THE GARDENING WORLD\ 
August 15, 1908. 
53 2 
order to lengthen the flowering period, and 
all decaying leaves or blossoms should be at 
once removed, as nothing detracts more from 
the appearance of either greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory, besides being detrimental to the 
welfare of the plants. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. 
Where these are used to any extent for 
bedding purposes, it will generally be found 
about this time that the plants are liable to 
become overcrowded. It is a good plan to 
remove these superfluous shoots, and utilise 
them for a first hatch of cuttings, to make 
good plants for next season’s display. This 
simple operation also materially assists, by 
admitting light and air, to ripen the re¬ 
maining growths, from which the main stock 
of slips for striking will be taken at a later 
period. The cuttings should be trimmed in 
the usual manner and inserted singly in 
small pots, or if space_does not allow a 
number may be placed together, a_few inches 
apart, in boxes of sandy soil. 
Fs-cesia refracta alba. 
A first batch of these favourite bulbous 
plants may now be potted up, as doubtless 
early potting means plenty of roots and 
eventually an abundance of flowers. Select 
large, firm bulbs, and insert about half a 
dozen together in pots of sufficient size to 
allow a space of two inches between each. 
Tap the pots on the bench to settle the com¬ 
post well around the bulbs, the crowns of 
whith should be about an inch below the 
surface of the soil, consisting, of loam and 
leaf mould in equal quantities, with well- 
rotted manure and silver sand forming the 
remaining one-third. Jf used rather damp 
no further watering should be required till 
active growth commences. Plunge the pots 
in ashes in the open for a few weeks, and 
then, via the cold frame to the greenhouse, 
and, if introduced into heat in batches a fine 
succession of these chaste blossoms may be 
obtained. Another good sort to grow, which 
requires identical treatment, is Freesia 
Leichtlinii, and a few pots will form a pleas¬ 
ing variety. 
Winter Tomatos. 
Where the necessary heat is available, a 
winter and spring supply of these welcome 
fruits may be obtained from plants raised 
during the present month, either from seeds 
or cuttings, although naturally in less num¬ 
bers than the summer crop, as the lack of 
sunshine lengthens the ripening period. 
Cuttings should be inserted singly in small 
pots of sandy soil, and some gardeners pre¬ 
fer them to seedlings, as they do not make 
such luxuriant growth, which is an advan¬ 
tage where space is limited, and by throw¬ 
ing all the energy of the plants into the 
flowers and fruit the latter are obtained ear¬ 
lier than those raised from seed. Shift 
them on when rooted, as necessary, till they 
reach ten or twelve inch pots, in which they 
may be fruited, a night temperature of about 
55 degrees during the winter months suiting 
them admirably. 
Propagating Hydrangeas. 
The present is a good time to increase 
one’s stock of these showy plants, and if 
single stem specimens are desired annual 
propagation is necessary. Select for cuttings 
strong non-flowering shoots, which should 
be taken with a heel if possible ; if not, they 
can be trimmed up by removing the bottom¬ 
most leaves atid severing with a clean hori¬ 
zontal cut just beneath a joint. Tt is much 
better to treat them singly, as this renders 
unnecessary any root disturbance when pot¬ 
ting them on. Bottom heat is not required 
at the present season; indeed they will strike 
quite readily if plunged in a frame, shaded 
somewhat from the sun, and carefully 
watered. 
Gloxinias. 
A sowing now will provide fine plants for 
flowering next year, and as those raised from 
seed often prove equal to high-priced pur¬ 
chased varieties, this is the most economical, 
as well as the most interesting method of ob¬ 
taining a stack. A hotbed, if one is avail¬ 
able, is the best place to start them on, and 
the tiny seeds should be sown thinly in pans 
or boxes of finely-sifted loam, leaf mould, 
and silver sand, whilst the addition of a 
like quantity of peat is advantageous. A 
light sprinkling of sand is sufficient to cover 
the seed, and if a sheet of glass is placed 
over the pan and wiped dry occasionally, no 
watering should be necessary until germina¬ 
tion takes place. 
Nierembergia gracilis. 
These floriferous little plants, so well 
adapted for pot culture, may be propagated 
now by means of cuttings. Several may be 
inserted together in six-inch pots, and when 
well rooted may be potted off singly, care 
being taken not to damage the tender root¬ 
lets. On a shelf near the glass they will 
winter well, and during this period will only 
require sufficient water to keep the foliage 
from drooping. In the spring these young 
plants will prove very, useful for hanging 
baskets. G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Autumn-Flowering CypripetSiums. 
There are numerous species and hybrid 
Cypripediums that are particularly useful 
in completing the cycle of having Orchids 
in flower throughout the year that are worthy 
of every consideration by amateurs. They 
consist of such species as 'C. Stor.ei, C. 
Parishii, C. philippinense, C. rothschildi- 
anum, C .sanderianum and others of this 
class. Among the most useful of the hybrids 
are C. Morganiae in its varied forms, C. 
