644 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 5, 1907. 
Even such subjects as Androsaces and 
Ramondias may be grown if their needs 
are studied. Ramondias, for instance, 
may be grown successfully if wedged in 
between a couple of pieces of the stone 
edging, but they should be able to. get 
their roots well down behind them. Violas 
may well take a prominent position. 
They have a different, a new beauty, 
when hanging over a bit of rock edging, 
and are so wonderfully free flowering. 
There are a few plants of curiously 
delicate refined beauty that yet are quite 
hardy, and their presence adds much to 
the choice effect of the whole. Epime- 
dium, with its delicate foliage, its stems, 
fine almost as those of a Maidenhair 
Fern, has a daintiness that is indescrib¬ 
able, while E. pinnatum, E. sulphureum, 
E. macranthum, may all be used, and 
freely used. Delicately beautiful, too. is 
our native Wood Sorrel. This may be 
established in a cold shady position, and 
if at the same time a moist one, so much 
the better. 
A large proportion of the plants for this 
edging should be evergreen in habit, and 
really valuable as having a delightful 
shrubby effect is Iberis sempervirens, 
while Iberis gibraltarica, though lacking 
that intense whiteness of the previous 
variety, is invaluable because its pinkish 
flowers last longer, and a second flower¬ 
ing generally may be expected. 
F. Norfolk. 
-- 
HERBACEOUS 
- Phloxes. - 
Cultural 
Notes. 
The perennial Phloxes are indispens¬ 
able to every garden, large or small, as 
when well grown they are among the 
most brilliant of border flowers, and look 
exceedingly handsome when massed in 
separate colours in the fronts of herba¬ 
ceous borders. In many gardens, how¬ 
ever, these plants are often sadly 
neglected, with the result that they be¬ 
come in the course of a few years a mass 
of weak and puny stems, with hard and 
decaying centres ; such stools can never 
produce fine heads of bloom, and the 
better plan would be to consign them to 
the rubbish heap, and start with fresh 
stock 
To 'grow Phloxes really well they must 
be treated with the greatest liberality from 
the first. There is no difficulty whatever 
in producing handsome specimens if a 
few simple, but at the same time impor¬ 
tant, details in their cultivation are ob¬ 
served. In the first place it must be 
thoroughly understood that Phloxes are 
great surface rooters, delighting in an 
abundance of food and moisture, and 
they may, in fact, have a thorough soak¬ 
ing two or three times a week during dry 
weather in summer, while occasional 
waterings with liquid manure diluted 
with an equal quantity of water will be 
of great benefit to the plants and assist 
in the production of grand heads of 
bloom. 
Phloxes are easily increased from cut¬ 
tings, either in autumn or spring, put¬ 
ting the cuttings in sandy soil in a frame 
or under handlights, attending well to 
shade and water, and planting out 
when well rooted in prepared soil. A 
better plan, however, to my mind, is by 
root division in the early autumn. 
Select healthy young pieces from the 
outer edge of the old stools and plant out 
either where they are to bloom or on 
borders from whence they can be trans¬ 
planted in spring. The soil in which 
they are permanently planted must be 
deeply dug and enriched with plenty of 
rotten manure, which, however, must not 
be placed too deep, for, as has been 
already remarked, they are surface root¬ 
ing plants. A mulch of short manure 
may be used for the winter, but this is 
not at all essential as they are quite 
hardy. Grown in this way these Phloxes 
are a source of pleasure, and also a great 
attraction in any garden. 
F. A. 
-f+4- 
Green Fly Plague. 
Recently there was a plague of green 
fly in the Nottingham district; the in¬ 
sects swept along the roads in such clouds 
that cyclists and pedestrians were com¬ 
pelled to seek refuge. 
- Q. W. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS— Competitors must 
write on 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£ any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care¬ 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINCS 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 the award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
following date of issue. Entries received later 
thin Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the 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 “ Joseph Floyd ” for the article on 
“ Trolliuses,” page 626. 
HOW TO GROW - 
Poinsettias. 
The Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrinu 
is one of our most useful winter-flowerm 
subjects, and well repays for a little extr 
attention during the time it is making it 
growth. As a winter plant for a warr 
conservatory it has very few equals; it ( 
practically unrivalled for the brilliar 
colouring of the scarlet bracts. 
Old plants should be cut down aboi 
the beginning of May, leaving about i 
inches of the old stem, and put into 
warm house to give them a start. Tb 
eyes will soon push into growth, if t± 
plants are given an occasional waterin; 
and a slight syringing every day; an 
they should be taken off with a heel < 
the old stem when they are four or fi\ 
inches long. It is advisable to have tl 
pots, in which the cuttings are to be i: 
serted, made ready and set handy, so th 
no time may be lost in getting the ci 
tings into the soil, as they bleed ve 
freely when cut. It is a good plan 
have a pot full of fine sand, and sti 
the ends of the cuttings into it as soon 
they are severed from the old stem; tl 
sand fills up the pores on the cut si 
face, and so helps to stop the bleeding. 
The cuttings should be inserted sing 
in small 3-inch pots, using a mixture 
peat, leaf mould and silver sand. Whi 
inserted they should be given a go. 
watering, and placed in a propagati; 
case with plenty of bottom heat, whe: 
they will strike readily. As soon as t: 
roots can be seen, they should be taki 
out of the case and placed on a shelf clc 
to the glass in a temperature of 65 de,. 
F., giving them a slight syringing twicu 
day. They must be potted into 4-ini 
pots as soon as they are ready, using! 
compost of three parts loam and one p.t 
of leaf mould, with a little rotted o' 
manure and a good sprinkling of sai. 
When potting the plants, care should e 
taken that none of the roots get damag'. 
They should be kept with their he: 5 
as close to the glass as possible all e 
time that they are growing, otherwise tly 
will get drawn and weakly. A tempei- 
ture of 60 degs. will suit them after tly 
are potted, and they should be syrinjd 
twice a day. Pot on into 6-inch pots.s 
soon as they are ready, as, if they e 
allowed to become rootbound, the lea's 
will turn yellow and probably drop k 
The compost for this potting should 0- 
sist of three parts of good loam, one W 
of leaf mould, one part of well rota 
cowdung, with a good sprinkling of wd 
as hes. 
When the pots are getting filled v:h 
roots, the plants may be given liquid mfl- 
ure, weak at first, gradually increasig 
the strength of the dose. The Poinseia 
is a strong-feeding subject, and the pk^ 
should never be allowed to get too 9 
during the time they are growing. A 
light top-dressing of Clay’s Fertile' 
given occasionally will assist them to 
make good bracts. 
When they have done growing they t-T 
be kept in a cooler temperature; 55 ^d 
suits them very well to flower in, "■ 
they will require less water at the rc s. 
The plants last a long time in flo"' 
