August 1, 1904 
e 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. — . so... 
in another box. I hope this modest articlo~ ball, so to speak, and by a quick method of 
will induce more to go in for the growing of observation and rapid judgment forms his 
this handsome bedding plant, and: if they 
follow out what 1 have said they will be 
-gratified with the result.—A. G. Suanp. 
WATERING POT PLANTS IN | 
WINTER... 
To keep plants in a healthy condition 
~watering must be carefully attended to at 
‘seasons of the year, and during. the winter. 
it requires additional care. Many plants 
will take even more water than during the - 
summer. This, of course. applies to those 
grown indoors. where shading is used in 
idea as to whether. the plant needs water 
_then and there or will wait another day. 
Several t hings influence his decision—the 
length of time the plant has been potted ; 
whether the pot is full of roots or not; the 
plant itself; is it a thirsty subject or the re- 
verse? The man who is to do his work 
expeditiously and correctly has to quickly 
. consider these and other points as he pauses 
summer and littie or no fire-heat given. At . 
this season of the year many subjects are — 
liable to get dry beneath while the surface 
may appear moist, particularly where plants 
stand on stages where the heat is beneath, 
and when once they get very dry at the 
bottom the best way is to dip the pots, so 
that the soil may be thoroughly moistened | 
through. With some soils it seems almost 
impossible to get the water to pass through . 
from the surface when once it gets very dry. . 
Many Ferns are very deceiving with re- 
gard to taking up water. 
in a healthy condition, will take up a quan- 
tity of water, and if not carefully locked 
after it will suffer before 1t is noticed, for it 
is the under fronds which go first. I have 
A. Farleyense, if . 
between each plant. All growers of plants 
know my meaning who have had years of 
experience in this branch of gardening. — 
. Eye and hand have to be trained to work 
together, and the mind must be quickly | 
made up. A single mistake is not fatal by 
any means, and to water a plant a day too 
- soon or leave it a day too long is not going . 
to do it any serious injury. It is when 
these mistakes are being constantly made; | 
when the plant is being watered in driblets ” 
day after day until its roots are sickened 
and die that trouble ensues. 
thorough soaking that will last a day, a 
week, or a month, according to the state of 
the weather, the temperature, and the con- 
dition of the plant itself as to growth or — 
. rest. 
previously referred to the necessity of giving . 
-careful attention to this Fern, and it cannot 
be too often repeated, for I believe inatten- 
tion to watering is the chief cause of failure. 
. Azaleas, 
Excess of moisture is equally damaging, . 
-and with plants that are in an unhealthy 
state it is better to keep them a little on the 
dryzside than otherwise, but with vigorous, 
healthy plants there will be little fear of 
-over-watering under ordinary treament. 
Palms and other subjects where the 
-syringe is used freely will not be so liable to 
get too dry, but even these plants may be 
found quite dry beneath when the surface is 
moist, and those standing nearest the pipes 
sometimes do not get so much water from 
the syringing as those where they do not 
-dry so quickly. Palms, like Ferns, often 
get over-watered, especially when standing 
on a moist bottom, but in the winter where 
much heat is given they may require more 
water than during the summer. 
During the winter months it is one of the 
most important points in plant culture to 
keep the roots in a healthy condition, and 
this can only be done by careful attention 
to watering. Over-wateriag will sour the 
soil, while the other extreme will cripple 
the roots. It is therefore necessary to give 
-careful attention to watering, and this will 
ensure the plants being in a condition which 
will cause vigorous and healthy growth 
when the season comes round for making a 
start. Much time is often lost in the spri: ¢ 
through plsnts having been neglected during 
the winter.—A. Hremsey. 
Specific directions as to watering that 
will suit every case, cannot, of courge, be 
given. To say nothing of the likes or dis- 
likes of various plants and different methods 
of pottings, there are always the texture 
and class of soil to be considered. A man 
who is used to his soil and knows wel! the 
plant he is growing can look through the 
Here, again, the silly plan of driblets daily 
is often practised, and a worse does not exist. 
Plants properly potted of such kinds as 
Camellias, and various hard- 
wooded species will not pass the water so 
freely that it goes through with a rush to the 
floor, but it percolates steadily and surely 
through every inch of the compost, and 
, when the operator sees it trickling ont of 
the holes at the sides and bottom he may 
take it that plant has had sufficient to go 
on with for a time. A good test is the time- 
honored one of tapping with the knuckles — 
and noting the sound before watering, and 
should a doubt then exist the weight of the 
pot is the safest test —H.B. 
