362 
THE GARDE NINO WORLD. 
June 1, 1907. 
AMONG . . . 
The Alpines. 
Once again the Alpine season is com¬ 
mencing, although tor weeks past many 
Alpine bulbs have been in flower. I would 
wish in this note to call the attention of 
readers to some of this interesting class of 
plants flowering with me two miles from 
the centre of Birmingham. First of all 
come the beautiful early flowering Saxi¬ 
frages; S. Salomonii white with grey 
foliage ; S. Elizabethae, sulphur yellow 
with deep green tufts, a lovely contrast; 
also the well-known S. apiculata and S. 
sancta are in flower, and S. rocheliana 
coriophylla, with tufts less than 1 in. high, 
is in bud ; it has beautiful large white 
flowers. All these will grow well in soil 
containing about half mortar rubbish, half 
loam , with a little leaf mould. They 
should have full sun. 
Very pleasing also are the minute Dra- 
bas ; these are in bloom : D. Aizoon, bright 
yellow; D. grandiflora, white ; these grow 
about 1 % in. 'high. The minute D. de- 
deana, not more than ^ in. high, is set 
with buds. When in flower it forms a car¬ 
pet of white, and is truly an Alpine gem. 
The Drabas like full sun, and a very sandy 
soil. Adonis amurensis, with its Fern-like 
foliage, is just opening its beautiful yel¬ 
low blossoms. It prefers a light soil with 
plenty of moisture when coming into 
flower, but less later in the summer sun. 
Erysimum purpureum, about i *4 in. high, 
is just flowering from seeds sown last year, 
it is like a miniature purple Wallflower, 
and is typically alpine. E. thyrsoideum, 
also grown from seed, is not yet showing 
bloom, but its silvery foliage is very pretty. 
These both prefer a sandy soil and full 
sun. I never can understand why people 
do not grow the beautiful Crocus species 
more. All through March they have been 
delighting me with their bright blooms. 
They grow easily in a sandy, sunny bor¬ 
der, and are cheap. I mention a few 
which have just flowered : C. viteilinus, C. 
ancyrensis, yellow; C. dalmaticus niveus, 
ivory white; C. biflorus, white, yellow cen¬ 
tre ; and C. suaveolens, buff and purple. 
These are only a few of this large group. 
In conclusion, I would recommend al¬ 
pine lovers to grow plants from seed ; it is 
not only interesting work, but seeds are so 
cheap now that it pays, and a mass of one 
plant is better than a single specimen, 
however, do not expect them all to ger¬ 
minate at once ; some may require a year, 
but the motto is ct Patience.” 
E. B. Anderson. 
Birmingham. 
-- : 
Odontoglossum crispum Xanthotes White 
Lady. 
The flowers of this handsome variety are 
pure white with one or two small yellow 
spots on each sepal. The lip has a large 
yellow area in the centre, with some orange 
spots on it. An Award of Merit was ac¬ 
corded by the R. H.S. on the 14th May, 
when it was shown by F. Menteith Ogilvie, 
Esq. (gr. Mr. Balmforth), The Shrubbery, 
Oxford. 
Hydrangea arborescens grandiflora. 
The flowers of this tall growing Hydran¬ 
gea are larger and o>f a purer white than 
those of the type. It is hardy. An award 
of merit was accorded by the R.H.S. on 
May 14th, when shown by Messrs. Paul 
and Son, Cheshunt. 
Cardamine prateasis llore pleno. 
When paying a visit to a friend who 
makes a hobby of his small back garden, 
I was struck with the beauty of a patch 
of the double Bitter Cress, which grew im¬ 
mediately beneath the scullery window. 
The plant grew round the edge of a drain 
which received the water from the sink in 
the scullery. Cardamine loves moisture, 
and benefited by the frequent splashing of 
water running into the drain. The pale 
lilac flowers in spikes effectually hid the 
drain from view. Methinks there are 
many little gardens where so pretty a plant 
might be similarly planted, for I have often 
seen an ugly gully in the middle of a little 
border by the wall of the house that 
would be better hidden. 
Heather Bell. 
- (j. w. - 
Prize Competitions. 
CENERAL CONDITIONS—Competitors must 
write ou one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any way,4 any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care¬ 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making +he award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
folk wing date of issue. Entries received later 
thin Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
t) je following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
are too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “T. Smith” for the article on 
“Hippeastrums,” page 347. 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize was 
awarded to M Abs.ila ” for the article on 
“ Hardening off Plants ” ; and another to 
“ E. B. Anderson ” for the article on “ Cyclamen 
libanoticum,” page 348. 
Salads 
And How to 
Grow Them 
Most owners of gardens, however small 
like to have salads as nearly as possible 
the whole year round, and especially art 
they appreciated during the summe 
months. Salads, to be crisp and tender 
must be grown quickly from start to finish 
otherwise they will be practically useless 
a tough, stringy Radish spoiling a di? 
of salads. 
Cos and Cabbage Lettuce form th 
body, as it were, of salads, and thes 
must be well .and quickly grown to b 
fully appreciated. For the earlie: 
supply it is essential to sow in boxes i 
gentle heat or on a mild hotbed durin 
February. When large enough t 
handle, prick out into other boxes c 
frames (if they can be spared), final, 
planting them out on a rich border du: 
ing April and May. Another sowin 
should be made on a warm border ever 
fortnight from April onw'ards. To gro' 
Lettuce successfully during the summe; 
they must never be transplanted, sufficiei 
sowings being made to allow of the 
being thinned out where sovm and tf 
thinnings thrown away. An excellei 
wav to procure large Lettuces is to so 
them on the Celery ridges between tl 
trenches occupied with the Celery. Oi 
great advantage of growing them in sue 
a position is that the plants do not ri 
so quickly to seed, presumably becau 
of the greater depth of soil in whit 
they have to root. In very hot surnmei 
like that of last year, the" dampest ai 
heaviest ground should be selected whe 
they are partially shaded during t: 
hottest parts of the day ; where such 
available plants of useful size can be pr 
duced. A piece of matting should 
loosely tied around the top portion of t. 
Lettuce when it commences to heart, at 
the blanching will then be more sat 
factory. _ Jfc 
Endive is also a useful addition 
the salad bowl*. The weather is gent 
ally very hot and dry during July ai 
August when the latter is sown, thereto 
a cool border is essential to their w 
doing. Rake over the surface and dr: 
drills i ft. apart and J|i n. deep, waterir 
the drills thoroughly prior to sowin 
Cover the seed with fine dry soil, and t! 
seed will then germinate more quick 
and the young plants grow faste 
Endive requires blanching, and this > 
easily accomplished by either lifting t' 
plants and placing them under cover < 
a dark shed or cellar, or placing slat’ 
tiles or flowerpots over them to exclu’ 
light. Some growers find tying them > 
when dry like Lettuce sufficient. 
Another useful ingredient for salads ’ 
Radishes. For the earliest supply ,e 
seed should be sown in a frame on a ml 
hotbed during 'February and Mari • 
The chief points about their managem't 
in a frame is to keep them freely vei- 
lated on all favourable occasions, as k v 
of air would soon ruin the healthri 
seedlings. A common error in growig 
Radishes is to sow them too thickly, c< - 
sequently few of the roots are fit for u- 
