336 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  19,  1900. 
June  27th  (Wednesday). — Salisbury  (N.R.S.),  Richmond  (Surrey),*  and 
Southampton.* 
„  28th  (Thursday).— Canterbury  and  Colchester. 
„  30th  (Saturday). — Windsor. 
July  3rd  (Tuesday). — Westminster  (R.H.S.),  Gloucester,  and  Sutton. 
,,  4th  (Wednesday). — Croydon,  Farningham,  Hereford,  and  Reigate, 
„  5th  (Thursday). — Bath  and  Norwich. 
„  7th  (Saturday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R.S.). 
„  10th  (Tuesday). — Harrow  and  Wolverhampton.f 
,,  11th  (Wednesday). — Brockham. 
,,  12th  (Thursday). — Brentwood,  Eltham  and  Salterhebble. 
,,  14th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
„  18th  (Wednesday). — Cardiff.* 
„  19th  (Thursday). — Birmingham  (N.R.S.)  and  Helensburgh. 
,,  21st  (Saturday)  — Newton  Mearns. 
,,  24th  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
„  25th  (Wednesday). — Newoastle*on-Tyne.t 
*  Shows  lasting  two  days.  f  Shows  lasting  three  days. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  the  dates  of  any  other  Rose  shows  (or 
horticultural  exhibitions  in  which  Roses  form  a  leading  feature)  for 
the  next  list  of  Rose  Show  Fixtures,  which  will  appear  in  an  early 
issue. — Edward  Mawley,  Rosehank,  BerkTiamsted,  Herts. 
Tea  Roses. 
Anyone  who  has  noticed  the  natural  mode  of  growth  of  Tea  Roses 
will  have  observed  that  to  thrive  at  all  well  they  must  throw  up  a 
continual  succession  of  suckers,  first  weakly,  then  a  little  stronger, 
and.  afterwards,  if  encouraged,  stronger  still.  This,  then,  is  the  key  to 
the  only  right  way  of  growing  them,  and  to  make  sure  that  all  the 
suckers  shall  be  of  the  right  sort  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  plants  on 
their  own  roots.  I  know  no  reason  for  growing  them  on  Briars  or 
Manettis.  It  cannot  be  to  make  them  grow  stronger,  for  it  has  the 
very  opposite  effect  in  the  long  run.  It  cannot  be  to  enable  them  to 
withstand  the  winter,  because  if  they  are  killed  down  to  the  ground, 
all  is  gone  but  the  Briar  ;  whereas  Tea  Roses  on  their  natural  roots 
down  in  the  ground  a  foot  or  two  would  probably  start  again  from  the 
base  in  the  spring.  Nor  is  it  because  they  are  difficult  to  propagate, 
for  they  are  as  easy  to  root  as  Verbenas.  If  it  is  argued  that  it  makes 
them  more  floriferous,  then  remember  that,  with  the  exception  of  one 
or  two  sorts  not  strictly  Teas,  where  there  is  growth,  flowers  will 
follow  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  the  finest  blooms  do  not  come  on  the 
weakest  growths. 
One  summer  I  inserted  cuttings  of  the  best  varieties  I  then  had, 
including  some  which  are  not  yet  surpassed — viz.,  Devoniensis,  alba 
rosea,  Catherine  Mermet,  and  Souvenir  d’un  Ami.  The  cuttings  were 
made  of  the  firmest  growth  of  the  current  year,  and  placed  under 
hand-lights  on  the  north  side  of  a  wall.  They  soon  rooted  and  started 
growing  without  losing  much  of  their  old  foliage  ;  they  were  then 
potted  into  4-inch  pots,  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  kept  rather  close  and 
shaded  till  they  started,  then  gradually  hardened,  and  soon  after — 
probably  in  September — they  were  shifted  into  8-inch  pots  and  placed 
outside.  They  were  protected  a  little  during  the  winter,  being  in  a 
cold  house  not  by  any  means  frost-proof,  and  during  the  next  summer 
were  repotted  into  14  and  15-inch  pots,  using  soil  such  as  would  grow 
fruit  trees  well  in  pots — viz.,  fresh  rather  heavy  turfy  loam,  a 
sprinkling  of  half-inch  boiled  bones,  a  few  pieces  of  charcoal,  and  a 
little  decayed  farmyard  manure  of  good  quality  dried  and  rubbed 
through  a  sieve.  The  loam  was  rough,  many  of  the  pieces  being  half 
the  size  of  a  brick.  The  following  spring  I  had  flowers  such  as 
I  never  saw  before,  and  the  plants  kept  constantly  throwing  up 
suckers. 
Mildew  does  not  often  come  spontaneously  on  plants  grown  thus 
without  a  check,  though  it  often  attacks  others  weaker  in  nature. 
When  such  a  case  occurs  I  practise  and  advise  no  half  measures,  but 
gather  all  expanding  flowers,  place  some  sulphur  with  water  in  a  water 
pot,  stir  well  about,  and  apply  with  a  syringe  in  a  fine  spray  to  both 
sides  of  every  leaf  in  the  house  whether  affected  or  not,  and  the  first 
time  the  sun  shines  on  it  every  spore  will  be  killed.  This  is  much 
easier  and  a  far  more  effectual  plan  than  dusting.  The  sulphur  can  be 
syringed  off  in  a  day  or  two,  leaving  hardly  a  trace  behind.  I  do  not 
think  sulphur  does  much  good  in  dull  weather  either  inside  or  out ;  it 
is  not  at  all  easy  to  kill  mildew  outside  in  the  autumn,  when  the  sun 
has  little  power. 
