244 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
April io, 1909. 
dinary hardy herbaceous type with red 
flowers are Oriental Poppies (Pa paver orien¬ 
tate, P.o. bracteatum, or any other of their 
varieties which have scarlet flowers); also, 
Lychnis ohalcedonica, L.c. flore pleno, I.. 
coronar-ia, Pentstemon barbatus, P. campanv- 
latus, Phygelius capensds, Heuchera san- 
guinea, Geranium sanguineum, Poten- 
tilla argyrophylla atrosanguinea, P. 
nepalensis, and Lytbrum Salicaria 
roseum. One of the Everlasting Peas, 
namely, Lathyrus rotundifolius, has flowers 
of a brick-red. The others vary greatly in 
their shade of red, some being scarlet, others 
carmine, and in some cases crimson, but they 
should all work into a scheme, the dominat¬ 
ing feature of which is red. Possibly, how¬ 
ever, you desire them for mixing with the 
plants you already have. 
ROSES. 
3776. Roses for Winter Flowering. 
I have some Roses which I should like to 
grow in pots to flower in winter. I should 
be pleased to have your advice on their 
management. (Beginner, Northampton¬ 
shire.) 
Judging from your question, the Roses 
are at present in the open ground, and you 
wish to grow some in pots to flower in win¬ 
ter. If so, you should delay no longer in 
having them lifted, pruned and potted up. 
Your success with them will depend upon 
getting them into the pots before they have 
advanced much into growth. 'They should, 
also have been pruned some little time ago. 
They do not lose much then in being trans¬ 
ferred to pots, as they have little evaporating 
surface when hard pruned as they should be 
in pots. Indeed, Roses in pots should al¬ 
ways be cut harder back than those outside, 
as they do not grow so strongly in pots. Use 
a good compost consisting of three parts of 
loam, half a part each of leafmould and 
well-decayed cow manure rubbed up fine. To 
this should be added, of course, sufficient 
sand to give porosity, and if you can add a 
6 in. potful of wood ashes to every bushel 
of the compost so much .the better. The 
newly-potted Roses may be stood in a cold 
frame for a time, where you can guard the 
soil against too much washing by rain un¬ 
til the Roses have pushed plenty of roots 
into it. The pots can then be stood out of 
doors in a sunny sheltered situation, where 
they have every encouragement to grow. You 
should get some coal ashes, sift them, and 
lay down a coating of 3 in. or 4 in. of them 
on which to stand the pots, so as to keep out 
worms. The plants will make growth and 
flower, but you will aid them by using the 
flowers for cut bloom as soon as they are 
expanded. You can also feed with liquid 
manure made from sheep- or deer droppings, 
or even from cow manure. This should be 
given when the plants are in full growth 
and have fairly occupied the soil with roots. 
You can also continue it after the flowers 
are over. These plants in the pots will, 
therefore, make growth much like those 
planted out in the garden. When the leave* 
fall in autumn you can then prune the Roses 
as hard again as at the present time. The 
pots had better be placed in cold frames 
until you are prepared to place them in the 
greenhouse. This will prevent frost from 
injuring the buds on the pruned plants. It 
is necessary to have Roses thus thoroughly 
established in the pots in which they are to 
be forced. Indeed, if they had been in the 
pots for a twelvemonth it would have been 
all the better for them, if you a re going to 
subject them to much heat for the sake of 
easiness. On the other hand, we would ad¬ 
vise you to give them only a gentle heat and 
allow them to come along slowly. They 
wil 1 look all the better for it and be more 
durable when they do come into bloom than 
if forced unnaturally with great heat. For 
instance, when first put into the greenhouse 
45 degs. will be quite sufficient for two or 
three weeks, and you can gradually raise it 
to 50 degs. and then 55 degs. by night, with 
a corresponding rise of 5 degs. by day or 
even 10 degs. with sun heat. To be success¬ 
ful with Roses yreu must balance the amount 
of heat given with the available light for 
the time being. The poorer the light the 
more slowly the Roses ought to be allowed 
to come along. This is a matter, however, 
on which you will gain by experience if you 
keep a close observation upon the Roses with 
the results of the treatment you give. 
TREES AND SHRUBS. 
3777. Growing Willows in Pots. 
The season seems, very late when reckoned 
by the calendar and the Wiillow known as 
Palm is much behind its usual time, and 
possibly we may not be able to get it at the 
proper time. Can you say if it would be 
possible to grow it in pots to get it in flower 
by a given time next year? For instance, 
could it be put into a warm greenhouse to 
bring into bloom? (A. C. W., Kent.) 
The Willow usually termed Palm is .the 
Goat Willow (Salix Caprea), and that could 
be easily enough grown in pots, but unless 
you get fair-sized specimens to commence 
with, you can hardly expect to get much 
bloom from plants next year, if you have 
nothing but cuttings to insert at the present 
time. If you have plants of moderate size 
you could, of course, lift them at once, root- 
prune them to make them go easily into pots 
of moderate size, and also cut them pretty 
hard back after flowering. They bloom 
upon the young shoots made during the pre¬ 
vious year. They respond very readily to 
heat, and could quickly be brought into 
bloom in a greenhouse, but if you have 
plants in the garden you can get flowers for 
use by cutting the shoots and plaoing them 
in a jar of water in the greenhouse. If the 
temperature stands at 50 degs. the plants 
should come into bloom in the course of a 
week or ten days. It all depends upon the 
stage of growth out of doors, so you will 
have to calculate the size of the catkins and 
the season of the year as to when you will 
get them in bloom indoors. They would also 
flower in water in a dwelling house, but they 
take longer time. They first make roots in 
the water and then push their flower buds. 
