September 28, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
hem to make growth. As the roots begin 
o run round the sides of the pot, a larger 
;ize could be used, repotting the seedlings 
:o encourage growth. When the weather 
becomes suitably warm the plants may be 
Dlaced in a cold frame and gradually given 
nore air, finally taking off the lights alto¬ 
gether about the end of May. The plants 
nay then be transferred to some warm shel¬ 
tered situation in the open ground, and if 
the summer is a fairly genial one they will 
flower and produce fruits that should reach 
their full size and ripen about August. It 
all depends upon the amount of heat as to 
the progress they will make. Your chief 
difficulty will be with the suitable tempera¬ 
ture if you have no command of fire heat to 
rear the plants in spring. 
FLOWER GARDEN . 
2226. Two Sunflowers. 
Will you oblige me with the names of the 
enclosed, and the distance apart to plant 
them? Will they bloom freely in partial 
shade? (Sunflower Essex.) 
The larger flower you sent us was Helian- 
thus multiflorus, which grows 2^ft. to 4ft. 
high, according to the soil and situation. 
The smaller flower is evidently a variety of 
Helianthus rigidus, but you should have 
sent leaves with it, as Sunflowers are so 
much alike. This latter in the ordinary 
form grows about 2^ft. high, but some of 
the varieties reach a height of 5ft. With 
plants of moderate size they could stand as 
near each other as 2ft. apart each way,_ but 
if allowed to form large clumps 3ft. would 
be none too much. You can aid their growth 
and ensure larger flowers, however, by thin¬ 
ning out the stems if they come up too 
crowded, say about May. The remaining 
stems will then produce finer flowers than if 
left in a crowded condition. They will 
grow and flower with a fair amount of satis¬ 
faction in partial shade, as the moisture 
under those conditions might be more plen¬ 
tiful than in a sunny, fully exposed situa¬ 
tion. Sunflowers, like most other flowering 
plants, delight in free exposure to sunshine 
and air. If you plant in a shady situation 
they should not be overhung by trees, other¬ 
wise the rain might be thrown off the ground 
keeping them too drv. or they might be sub¬ 
jected to the drip of the outer branches. 
These are unsuitable conditions you should 
avoid in selecting situations for these plants, 
if you have any choice in the matter. 
2227. Name and Treatment of Tro- 
paeolum. 
Can you please tell me the correct name 
of the enclosed plant and the treatment it 
requires ? What is the best way to keep it 
during winter? (S. Martin, Suffolk.) 
The plant is Tropaeolum tuberosum, 
which is not quite hardy, except in very 
favourable parts of this country. The best 
plan is to let the plants grow until the 
foliage gets cut down hy frost, then lift the 
tubers immediately and store them in moist 
sand. If you keep them in a dry box or in 
any way exposed, the tubers will gradually 
shrivel, and they may be dead before spring 
owing to the shrivelling, but sand that is 
kept just moist will prevent them from los¬ 
ing moisture and keep them in fresh con¬ 
dition till spring. The more . they are 
ripened off in the ground before lifting the 
better they will keep during winter. Some 
time in March you can plant them out in 
soil that has been deeply dug and manured 
in winter. The manure should be fairly 
well decayed and placed about roin. or i2in. 
down, so that it may not come into contact 
with the tubers. The stems will, of course, 
require something to support them, either 
stakes to which they may be tied, or a trel¬ 
lis. They make a beautiful covering tothe 
latter, so that the plants could be used for 
forming a screen to shut out any unsightly 
object. 
2228. Early Flowering Gladioli, etc. 
Will you let me know the proper time to 
plant Gladioli, Ixias, and Montbretias? 
.Can the above be left undisturbed for a few 
years? (R. A. Sims, Surrey.) 
Early flowering Gladioli may be planted 
at various times between October and 
January, according to the kinds. G. Col- 
villei, G.C. The Bride, and others of that 
class are fairly hardy, and should be 
planted some time in October or not later 
than the beginning of November. This 
gives them time to make growth gradually, 
and they will commence flowering about the 
beginning of June. Put the corms about 
4in. to 5'in. down. Previous to planting 
you should, of course, deeply dig and pul- 
verise the ground, at the same time putting 
in some well decayed manure about gin. to 
12in, below the surface. Ixias may be 
planted from November to January, putting 
the bulbs about 3in. below the surface. This 
class of plant requires the soil to be rather 
light and rich. Plenty of sand and leaf 
mould should, therefore, be worked into the 
soil to ensure its being perfectly porous. 
The bulbs will like it all the better if you 
cover them with clean, sharp sand at plant¬ 
ing time. Montbretias may be planted, at 
any time from November to March, putting 
the corms about 5in. below the surface. 
