744 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 28, 1908. 
flowers are the Everlastings, named Heli- 
chrysum bracteatum, also Coreopsis t-inc- 
toria (often named C. bicolor in catalogues), 
African Marigolds, Phlox Drummondii and 
Zinnia elegans (double). Of course, the 
last-named, if m ; xed, may give various 
orange, red or rose shades. Quite of a dif¬ 
ferent character are Chinese Pinks (Dian- 
thus chinensis), Japanese Pinks (D. chinen- 
sis Heddewigii), Victoria or Paeony- 
flcwered China Asters, Ten-week Stocks, 
Salpiglossis, Nemesia strumosa Suttoni and 
Statice sinuata. The last-named has blue, 
white or pale yellow flowers of short dura¬ 
tion, but the coloured calyx keeps for a long 
time like an everlasting. It is much used 
for cut flowers in florists’ shops at the 
piesent day. 
3410. Dwarf Plants for a Dry Border. 
At the bottom of the garden is a dry, 
rather gravelly border that I wish to plant 
with perennials of dwarf habit. If you 
could let me know of anything of that sort 
that would be likely to succeed I should be 
much obliged. (T. Thornton, Bucks.) 
Your dry soil may be greatly helped by 
deep digging or trenching and manuring 
at the present time. It would then get 
settled down by the time you commence 
planting, unless you decide to plant the 
gtound immediately. There are several 
species of Sedum, such as S. Telephium 
and S. spectabile, which are of upright 
habit and thrive well in a light soil. There 
are evergreen ones, however, of dwarfer 
habit, such as Sedum reflexum, S. fosteri- 
anum, S. rupestre, S. lydium and other 
Stonecrops. You could have a pleasing 
variation in using Houseleeks, such as Sem- 
pervivum calcareum, S. tectorum, .S. mon- 
tanum and others, planting them on slight 
mounds, so as to take off the flat appearance 
they would have on a border. Quite of a 
different kind are Hypericum olympicum, 
H. Coris, Iberis sempervirens, I. correae- 
folia, Gaillardias, Hypericum calycinum, 
and Rock Roses (Helianthemum). Several 
dwarf shrubs would thrive in a dry border 
and would associate very well with the 
plants above named. They are Genista 
pilosa, G. tinctoria, G. t. flore pleno (double, 
yellow), and Cytisus Ardoini. 
3411. Planting Bulbs. 
Is it too late to plant Crocuses, Tulips 
and Daffodils in the borders between hardy 
plants, as I wish to do something to brighten 
them in spring. (W. Riley, Lines.) 
It is getting late, but not yet too late, 
to plant those things you mention, although 
Tulips and Crocuses should be put in with¬ 
out further delay. Daffodils will do fairly 
well even if planted as late as Christmas. 
There is no necessity, however, for delay¬ 
ing the work if it can be done at once. 
They should not be stuck into hard soil, 
but the spaces between the border plants 
should be well dug or loosened up before 
planting the bulbs. 
3 412. Pansies and Privet Hedge. 
Pansies and Violas are favourites of m ; ne 
and I have a border that I always fill with 
them, but the past two years they have not 
done so well. A Privet hedge runs along 
the front and that has gradually been get¬ 
ting taller till it is now 10 ft. high. Do 
you think this has anything to do with it, 
and if so, what do you suggest I could do? 
(R. Holmes, Berks.) 
Shelter is very well and also shade when 
required, but it is a mistake to allow hedges 
to grow too tall in gardens where you de¬ 
sire to cultivate flowers with anv degree of 
Success. The best plan, therefore, would be 
to cut that hedge down to half its height — 
that is, to 5 ft. — in March. The top part 
will send out rather strong shoots during 
the first season or two, but you can hold 
them in check by pruning about the end of 
July. At 2 ft. from the bottom of the hedge 
you should take out a trench and cut all 
roots that pass beyond this 2 ft. No doubt 
you will find many roots in the border which 
not only serve to keep the border dry but run 
away with all the nourishment placed for 
the good of the Pansies and Violas. The 
hedge will not be damaged in any way if 
you keep 2 ft. away from the centre of it. 
3 413. White Flowers for Cutting. 
A constant reader would be much obliged 
for the names of about a dozen and a half 
of white flowers suitable for cutting. They 
must be hardy border plants, not difficult to 
cultivate. (M. Howard, Middlesex.) 
Although Sweet Peas are not perennials, 
they are hardy, and you could not do better 
than sow a good quantity of such 
white varieties as Dorothy Fckford 
and Etta Dyke. The other plants we 
name are perennials. You should, 
therefore, thoroughly prepare the ground 
before planting them 'to get the most satis¬ 
faction from them. The plants are Chysan- 
themum maximum King Edward VII., C. 
uliginosum, Galega officinalis alba, Cam¬ 
panula persici folia grandiflora alba, double 
white Pyrethrums, Lilium candidum, Ane¬ 
mone japondca alba, Lathyrus latifolius al- 
bus, Centaurea montana alba, St. Bridgid’s 
Christmas Rose (Helleiborqs niger angusti- 
folius), Narcissus poeticus in variety, but the 
Pheasant’s Eye is a very good late one, also 
the Gardenia-flowered .Narcissus (N. poeticus 
flore pleno), Iris florentina, I.f. albicans, 
double white 'Chinese Paeonies, Phlox syl- 
phide, and white Michaelmas Daisies, such 
as Harper Crewe, Chastity, Finchley 
White, etc. 
LAWNS. 
