October 19, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
679 
The Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Strawberries in Pots. 
No fruit that is forced gives less trouble 
than the Strawberry, is more acceptable, 
or takes up less room, therefore it is an 
ideal amateur’s plant. It is a great mis¬ 
take, however, to put the plants into the 
greenhouse too soon. Christmas Straw¬ 
berries are vory nice, we know—or so we 
have heard—hm he amateur who gets ripe 
fruit in March .as done all that can be 
expected of him. For the present and for 
several weeks hence, the plants are safe in 
a cold frame. Before putting them in, look 
in the drainage holes and among the crowns 
for slugs, also stir up the surface soil a 
little to disturb any slugs’ eggs that may 
be reposing there; a small, but destructive, 
green caterpillar may also be sometimes 
found. Should any incipient runners be 
forming, pinch them out close home, and 
then plunge the pots to their brims in ashes 
or dead leaves in a cold frame. The leaves 
of pot Strawberries are often so lovely at 
this season that one is tempted to use them 
for table decoration. I have often done so, 
and found no harm follow the practice; in 
fact, I believe that it plumps up the crowns 
for early forcing. 
Chrysanthemums. 
All these should now be got under shelter. 
This does not necessarily mean that all 
should be orowded in the greenhouse, as an 
open shed, facing south or west, will ac¬ 
commodate the late sorts in safety for some 
time yet. Even if a mat or two has to be 
hung in front of the shed at night, this is 
better than overcrowding the greenhouse. I 
remember visiting an amateur's collection 
of ’mums once where we had to climb on 
the greenhouse roof to see the blooms ! Let 
us-hope that no “ G.W.” reader is in the 
same predicament. Better leave the surplus 
out of doors, and build a wood and mat or 
sack-covered protection round them. Give 
the plants an abundance of air after housing 
and look out for greenfly and mildew, both 
i of which are almost sure to show them¬ 
selves. 
Potting Christmas Roses. 
If flowers are wanted for Christmas, pot¬ 
ting should soon be put in hand. For my 
earliest flowers I always depend upon plants 
already in pots, i.e., those that have been 
‘ forced in the previous year. They stand 
I gentle forcing two years in succession very 
[ well, after which they are split up and 
> planted out in a moist and partially shel¬ 
tered reserve garden. Plants that have been 
two years in this reserve garden are now 
in fine condition for potting. Do not chop 
off or mutilate the roots in any way, and if 
the plants are to stay two years in the pots 
give fairly plenty of room-; otherwise they 
should almost fill their 'receptacles. Water 
well in and stand the earliest ones in a 
cold frame, leaving the others out of doors 
until frost appears dangerous. Neither set 
must ever want for water, or disaster will 
follow. If desired, the plants may bloom 
in a cold frame, but earlier, and I think 
larger, flowers are obtained • in a warm 
greenhouse. 
Cold Frames. 
These will now, or should, be pretty full 
up, and great care must be exercised to 
give the various occupants plenty of air at 
all times. The majority of the plants win¬ 
tered in cold frames are all but hardy, and 
without plenty of air soon become weak and 
drawn up. Lift the lights right off on all 
sunny days, and tilt them as much as pos¬ 
sible every time that water is given. Con¬ 
fined, stagnant moisture soon brings de¬ 
cayed leaves, and even settles amongst the 
crowns of such plants as Canterbury Bells, 
Strawberries 'and Francoas, which quickly 
collapse. If not already done, thoroughly 
clean the glass, for the plants want every 
gleam of light they can get at this season. 
Potting Dutch Hyacinths. 
I once heard an amateur call Hyacinths 
“classy ” bulbs, and I suppose that they do 
seem to be in a class above Tulips, Daffodils 
and the like; certainly their price favours 
the assumption. Anyhow, I think the smal¬ 
lest greenhouse should have a dozen good 
Hyacinths, named sorts, singly in 4^ in. 
pots; they look remarkably fine when well 
grown. A number of varieties is not 
wanted; Marie, Baroness von Tuyll, Grand 
Maitre, Roi des Beiges, Robert Steiger, and 
L’lnnocence are six good and cheap sorts. 
Use a bit of good soil for these, and just 
bury the apex of the bulb, then plunge in 
ashes and treat in the usual way. Those 
who want more for money and are not so 
particular about the quality of the flowers, 
should buy a few bedding Hyacinths in red, 
white and blue, and pot them three bulbs in 
a 6 in. pot. They make a nice bit of colour 
in spring, and last a good time. 
Tree Carnations. 
To keep these growing well and to induce 
blooms to open freely, a temperature of 55 
degs. must be given. To obtain this, do not 
shut off air, as a close, moist atmosphere 
will soon bring fungoid diseases in its 
track. Be careful not to over-water, especi¬ 
ally plants with comparatively few roots. 
Those which have filled their pots with 
roots will take liquid manure once or twice 
a week, or a little sprinkle of artificials on 
the soil. 
Peaches After Fruiting. 
A Peach tree which retains its leaves as 
late as this is a nuisance when one wants 
to stand Chrysanthemums, Arums, etc., un¬ 
der it. Still, if the leaves have yellowed 
at all, the bulk of them can be got- off. 
