if. Gardening World, Mav 25, 1907 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
“ 111 nnt hurt hv frost.”— S-ianish and Portuguese Proverb. 
CONTENTS. 
Amateurs’ Letter to Amateurs, An... 345 
\ethionenia coridifolium . 
Competition Awards . 34 ^ 
Competition, Prize Letter . 34 s 
inquire Within . 35 ^ 
•exhibiting: Hints on . 34 6 
•'lower Garden, The . 35 2 
-Titillary, Elwes’ (illus.) . . 35 1 
•Tuit Garden, The . 35 2 
drapes, The Culture of (illus.) .360 
Greenhouse, The Amateurs . 353 
Herbaceous Borders, A Chat About... 355 
dippeastrums (illus.) . 347 
Hydrangeas . •••• 34 6 
Gitchen Garden, The . 35 2 
Lily, The African (illus.) . 349 
Union Fly, The (illus.) ..... . 355 
Orchids for Amateurs . 35 2 
Pint, Double Cuckoo (ilius.) . 35 ° 
Sweet Peas: Work for May . 354 
Tulip, A Wild Yellow (illus.) . 347 
Wallflowers, The Culture of . 349 
Work of the Week . 35 2 
--f++- 
Now the bright morning star, day’s har¬ 
binger, 
Comes dancing from the east, and leads 
with her 
The flowery May, who from her green lap 
throws 
The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Piim- 
rose. 
Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspiie 
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire; 
Woods and groves are of thy dressing, 
Hill and dale, doth boast thy blessing. 
Thus we salute thee with our early song, 
And welcome thee, and wish thee long. 
John Milton. 
-- 
\UsUm. 
Wistaria blossoms of purple and white 
In spring-time are truly a beautiful sight. 
The Vine is ambitious, and spreads far 
and wide, 
But in it is nothing expressive of pride. 
Just note how it hangs down its beautiful 
head, 
Thus teaching humility’s lessons instead. 
'Japanese Poet. 
XCII 
The Scarborough Lily. 
The Scarborough Lily, or, to give it its 
more scientific name, \ allota purpurea, is 
a grand stand-by for the conservatory dur¬ 
ing August and September, and now that 
it is in full growth it should have gener¬ 
ous treatment. Not long ago I saw some 
plants that were the despair of their owner, 
but, as a matter of fact, he seemed to be 
going on the tack of how not to grow 
them. The soil was like sodden clay, stiff, 
sour, and water-logged, whereas the oppo¬ 
site conditions are absolutely essential. 
With this plant, and indeed, others too, 
that require plenty of moisture during 
their growing time, the pot drainage must 
be ample, and the soil rich, but porous. 
I have found a little charcoal added to 
the corirpost very beneficial in keeping it 
sweet. The plants do not require over¬ 
potting, nor too frequent potting, and the 
operation is best done in April, but, where 
plants are remaining in their pots undis¬ 
turbed, it is well to turn them out and 
adjust the drainage if it is known that this 
is faulty. 
The Phyllocactus. 
This plant has always been a great 
favourite with amateurs, especially, per¬ 
haps, with those whose efforts are chiefly 
concerned with window plants. Often 
they may be seen remarkably well grown 
in cottages. Now, the Phyllocactus, when 
in flower, is remarkably handsome, one of 
the most striking and effective plants we 
can grow, and, at the same time, its habit 
of growth makes it wonderfully interesting. 
All the succulent plants have th£ir own 
unique and particular interest they are 
for the most part desert plants. I mention 
this plant to-day because May is the best 
month in which to strike cuttings, and also 
because I want to add a few words about 
their present treatment. They should, 
like the Scarborough Lily, be m well 
drained pots, and the soil should never be 
allowed to become sour. From March 
to August they require frequent watering, 
but should never be allowed to stand in 
saucers of water, and, as they finish flower¬ 
ing- they should be stood out of doors in a 
very sunny, airv position. This method 
will thoroughly ripen and mature the 
plant, and should ensure annual and pro¬ 
fuse flowering. I have a specimen at the 
present moment that bears over 30 flower 
buds, and it is by no means.a large plant, 
and, to show how hardy it is, I may add 
that it stood the winter, through in a cold 
greenhouse with sometimes a night tern 
perature showing as much as six degrees of 
frost. Of course, it tvas kept dry during 
that time. This plant has not been re¬ 
potted for three years. 1 give these par¬ 
ticulars to show how accommodating is 
this subject, and responsive to the simplest 
treatment, and so much pleasure does it 
give, that 1 feel inclined to say to every 
amateur gardener, possess yourself of a 
Phyllocactus or two, now at this season, 
and give them the above treatment during 
the coming months. I have seen a list 
of varieties that are said to be hardy 
enough for out-of-door treatment, but can¬ 
not say how they would have fared through 
such a winter as the last. All the same, I 
feel greatly tempted to establish a young 
plant that has never known anything more 
than cold house treatment, nor its parent 
before it, to a sunny fissure in the rock 
garden. I am quite sure if I lived in a 
warm, dry district I would experiment with 
many succulents out-of-doors throughout 
the year. 
The Sedums. 
I have not often written of these plants, 
but they are great favourites of mine, and 
I think should be represented in every 
garden, as few things are so useful for 
sun-smitten, parched positions. In the 
rock garden, too, they are invaluable, in 
that they are summer-flowering plants to 
a great extent. Some of them have some¬ 
thing of the fascination of the Cacti. S. 
Ewersii flowers late, and a great splash of 
its soft ruby blossoms is effective. S. 
spectabile grandiflorum is good, and 
flowers through the autumn. S. Sieboldi 
is also quite hardy, and its foliage so 
effective late in the year that it seems a 
great pity to make of it a tender con- 
servatory'plant in pots, when out-of-doors 
it makes grand patches of colour. S. 
sempervivoides is perhaps the gem of ah, 
but is only biennial. We must not forget 
the late 'blue flowering annual variety, 
S. caeruleum, nor the great up-standing 
S. Aizoon, a perfectly hardy perennial 
bearing yellow flowers. Even more desir¬ 
able, because in a wav more distinct and 
characteristic, are the Sempervivums. 
About this time I generally sow a packet 
of mixed seed, as I find it exceedingly in¬ 
teresting to await results, and if one does 
happen to possess an old bit of garden 
wall, a splendid position for a collection 
is at hand. 
Mesembryanthemums. 
In my own mind I always associate the 
Mesembryanthemums with these plants. 
Of course they belong to an entirely 
different family, and there is no connec¬ 
tion. but they, too, are of the succulent 
order, of more succulent habit, indeed, 
than the foregoing, and I always see to it 
that summer does not lack the beautiful 
