'he Gardening World, June 6, 1908. 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ (Jives not the Hawthorn bush a sweeter 
ihade to shepherds.”— Shakespeare. 
CO NT ENTS. 
\nnual, A Tall Growing (illus.). 377 
Amateur’s Letter to Amateurs, An 375 
Competition Awards .. 37 ^ 
Competition, Prize Letter . 378 
Coreopsis, The Cress-leaved (illus.) 381 
Creepers, Two Beautiful . 377 
inquire Within .Y. 385 
Flower Garden, The (illus.) . 383 
Flower Show, The Temple . 388 
Fruit Garden, The (illus.) . 3^3 
darden, A Picturesque Small (illus) 3S0 
drape Thinning . 37 ^ 
Greenhouse, The Amateur's . 383 
Hybridising, Incredible . 379 
xitchen Garden, The . 383 
Leeks, Planting (illus.) . 379 
Lilies, Two White Water (illus.)... 382 
Orchids for Amateurs . 3^4 
Roses, In the Garden of . 3S 1 
Summerhouse, A Pretty . 376 
Tools, Garden . 39 ° 
Verbenas as Pot Plants . 379 
Work of the Week . 3 S3 
Yew Trees, A Use For . 384 
-- 
Som 3 um ?«ouwbs. 
A dripping June 
Sets all in tune. 
June damp and warm 
Does the farmer no harm. 
Calm weather in June 
Sets corn in tune. 
Cut your thistles before St. John, 
You will have two instead of one. 
Cut ’em in June, they’ll come again soon; 
Cut ’em in July, and then they may die; 
Cut 'em in August, and die they must. 
If St. Vitus’ Day be rainy weather (15th) 
It will rain fully thirty days together. 
Rain on St. John’s Day (24th), damage 
to nuts. 
In hay time, if there is no dew there will 
be rain. 
As the present is an excellent time for 
rearing perennials and biennials from 
seed, 1 do not think I can do better to¬ 
day than mention a few of the plants that 
are so well worth growing as to be looked 
upon as well nigh indispensable. Of 
course, I mention those titiat are season¬ 
ably reared at the present moment, thus 
leaving out some that are welcome fea¬ 
tures of every garden, such as Holly¬ 
hocks, Violas, and Antirrhinums, the rear¬ 
ing of which will best be postponed for a 
time. There are the Alstroemerias, often 
succeeding far better when grown from 
seed than when matured bulbs are pro¬ 
cured. Such varieties as A. aurantiaca, 
jarobably the one most familiar and 
oftenest seen ; A. chilensis, and A. psitta- 
cina—both remarkably striking varieties— 
may all be grown in this manner. They 
make very beautiful summer-flowering 
bulbous plants, that with advantage may¬ 
be planted at the base of a wall on its 
southern side as they rejoice in warmth 
and sunshine. Only last week I wrote of 
the rearing of hardy Primulas, and these 
must assuredly be numbered among the 
indispensable plants for spring flowering. 
Spiraeas. 
Particularly- for the sunny garden the 
Spiraeas are of great value. In small 
gardens some of the shrubby varieties 
may well take the place of the 
Laurels and Bays that people seem 
to think necessary; but in a small 
garden these Laurels and Bays are 
terribly- hungry — not to say greedy 
—- things to keep nourished, for they 
suck the goodness of the soil on all sides 
and for a considerable distance. S. lind- 
ley-ana and S. ariaefolia are capital 
shrubby varieties, but I cannot say if 
they- are to be reared from seed—the 
quickest method is division in the autumn 
—but the fine border species, S. Aruncus, 
can -certainly be reared from seed, and as 
it will sometimes reach five or six feet, 
is a noble addition to the garden. Give 
it deep soil and good soil and it becomes 
a notable object. 
Crown Imperials. 
I never remember the Crown Imperials 
ripening so many seeds as last season, 
and as the seed vessels are so wonderfully 
handsome, and make the plants decora¬ 
tive and striking for a long period, there 
is a great inducement to let them remain, 
though, perhaps, it might be well for the 
plants to remove them. Still, u-here they 
were allowed to remain a quantity- of seed 
must have been the result, and this ger¬ 
minates very-- freely-; indeed, there is no 
difficulty in rearing this grand May- 
flowering plant through all its stages. 
And I always regard it as a great addition 
to the garden ; it is one of the stateliest of 
our spring flowers, and quite one of the 
tallest. Nature has decreed that the 
majority of our spring flowers shall be of 
a dwarf, or semi-dwarf, habit, the better 
to face the boisterous winds that belong to 
the season. This means that we do well 
to extend a grateful welcome to one as 
tall as this Crown Imperial, with its 
sturdy, upright habit, and a plant, too, 
that flowers and flourishes in the partial 
shade. 
Dianthus Caryophyllus. 
We must not forget that a sowing of 
Dianthus Caryophyllus—our border Car¬ 
nations—may still be made. Lilies, 
Roses, Carnations, these are perhaps the 
choicest of all our hardy flowers. Foliage 
accords with blossom in being of remark¬ 
able decorative value, and of great re¬ 
finement of texture. It strikes me that 
qualities such as these should receive 
ample consideration, and is more neces¬ 
sary- in making a selection of what we in¬ 
tend to represent our choicest border 
plants. 
Aquilegias. 
Aquilegias seem to be universal 
favourites. Here, again, there would 
seem to be the acme of refined delicacy, 
a beautiful floral type, and an exception¬ 
ally graceful, slender habit of growth. 
The seed should be sown at this time if it 
has not already- been done, and better 
plants will be the result of a sowing some¬ 
what earlier than this. I have as a beau¬ 
tiful garden picture in my mind’s eye a 
group of these beautiful long spurred 
Aquilegias that I shall always regard as 
ideally beautiful. The combination of 
colour was pale sulphur and lavender- 
blue, and I take it to be Aquilegia caeru- 
lea hy-brida, which is I think the most 
beautiful strain yet raised. The plants I 
am describing were charmingly- planted in 
a short narrow border, and great care had 
been taken as to the plants with which 
they were associated. If I remember 
rightly- for edging was a planting of St. 
Bridgid Anemones, then came groups of 
Aquilegias, Madonna Lilies, and pale 
yellow German Irises—the variety I. ger- 
manica aurea, and Canary Bird, together 
with groups of the lavender-coloured I. 
germanica pallida dalmatica, I. Cengialti, 
and I. caerulea. I ought to add that 
there were no crimson Anemones in the 
scheme, which w-as of remarkably tender 
delicate colouring. 
A plant that should be found in every 
garden, large or small, is Anthemis tinc- 
toria. It flow-ers at the very height of 
summer just at a time when the early 
summer plants are failing us, and many 
of the later ones have not y-et burst forth 
into blossom. It bears a yellow: Daisy- 
flower, and so far as the flower goes, one 
that will bear comparison with the yellow- 
Paris Daisy-, though the foliage is of less 
delicate type. But for those w-ho have no 
glass for winter protection of cuttings 
these Anthemis form a capital substi¬ 
tute. The strain known as Kelwayii is 
especially to be recommended, but the 
one mentioned above is also very good. 
Seed of both is to be obtained. 
F. Norfolk. 
