June  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
477 
nurseryman,  but  the  old-fashioned  woodland  flowers,  so  varied  in  tint, 
so  graceful  in  form,  so  prettily  set  above  their  delicate  greenery.  A 
great  clump  of  Lords  and  Ladies  hide  in  a  snug  corner.  Did  you  ever 
notice  how  beautiful  they  are  ?  flower  and  leaf  alike,  quite  fit  for  any 
garden.  A  bush  of  white  Lilac  reveals  itself  by  scent,  such  as  no  shop 
in  Bond  Street  can  rival ;  and  across  the  lawn,  just  oat  of  the  boundary 
of  the  Rose  domain,  is  a  Sweet  Briar  bush  guarding  the  Lily  patch.  The 
gentle  rain  to-day  will  have  done  its  work,  and  to-morrow  we  shall  have 
a  few  sprays  of  the  white  bells  for  our  writing  table.  The  pink  Paeonies 
are  just  bursting,  and  the  Syringa  (Philadelphus)  will  not  be  far  behind, 
in  time  this  year  to  deck  a  bride’s  table.  If  it  were  a  hothouse  flower 
what  a  high  value  would  be  set  on  it ;  being  humble  enough  for  the 
poor  man’s  garden  it  is  counted  of  little  worth. 
The  Yew  hedge,  undisturbed  this  year  by  the  active  schoolboy,  is  full 
of  nests,  and  the  whole  garden  is  one  concert  room.  The  Roses  have 
borne  the  winter  well,  and  are  breaking  in  every  direction.  The  Rose- 
trellised  walk  is  one  thick  tangle  of  bronze  and  green  and  wee  buds  that 
give  promise  of  a  glorious  hereafter.  This  is  only  the  homely  garden  of 
a  farmhouse,  easily  managed  with  little  expense,  but  a  source  of  endless 
pleasure  to  its  owner. — The  Missus. 
SUMMER  BEDDING. 
( Continued  from  page  432.) 
I  referred  on  page  432  to  the  arrangement  of  beds.  I  will  now 
pass  on  to  the  borders,  which  to  my  mind  are  much  the  prettier  if  not 
made  too  formal.  A  wide  border  by  the  side  of  a  long  straight  walk  may 
be  made  to  look  effective  in  the  following  way.  A  back  row  of 
Conifers  of  various  sorts,  about  7  or  8  feet  high  ;  between  each  plant 
a  clump  of  Hollyhocks  and  tall  Michaelmas  Daisies,  such  sorts  as 
Asters  novie-anglife  rosea,  n.-a.  rubra,  diffusus  pendula,  Harp9r  Crew, 
patulus,  paniculatus,  Lady  Trevelyan,  floribundus,  Robert  Parker  and 
polyphyllns.  By  planting  Hollyhocks  and  Daisies  in  one  clump  you 
get  a  continuous  block  of  flowers,  for  as  soon  as  the  former  are  over 
the  latter  begin  and  keep  on  till  the  end  of  the  summer.  In  the  next 
row,  3  feet  from  the  back,  plant  another  line  of  Conifers  about  3£  feet 
high,  just  opposite  the  Hollyhocks,  such  as  Retinosporas  plumosa, 
plumosa  aurea,  plumosa  argentea,  and  plumosa  vera ;  these  can  be 
kept  neat  and  to  any  desired  height  with  knife  and  pruning  scissors. 
Clumps  of  Cannas  that  grow  from  4  to  5  feet  high  may  be  placed  to 
come  opposite  the  back  Conifers.  Iu  the  next  row,  3  feet  distant,  put 
dwarf  plants  of  Acer  Negundo  variegata  just  opposite  the  Cannas. 
These  can  be  pruned  back  every  year  to  keep  them  dwarf,  and  between 
each  of  these  plant  a  purple  Japanese  Maple,  or  purple-leaved  Castor  Oil 
(Ricinus  Gibsoni).  About  18  inches  from  the  Acers  have  a  row  of  Sedum 
spectabilis  purpureum,  a  foot  apart  in  the  row,  and  at  every  4£  feet 
along  this  row  plant  alternately  Hydrangea  paniculata  and  Lilium 
lancifolium  roseum  ;  let  the  Liliums  come  opposite  the  Acers,  and  the 
Hydrangeas  opposite  the  Castor  Oils.  About  18  imJhes  from  the  Sedum 
a  row  of  tuberous  rooted  Begonias  may  be  planted,  and  1  foot  from  this 
tuberous  Begonias  again.  Now,  between  these  two  rows  of  Begonias, 
at  every  9  feet,  place  a  Fuchsia  which  has  previously  been  grown  up  to 
about  2^  or  3  feet  high,  with  not  too  many  branches  up  the  stem,  or  it 
will  hide  the  Begonias  too  much  when  looking  up  or  down  the  border. 
