I 
October IO, 1908. THE GARDENING WORLD. 
647 
Lettuces. 
Transplant Lettuces on a dry border. 
The plants should be firmly put in, then they 
,vill make steady growth which will with¬ 
stand the winter weather. Tie up Endive 
blants while the leaves are dry. 
Foxglove. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Top-dressing- and Watering. 
The plants intended for the winter decora¬ 
tion of greenhouse and const: ry may 
now be placed in their chosen po., ms, but 
before doing so some that have not oeen re¬ 
cently repotted may need mulching with 
5ome rich compost, which is a good substi¬ 
tute when from any cause it is deemed un¬ 
desirable to disturb them more than neces¬ 
sary. Some may need staking and tying 
up, and this, of course, should be done 
neatly, otherwise many plants will require 
but little attention beyond the usual routine 
>f watering and ventilating. Sometimes, 
however, those that have been top-dressed 
seem to droop unaccountably and shed some 
bf their lower leaves without any apparent 
cause. I rather think this is when the uall 
A earth has become hard, and the loose sur¬ 
face soil absorbs most of the moisture when 
applied from above, that which does escape 
passing through between the soil and the 
sides of the pot, and so out of the vent at 
the bottom. At any rate I have frequently 
noticed that a thorough saturating will gene¬ 
rally remedy this state of affairs. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias. 
It is always interesting to grow these 
from seed, and yielding as they do a grand 
display in such a rich variation of colours, 
they are well-nigh indispensable in the 
amateur’s greenhouse. If a batch of seed 
was sown as advised in this column in May¬ 
or early June, the resultant plants will now 
be ready for a further shift into five-inch 
pots, and in these they may be wintered 
either in the greenhouse, or, if space is 
scarce, they may be relegated to the pit or 
frame, providing it be absolutely frost¬ 
proof. The earier plants intended for April 
blooming, it is better to get at once into 
their flowering pots, and for grand speci¬ 
mens, eight-inch pots will be found none too 
large. For the present the flower buds may 
be removed as they appear, but after a time 
if they are intended for show or exhibition 
they will need liberal and frequent doses of 
manure water. 
A Greenhouse Novelty. 
Few amateurs seem to be aware what a 
really fine decorative plant for the conser- 
! vatory or greenhouse is the Capsicum or 
Chili. If carefully grown under glass the 
brilliant seed-pods are quite ornamental, 
apart from their culinary uses. If the plants 
have not been over-potted (a seven-inch pot 
being large enough for a good specimen), 
they will now be fruiting, and will require 
plenty of water. The one thing against 
them is their liability to the attacks of the 
! dreaded red spider, which, if not quickly 
j exterminated, soon spread to other plants. 
The fruits keep for quite a long time, and 
there need be no hurry about cutting them, 
; for they form quite a striking and pleasing 
j novelty. 
Wintering Ericas or Heaths. 
There is no better place for these fine 
spring-flowering shrubs than a cool span- 
roofed greenhouse, provided the necessary 
. amount of light and ventilation is available, 
for they are, as a rule, very impatient of 
; excessive heat and moisture. 1 he plants, 
. which should have been placed outside to 
| harden their growths about the middle of 
j Julv, should be taken in now if not already 
I rehoused. Ericas should be very carefully 
watered during the cold months ahead of 
us, for evaporation is slow, and any mois¬ 
ture lodging in the foliage is liable, if not 
immediately shaken off, to cause disease to 
the plants. 
Rain water from the greenhouse tank 
(which should be inside the structure) is 
always preferable to tap water, but if the 
latter only is obtainable, a bag of soot 
placed in the pail containing it, and occa¬ 
sionally stirred up, will minimise the evil 
effects. 
Potting Up Dielytra spectabilis. 
This beautiful subject is, perhaps, better 
known by its more popular name the Bleed¬ 
ing Heart, and although a nearly hardy 
plant, yet it makes a really beautiful and 
graceful pot plant for greenhouse use, and 
if subjected to gentle forcing will produce in 
profusion its delicate pendulous blossoms 
quite early in the year. It is advisable, how¬ 
ever, as with many other subjects, not to 
use the same plants for pot work two years 
in succession, separate batches being kept 
for alternate use. 
Planted out after blooming, the foliage 
will now be dying down, and rested roots 
may be raised and potted up in good rich 
sandy loam, after which they should be 
plunged in a frame for a few weeks before 
bringing them into the house for forcing 
purposes. 
Brightening the Conservatory. 
Because the bright weather has departed, 
and many of the summer-flowering subjects 
have nearly done blooming, there is no 
earthly reason why either the greenhouse or 
conservatory should be rendered dull. lill 
the time of Chrysanthemums, to which we 
all look forward, there are many plants 
which mav be potted up and brought in¬ 
doors, including the beautiful Campanula 
pyramidalis, both blue and white varieties. 