W. R. Lee, better known, perhaps, as C. 
Lord Derby, the best forms of C. youngi- 
anum, C Bryan, C. selligerrm majus and 
C. Elenor. Practically all the hybrids that 
have been derived from the influence of C. 
rothschildianum and C. sanderianum may 
be classed under this heading and are most 
attractive. They are not of the class of 
'Cypripediums that are in popular favour at 
the present time, and they are thus procur¬ 
able for a modest outlay. The whole of 
this section want the temperature of a warm 
intermediate house or stove house treatment 
to do them satisfactorily. They require 
ample moisture both at the roots and in the 
atmosphere at all seasons of the year. 
Compost. 
I find the whole of this section do well 
potted in a compost consisting of two parts 
fibrous brown peat and chopped sphagnum 
moss, with sufficient finely-broken crocks and 
sand added to keep the compost porous. The 
compost should be made moderately firm as 
they are a robust-rooting section. The best 
time to repot is when the new roots are in 
an active state of growth or immediately 
after the plants have passed out of flower. 
Give the plants ample pot rrom when re¬ 
potting and the pots one-third filled with 
good clean drainage. The stock of this sec¬ 
tion is easily increased by division of the 
growths, severing the rhizome between the 
growths with a sharp knife and separating 
carefully, so as to avoid as far as possible 
damage to the roots in the operation. Pot 
in as small pots as possible, using plenty 
of drainage. When the new growths are 
advanced sufficiently to emit new roots, these 
divisions may then be potted on as required. 
C. fairieanum. 
To follow this section of Cypripediums 
we find in bud at the present season C. 
fairieanum, which, owing to its extensive 
importations during the past two or three 
years, has become one of the commonest of 
the imported plants and procurable at a 
price well within the means of the most 
modest of amateur growers of Orchids. 
There are several hybrids, such as. C. vexil- 
larium, C. Juno, C. arthurianum and C. 
Niobe, that are in flower or bud at this 
season, all of which have C. fairieanum as 
one of their parents. C. Charlesworthii is 
also prominently in bud at this season, ana 
is well worthy of attention. 
C. spice: ir.num. 
One of the most beautiful of all the species 
we have, is C. spicerianum. There appears 
to be two or three forms of it in cultivation, 
for even where plants are grown together 
they will be found to flower at ditterent 
seasons throughout the autumn and winter 
months, and they last a long time in per¬ 
fection. They are exceedingly useful for 
exhibition or cut flower purposes. 
C. hirsutissimum. 
This is not so extensively cultivated as 
its merits deserve; moreover, it has prov ed 
to be one of the most successful plants that 
has been used in the production of hybrid:., 
and as there is an extensive field still c^cn 
for its use it is worthy of every considera¬ 
tion. The whole of this section may be 
grown together with and under the same 
treatment as that found to be successful in 
the cultivation of the popular winter-flewer- 
ing section, and are thus to fc.e_ included 
under the heading I have previously used 
m these pages as “ Everybody’s Orchids,” 
the whole being free-flowering and possess¬ 
ing robust constitutions. 
H. ]. Chapman. 
- 444 - 
Messrs. Sutton and Sons’ Exhibit at 
Cardiff.— At the Cardiff Horticultural 
Society’s Show, Messrs. Sutton and Sons, 
of Reading, had a most interesting and 
extensive exhibit of horticultural produce, 
which was generally admitted to be one 
of the finest displays ever seen in Car¬ 
diff. Noticeable features were a number 
of splendid fruits of the best'varieties of 
Melons now before the public, well-g own 
shapely Tomatos of both the red and the 
yellow kinds, and a large collection of 
Marrowfat Peas with beautiful dark green 
pods, some containing as many as 13 
Peas. The attractiveness of the exhibit 
was greatly enhanced by the floral deco¬ 
rations, consisting of seedling Carnations, 
Iceland Poppies, Coreopsis, etc. For this 
remarkable exhibit Messrs. Sutton and 
Sons were unanimously awarded the So¬ 
ciety’s Gold Medal. 
Bee Keeping and Ideal Gardens at Olympia. 
Practical illustrations of cottage gar¬ 
dening and bee keeping are to form one 
of the most prominent features of the 
Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia, which 
is being organised by the “Daily Mail.” 
The large annexe, which covers over an 
acre of ground is to be converted into “ a 
corner of England.” There will be a real 
model cottage standing in a series of 
gardens laid out by a landscape gardener. 
One of the gardens will be on the French 
plan, and the whole system of growing 
vegetables under bells and frames will be 
shown. Skilled operators will give prac¬ 
tical demonstrations of the treatment of 
the soil and other processes, while bee 
culture will also be shown by experts. In 
all there wall be over 20 operators, includ¬ 
ing those from the Studley Horticultural 
College, wdiowill demonstrate every phase 
of garden w'ork. Cottage, gardening on 
so complete a plan has never before been 
exhibited in this country. 