Tobacco  powder  is  very  useful  for  dusting  whenever  there  is  a 
suspicion  of  fly.  It  is  certain  death  to  the  fly  with  which  it  comes  in 
contact,  and  if  applied  in  the  evening  when  the  sun  is  not  powerful  it 
will  not  injure  the  foliage  even  if  allowed  to  remain  on  next  day. 
Dusted  over  cuttings  closely  confined  in  a  hand-light  or  bell-glass  it 
will  kill  every  insect  whether  it  touches  them  or  not,  but  in  this  case 
the  cuttings  must  be  protected  from  sunshine. — R. 
Planting  Flower  Beds. 
A  CORRESPONDENT  desires  guidance  for  planting  flower  beds,  but 
gives  no  particulars  of  the  surroundings,  only  that  the  three  beds  are 
situated  about  50  yards  from  the  main  walk  on  a  slope  facing  the  walk. 
The  pattern  is  a  semicircle,  30  feet  across  and  15  feet  wide,  and  as  the 
beds  are  somewhat  novel,  we  give  a  sketch  (fig.  94)  of  two  of  the  beds, 
the  other  being  simply  a  duplicate  of  that  on  the  left  hand.  To  give 
a  meaning  to  the  beds  we  have  assumed  that  they  are  on  grass  or  lawn, 
A,  backed  by  a  shrubbery  or  clumps  of  shrubs  and  trees,  B,  and  the 
two  side  ones  a  background  of  shrubs,  C. 
We  have  also  supposed  that  it  is  intended  to  occupy  the  beds  with 
summer  bedding  plants.  Centre  bed,  H : — a,  Canna  Queen  Charlotte  ; 
h,  Zonal  Pelargonium  Vesuvius  ;  c,  Calceolaria  Golden  Gem,  or  Pelar¬ 
gonium  Crystal  Palace  Gem  ;  d.  Lobelia  Bluestone  or  Emperor  William  ; 
and  e,  Chlorophytum  elatum  variegatum.  Or,  a.  Begonia,  tuberous, 
white  or  yellow  var. ;  b,  Heliotropium  Miss  Nightingale  ;  c,  Centaurea 
Fig.  94. — Design  por  Planting  Flower  Beds. 
References. — A,  lawn,  B,  clump  of  trees  and  shrubs.  C,  group  of  shrubs, 
D,  central  bed.  E,  one  of  side  beds.  Scale  1  inch  =  24  feet. 
candidissima,  dotted  on  ground  of  Viola  Cliveden  Purple,  or  Viola 
Pilrig  Castle,  blue ;  d,  Antennaria  tomentosa ;  and  fe,  Alternanthera 
magnifica. 
Two  end  beds,  F,  but  same  design  as  D ;  a,  Canna,  President 
Carnot,  bronze  ;  b,  Pelargonium,  Madame  Crousse  ;  c,  Lobelia,  dwarf 
blue  ;  d,  Koeniga  maritima ;  and  e.  Begonia  semperflorens  nana  rosea. 
Or,  a.  Pelargonium  Henry  Jacoby  or  Pentstemon,  red  or  crimson;  b. 
Pelargonium  Princess  Alexandra,  silver  leaf  ;  c,  Iresine  Lindeni ;  d, 
Sedum  glaucum,  or  Alternanthera  paronychioides  aurea;  and  e, 
Echeveria  metallica. 
Beds  all  three  alike,  design  B : — •/,  Pelargonium  Flambleau,  scarlet 
Ivy-leaved ;  g,  Lobelia  dwarf  blue  ;  1i,  Koeniga  maritima  ;  ■  i,  Alter¬ 
nanthera  amoena.  Or,  /,  Pelargonium  Vesuvius ;  g,  Pelargonium 
Crystal  Palace  Gem ;  h,  Lobelia  dwarf  blue ;  i,  Alternanthera 
paronychioides  aurea.  Or,  /,  Begonia,  tuberous,  crimson  or  scarlet ; 
g,  Centaurea  candidissima  ;  h,  Ageratum  Swanley  Blue  ;  and  i,  Alter¬ 
nanthera  magnifica.  Any  of  these  would  be  effective  on  a  bank' 
especially  in  large  beds,  and  the  arrangement  might  be  varied  according 
to  plants  at  command  or  taste,  those  given  being  suggestive. 
The  beds  are  rather  large,  and  the  intention  may  have  been  to  have 
mixed  flowering  plants,  but  this  was  not  stated.  They  would  answer 
for  such  plants  as  Pmonies,  Liliums,  Delphiniums,  various  bulbs, 
herbaceous  plants,  dwarf  flowering  shrubs,  and  annuals — that  is,  mixed 
beds.  They  would,  however,  be  most  effective  occupied  by  summer 
bedding,  and  in  turn  by  spring  bedding  plants,  these  being  more 
striking  when  viewed  from  a  distance  than  mixed  beds. 
