370 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June i, 1907. 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Unflowered Hydrangeas. 
Even the most skilful propagator gene¬ 
rally manages to put in a few cuttings 
■which refuse to flower at their normal period, 
viz., spring and early summer. But these 
unflowered plants are by no means without 
value, and if properly attended to will give 
very useful heads of bloom in autumn. To 
achieve this end, the pots should be plunged 
in ashes in a spot which dees not get the 
direct rays of the mid-day sun, but not such 
a shady place as will cause the stems to 
draw up weak and spindly. Here they must 
be kept well supplied with water and liquid 
manure until flower buds show, when they 
should be taken indoors to develop. Hy¬ 
drangeas are almost aquatic in their love of 
water, and any stint of moisture may spell 
disaster. 
Young Coleuses. 
Cuttings struck earlier in the year should 
be potted on before they exhaust the soil of 
nutriment. Coleuses starved when young 
take on a stunted appearance, the stems get 
prematurely hard and woody, and the leaves 
are always small. If well fed, some ex¬ 
tremely handy little specimens may be 
grown in 4^in. pots. They should be pinched 
once, and if stout cuttings have been used 
this pinching will give rise to four shoots, 
enough to make a pretty little plant. Water 
carefully for a few weeks after potting, but 
subsequently keep the plants in the full sun 
and give them plenty of water and liquid 
manure. Soot water, will heighten the 
colour of the leaves, and may be used weak 
at every watering when the plants are well 
rooted. 
Thinning Grapes. 
As soon as the berries get as large as 
Radish seeds, or before they are as big as 
Sweet Peas, thinning should be taken in 
hand. The early morning or evening is the 
best time for the work, as when the sun is 
shining strongly on the glass it is almost 
impossible to see clearly. Besides, a cool 
hand is necessary in Grape thinning, as per¬ 
spiration is held by many growers to cause 
the berries to rust. A length of stick, about 
9in. long, with a point at one end and a 
cleft at the other, is a useful aid to Grape 
thinning. With it one can lift up the sec¬ 
tions of the bunch, and cut away berries on 
the under side, or towards the centre, where 
they are likely to cause overcrowding. 
About half the berries in a bunch should be 
cut away at the first thinning, reducing the 
number left as appears necessary later on. 
Sowing Cinerarias. 
Seeds to provide the main batch of plants 
should be got in now. Use a well drained 
pan of light, sandy compost, and sow the 
seeds as thinly as possible; an inch apart is 
none too wide. Stand the seed pan in a 
warm, shady corner of the greenhouse, cover 
it with a pane of glass, and on this place 
a layer of wet moss; this will ensure shade 
and do away with the need for watering. 
Should, however, watering be necessary, 
carefully lower the pan in a tank of water 
until only just the brim remains unsub¬ 
merged. On no account allow the water to 
flow over the top of the pan, and do not 
suddenly drop the latter into the tank ; I 
have seen the whole contents of a pan dis¬ 
placed by a too hasty immersion in water. 
Planting Arum Lilies. 
These may be got out of the way at the 
first opportunity, when the soil works well 
and the weather is fine. If a position facing 
north, or one that is semi-shady is available, 
there is no need to make trenches for the 
plants; but in a hot, dry situation trenches 
should be taken out about 6in. deep, or 
deeper if very large plants are dealt with. 
The object of the trench is to keep the plants 
cool at the roots, and to afford facilities for 
watering in dry weather. Cut away all dead 
and decaying leaves, and if large flowers in 
small pots are wanted, divide the plants into 
single’ crowns, that is, reduce them to divi¬ 
sions containing each a single growth. Al¬ 
low i8in. apart all ways, and do not tread 
the soil down too firmly. 
Solanums or Winter Cherries. 
These are amenable to the same treatment 
as Arums, but like a lighter soil and a sun¬ 
nier position. Some old soil from the pot¬ 
ting shed dug into the ordinary garden 
mould answers well. The surface soil 
should be crumbled away from the plants 
with the thumbs and fingers, and the 
crocks removed, but no division of the roots 
should be practised. Firm planting is essen¬ 
tial in this case, and no compunction should 
be felt in using the heel of the boot round 
the stem of the plant. Solanums require 
several pinchings during the summer, but 
give practically no trouble with regard to 
watering. If not planted out, pot them on 
as required, and grow them in a cold frame. 
Greenhouse Plants in Frames. 
As soon as the summer bedding plants 
have taken their departure, the cold frame 
or frames may be used to relieve possible 
congestion in the greenhouse. Another use¬ 
ful purpose that cold frames serve at this 
season is to retard the flowering period of 
greenhouse plants whose blossoms are ap¬ 
pearing too soon. If the frame is, as it 
should be, in a sunny position, a mat should 
be laid on the glass while the sun is at its 
fiercest, for it should be remembered that 
plants in a frame are much nearer the glass 
than are those in a greenhouse. 
“ SUNNYSIDE.” 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Coelogyne cristata. 
