3 io 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 4, 1907. 
of sand. Drain the pot carefully, as it may 
stand without further potting for two years 
or more. Do this after it has flowered. 
WINDOW BOXES. 
17 88. Scheme of Planting. 
I am growing tired of the usual window 
box plants which I have been growing, such 
as Lobelia, Geraniums, Calceolarias, etc. 
Could you suggest some less hackneyed style 
of planting a window box — something novel 
and out of the common ? Aspect sunny with 
plenty of air. (Amsden, Kent.) 
There are several other flowers which, al¬ 
though common, make interesting window 
boxes, such as Fuschias, Marguerites, Ivy¬ 
leaved Pelargoniums, Mignonette, Sweet 
Alyssum, Petunias and Gaillardias. The 
last named should be raised a year prior to 
using them in the window boxes to get them 
large enough. Heliotrope would make a 
sweet scented plant, though it would not be 
a showy one for the window. A large num¬ 
ber of annuals might be mentioned as suit¬ 
able, but they would not keep in bloom for 
such a length of time as those things we 
have named. No doubt novelty has a cer¬ 
tain fascination, though we think there is 
a beauty of appropriateness and suitability 
for the situation. Many things have been 
grown in windows, possibly almost anything 
has been tried except Orchids. We have 
seen fine leaved things such as Coleus, Cro¬ 
tons and some members of the Pineapple 
family, such as Billbergia, Aechmea, etc., 
but they would be costly. Sweet Peas would 
answer, though they would not continue very 
long and would probablv shade the windows. 
Small plants of Hydrangeas would be very 
effective, while they last, but after the 
flowers turn green you would want to refill 
the boxes. Fuschias would require a good 
deal of watering to flower continuously, but 
Petunias and Gaillardias would continue in 
bloom with less attention in this respect. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
17 89. Various Plants. 
I wish to know about the flower bed ac¬ 
cording to the plan enclosed. I have not car¬ 
ried out your suggestion as regards plant¬ 
ing Roses on that wall. I have got some 
Virginia Creeper instead. What can I get to 
cover the trellis 7ft. high during the sum¬ 
mer? It does not get much sun. Then there 
is the summer house. I should like to get 
that covered, and, most difficult of all, the 
fowl shed, which in one place is but a few 
feet from the wall. Could that be draped 
with greenery, if not with flowers, or would 
the drip of the rain prove too much ? You 
will see by my plan I have sown Sweet Peas 
in rows parallel to each other, but projecting 
from the wall. I have got patches of hardy 
annuals sown dotted in various places. I 
have some Hop plants for covering that gar¬ 
den seat. Ought they to do? I planted the 
s umm er Hyacinth to-day. Am I early 
enough? I also planted Gladiolus and 
Lilies a fortnight ago. Among the annuals 
there are Marigolds, Scabious, Sweet Sultan, 
dwarf Nasturtiums, Woodruff in a shady 
corner, and Night-scented Stock. Do you 
think if the above are well thinned out I 
shall have a fair show? This is like asking 
after deciding what to do, still I should like 
your opinion. Any suggestions will be 
gratefully received. I append a list of 
things I have at present. (C. Day, Kent.) 
You have asked several questions, so that 
we shall have to insert them seriatim, al¬ 
though they might have been asked some 
time ago with advantage to yourself. The 
7ft. trellis might be covered with Jasminum 
officinale (common Jasmine), which might 
give you some flowers, but would certainly 
produce a highly ornamental effect by reason 
of the green leaves alone in summer, and 
the green stems in winter. Like all other 
flowering plants, it needs sunshine to bloom 
well, but otherwise it is sufficiently orna¬ 
mental to be grown for the leaves and green 
stems. The hops which you have planted 
round the summer-house should answer the 
purpose admirably after they get established. 
You should not expect much from them this 
year, as the plants must get established be¬ 
fore they can throw up long twining stems. 
After they do get good root-hold, the twining 
stems will make a very effective covering 
and shade from the sun, but will have to be 
cut down every autumn after the leaves get 
shabby or fall. The fowl shed might be 
covered with Ampelopsis Veitchi, a cousin 
of the Virginia Creeper, but altogether 
neater and not such a loose rambler. The 
stems would throw out suckers that would 
hold them fast to the wood. The drip from 
the eaves of the shed would not do any seri¬ 
ous harm, as it would not be constant. The 
Cape Hyacinth would be a better name than 
summer Hyacinth. The bulbs might have 
been planted in February or early in March. 
The 21st April will make them very late in 
flowering. According to the plan, the large 
bed in your garden faces the south-east, and 
we see no reason why you should not get a 
good display from "the annuals you- have 
sown, though several of them might have 
been sown earlier with advantage. For in¬ 
stance, Sweet Peas would have succeeded 
better and with more certainty if you had 
sown them at the beginning rather than the 
end of March. The Linum was sown on 
April 6th, and Alyssum, dwarf Nasturtium, 
Scabious and Woodruff, might have been 
sown at the same time. The Night-scented 
Stock will, no doubt, bloom well enough, al¬ 
though late. You might have sown it in 
pots or seed pans, transplanting it later on 
into boxes and growing it in a cold frame 
till the end of May, when it could be planted 
in the open. By the old sort of Marigold 
you probably mean the pot Marigold. If it 
had been the French or African Marigold, 
it should have been treated as described for 
the Stock. Sweet Williams will have' to be 
transplanted early to prevent them getting 
crowded. They have a long season in which 
to make growth, but will not bloom till next 
year. They must not be allowed to get 
crowded. 