Shake the tree vigorously first, then get a 
new Birch broom and drawn this lightly, 
with a sweeping motion, up the tree. As 
long as the broom only moves up the tree, 
i.e., from the floor to the roof, not the 
slightest harm will be done to the buds. 
Clear away the leaves, and stand a few 
boards on the borders to accommodate the 
pot plants. 
Sunnyside. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Winter-Flowering Orchids. 
My notes of last week were devoted par¬ 
ticularly to the warm house sections of au¬ 
tumn and winter-flowering Orchids. I now 
propose to draw attention to the kinds which 
may be grown successfully in a cool inter¬ 
mediate temperature and the cool house. I 
consider the cool intermediate house sec¬ 
tion includes the kinds of Orchids in the 
cultivation of which amateurs are the most 
likely to be successful. This section in¬ 
cludes practically all the winter-flowering 
Slipper Orchids, Cypripediums. These may 
be success fully grown in a normal winter 
temperature of 55 degs., and they can even 
be -successfully grown in a temperature of 
50 degs., but this as a normal temperature 
I consider low, and it has the effect gener¬ 
ally of retarding the flowering season to so 
late in the year that the plants do not pro¬ 
duce the best quality of flowers. It is well 
for amateurs desirous of making selections 
of suitable kinds to see the plants in flower, 
and as some of the autumn-flowering kinds 
are now in bloom the sooner this is done the 
better. 
I endeavour to avoid naming selections of 
suitable kinds as a rule, but I would like 
in this instance to mention some which I 
consider worthy of the amateur’s attention. 
Cypripedium Charlesworthii, with its beau¬ 
tiful rose-tinted dorsal sepal, is one of the 
first to flower, blooming at the end of Sep¬ 
tember and through October. The Orchid 
which was practically lost to cultivation for 
such a number of years, C. fakieanum, 
whose native habitat has been in recent years 
re-discovered, is now so plentiful that it 
can be procured for a modest outlay. Its 
quaint characteristics and beautifully- 
marked flowers should secure for it a place 
in all Orchid houses. The hybrids that 
have been derived from the influence of C. 
fairieanum as one of the parents are all 
of the greatest interest. C. arthurianum, C. 
vexillarium and C. Niobe are the kinds most 
met with and are procurable for a small 
sum. There are numerous other hybrids of 
this section, but as they are not in general 
commerce I have omitted them, but all are 
worthy of attention, u. insigne alone has 
a host of varieties. To give a list of these 
would occupy too much space, but I might 
briefly mention that among the spotted kinds 
now fairly plentiful are C. i. punctatum- 
violaceum and C. i. Harefield Hall variety. 
The finest of all the so-called yellow forms 
is C. i. Sanderae, which, owing to its ro¬ 
bust constitution, has become so plentiful 
that it is now to be procured reasonably. 
C. i. Sanderae, C. i. Ernestii and C. i. 
youngianum are also worth consideration. 
Perhaps one of the most beautiful of all 
Cypripediums is C. spicerianum. It is one 
of the most easily cultivated kinds we have 
and should have every consideration; it 
produces its flowers in November and they 
remain a long time in perfection. 
We cannot well overlook the claims of C. 
villosum and its allied species, C. Boxalli. 
These flower later in the year and in the 
early spring, and are useful for providing 
a succession of blooms. To deal with the 
hybrids belonging to this section would be 
a huge task, so I must therefore confine my 
attention to such kinds as I consider the 
most useful in an amateur’s collection. Un¬ 
doubtedly one of the most useful and beauti¬ 
ful of h)'brid Cypripediums is C. leeanum 
(spicerianum x insigne). Possessing the ro¬ 
bust constitution of both species and such 
wide variations, it is certainly worthy of 
very considerable attention. Practically all 
hybrids having C. insigne as one of their 
parents are worthy of attention. C. Ca¬ 
lypso, C. Ceres, and nearly all C. spiceri¬ 
anum offsprings should be secured. C. 
Boxalli . and C. villosum hybrids flower 
later, usually in January and February, and 
are procurable reasonably. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Montbretia King Edmund. 
The flowers in this instance are widely 
expanded and golden-yellow with a ring 
of crimson spots around the throat. 
Award of Merit by the R.H.S. on Sep¬ 
tember 17th when shown by Major Petre 
(gardener Mr. G. Davison"), Westwick 
House, Norwich. 
Vibirnum rhytidophyllum. 
The above is a new Wayfaring Tree 
which has been introduced by Messrs. 
J. Veitch and Sons, Chelsea, from China. 
It is of bold habit of growth with large 
leaves entirely different from anything we 
have seen before. They are opposite, ob¬ 
long, 4 in. to 8 in. in length, and 2 in. 
to 3 in. in width, very much wrinkled, 
dark green and shining above. The 
under-surface is covered with a rusty grey 
tomentum. The flowers are produced in 
large flattened bunches terminating the 
stems and give rise to berries that are first 
red, then black and shining. A plant 
about 7 ft. high and 6 ft. wide was shown 
by the above firm on September 17th and 
received a first-class certificate from the 
R.H.S. 
