May 4, 1907. 
THE GARDEN I NO WORLD 
299 
Sidalcea malvaeflora: flowers deep rose. 
— The — 
Mallow-Flowered . . 
Sidalcea. 
(Sidalcea malvaeflora). 
The species of Sidalcea are hardy 
herbaceous plants from western North 
America, and are all very closely related. 
For garden purposes, however, the colour 
of the flowers serves to distinguish a num¬ 
ber of them. That under notice is the 
oldest introduction, having been intro¬ 
duced in 1838. It is also one of the 
best, though many enthusiastic cultivators 
lay great stress upon the white one (S. 
Candida). The species under notice 
varies in colour, but the best one and pro¬ 
bably the commonest in cultivation has 
dark rosy purple flowers arranged in an 
elongated spike and developing succes¬ 
sively for some time. The height of the 
plant varies from i*4 ft. to 2J4 ft. accord¬ 
ing to the soil and its conditions. It, 
therefore, constitutes a border plant of 
considerable value, both for garden de¬ 
coration and for cut flowers. 
It is of the easiest culture in any good, 
well tilled garden soil, and increases with 
fair rapidity, but never becomes coarse 
or weedy. Its compact habit makes it a 
favourite plant even in cottage gardens 
where space is limited. Propagation may 
be effected by division, and this will give 
sufficient plants for the requirements of 
any private garden. In selecting pieces 
for new plants, the youngest crowns or 
suckers should be selected, as they form 
the most vigorous specimens. Clumps 
do not require renewal very frequently, 
unless the cultivator wishes to grow them 
to the largest size possible. - 
-- 
Primrose Salad. 
On Primrose Day, which is still kept up 
by some people by the wearing of button¬ 
holes of this flower, a West London 
restaurant-keeper displayed a notice to 
the effect that for that day only patrons 
who desired a gastronomic treat could be 
supplied with a Primrose salad, prepared 
from a recipe in a mid-iyth century guide 
to housewives. 
A Beautiful . . 
Cl imber. 
(Hoya carnosa). 
An enquiry recently appeared in the 
Gardening World concerning the re¬ 
quirements of this popular climber. It 
is a native of China, and can scarcely 
be regarded as hardy in this country. 
Nevertheless, its culture is of the simplest. 
It succeeds grandly in a humid atmos¬ 
phere and an intermediate temperature, 
that is, a temperature ranging between 
55 to 70 degrees, and during the winter 
months it is perfectly safe, although the 
thermometer should fall as low as 40 in 
the morning. It requires a fair amount 
of sunshine during the summer months 
to mature the somewhat slender shoots 
which are freely produced on vigorous 
plants during the period of growth. 
Nevertheless, I have frequently seen a 
considerable number of the uppermost 
leaves turn quite yellow, and present a 
very scorched appearance when left fully 
exposed to a blazing sun without some 
protection. 
A few years ago I propagated a number 
of cuttings of this favourite climber, and 
merely by way of experiment transferred 
one vigorous, healthy piece* from a 48 
sized pot into a pot measuring sixteen 
inches in diameter. The large pot was 
placed on the stage in the corner of the 
house, and the shoots were trained hori¬ 
zontally along four wires about a foot 
from the glass in the roof of the green¬ 
house, and with two summer’s growth the 
four wires were completely covered with 
three or four shoots each, from one end 
to another, about sixteen feet in length. 
During the summer months they flowered 
most profusely, and constituted veritable 
floral wreaths which were the admiration 
of everyone who saw them. The odour 
emitted from these magnificient wreaths 
of wax-like, pinkish, white flowers was, 
however, the reverse of pleasant; indeed, 
on several occasions it evoked expressions 
of disapproval, despite the beauty of the 
wax-like blossom. 
The material used in the potting con¬ 
sisted of fibrous loam, peat, and leaf 
mould in equal quantities, with a liberal 
sprinkling of sharp sand, the pot being 
drained with charcoal instead of the 
ordinary crocks. The plant received 
several waterings with ordinary liquid 
farmyard manure, the same as I 
was "giving the Chrysanthemums dur¬ 
ing the summer, and judging from 
the magnificience and vigour of both 
foliage and blossom, these conditions 
suited its requirements admirably. 
Another important point, perhaps not 
generally known to amateur cultivators, 
is to allow all the tips or footstalks of the 
old flowers to remain on the shoots, and 
they will all flower again the following 
summer. Indeed, I noticed that a con¬ 
siderable number of the strongest tips on 
the plant flowered three times in two 
vears. I then removed from that neigh¬ 
bourhood, and cannot say how often they 
flowered afterwards, but I have seen the 
same footstalks on other plants flower 
four and five times at least. 
J. C. Peebles. 
St. Fort, Fife. 
