252 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  21,  1899. 
Seasonable  Notes. 
Chrysanthemums  are,  as  usual,  monopolising  a  considerable 
amount  of  time  and  attention,  and  will  for  the  next  two  months 
continue  to  claim  daily  some  little  matter  of  routine  practised  in 
the  management  of  valuable  collections.  Where  there  is  a  large 
number  of  plants,  embracing  those  that  flower  early  as  well  as  mid¬ 
season  and  late  varieties,  many  of  the  former  will  be  advanced  in 
bud  opening  and  showing  colour.  These  ought  at  once  to  be 
housed,  as  to  allow  them  to  remain  outside  after  this  will  be  to 
induce  damping  of  the  blooms  later  on. 
The  housing,  too,  of  the  general  collection  must  also  be  thought 
of,  and  due  preparations  made  for  placing  the  plants  in  suitable 
positions  in  light,  airy  structures,  for  flowering.  Frequently  double 
the  number  of  plants  are  crowded  into  a  given  space  than  ought  to 
be  the  case,  and  the  result  is  the  premature  loss  ot  a  huge  proportion 
of  the  lower  leaves.  Crowding  plants  which  are  producing 
flowers  for  exhibition  must  impair  the  finish  of  the  blooms,  and 
those  who  are  wise  do  not  attempt  to  place  the  plants  thickly 
together  at  first.  Specimen  plants  which  require  good  foliage  as 
well  as  flowers  may  soon  be  ruined  by  crowding.  Light  on  all 
sides  is  imperative  for  them. 
Before  taking  plants  indoors  remove  dead  or  yellow  leaves  and 
weeds  from  the  surface  soil  in  the  pots.  The  base  of  the  latter  and 
the  sides,  if  dirty,  ought  to  be  washed.  As  a  precaution  against 
the  foliage  being  attacked  by  mildew.it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  syringe 
the  whole  plant  before  housing  with  a  solution  of  softsoap,  sulphur, 
and  a  little  petroleum,  directing  it  against  the  under  sides  of  the 
leaves.  Bentley's  mildew  specific  is  also  an  effective  remedy,  and 
has  the  advantage  of  being  ready  for  use  and  easy  of  application. 
Many  varieties  are  subject  to  mildew,  and  these  ought,  if  possible,  to 
be  discarded  from  collections  as  being  really  more  troublesome  than 
they  are  worth. 
After  the  plants  have  been  housed  a  week  or  so  it  is  advisable  to 
take  the  precaution  of  fumigating  the  collection  with  tobacco  paper, 
using  the  customary  care  when  this  is  being  done,  and  having  the 
plants  dry.  Tobacco  paper  may,  however,  be  objectionable  if  the 
plants  are  housed  in  a  structure  near  the  dwelling.  This  objection 
can  happily  be  met  by  adopting  the  equally,  safe,  clean,  and  effective 
method  of  vaporising  with  nicotine. 
The  earwig  may  continue  to  be  troublesome  should  some  of  the 
insects  find  lodgment  among  the  florets  of  opening  blooms.  They 
must  be  searched  for  and  destroyed.  The  stakes  employed  for  sup¬ 
porting  Chrysanthemum  stems  are  often  at  fault,  especially  bamboo 
canes,  should  these  happen  to  be  cut  off  at  the  ends  between  the 
nodes.  The  top  of  the  stakes  ought  to  be  cut  close  to  a  node,  which 
is  always  solid.  When  the  stem  is  cut  between  the  nodes  it  is  hollow 
and  offers  a  safe  harbour  for  a  little  army  of  earwigs,  and  the 
cultivator  wonders  where  they  come  from.  The  hollows  should,  there¬ 
fore,  be  stuffed  with  putty ;  and  split*canes,  that  is  canes  with  the 
upper  part  split,  ought  to  be  avoided. 
