JUNE I, 1903. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Wy 
Like everything else they are well grown, 
too. 
We have all heard of the man with a 
hobby, but the genial secretary of the 
“National” is a man with several hobbies. 
Once upon a time, as the fairy tales say, 
he was a staunch Columbarian; never a 
‘keener pigeon fancier than he, few more 
successful. Then came Auriculas and 
Carnations. Now he has Roses and 
Daffodils, and hardy Ferns. 
But even all these do not exhaust. the 
capabilities of that “backyard.” A door 
opened, and I found that the pigeon house 
that was, and the potting shed that is, is 
also. adorned by a business-like ping-pong 
table. 
Pigeon house! Potting shed! Ping- 
pong! .That. backyard is unique. So, 
too, is a pretty screw shot which Mr. Hen- 
wood has slyly dubbed his ‘blue Carna- 
tion.” The reason I will leave my readers 
to discover. 
Cyicus. 
+ SSSSSS66 & 
THE WINTER-FLOWERING 
CARNATIONS. 
Since the introduction of the Margaret 
Carnations, as they are termed, quite a 
new and beautiful addition has been made 
to our winter-flowering kinds, and they are 
so easily grown that any one, even with but 
little knowledge of gardening, can grow 
and flower them. 
200 plants in G-in. pots this year, and as 
. these were produced from an eighteen- 
penny packet of seed the cost is also in- 
considerable. The seed ought not to be 
sown too early. The plants when well 
attended begin to flower in four or five 
months from the time of sowing the seed. 
I sowed the packet of seed alluded to, and 
placed the small seed-pan on an ordinary 
‘hot-bed, and the plants were up and the 
seed-leaves developed in a week or so. ‘The 
point, I think, of most importance is to get 
them pricked off into boxes, placing them 
in the same temperature until they are es- 
tablished, when they are gradually inured 
to the open air. If the plants are prick- 
ed out about 3 in. asunder they may re- 
Main in the boxes until they are large 
enough to pot off into 3-in. pots; when 
well established in these pot them into 6-in. 
pots. 
tions, or even the border varieties, with 
Similar treatment, and arrive more rapidly 
ati the flowering stage. The potting soil 
should be rich, good loam, to which have 
been added a fourth part of leaf-mould 
and as much decayed manure, and in pot- 
ting, pound the soil well in round the 
sides of the ball of roots. Firm potting 
is a desideratum in growing Carnations. 
Another way of treating these Carnations, 
and by which good results are obtained, 
is to plant out the young plants in the 
%pen gerden instead of putting them up 
into 8-in. flowerpots. Plant them firmly 
I have grown about. 
They grow faster than Tree Carna- _ 
soil, but if time can be spared a little good 
potting soil should be put around the roots 
ol each plant at the time of planting; tne 
roots work into this good soil and the 
plants can be lifted witn a greater mass 
oi roots when they are potted into the 
G-in. flower-pots. It is a good plan to 
place the plants in a cold frame, the lights. 
of which should be kept rather close for 
a week or so until they are fairly well 
established. , I believe the best results are 
obtained with plants that have not been 
planted out, as the slight check they receive 
in lifting them is ce1tainly injurious. 
When I sowed the seed of the Mar- 
guerite Carnations I also sowed seed of the 
tree or perpetual-flowering varieties, and 
saved abcut 600 plants of these. ‘They also 
grew with considerable vigor, and I was 
iuterested not only in growing some 300 
or 400 plants in pots, but the remainder 
were planted in the open border to take 
their chance with the ordinary seedlings. 