These have for some time past been making 
a fine show in the garden, and the best of 
them, if carefully raised with a ball of 
earth, may be placed in pots, and will then 
continue to give their best for some weeks to 
come. 
The Cannas, too, are well worthy of cul¬ 
ture if for their foliage alone, but when 
crowned with their superb Gladioli-like 
floweTs they are indeed majestic. Out of 
doors they cannot last much longer, but if 
treated as advised above, will brighten and 
beautify the house for some considerable 
time. It is such little arrangements as these 
that make indoor gardening such a real and 
ever-changing pleasure. 
Fuchsias. 
The young stock of Fuchsias may still be 
encouraged to continue blooming by occa¬ 
sional applications of Clay’s Fertilizer or 
some other stimulant.- The older and earlier 
plants, that have finished flowering, and 
have been hardened off, may be stored away 
under the staging if no better place can be 
found for them. Providing the frost or the 
drips from other plants does not reach them 
they will -require little attention till the time 
arrives to restart them into active growth, 
although it is not advisable to allow the 
soil to become dust-dry. . 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs, 
Winter-flowering Orchids. 
I have on previous occasions pointed out 
that the Orchids which produce their flowers 
during the winter season are not only de¬ 
sirable because they afford a display in oui 
greenhouses at a time when the garden offeis 
few attractions, but for the reason that so 
many of the winter-flowering Orchids are 
plants of easy cultivation, and as such can be 
best recommended as suitable subjects fn 
amateurs in whose cultivation they are the 
most likely to be successful. They are 
practically all confined to what is known as 
the cool house and intermediate tempera¬ 
ture plants. It is to the intermediate house 
section that 1 would first draw attention. 
Among these there are many autumn and 
winter-flowering Cattleyas. A few years 
ago the Cattleyas and their allied genera 
were with very few exceptions confined to 
summer-flowering plants. The handiwork 
of the hybridist has produced so many hy¬ 
brids between the various species and 
genera that we now possess a large number 
of plants which form a complete cycle, giv¬ 
ing flowers throughout every season of the 
year. I have pointed out frequently how 
much more readily the hybrids lend them¬ 
selves to Successful cultivation, and it is 
often found that these may be successfully 
grown where nothing but failure has been 
experienced with the species. I might men¬ 
tion quite a number of varieties suitable for 
this purpose, but it is a difficult matter to 
suit everyone’s taste, and I think it far 
more advisable to pay a visit to some of the 
fortnightly shows in London and Manches¬ 
ter, or to visit some nurseryman’s establish¬ 
ment, but if this is not possible there are 
the gardens of private gentlemen where Or¬ 
chids are extensively cultivated, who are 
generally willing to grant every facility to 
those interested in the cultivation of these 
plants. This will give the best opportuni¬ 
ties o-f making suitable selections of this 
class of plants. 
In the case of the winter-blooming Cypri- 
pediums, these are a host in themselves, and 
as I have so many times observed, they are 
what may be termed everybody’s Orchids, 
and being among the most popular of all 
Orchids, they are worthy of every considera¬ 
tion. At the present time C. Charlesworthii 
and some of its offsprings are'in bloom. C. 
Fairieanum is a great addition to the earlier 
flowering varieties of the Slipper, and has 
now become so plentiful as to be procurable 
for a modest outlay. C. spicerianum is com¬ 
mencing to expand, and is still one of the 
most beautiful of the genus. The early- 
flowering varieties of C. insigne come m 
useful for hybridising purposes. If there 
is one of the hybrids more deserving of men¬ 
tion than another as likely to be successfully 
cultivated it is the varied and beautiful C. 
leeanum. I might mention a vast number 
of varieties among the winter-flowering Cy- 
pripediums, but think selections of varieties 
should be made from plants in flower rather 
than from a list that might not be altogether 
suitable to some tastes. 
In the cool house numerous Odontoglos- 
_sums have their flower scapes in different 
stages of development. 0. crispum and G. 
Pesoatorei are the most serviceable among 
these; 0. cirrhosum is also attractive, the 
numerous hybrids having the influence o 
O. harryanum in their parentage are al 
worthy of consideration, and I think dis¬ 
play their best characteristics when flower¬ 
ing in the autumn. 
H. J. Chapman. 
Ladv Helen Vincent is exceedingl) 
fond of gardening, and the grounds at 
Esher Place, Surrey, are exquisitely laid 
out and cared for. 
British Gardeners’ Association. 
The second monthly meeting of the 
London Branch of the British Gardeners, 
Association will be held at "Carrs, 
Strand (in the Charles Dickens room) on 
October 8th, at 8 p.m., when the chair¬ 
man and other members of the Execume 
Council will address the meeting on "1 he 
B G A its influence and how to increase 
it " Full discussion will be invited. 