In that case it would be well to start about 
a month previous to the time you require 
them if the season is likely to be late. 
3778. Shrubs for Covert. 
A large plantation of trees of fair height 
has been put under my care, and being 
mostly of Fir there is no underwood for 
game covert. I would be much obliged, 
therefore, if you would name a few of the 
more common things that are planted for 
that purpose. Would Broom and Gorse be 
any good? Trusting to have a reply in an 
early number. (Gorse, Perthshire.) 
Evergreen plants like Broom and Gorse 
would not be a success under the shade of 
Pine trees. They like full exposure in the 
open. Moreover, they are never planted for 
forming covert for game, except in open 
situations, and there they are usually self- 
sown. The plants most frequently employed 
for the purpose are Spiraea salicifolia, Com¬ 
mon Privet (Ligustrum vulgare), oval¬ 
leaved Privet (L. ovalifolium), the common 
Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), 
and the Laurel Cherry (Prunus Laurocera- 
sus). There are, however, other things em¬ 
ployed occasionally, including the common 
Laburnum (Laburnum vulgare), and the 
Hazel. Rabbits usually eat the Laburnum 
severely, when snow is on the ground, but 
it shoots up again in summer. Even Black 
Currants, Red Currants, and Gooseberries 
would answer the purpose, although the first- 
named sorts are the most commonly ei I 
ployed. 
3779. Best Hardy Heaths. 
What is the best time to plant han 
Heaths? I intend to get some peat ai 
plant a large bed of some of the best han 
kinds. Please name a dozen that would 
suitable. (J. B., Devonshire.) 
If the bed is to be a large one, one or t\' 
of the taller-growing kinds might be plant 
in the centre. These would include Eri 
arborea, E. lusitanica (often named E. < 
donodes) and E. australis. The first t- 
are the most compact in habit and the m< 
ornamental of the tailler-growing Head 
Then, around the central ones you cou 
plant the Cornish Heath (E. vagans), 
medi-terranea hybrida and E. ciliar 
Several varieties of the purple Heather 
Ling might then be planted, including C; 
luna vulgaris alba Ser.lei, C. v. Hammont 
-C. v. Alportii, 'C. v. flore pleno, C. v. al 
pi’losa and E. carnea. The last-named 
one of the best- and indispensable. Being 
dwarf habit it should be planted to form 
edging. Although we have mentioned t 
above kinds in a certain succession it ne 
not follow that they should be planted f 
mally in lines; indeed, we think the 1< 
formality about the order of planting the b 
ter so long as the tallest are in the cent 
and the dwarfesit outside to prevent th< 
being hidden. 
VEGETABLES. 
3 780. Mustard and Cress in the Oper 
I should be glad if you would tell me 
I could grow'Mustard and Cress outside no 
and should I cover the seed over? (I 
ginner, Northamptonshire.) 
Mustard and Cress will readily germ inn 
in the open air now, but there are sevei 
inconveniences or drawbacks to success!; 
results by merely sowing and leaving thu 
to their own resources. The stalks below t; 
seed leaves will be short and with the ra. 
they may be rendered gritty, which can, : 
course, be overcome by washing. You ci 
improve upon this if you have a bell-gin 
or two to place over the seeds. We shoe: 
not sow both kinds under one glass, 1: 
each separately, as the Mustard germina ; 
much more quickly than the Cress. If yi 
wish them to be fit for use at the same tin, 
you should sow the Cress three or four da; 
in advance of the Mustard. If by coveri; 
the seed over you mean placing soil on t: 
seeds, we agree with you. If the seeds wo 
left uncovered the birds would soon d- 
pose of the lot; besides they germinate b- 
ter and cleaner if not sown too thickly al 
the seeds are covered with fine sandy sc, 
so as to hold down the skins when the set¬ 
tings are struggling to get clear. Th, 
also, would improve the quality by.getti; 
them perfectly clear of the seed skins. 
3781. Planting Rhubarb. 
A neighbour of mine has been busy pla - 
ing 'Rhubarb in full growth. Is not thisi 
mistake to plant it when the red-sltalkl 
leaves are 6 ins. long? I believe in pla- 
ing when the leaves have thoroughly d:l 
down. I would like your opinion upon t s 
matter. (T. Herbert, Cambridgeshire.) 
We quite agree with you that Rhubr) 
should be planted when thoroughly at rt 
or before it has made much headway. .WH 
the .leaves are advanced, as you state,_ th 
evaporate moisture which the mutilad 
roots are unable to supply. No dou, 
it was an early variety, as Victoria Rhub;i 
may -still be planted with safety. Rhuba , 
however, .is a very accommodating plant al 
if the stalks are not much pulled dun" 
the summer the roots will recover themseh 
before the end of the season and even ? 
better than they were to begin with. Rl- 