17 90. Distance Apart for Plants. 
What distance apart should the following 
be grown : — Gypsophila, muralis, Alyssum 
maritimum procumbens, Mimulus cardinalis, 
Schizanthus wisetonensis, Portulaca grandi- 
flora? (Dorice, Surrey.) 
The first two plants mentioned may be 
planted at 5 in. or 6 in. apart, so as to cover 
the ground quickly. The Mimulus will re¬ 
quire 12 in. to 15 in. apart, according to the 
size of the plants. The Schizanthus may be 
given 9 in. apart each way. Portulaca may 
have 3 in. or 4 in. between every two plants. 
We presume you mean plants that are to be 
put in their permanent positions. 
1791. Transplanting- Annuals. 
I should like to know the best place for 
transplanting annuals when too thick, as 
hitherto they generally droop and die. 
(Freeda, Northamptonshire.) 
There are several places and conditions 
under which you can place seedlings to pre¬ 
vent them from dying away when trans¬ 
planted. You do not name the plants, 
neither do you say whether they are trans¬ 
planted from one pot to another, or to boxes, 
or wjiether you mean transplanting them 
from one part of the garden to another. In 
the case of half-hardy annuals, and all those 
things which are raised from seeds in green¬ 
houses and frames, the best plan is to return 
them to the same structure immediately after 
they have been transplanted. The soil is 
watered down with a rosed watering pot, 
and the house or frame kept rather close for 
a day or two, until the disturbed roots begin 
to take hold of the soil, after which more air 
may be given. When you attempt trans¬ 
planting annuals in the open air, you must 
learn to know those which may be lifted with 
any degree of safety in spring or early sum¬ 
mer. Some annuals, such as Poppies, have 
very few roots, and those who transplant 
them in the open are almost certain to fail 
with them. The same plants, however, in the 
autumn may be transplanted safely after the 
ground has been made thoroughly moist by 
rain. From this you should take the hint to 
transplant during a moist time, or at least 
as soon as the ground is workable after it 
leaves off raining. You can make the condi¬ 
tions to suit yourself in a measure by thor¬ 
oughly watering the ground both where the 
seedlings are and where you intend to put 
them about an hour before commencing 
operations. The ground -will be moist and 
the roots will go into the moist soil. This 
good beginning is half the battle with such 
things, but if yxm can get the ground moist 
by natural means, it is much better than arti¬ 
ficial watering. Even after successfully 
transplanting your seedlings you must look 
after them for a week or two afterwards, 
should the weather happen to be dry after 
transplanting. You should make a point of 
going round once a day, either in the morn¬ 
ing or just at sundown, and watering those 
beds or clumps of transplanted annual^ 
which may happen to be dry. This is where 
the value of a skilled gardener comes in, 
whether amateur or professional. It is a 
case of looking after the plants and not neg¬ 
lecting them for days together during their 
critical stage of growth. 
1792. Anemone Beds. 
Should an Anemone bed planted last year 
want anything specially done to it this? 
(Freeda, Northamptonshire.) 
A top dressing consisting of a mixture of 
old potting soil, leaf mould and well-decayed 
cow manure would have been of great assis¬ 
tance, both supplying food and acting as a 
mulch to keep the ground moist in dry 
weather. This top-dressing would even have 
been of moTe benefit to the plants if applied 
to the soil just before the leaves came 
through. At the same time, if you take a 
little trouble to work the soil in between the 
plants by means cif a trowel or your hand, 
it will still be of benefit and help to increase 
the vigour of the Anemones. 
1793. Lifting Crocuses. 
As a constant reader of your paper, will 
you give me your advice on the following 
questions? First, when should Crocus bulbs 
be lifted and stored away, as I do not want 
to keep them in the ground all the summer ? 
(Leta, Surrey.) 
It all depends upon circumstances as to 
when Crocuses may or must be lifted. If 
you require to get other plants into the same 
positions, then it would be necessary to lift 
the Crocuses as a preliminary to preparing 
the ground for the other plants. If you lift 
them while the foliage is still green, you 
must lay the bulbs in a piece of spare or re¬ 
serve ground in another part of the garden, 
and leave them there till the foliage thor¬ 
oughly dies down. Iif you can leave them 
in the ground till the leaves wither away, 
you can then lift them at once, dry them in 
a cool, airy shed, or place not exposed to 
direct sunshine, and when they have parted 
with some of their superfluous moisture, you 
can store them in pots or boxes, where they 
will be protected from mice till required 
again for planting. 
17 94. Treatment of Enclosed Plants. 
Please name the enclosed, and give me 
instructions as to successfully growing them 
and oblige. (S. Sturt, Middlesex.) 
The white flower, or Allium neapolitanum. 
a bulbous plant, should be treated much in 
the same way as the wild Hyacinth. Plant 
the bulbs where they are to flower some time 
in autumn, the earlier the better, as they car 
then form roots before the advent of winter 
A well worked garden soil, not in any war 
heavy, is the best medium for growing thi- 
hardy bulb. If you require to flower i- 