3414. Plantains in a Lawn. 
As a regular subscriber to’ your paper, I 
should like to know from you .the proper 
treatment of a garden lawn which 'was 
sown down two years ago with lawn seed, 
but which has since developed a lot of 
weeds, such as Plantains, etc., in addition 
to some of the original crop of Timothy com¬ 
ing up from the soil after the green was 
levelled. I purpose top-dressing it with 
soil and giving it a sprinkling with sand 
and seed an the spring, about March. Is 
this treatment correct? (Robert Goudie, 
Renfrewshire.) 
So far as we understand you your treat¬ 
ment is quite correct. Some well-rotted cow 
manure might be mixed with the soil used 
for top-dressing it ,at present. If the istones 
are sifted out of the soil it will save you 
some trouble in raking them off. We are un¬ 
certain whether you mean real sand or lawn 
sand. Unless the soil is very heavy we do 
not see that ordinary quartz sand would be 
of much service to you. If you mean sea 
sand that would, of course, supply lime, as 
well as give the soil .porosity. If the sand 
you mean is lawn sand that should be ap¬ 
plied ias a good sprinkling over the surface 
in dry weather either at the end of March or 
at the beginning of April to kill any broad¬ 
leaved weeds that may be amongst it. We 
do not consider Timothy such .a bad grass 
in lawns as Cook’s-fcot. The objection we 
have is that they grow too quickly, especially 
the latter, after having been cut, and the 
lawn looks rough in two or three days. If 
the number of pieces were few it would be 
worth while taking them out with a sharp- 
pointed piece of iron or even an old knife, 
doing it while the plants are quite small. 
So far as we know the particulars of your 
lawn, your treatment generally is correct 
with the doubt we expressed about the sand. 
ROSES. 
3415. Newly Planted Roses. 
Your advice on the following points in 
Rose planting will be esteemed. (1) I ^ * 
just planted some dwarf Rose trees (H' 
and T.). The soil was in a wet ccmditi ' 
inclined to become plastic, or what I cl' 
cakey when trodden round the roots. \\" 
this condition of the soil have anv harm ! 
effect, and if so can Ldo anything to remc - 
this now? (2) Must the top dressing i 
manure be decayed ? The manure I have j t 
on had only been standing about a few wei; 
exposed to the weather. (3) Is protecting 1. 
heads necessary, and if so, what with ? 
Are ordinary cinder ashes from the hoi 
of any use mixed with the soil? (G. F. 
Kentish Town, Middlesex.) 
(1) Whether the Roses will take any ha 
or not depends upon the degree of wetno 
at the time of .planting and the amount 
treading you give the Roses after coveri 
up the roots with soil. We understand y 
soil is heavy, and a fairly dry time shou 
have been selected for planting the Ros< 
e\ en if you had to heel them in for a few da 
waiting till your soil was in suitable cone 
tion. If you do not tread the soil too mu 
in this wet condition iittle harm will 
done, but those are points on which we a' 
uncertain. In case you were obliged 
plant the Roses when you did you might ha 
used some dry soil to spread over the ro 
or sand, and if you had done that yoj . 
Roses would have taken to the fresh mater: 
without any harm. You should avoid trea ' 
ing on wet soil .as much as possible. (2) Ti 
manure that is used as a top dressing net 
not be very much decayed. We should ha 
put some good decayed manure in the sc 
when digging or trenching it, and the multi 
could have been, put on some time in May 
better advantage even than now. It is liab 
to keep the soil cold and wet in spring. (■ 
No protection should be given to the hea; 
of the Roses unless there is very severe fro? 
In that case a little bracken put into tl 
heads would furnish good protection. (, 
Cinder ashes put on the top of the group 
cannot be of any benefit to Roses, but if yc 
had scattered it on the ground before dis 
ging it the soil would have been thereby in 
proved. Instead of the bracken we mentione 
you could use these ashes, piling them roun 
the stems of your Roses to a height of 6 ii 
or 8 in. if severe frost threatens. Th. 
would even be a better protection than tt 
manure. 
3416. Six Fragrant and Six Whit 
Roses. 
I intend planting a border with Rose 
and should be glad .if you would tell met!; 
names of six sweet scented varieties and si 
white ones, distinct. (S. Farrar, Hants.) 
Six sweet scented Roses are Mrs. J. Lain; 
La France, General Jacqueminot, Ulrici 
Brunner, Dupuy Jamain, and Alfre 
Colomb. Six white Roses are Frau .Km 
Druschki, White Maman Cachet, Kaiser: 
Augusta Victoria, Lady Quartus Ewart, Me: 
veille de Lyons, and Perpetual White Mo?- 
3 417. Neglected Climbing Roses. 
I should be very glad if you would give ml 
some help on the following question throug 
the medium of your valuable paper, Tu 
Gardening World. I have a Rose horde 
around my greenhouse which is 24 yds. Ion 
and 4 ft. wide. The Rose trees are traine 
up .a wire fence 5 ft. .high, and are in 
neglected state. They throw plenty of blcoi 
buds, but never come into full bloom, fall 
ing off while in bud. If I cut them dow 
in spring within 2 ft. of the ground and re 
plant them, will they bloom the same seaj 
son? The soil is medium, with stone 2 it 
below the surface'. I do not know the name- 
of any tree. (E. Pearson, Derbyshire.) 
Lt would appear to- us that the stems an : 
branches of your Roses are too crowded ami 
coupled with that the soil in all probabdil? 
becomes too dry just at the critical period- 
and the buds then fall. Your Roses being 
climbers would not bloom well, if at all 