In  the  next  row,  9  inches  from  the  Begonias,  plant  Golden  Feather, 
and  6  inches  from  this  a  double  row  of  Ajuga  reptans,  to  fill  up  to  the  Box, 
tile,  or  whatever  permanent  edging  is  used.  This  border  will  be  about 
12  feet  from  the  Box  edging  to  the  centre  stems  of  the  back  row  of 
Conifers  ;  altogether  it  would  require  to  be  about  14  feet  wide.  We 
have  such  a  border  at  Sandhurst  Lodge,  on  either  side  of  a  straight 
gravel  walk  leading  to  the  inside  kitchen  garden,  which  is  bedded  every 
summer,  something  after  the  style  I  have  described,  and  is  always  greatly 
admired  by  visitors.  Sometimes  the  front  is  done  in  beds,  sometimes  in 
lines,  but  never  two  seasons  alike. 
Mixed  borders  again  are  always  effective  and  interesting  if  they  are 
properly  planted.  If  you  can  get  a  long  border  about  9  feet  wide  by 
far  the  prettiest  way  is  to  plant  in  group*,  each  kind  to  occupy  a  upace, 
say  about  5  feet  long  by  3  wide  or  so  ;  if  a  little  larger  ail  the  better. 
These  borders  may  be  filled  principally  with  hardy  plants,  but  spaces 
should  be  left  for  tender  plants  and  annuals,  which  must  be  arranged 
so  that  the  border  shows  bloom  from  one  end  to  the  other  the  whole 
summer.  When  planting  mixed  borders  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
have  two  groups  of  plants  together  that  bloom  early  and  are  over  for  the 
rest  of  the  season  ;  but  against  an  early  flowering  group  plant  one  that 
blooms  later,  then  you  will  have  a  continuous  border  of  flowers  for  a 
very  long  season.  I  use  very  few  stakes  in  my  borders.  If  a  plant  can 
any  way  be  grown  without  a  stake  I  never  use  one,  as  the  border  look* 
so  very  much  prettier  without  them  ;  and  I  never  cut  my  herbaceous 
plants  down  till  the  end  of  the  season,  only  keep  taking  off  the  dead 
flower  heads  down  to  the  first  green  leaves,  as  the  old  stems  not  only 
help  to  strengthen  the  roots,  but  keep  the  neighbouring  plants  up  in 
rough  windy  weather. 
And  now  for  a  word  about  pot  Fuchsias  and  other  plants  which  are 
very  effective  in  groups,  plunged  to  the  rim  of  the  pot  in  the  grass. 
This  is  done  at  Sandhurst  Lodge,  and  these  groups  are  always  greatly 
admired  by  visitors.  These,  to  my  fancy,  should  be  arranged  where  a 
good  background  of  green  foliage  can  be  had  to  set  them  off  to  the  best 
advantage.  They  may  be  arranged  in  the  following  way  : — Say  a  group 
of  all  Fuchsias  of  different  colours,  and  then  a  large  group  of  mixed 
plants,  such  as  Plumbago  capensis,  Plumbago  capensis  alba,  Solanum 
jasminoides,  Habrothamuuses  elegans,  coccinea,  and  aurantiaca,  Swain- 
sonia  alba,  Swainsonia  Osborni,  large  plants  of  Zonal  Geraniums, 
Erythrina  crista-galli,  Brugmansia  Knlghti,  Begonia  Ingrami  and 
fuchsioides,  Coboea  scandens,  Ivy-leaved  Geraniums,  and  Tropaerlum 
Fire  King.  The  three  latter  must  be  trained  round  stakes,  and  then 
allowed  to  branch  out  and  hang  about  in  a  careless  manner,  with  a  tall 
Bamboo  or  two  arranged  here  and  there.  A  very  interesting  and 
effective  group  may  be  made  somewhere  near  the  mansion  with  the 
different  sorts  of  scented-leaved  “  Geraniums.”  The  flowers  of  some  of 
these  are  very  pretty,  and  they  are  as  a  rule  continuous  bloomers.  Such 
sorts  may  be  used  as  Rollinson’s  Unique,  Prince  of  Orange,  Fair  Ellen, 
Lady  Mary,  Shottesham  Pet,  Lady  Scarborough,  and  quercifolium. 
Perhaps  before  I  go  further  I  might  give  a  list  of  Fuchsias,  which 
with  me  have  proved  to  do  well  outdoors,  both  in  pots  and  planted  out. 
The  single  varieties  are  undoubtedly  the  freest  and  most  continuous 
bloomers.  Amongst  these  are  Charming,  Mr.  King,  Blushing  Bride, 
Cannell’s  Gem,  Countess  of  Aberdeen,  Display,  Victor  Hugo,  Erecta, 
Novelty,  Daniel  Lambert,  Dr  Lancaster,  Rose  of  Castile,  Alba  coccinea, 
Aurora  Superba,  Mrs.  Rundle,  General  Roberts,  and  Rose  of  Castile 
Improved.  The  best  doubles  that  I  know  are  Madame  Jule3  ChrStien, 
Edmond  About,  Berliner  Kind,  Dr.  Matthews,  Elizabeth  Marshall,  and 
Frau  Emma  Topfer.  These  are  all  good  and  free  flowering  sorts,  the 
last-named  is  a  fine  bloom  but  not  so  free  as  the  foregoing. 