This class of plants also likes plenty of. leaf 
mould with a little sand, so that while you 
are preparing the ground leaf mould should 
be used liberally. This, while light in it¬ 
self, serves to retain the soil moisture in 
summer, when the foliage requires a plenti¬ 
ful supply of moisture during July and 
August. The Ixias should be planted in a 
situation that would be sheltered from the 
north and east, as they are liable to suffer 
in spring when the leaves come above 
ground. All of these things might be 
covered with litter or dry bracken to advan¬ 
tage, as this will keep away frost, while, at 
the same time, the soil is not kept too close 
by it. For that reason bracken would be 
rather better than litter if there is much 
manure in it. As the leaves of all of these 
things come up rather early the protecting 
material should be removed in March, be¬ 
cause after that there would be little dan¬ 
ger from frost. If the covering is allowed 
to lie till the leaves have grown to some 
length the latter will be more tender than 
they ought to be. Therefore, you should 
examine the ground at intervals to see 
whether the leaves are coming through the 
soil or not, so as to have the bracken re¬ 
moved. We should not advise you to leave 
either the Gladioli or the Ixias in the soil, 
as they are better to be delayed by lifting 
and drying off after the foliage dies away. 
The Montbretias are hardier and may be 
allowed to stay in the same situation for two 
or three years. In soils where they are 
found to make rampant growth it is neces¬ 
sary to lift them every second year in order 
to give them more room, as the flowers de¬ 
generate if the plants are overcrowded. 
2229. Propagating Lobelia Victoria. 
What is the best way to propagate Lobelia 
Victoria? I have some fine plants mixed 
with a bed of Geraniums (variegated), and 
both have done well, making the showiest 
bed I have. Does the Lobelia require a 
greenhouse in winter, or can I keep it in 
any other way? (R. Turner, Yorks.) 
After the Geraniums are destroyed by 
frost, or after you have lifted them, the 
stems of the Lobelias should be cut down 
to the base. You will find young shoots or 
buds at the base of the Lobelias, and these 
will produce the stems for next year. Lift 
the roots and plant them in a cold frame, 
or put them in a box of soil and stand them 
in a cold frame, according to convenience. 
In the event of a very severe winter it may 
be necessary to protect the frame by means 
of a covering of loose bracken. In spring 
■the old crowns will commence throwing out 
a .number of shoots. By means of an old 
knife you could carefully separate each 
crown with a few roots attached. Each 
crown will make a plant to put straight 
away into the beds, unless you find it con¬ 
venient to pot them off separately after 
dividing them in spring. A greenhouse is 
unnecessary if you have a cold frame you 
can protect. In the greenhouse they could 
be placed under the benches in the absence 
of other convenience, but you should place 
them where the drip from pots would not 
fall upon them so as to rot the crowns. 
2 230. Nosegay Daffodils. 
I have a bed under the parlour window 
which I should like to fill with sweet- 
scented Nosegay Daffodils. Do you think 
they would succeed there? If so, please 
name hal’f-a-dozen of the best, and oblige. 
(H. Warwick, Somerset.) 
If the aspect is a southern one no doubt 
the Nosegay Daffodils would succeed there 
admirably/ The situation should be shel¬ 
tered and fairly dry in winter, so that frost 
would have little or no injurious effect. 
Plant the bulbs about 6in. below the sur¬ 
face, then cover the surface of the bed with 
litter, dry bracken or half decayed leaves, 
as the case may be, and this will keep the 
bulbs safe from frost. Previous to plant¬ 
ing mix the soil with some gritty material 
and good rich soil. Old potting bench soil 
would make a good material. If you use 
manure, it should be well decayed and 
placed rather deeply, so that it may not 
come in contact with the bulbs. Half-a-¬ 
dozen of the best varieties are Grand 
Monarque, Muzart Orientalis, Bazelman 
Major, Jaune Supreme, White Perfection, 
and Maestro. The latter, being dwarf, may 
be used as an edging. 
2231. Plant Named Shamrock, 
Miss Wilson will be glad if you will 
kindly tell her the proper name (botani¬ 
cal) of a plant which she was told was a 
Shamrock. The leaves are the same shape, 
and it bears a small pink blossom; both 
leaves and flowers close at sunset and open 
full in bright and .full sunlight. Is it 
hardy, and where can it be got? (Surrey.) 
No doubt the plant you have seen, is 
Oxalis floribunda, with clusters of rosy pink 
flowers on common stalks about 6in. long. 
There is also a white variety of it under 
the name of 0 . floribunda alba. We know 
both of these varieties are catalogued by 
Messrs. T. S. Ware, Ltd., Feltbam, Middle¬ 
sex. It is hardy as far north as London if 
' planted in soils that are light and sandy 
and in a sunny situation. It should, there¬ 
fore, succeed in your district if you place 
it under those conditions. Without more 
details we could not be absolutely certain 
that the plant you saw was 0. floribunda, 
as there are several of them with rose and 
pink flowers, but that is one of the hardiest 
and best. 
WATER GARDEN. 
2232. Water Lilies for a Stream. 
I have a small stream at the bottom of my 
garden about 8ft. across and ift. deep. I 
should like your advice about planting some 
Water Lilies in it. Please to name some 
suitable varieties, pretty but not expensive, 
and where I could get them, and the time 
and method of planting them. (Water 
Lilies, Notts.) 
The stream vou mention would be highly 
suitable for Water Lilies, provided it was 
2ft. deep instead of rft., because then you 
could grow some of the stronger varieties, 