yaised from the border and show Carna- 
tions. The seedlings from the Tree or 
perpetual-flowering varieties certainly grew 
with greater vigor in the borders, and the 
two sets of seedlings could readily be dis- 
tinguished at a distance by the more 
branching habit of growth, and many of 
them ran up to flower, which the others 
did not. If these had been lifted and 
potted doubtless they woaid have flowered 
in the Carnation house now, but I had so 
many in pots that space was not available 
for them. On comparing the seedlings 
from the Tree Carnations with the Mar- 
guerite section, the latter had the adyan- 
tage in the percentage of plants that 
flowered, but the former were considerably 
in advance in the richness of the display 
they made and in the superior quality of 
the flowers and their longer lasting quali- 
- ties either on the plants or cut. The Tree 
Carnations produced large, very double 
flowers, which had but little pollen and 
did not become self-fertilised; whereas 
the semi-double Marguerites are self-fer- 
tilised, and the flowers quickly fade on the 
plants and do not last long when cut and 
taken into the house. There are not: so 
many single-flowered varieties amongst the 
Tree Carnations as amongst the ‘border 
sorts. I find about ten or twelve per cent. 
of single varieties amongst the latter, 
but five per cent. only amongst the tree 
varieties. pe ; 
Tt is also exceedingly interesting to 
watch the flowering of seedlings when it is 
known the seed has been saved from good 
parents; moreoyer, it is much easier to 
raise seedlings than it is to strike cuttings 
of Carnations and grow them up to flower- 
ing plants. Named varieties, of course, 
will be grown in all the best collections. 
and certain choice sorts can be propagated 
much more readily than the border varic- 
ties, which are increased by layering. The 
Treo Carnation, as its name implies, throws 
out’ side growths freely from the main 
stem. Cuttings can be taken from these — 
side shoots, and propagation may go on fox | 
a, long period. — 
about a foot asunder in ordinary garden succeed them, and continue the display of 
‘Later propagated plants 
“moved altogether in fine weather. 
bloom until the summer-flowering Carna- 
tions come in. In fact, so persistent in 
flowering are Tree Carnations, that I un- 
dertook to have flowers all the year round 
from two dozen plants. I could not cut 
blooms every day, or even every week, all 
the year, but an. immense number were cut, 
and before the last bloom had faded an- 
other had taken its place. After a time the 
plants produce woody stems, which increase 
in substance, and two-year-old specimens 
will produce many fine blooms at a time. 
Of course, the cuttings must be struck in 
a little bottom heat, and top heat as well, 
but when roots are formed the young 
plants should be potted off singly, and gra- 
dually inured to the open air as soon as 
the weather is favorable. Greenfly is almost 
sure to attack them, and very often red — 
spider will do so. Keep the plants clean 
by fumigating with tobacco. When the 
plants are under glass place them as near 
the rcof as possible, and do not fail to ad- 
mit air daily. The plants do best in cold 
frames, from which the lights can be re- 
The 
plants ought to be repotted as they require 
it, potting firmly and treating them much 
the same as the seedlings. The flowers de- 
velop best in the winter season in a light, 
airy house, with a minimum temperature 
of from 50 to 55 deg.—J. Douciasin“ The 
Garden.” 
PSESOCOSO 69S 
CAMPANULAS FOR DRY BEDS 
AND BORDERS. 
A few years ago a solitary seedling Cam- 
panula plant grew near to an archway on 
a grayel path. The plant eventually at- 
tained to a height of about 4 ft. and 
bloomed profusely. Since then more 
seedlings have appeared every year, and | 
all have grown luxuriantly and flowered 
freely, even when some weeds near to them 
have shrivelled up in the hot weather. 
One learns a valuable lesson from the fact 
that these lovely plants will thrive so well 
in dry places. get 
There are plenty of gardens in which 
there may be found very dry borders where 
flowering plants are, as a rule, a failure. 
Campanulas may be planted in large num- 
bers in dry beds, and they will do weil. 
Plants raised from seeds sown in the pre- 
vious spring may be transplanted to 
these beds, where they ~ will quick- 
ly get established and grow rapidly after 
the dry weather in summer arrives. 
I wonder why it is that the tall-growing 
Campanulasy are not more generally 
planted in rockeries and rooteries? Their 
appearance, growing in such positions, is 
most striking, especially when grouped — 
amongst Ferns. Many fine specimens are 
lost through neglect in staking. — “ The 
Garcerer? G. G. 
