwall,” says 
le “Daily Telegraph, “there is a small 
>cky island, called Asparagus Island, 
hich owes its name to the fact that, at 
ne time, the now popular vegetable was 
ultivated within its area. That this 
tould have been so remarkable, in the al- 
i lost forgotten past, as to call for special 
istinction by naming the place noted for 
! .sparagus culture in so marked a manner 
Jems inexplicable to the up-to-date Lon- 
oner. It is difficult for the' present 
j eneration, especially the younger mem- 
ers of it, to think of Asparagus at this 
ime of the year in anv other light than 
] hat of a choice yet fairlv plentiful vege- 
able.” 
Saintpaulia ionantha. 
Saintpaulia ionantha. 
This noteworthy plant deserves a few 
words in the gardening press, as its 
flowers are of conspicuous beauty. It is 
a charming edging plant for the stove, 
but it does best in a house standing about 
50 deg. at night. It has a dense rosette¬ 
like tuft of hairy leaves, from among 
which the flower stems are pushed up, 
each one bearing about five blooms of a 
rich purple-blue in abundance, whose 
golden anthers make a pleasing contrast. 
Saintpaulia also lends itself to various 
forms of decoration, and it will be found 
valuable, especially in autumn, when 
flowering subjects are not so much at 
hand; therefore it is a plant worthy of 
judicious treatment, and it must be 
treated thus if specimen plants are de¬ 
sired. Plants are best raised from seed, 
although they may be successful propa¬ 
gated from leaf cuttings as practised with 
Gloxinias. 
Those who wish to multiply their stock 
should sow seeds early in the year, as if 
left till late in spring a loss of time re¬ 
sults in the growth of the plants that are 
intended to flower the following year. 
Seed is sown in pans, using a compost 
of sandy soil. Sow thinly over the sur¬ 
face, then gently press with a board, and 
cover lightly with fine soil. Give them 
a temperature of about 60 deg., and when 
germination takes place they must be at 
once placed near the glass, to prevent 
drawing. When large enough to handle, 
prick off into boxes, or pots, using or¬ 
dinary potting compost. In about two 
months from this date they should get an¬ 
other shift into 3-inch pots, and they 
should remain in those pots during the 
summer. 
The compost at this stage should con¬ 
sist of loam, leaf mould, and sand to 
lighten it, also shade from bright sun¬ 
shine, and in dry weather a syringing will 
be beneficial. Watering is an essential 
point, for while over-watering may prove 
fatal, yet to let the plants get too dry 
will check development. When estab¬ 
lished plants are flowering, liberal appli¬ 
cations of weak liquid manure, preferably 
of soot, may be given. " This should be 
made some time before it is required for 
use, and allowed to settle, so that it may 
be used in quite a clear state. 
J. W. Forsyth. 
Durris House, N.B. 
-- 
The Lilac has been the glory of Eng¬ 
lish gardens since the days of Gerard and 
Parkinson, those old-time gardeners of the 
sixteenth century. 