The  feeding  of  Chrysanthemums,  begun  when  the  pots  were  filled 
with  roots  and  continued  judiciously  as  the  buds  developed  may  be 
discontinued  the  first  week  of  housing,  but  resumed  afterwards  until 
the  flowers  are  well  open.  It  is  not  wise  to  gorge  the  plants  with 
manurial  solutions  of  any  kind  with  the  mistaken  idea  that  as  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  are  gross  feeders,  too  much  stimulant  cannot  be  given.  It 
is  possible  to  give  too  much,  and  to  apply  it  of  a  muddy  character. 
Animal  manures  ought  to  be  placed  in  a  bag,  so  that  the  liquid  is 
clear  rather  than  like  pudding.  Thick  material  clogs  on  the  surface. 
Artificial  manures  may  be  dusted  thinly  on  the  surface  soil  and 
watered  in,  rarely  giving  more  than  a  tablespoonful  to  each  8  or  9-inch 
pot.  Several  applications  may  be  made  in  this  way  throughout  the 
season,  while  some  may  be  dissolved  in  water  and  applied  alternately 
with  animal  liquid  manure.  The  great  point  is  to  use  all  stimulants 
weak.  It  is  far  better  to  do  so,  and  to  use  often  rather  than  to  risk 
overdoing  the  feeding.  Do  not  apply  stimulants  when  the  soil  is  dry. 
Moisten  with  clear  water  first. 
Watering  should  be  carried  out  in  the  morning.  On  very  bright 
days  the  plants  must  be  again  looked  over  at  noon,  so  that  no  plant 
is  left  dry  too  long.  It  is  seldom  all  the  plants  require  water  at  one 
time,  hence  the  need  for  frequent  examinations.  Flowers  well  advanced 
in  development  may  be  shaded  during  the  brightest  sunshine,  the 
dark  varieties  especially  needing  this  attention. 
Disbudding  ought  to  be  continued  after  housing  as  well  as  before. 
Terminal  shoots  produce  one  main  bud  with  minor  buds  clustered 
round,  and  the  latter  are  removed.  The  remaining  bud  then  develops 
into  a  good  flower.  This  must  be  practised  for  exhibition  blooms, 
and  fine  specimens  are  produced  by  disbudding  when  only  wanted  for 
decoration.  Give  air  constantly,  and  a  little  fire  heat  in  dull  and  wet 
weather,  just  to  dry  up  stagnant  moisture  and  cause  buoyant  movement 
of  the  atmosphere. — E.  I).  S. 
ROCK  AND  WATER  GARDENS. 
Without  seeking  in  any  way  to  decry  formal  gardening,  a  phase 
of  the  art  which,  properly  carried  out,  is  indispensable  in  its  own 
place,  one  cannot  but  see  with  pleasure  the  marked  advances  in  what 
is  termed  “natural  gardening.”  There  is  an  increasing  desire  on  the 
part  of  garden  lovers  to  make  their  own  places  yield  one  or  more 
features  either  unique  or  uncommon.  Perhaps  no  style  of  gardening 
gives  more  room  for  the  exercise  of  individual  taste  and  skill  than 
that  which  has  as  its  speciality  the  use  of  rockwork  with  its  natural 
adjunct  of  lakes  or  ponds.  Of  late  years  many  admirable  examples 
of  work  of  this  kind  have  been  created.  In  the  Journal  of  July  20th 
and  August  24  th,  excellent  illustrations  of  the  gardens  at  The  Uplands, 
near  Birmingham,  appeared.  These,  with  that  which  accompanies  this 
article  (fig.  50),  have  led  to  the  belief  that  a  few  practical  notes  on 
the  subject  will  not  be  inappropriate,  and  may  be  of  use  to  some. 
The  character  of  the  work  will  depend  much  upon  the  space  at 
command,  with  its  natural  contour;  but,  besides  these,  there  is  the 
important  question  of  expense.  One  can  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  those  who  can  afford  to  do  so  will  do  well  to  seek  the  advice  of 
those  thoroughly  versed  in  such  work  and  capable  of  carrying  it  out. 
