646 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 5, 1967. 
would be safe with large-flowered kinds. 
Vaporising for the destruction of green 
and black fiy must be attended to in this 
case also, 
Where later-flowering varieties are left 
outside for a time it is advisable to have 
in readiness some means of protection in 
case of bad weather. R. BARNES. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar. 
dening subject. 
Letters should not exceed 150 words each 
in length, and must be written on one 
side of the paper only. 
Two Prizes of 2S. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
Oleanders! Small Flowering Plaints. 
Just now many Oleanders are produc¬ 
ing bunches of buds that will only open 
in the heated conservatory, and if left on 
the plants will deter the formation of 
early buds next year. A good way is to 
break the budding shoot off with a slight 
heel and put on a sunny shelf in a glass 
of rain water. During the winter roots 
will form, and the first hot sun next sum¬ 
mer will swell the buds and you will have 
the novelty of a perfect plant — roots, 
flowers, and foliage in a glass of water ! 
Worthing. D. A. E. 
Roses for Christmas. 
Those who have plenty of Rose buds on 
their trees and would like to keep them 
till Christmas can do so by the following 
method :—- 
Select those buds which are just on the 
point of opening, cutting them off with 
about four or five inches of stem, or more 
if desired, then gumming the cut stem, 
to save the sap. Next get some good 
air-tight paper, wrap the bud up entirely 
in this, and make sure it is air-tight by 
sealing up the paper with some good gum, 
afterwards putting it away in a cool, dry 
place till wanted. At Christmas they 
can be taken out, the gum at the end of 
the stem cut off, and the buds placed in 
tepid water for three or four hours, when 
they will gradually open, and look as 
fresh and as beautiful as ever. 
Westhoughton. JOSEPH I LOYD. 
Preparing the Frame. 
The simplest work in the garden is often 
the most neglected. A good stratum of 
rough leaves is necessary in the bottom 
of the frame, while, if this commodity is 
not available, the rough siftings from the 
soil or a layer of rough ashes will do. 
One item in particular is to have the soil 
when all is finished about 12 to 14 'nches 
from the glass. If the frame is deep, it 
must be raised with the rough drainage 
material. A mistake made by the novice 
is to keep his cuttings yards from the 
glass, and thus they become drawn, ten¬ 
der, and victims to damp. The soil is 
generally made up from old potting soil, 
with the addition of fresh leaf mould and 
sand. There should be a depth of four 
inches of soil, making it firm and level 
with a steel rake. A skiff of sand over it 
and the wbrk is practically done and done 
well. 
Wishaw. A. V. M. 
The Propagation of Creepers. 
It may not be very generally known 
that a fresh stock of Ampelopsis Veitchii 
and similar climbers may be obtained by 
taking cuttings. Select the stoutest 
growths available; shorten to about six 
inches, making a clean cut immediately 
below a node, and leaving a few leaves at 
the top. A long piece will make two 
cuttings, as the top of the lower portion, 
if cut above a node, will break afresh. 
Dibble the cuttings firmly into 60-sized 
pots of sandy soil, eight or ten cuttings 
in each pot. Stand the pots in a cold 
frame, where they will require little more 
attention until the time for planting out. 
In addition to the method of ordinary 
cultivation on walls, these creepers might 
with good effect be utilised as bedding 
subjects, either as a trailing ground-work 
for other plants or as dot plants, trained 
to a single stake. 
Helen Colt. 
South Hampstead. 
Fuchsia Growing. 
Now is a good time to take cuttings of 
Fuchsias for those who want standards for 
bedding next season or good specimens 
for conservatory decoration. Get some 
good strong shoots with a little heel if 
possible, insert them round the edge of a 
60 pot, and place them in a box with a 
pane of glass over. Keep an eye on 
them so that they do not damp off. In 
about ten days the cuttings will begin to 
callus and take root. Remove the glass 
gradually by tilting it on one side till it is 
removed altogether. When the roots are 
seen coming through the bottom of the 
pots shake the cuttings out and repot 
them singly in small 60 size pots. A 
mixture of loam, leaf mould, and silver 
sand, with a little sprinkling of bone- 
meal, or a little well rotted manure well 
mixed together, makes a good compost. 
In a warm greenhouse and heated pit the 
cuttings will make fine plants. Repot 
when necessary and work into 7 inch pots. 
R. R. 
Beckenham. 
Christmas Roses. 
Plants covered with the loveliest white 
flowers can be had at Christmas by lifting 
strong plants from the border now. Care 
must be taken to lift them with as much 
root as possible, using pots that will hold 
the roots comfortably. See that these 
are well drained, and fill up with a com¬ 
post consisting of well rotted leaf mould 
and coarse sand only. This plant, like 
all others belonging to the Ranunculaceai 
tribe, revels in leaf mould. Finish the 
potting off firmly; stand them on a bee 
of ashes and spray them over three or fou: 
times a day if the weather be dry. Tab 
care not to water them with dirty wate’ 
after the flower buds show, or they wil 
be disfigured and useless. About theenc 
of October place a frame over them, bu 
have the lights off during genial weather 
and give as much air as possible at al 
times except when frost prevails, when, i 
severe, some protection must be afforde< 
at night with mats or litter. Do no 
water the plants till it is absolutely neces 
sary. 
Ockley Court, Dorking. H. W. 
-+++- 
VAGARIES OF . . . 
Sweet Peas. 
A Letter 
To the Editor 
I should like to write you (for publ 
cation, if you think fit) on the vagarie 
of some varieties of Sweet Peas sent m 
by a seedsman friend who has a specie 
interest in Sweet Peas. They were a fe' 
of the newer varieties for trial. I here 
with send you my experience of the sam; 
trusting it may be of interest to love? 
of the Sweet Pea. 
From twenty-five seeds of Admir? 
Togo I had a bicolor, a pink, and a blue 
The Admiral is a fine flower, but not 
lady’s favourite colour. I should brack? 
it with Black Knight. From ten seec 
of Bolton’s Blue all came true to colou: 
but did not have wavy standards. A. 
the ten seeds of Enchantress came tre 
to colour, but just the same as Counte: 
Spencer. I had ten seeds of Fran 
Dolby, but here, again, I can find n 
difference between this and Lady ( 
Hamilton. The standard is not wav; 
From twenty seeds of George Herbert 
had three varieties—a bicolor, a pin! 
and a very bright rose pure self, but ju 
like the darkest coloured flowers 
Phyllis Unwin, with beautiful wavy sta? 
dards. Of ten seeds of Horace Wrigh 
all came true but one (the colour of Mr 
Kenyon). This is one of the grande 
new varieties I have seen, being distin 
in colour from any other dark blue ar 
of grand substance. 
From twenty seeds of Henry Eckfo: 
came five varieties—a bicolor, a crear 
and two distinct pinks, all of more robu 
growth than the true Henry Eckfor 
which is tender for outside growth, and 
like Evelyn Byatt, it will not stand L 
weather. Nora Unwin is a grand whit 
quite distinct from Dorothy Eckfor 
with vravy standards and long stalk 
Five seeds of Olive Bolton all came tru 
It is said to be a new pink Spencer, b 
there is no distinction between it ai 
Countess Spencer. Pink Pearl (Unwi 
came like Countess Spencer, but more 
a self colour, and all true. From s 
seeds of Queen of Spain, I had four varij 
ties—a bicolor, a pink self, a light pin 
and the Queen herself, a beautiful lig ; 
salmon-pink of dwarf growth. From fi 
seeds of Queen Alexandra came thr 
varieties—a large bicolor, a pink, ar 
Queen Alexandra, a large self crimso, 
but it will not displace King EdwardA 1 
