THE GARDENING WORLD 
Marsh- 
^ Orchis 
(Orchis latifolia). 
The cultivation of hardy Orchids might 
receive more attention than it gets. 
Several of the British ones as well as Con¬ 
tinental and other exotics have given evi¬ 
dence that with a little care in planting 
and selecting suitable soil or in the mak¬ 
ing up of suitable compost that they can 
be grown with perfect success in town or 
country gardens. They may also be 
grown with equal facility in pots in cool 
frames, because the latter being moveable 
can be turned round so as to face the 
north in the summer time, and thus keep 
the plants relatively cool, which econo¬ 
mises the soil moisture during the^’-^at 
of the day. satisfat. 
Those who do not care to t g em 
trouble of growing them in pots can pre¬ 
pare a position for them on the rockery 
or in a garden border where the soil is 
naturally moist, or where a compost can 
be made up that will bring about this 
effect. In a wild state Orchis latifolia 
grows in boggy or wet situations, but it 
also grows splendidly in spots that are 
relatively dry, though cool, during the 
flowering period. If the garden of the 
cultivator is a dry one naturally, a situa¬ 
tion should be selected where the sun does 
not shine upon the border during the heat 
of the day. The natural material may 
be taken out to the depth of 18 in., and 
a compost made up consisting of loam, 
with a high percentage of peat or leaf 
mould. Indeed, the two latter may be 
used in the mixture. It is not exactly a 
rich soil that these hardy Orchids re¬ 
quire, but one that is relatively cool and 
moist at all seasons, especially in sum¬ 
mer, when the plants are making growth. 
The accompanying illustration shows 
the top of several plants of this handsome 
species. The plants in question were not 
British specimens, and were rather larger 
than our plants are usually seen. The 
flowers generally are of a rich purple, 
netted and marked in a variety of ways by 
darker lines and spots, just as is seen in 
Orchis maculata, but richer and darker 
in every way. Pale varieties do, of 
course, sometimes grow amongst them, as 
amongst other wild Orchids of this class. 
The foliage is also handsome, both before 
and after expansion of the flowers, being 
beautifully blotched' and ringed in a man¬ 
ner that reminds you of fairy rings on a 
lawn. These markings are, of course, of 
a brown or brownish purple hue, and 
serve to give the foliage quite a hand¬ 
some appearance. 
-- 
Cherry Blossom in Japan. 
Says the author of “A Woman Alone 
in the Heart of Japan,” just published by 
Sisley’s : “To see a single branch, a single 
tree, a single orchard of New England 
blossom is quite another thing from see¬ 
ing the entire land swept with a misty 
and a magic veil of pink and white. It is 
safe to arrive in Japan on the ist of April. 
During the next two weeks the land is 
wrapped in mystic colour. Bands of dia¬ 
phanous tints spread through the sky as 
if Iris had dropped her dainty scarf across 
our way.” 
Orchis latifolia. 
of a hard cake of earth), and is a means of 
aerating the ground and conserving its 
moisture instead of wasting it. 
Water is required, firstly, to supply the 
plant with those juices in the sap which 
circulate the food it moistens and absorbs 
from the ground. Secondly, it is needed 
Maclaren and Sons. 
without renewing supplies, and the; 
thrive on it. The amount of water re 
quired depends upon the kind, age, posi 
tion, development, and health of thi 
plant; also upon the season of the year 
Succulent and thin-leaved plants requir< 
more water than other kinds. Excep 
July 27, 1907, 
The Science of Watering Gardens. 
s_____ 
Many amateurs fail because they do 
not know how and when to water their 
gardens; hence this offer of my practical 
experience. 
Bog plants and semi-aquatics requiring 
excess of water, also plants which grow 
on dry rocky ground are not referred to 
in the following remarks. 
Good drainage is a first essential to 
carry off any excess of water. Sufficient 
humus acts as a storehouse giving off 
water to the roots without injuring them. 
A proper amount of stone, sand and grit 
is required to keep the soil particles from 
clogging into lumps too hard for the roots 
and atmosphere to penetrate. Surface 
tillage keeps a layer of fine soil (instead 
to dissolve the mineral and earthy p - 
tides which otherwise would be unavE- 
able for feeding the plant. Third, 
water is necessary in order to provide r 
the transpiration of water from the leai; 
which is a necessity for their well-beii. 
Frequent sprinklings cake the surf;? 
and make it mossy thus preventing t: 
atmosphere from penetrating the groui 
How absurd it is, too, to suppose that; 
fine sprinkling can do for the plant in 
few minutes that which Nature does wi 
hours of soaking rain. 
A good soaking once or twice a we: 
will store up sufficient water for the r: 
of the plants. We see Nature does th 
and that she leaves jrlants for a long tii 