In favoured localities there can be no 
doubt but that C. cristata and its varieties 
are amongst the best Orchids for cultivation 
by amateurs. To advocate its culture in the 
fog-laden districts of London and in smoky 
manufacturing districts would be a mistake. 
The typical variety produces its flower 
scapes during the winter months, and it 
and the varieties are, perhaps, next to Pha- 
laenopsis, the most susceptible to the de¬ 
structive influences of the poisonous fog 
gases. I have had experiences where the 
flower scapes have advanced to the bud 
stage at the end of February, and a few 
hours’ fog have turned the whole of the 
scape into a black pulpy mass, but the ill 
effects are generally apparent long before 
the scapes reach this stage. In fact I do not 
consider there are any of the varieties worthy 
of the amateur’s attention save the variety C. 
c. alba, which flowers later, and thus escapes 
the unfavourable climatic conditions. It 
is true that if the other kinds are grown 
cool the flowering season is retarded, but, 
as a rule, cool cultivation diminishes size, 
and there is thus a loss of vigour that ren¬ 
ders their cultivation unsatisfactory. 
In more favoured districts, there is prac¬ 
tically no difficulty in culture, for when once 
the plants have become established they will 
remain for years in the same pots, with 
only an annual replenishing of the surface 
moss. At the present season plants will have 
advanced their growths to the extent that 
new roots are being emitted ifrom their base. 
When in this condition any repotting re¬ 
quirements necessary should be attended to 
without delay. In dealing with large speci¬ 
mens that have become overcrowded with 
growth, these must be turned carefully out 
of their receptacles, and after the old potting 
compost has been cleared carefully dissect 
each individual portion of the plant. Here 
one’s discretion must be used as to which 
of the old pseudo-bulbs to retain, and those 
to be discarded. I think it may justly be 
claimed that leafless pseudo-bulbs, without 
roots to sustain them, do derive their support 
from the leading growths, and the latter 
must naturally suffer in accordance. Thus 
in potting plants of this description we can 
best use one’s own judgment. 
When we have thus prepared the plants 
for repotting, the pots or pans selected being 
quite clean, they should be filled to about 
two-thirds their depth with clean broken 
crocks. The potting compost of about equal 
portions of fibrous peat and chopped sphag¬ 
num with sufficient finely broken crocks or 
coarse sand to keep it porous. In repotting 
make the compost moderately firm. Some 
wire or wooden pegs may be used to secure 
the growth in position until the roots get 
established, but care must be taken not to 
bury the pseudo-bulbs. Water the plants 
with rain water as soon as the potting is 
completed, wetting the compost through. 
Protect from strong light and spray over¬ 
head once or twice a day until the roots 
get hold, then more liberal treatment may 
be given. 
Plants that do not require repotting should 
have all decayed and decaying matter re¬ 
moved, and all dead compost replaced with 
fresh material. Strageling growths should 
be pegged in position that may give the 
plants the best appearance. 
Insect pests are best kept in check by 
syringing overhead in warm weather during 
the growing season. Red spider and scale 
are the greatest pests ; the latter must be re¬ 
moved by careful sponging. Coelogynes 
should not be allowed to remain in a house 
that is being vaporised by XL-A 11 . The 
effects of .fumigation are not apparent for 
some time after, but it causes a very serious 
loss of foliage and also disfigurement from 
the leaves becoming spotted. The tempera¬ 
ture most suitable for Coelogynes is from 
55 deg. to 65 deg. during the growing sea¬ 
son ; about 55 deg. during the resting period, 
with plenty of light. H. ]. Chapman. 
-- 
Phlox subulata and its Varieties. 
Amongst the many lovely spring flower¬ 
ing plants for use in many places, such as 
sunny rockeries, edgings and window 
boxes, one seldom meets with the exquisite 
dwarf Phlo'xes of the subulata section. A 
mass of soft colour falling over the edge 
of a rock bordered path or Lawn is an 
attractive picture. Very little attention i; 
demanded by these gems beyond a cer¬ 
tain amount of moisture during the hot¬ 
test months to ensure them blooming pro 
fuselv from March to May or June. Cut 
tings are easily struck from the growth: 
that follow the flowering period if dibblec 
in in a shady and sandy place and kep 
well sprinkled. 
Eventide (pink), Nelsoni (white), ano 
G. F. Wilson (palest lavender), are, per 
haps, the most beautiful of these dainfi 
gems, which rival the Aubrietia for 
masses of bloom and far out-do that plan 
in dainty appearance. They appear to b 
quite as hardy and of as easy culture a 
Aubrietia. V. E. 
Evesham’s Orchards. • 
In the fertile vale of Evesham (wher 
there are 20,000 acres under fruit am 
vegetable culture) they have been.hard a 
work fighting insect and fungoid pest 
and the frost. Chemical liquid sprays ar 
being used for the former and smudg 
pots for the latter. Elaborate experiment 
are being carried out by the Eveshar 
Fruit Pests Committee with the assistanc 
of Profs. Collinge, Theobald and Salmon 