All  these  pot  plants  should  be  arranged  with  an  eye  to  colour,  and 
have  sufficient  width  of  green  turf  between  them  to  enable  you  to  get 
about  easily  for  mowing,  tying,  and  watering  the  plants,  the  rim  of 
the  pot  being  plunged  down  level  to  the  turf,  and  a  few  clinkers  or 
cinders  put  at  the  bottom  of  each  hole  to  insure  free  drainage. 
These  plants  require  abundance  of  water  on  hot  sunny  days,  and  they 
must  also  have  careful  feeding  ;  and  here  lies  the  secret  of  success, 
for  nothing  to  my  mind  looks  more  miserable  than  a  shabby  plant 
placed  out  on  a  lawn  in  a  flower  pot.  My  plan  of  feeding  is  a  very 
simple  one,  and  is  as  follows  :  Two  paraffin  casks  are  procured.  In  one 
is  put  a  bag  containing  about  two  gallons  of  soot,  and  in  the  other 
cask  about  a  gallon  and  a  half  of  guano,  both  are  then  filled  with 
water,  and  allowed  to  stand  a  day.  To  three  gallons  of  clear  water  a 
half-pint  of  one  or  other  of  these  mixtures  is  used  for  watering  the 
plants  every  morning,  other  supplies  of  clear  water  being  given  during 
the  day.  The  soot  bag  will  last  about  a  month,  but  the  guano  tub  will 
want  a  few  handfuls  throwing  in  every  few  mornings  ;  before  taking 
the  guano  water  out  stir  the  contents  of  the  tub.  and  then  allow  it 
to  settle  again.  Besides  these  two  stimulants  I  use  very  weak  cow 
manure  water,  which  run3  into  a  tank  from  the  cow  yard,  but  my  plan 
is  to  use  all  stimulants  weak  and  often,  and  to  keep  changing  from  one 
to  the  other. — ( Read  by  Mr.  W.  Townsend  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Reading  Gardeners'  Association .) 
(To  be  concluded.) 
RED  SPIDER  AND  GOOSEBERRIES. 
This  is  one  of  the  mo3t  troublesome  of  the  gardener’s  enemies,  and 
in  order  to  combat  it  successfully  action  requires  to  be  taken  in  the 
early  stages  of  the  trees’  growth.  Our  Gooieberries  are  all  cultivated 
on  trellis  (cordon  system),  the  length  of  each  trellis  being  150  feet,  and 
the  height  5  feet.  We  had  a  rather  severe  attack  of  the  red  spider, 
owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  prevalence  of  dry  weather  accompanied  almost 
incessantly  with  N.E.  winds  (this  being  conducive  to  the  well  being  of 
the  enemy),  and  which  shows  signs  of  spreading  to  an  alarming  degree. 
I  applied  spidacide  with  the  syringe  about  once  a  week,  with  heavy 
syringings  of  clean  water  two  days  after  each  application.  I  can  safely 
say  that  it  has  proved  to  be  efficacous. '  The  trees  are  now  clean  and 
healthy,  and. growing  most  luxuriantly,  being  laden  with  large  quantities 
of  fruit,  and  the  foliage  of  a  beautiful  dark  green.  I  have  no  doubt 
there  are  other  preparations  which  would  exterminate  these  insects 
effectually'.  I  have  no  interest  in  reccommending  spidacide  other  than 
that  it  has  done  that  which  the  makers  claim  for  it.  I  have  no  doubt 
Mr.  Hiam’s  plan  is  a  good  one  (page  418),  but  it  would  seem  to  need  a 
microscope  and  white  paper  to  perceive  the  insects.  Those  on  our  trees 
were  plainly  visible  with  the  naked  eye. — H.T.  Martin,  Stoneleigh  Abbey 
Gardens. 
Responding  to  your  invite  for  information  of  remedies  for  the 
extirpation  of  that  exceedingly  troublesome  insect  Acarus  (Tetrany- 
chus)  telarius  allow  me  to  remark  that  one  of  the  most  efficacious 
preventives  and  cures  I  am  cognisant  of  is  a  copious  syringing  with  a 
mixture  of  flowers  of  sulphur  and  petroleum,  well  incorporated  with 
water  at  the  rate  of  two  wineglassfuls  of  the  oil  to  a  gallon  of  water,  or 
instead  of  the  sulphur  a  little  softsoap  added  to  the  oil,  with,  say,  a  pint 
of  boiling  water,  thoroughly  churned  together  before  mixing  with  the 
water  for  use.  The  softsoap  has  the  effect  of  causing  the  oil  to  intermix 
more  intimately  with  the  water. 
It  will  be  readily  conceded  that  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  apply  the 
liquid  underneath  the  foliage,  which  forms  the  chief  resort  of  the  spider, 
especially  during  wet  weather  or  when  the  upper  surface  of  the  leaves 
are  covered  with  dew. 
As  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  apply  the  liquid  on  the  nnder  surface 
of  the  leaves,  especially  where  the  branches  are  trained  within  a  few 
inches  of  the  ground — a  mode  generally  adopted  by  exhibition  growers 
— it  is  necessary  to  employ  something  more  suitable  than  the  ordinary 
rosed  syringe.  I  have  used  an  angle-jointed  rose  syringe  for  the  purpose 