There  has  been  a  marked  advance  in  the  taste  displayed  by  professional 
builders  of  rock  gardens,  and  in  the  arrangements  for  the  growth  of 
the  plants  with  which  they  are  to  be  furnished.  Such  firms  ai 
Pulhams,  who  carried  out  the  work  at  Uplands,  can  be  trusted  to  do 
it  efficiently  and  with  a  due  regard  to  the  general  effect  of  the  whole. 
Such  an  undertaking  as  the  formation  of  rocky  pools,  streams,  and 
cascades  is  olten  unsatisfactory  when  performed  by  those  who  have 
not  had  previous  experience  of  the  kind.  Even  where  an  ample 
supply  of  water  is  at  command,  leakages  lead  to  the  need  tor  so 
much  inflow  that  the  temperature  of  the  pond  is  kept  too  low  for  the 
free-blooming  of  some  of  the  new  Nymphseas  now  so  indispensable  in 
the  water  garden.  So,  too,  with  rockwork  of  a  bold  and  effective 
character.  It  ought  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  experienced  men 
who  have  made  its  construction  their,  study. 
Where  circumstances  prevent  employing  experienced  men,  or  the 
use  of  large  masses  of  stone,  it  is  obvious  that  the  most  must  be  made 
of  the  material  at  command.  This  is  not  always  pleasing,  but  the 
writer  has  seen  a  wonderfully  good  little  rockery  composed  of  furnaoe 
slag  covered  with  cement.  This  was  appropriately  called  the  “  Poor 
Man’s  Rockery.” 
In  forming  rock  gardens  of  any  kind  a  great  consideration  is  a 
sufficient  body  of  soil  for  the  welfare  of  the  plants.  This  is  ofteu 
overlooked,  but  it  is  essential  that  a  root-run  be  afforded  for  th* 
greater  number  of  what  we  term  alpine  plants. 
As  space  is  limited  one  must  pass  to  say  a  little  about  the  con¬ 
struction  of  rocky  pools,  which  do  so  much  to  give  variety  and 
beauty  to  a  rock  garden.  Their  formation  requires  great  care.  If  the 
subsoil  is  not  good  leakage  results,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  owner. 
Unless  with  a  stiff,  impervious  subsoil,  the  site  should  be  prepared  by 
adding  well  puddled  clay,  rammed  firmly  so  as  to  prevent  subsidence. 
The  pond  or  pool  ought  then  to  be  formed  of  good,  thoroughly  mixed 
concrete,  made  in  a  proportion  of  not  more  than  three  parts  of  clean 
gravel  to  one  of  the  best  Portland  cement.  This  must  be  thoroughly 
incorporated  and  made  about  6  inches  thick,  and  covered  with  a  layer 
of  cement  composed  of  sand  and  cement.  Some  use  a  proportion  of 
two  of  sand  to  one  of  cement,  but  it  is  safer  to  use  equal  parts. 
When  finished  wash  all  over  with  pure  cement  and  water  applied 
thickly  with  a  brush  like  whitewash.  In  forming  the  pools  the 
form  should  be  a  little  irregular,  and  the  margins  ought  to  be  of  stone  or 
of  concrete,  so  formed  as  to  be  natural  looking.  The  margin  of  the 
pool  shown  in  the  illustration  is  an  example  of  what  is  required.  The 
depth  need  not  be  more  than  3  feet  in  any  part. 
The  subject  of  planting  is  too  extensive  to  be  dealt  with  in  detail, 
and  the  plants  to  be  used  largely  depend  upon  the  extent  of  the 
rockwork  and  water.  It  is  obvious  that  such  a  handsome  plant  as 
Gunnera  manicata,  so  fine  by  a  large  lake,  is  out  of  place  on  the 
margin  of  a  small  pond,  and  it  is  equally  apparent  that  some  of  the 
dwarf  Conifers  would  be  unsuitable  for  small  rock  gardens,  although 
not  to  be  absent  from  those  of  considerable  dimensions.  For  rock 
gardens  there  is  abundance  of  material.  Aubrietias  are  charming, 
trailing  over  the  brows  of  the  rocks ;  Helianthemums  are  most 