CHINA ROSE—MADAME LAURETTE 
MESSIMY. 
If I were asked which was the most free- 
blooming Rose in my garden I should not 
hesitate to name this variety. One of the 
earliest to expand its blossoms, it blooms 
away uninteruptedly until hard frosts pre- 
vent the buds opening. I have six plants 
of this Rose in a small bed, which was well 
prepared for their reception, and each plant 
is now a large-sized bush. Raised by 
Monsieur Guillot, of Lyons, as the result of 
crossing the old China Rose Rival de 
Pestum and the Tea Rose Madame Falcot, 
this variety was really the forerunner of a 
new type of Jose, from which other 
splendid kinds have since been obtained. 
It has been largely used for bedding and 
massing, and this can hardly be wondered 
at when its many good points are borne in 
mind. The flowers are only semi-double, 
in color a pretty shade of rose and salmon- 
pink, shaded at the base of the petals with 
yellow. Madame lL. Messimy is a wonder- 
fully vigorous grower, hardy, and possasses 
most elegant foliage, which, when young, 
is a vivid blue-purple. Monsieur P. Guillot, 
If a plant is | 
dry enough to need water at allit needs a ~ 
Supplying water to large specimen plants . 
in pots and tubs requires a deal of care. | 
writing some years ago in reference to this 
variety, gives some iuteresting particulars 
-about a fine specimen of this Rose :—‘“‘ Ine 
certain Normandy estate,’’ he writes, ‘a 
Rose bush of Madame L. Messimy, planted 
in a very favorable position, in rich soil, 
reached (in the space of two years), & 
height of six feet and three-quarter inches, 
and a circumference of more than thirteen 
feet one and a-half inches about four feet. 
from the ground—forming a round busk 
from the base upwards. Its vigor is suck 
that on one day in early summer its owner 
counted more than 450 buds on the point of 
opening, and a multitude of others te 
follow.” From my own experience, 1 can 
testify to its extraordinary freedom of 
blooming. The only fault I can find with 
it 13 that the flowers are rather loose, and 
do not, in consequence, stand rain well. As 
previously mentioned, several varieties have 
been raised from Madame Laurette 
Messimy. The best of all is Madame 
Eugene Resal (a most glorious variety, ever 
better thau its parent, although not quite so 
robust a grower, or so hardy). It bears @ 
profusion of rich, rosy-pink flowers, shaded 
with orange, still further enhanced by the 
lovely deep-colored foliage. The impor- 
tance of only planting free-growing and 
continuous-flowering Roses in gardens 
where cut flowers are in much request is 
apt to be overlooked. For this purpose, 
and also for garden deorations, those China 
Roses are initnitable, bus they must on no 
account be hard pruned. I have proved 
that the let-alone system of pruning is the 
best, just cutting out the weakly branches, 
and leaving the strong, well-ripened shoots 
at their full length. 
Repvoine Growrus or Rose Poryanruus 
GranpDizLors.—This is probably one of the 
most vigorous of ramblers, and is a fine 
variety where unlimited space is at one’s 
disposal. But its tremendous exuberance 
of growth will quickly smother other good 
things. The best plac is to cut away about 
half of the number of growths, retaining 
those well matured, and, if possible, having — 
some laterals. A plant of this Rose last 
season growing in the open border, and one 
large growth being allowed to arch over 
produced a number of laterals that yielded 
fine trusses of blossom. This one growth 
alone was @ perfect picture, so that you may 
even reduce the number of gruwths in 
spring to two or three, provided tbey are 
well hardened. Hack season, as the nume- 
rous sucker-like shoots appear, reduce them 
to about two in their earliest stages. Such 
growths as you leave for flowering should 
be left unpruned beyond shortening back 
each of the laterals to about three or four 
inches. These main growths, by suppressing 
the laterals, will be induced to lengthen. 
This Rose is somewhat tender, which proves 
it to be not a variety of R. multiflora, or, 
at least, it has some of the Tea or Nuise}te 
blood in it. 
Savinc Psrunra Seep —When the pods 
of the Petunia are ripe they shoul! be 
gathered and laid out ona piece of paper 
in a tray or box to further mature and dry. 
When quite ready and dry, the seeds are 
easily secured and cleaned, and may them. 
be packeted till required for use. 
