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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  15,  1902. 
To  Preserve  Flowers. 
Several  methods  of  preserving  the  natural  colour  of  pressed 
flowers  have  been  suggested,  but  the  be,st,  it  is  said,  is  that  used 
in  the  New  York  Botanical  Garden.  After  the  specimens  have- 
been  under  pressui’e  for  a  day  or  two  they  are  laid  in  papers 
heated  in  the  sun,  and  this  is  repeated  until  the  drying  is  com¬ 
pleted.  This,  it  is  .said,  preserves  the  colours  perfectly. 
To  Make  Cut  Flowers  Lasting. 
As  a  rule  cut  flowers  will  last  longer  if  allowed  to  stand  a  short 
time  in  water  before  using.  This  simply  applies,  of  course,  where 
they  are  to  be  worn  or  carried  as  a  bouquet,  or  used  in  decora¬ 
tions  where  they  may  not  be  placed  in  water. 
t 
Japanese  Fern  Balls. 
These  balls,  having  been  started  into  growth  some  time  ago, 
will  have  nicely  furnished  the  upper  parts  of  the  rhizomes,  tut 
the  lower  jjoition,  or  base  of  the  ball,  is  usually  bare.  By  turning 
the  balls  upside  down  eiery  part  vill  then  break  and  become 
crowded  with  fronds. 
Celsia  cretica. 
From  a  March,  April,  or  May  .--owing  of  seed,  plants  of  this 
hand.some  greenhouse  plant  can  be  easily  raised.  The  seedlings 
may  be  pricked  olf  and  ultimately  potted  up,  being  grown  on 
during  the  summer,  and  kept  in  a  cold  frame  or  greenhouse 
during  the  winter.  Thus  treated,  they  will  bloom  the  .succeeding 
summer.  Mr.  Weathers  affiims  that  seeds  may  be  sown  in  the 
open  borders  in  .southern  parts,  and  allowed  to  grow  on  without 
any  protection,  be’ng  hard.v  enough.  The  species  under  notice 
is  biennial,  and  a  native  of  Crete.  This,  with  C*.  Arcturus, 
furnish  two  handsome  decorative  plants  for  the  conservatory. 
Heuchera  sangu  nea  splen  ens. 
This  variety  of  a  beautiful  and  sliowy  hardy  plant  does  not 
alwa,vs  succeed  so  well  as  the  owners  con’d  desire  ;  and  the  cause 
is  frequently  attributable  to  much  meddling  treatment  or  to  a 
cold,  damp  soil,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  an  extremely  dry  soil. 
It  flourishes,  according  to  our  experience,  in  a  well-drained 
medium  loam,  in  partial  shade.  Moisture  it  must  have,  but  the 
drainage  should  be  thorough.  Flowering  as  it  does  from  early 
summer  until  well  into  autumn,  no  border  plant  is  showier  or 
more  graceful  and  beautiful.  There  is  never  too  much  of  it  in 
an.y  garden.  On  rockeries  it  also  succeeds.  Sometimes  it  is  culti¬ 
vated  as  a  pot  plant  for  eurlier  flowering.  For  table  decorations 
it  supxrlies  a  chaiming  inflorescence,  which  is  also  much  in  request. 
Fven  out  of  flower  the  heart-shaped  foliage  is  handsome,  like 
that  of  the  Kpimedinms.  In  propagating  this  plant,  division  of 
the  crowns  in  autumn  is  generally  adopted. 
The  Season  of  Tulips. 
Never  within  my  memory  have  I  seen  the  Tulips  depart  so 
quickly  as  this  .season,  and  to  market  gardeners  especially,  who 
trust  to  their  outdoor  stock,  the  severe  frosts  of  the  last  few 
nights  has  proved  most  disastrous.  Such  sorts  as  Keizers 
K  roon,  w  ouverman,  Joost  Van  Vondel,  and  Duchesse  de  Parma 
have  all  been  so  severely  tinged  at  the  tips  as  to  make  them 
cf  far  less  value,  customers  preferring,  as  the  saying  goes,  “  to 
pay  a  price  for  the  genuine  article.”  Whilst  on  the  subject  of 
Tulips,  has  it  often  occurred  to  growers  that  the  double  Tulips 
withstand  a  grwiter  amount  of  .storm  and  wind,  and  last  abso¬ 
lutely  longer  than  many  of  the  singles?  Yet  they  are  not  brought 
nearly  so  much  to  the  front  as  they  ought  to  be.  [We  c^uite 
agree  with  our  correspondent.]  Far  be  it  fro-m  me  to  decry  any 
of  these  charming  coloured  flowers,  but  it  is  onl.y  in  such  seasons 
as  these  that  other  preparations  come  in  useful,  and  I  only  do 
so  from  the  fact  that  last  week’s  hailstorms  have  almost  torn 
the  singles  to  ribbons,  whilst  the  doubles  only  require  a  damaged 
petal  or  two  to  be  removed  to  show  their  beaut,y.  Soon  the 
prejudice  to  the  princely  Tulips  will  be  overcome,  for  there  is 
no  doubt  that  it  exists  to  an  enormous  degree  in  private  gardens, 
many  simply  ignoring  them.  [What  finer  than  Darwin  Tulips 
for  table  decoration  in  a  cut  state?]  This  morning  I  cut  some, 
stout  of  .stem  and  petal,  lovely  pointed  buds  of  various  hues,  and 
.scarcely  showing  signs  of  severe  weather.  In  striking  contrast 
were  some  of  the  Parrot  varieties,  glorious  hued,  but  lacking 
strength  of  stem.  The  past  has  gone,  but  the  future  is  left  for 
development.-  -R.  P.  R. 
Three  Showy  Pelargoniums. 
For  pot  purposes  or  for  bedding  there  are  three  zonal  Pelar¬ 
goniums,  or  “  Geraniums,”  as  they  are  more  commonly  called, 
which  are  but  little  known,  and  yet  have  considerable  merit  from 
two  or  three  points  of  -view.  These  are  Knight’s  Jubilee  (rosy- 
pink),  Sir  Walter  Scott  (deep  .scarlet,  with  a  showy  white  eye), 
and  the-  singlei  King  of  Denmark  (generally  named  the  “  Single 
Denmark  ”).  The  latter  has  large  and  open  trusses,  and  makes  a 
good  bedder.  The  flowers  are  salmon-ochre  or  salmon-pink> 
These  were  noted  at  Butcher’s  Nurserv  South  Norwood,  a  wee’e 
or  two  ago.  Standard  Fuchsias  are  a  feature  there. 
The  Snov/-white  Bloodroot. 
Last  spring,  1901,  the  writer  met  with  a  sight  so  impressive 
it  is  not  likely  soon  to  be  forgotten.  Driving  along  a  count ry 
road,  the  carriage  in  which  we  were  seated  (says  a  writer  in 
“  Meehans’  Monthly  ”)  was  brought  to  a  halt  alongside  an  unpre¬ 
tentious  wood,  and  following  ohr  first  inclination,  which  is  alway.s 
to  look  around  for  flowers,  we  mounted  the  fence  to  take  a  general 
survey.  Tlie  sight  that  met  our  gaze  on  the  forest  carpet  was  a 
literal  mass  of  white  flowers- — ^tlie  Bloodroot.  Sanguinai'ia 
canadensis.  This  was  perhaps  no  unusual  display  in  many 
localities  ;  but  it  is  not  always  we  stir  around  about  the  woods 
at  the  proper  time,  for  they  do  not  last  long.  The  snowy  whitc*^ 
flower  of  the  Bloodroot  is  not  surpassed  by  any  other  flower. 
With  such  an  abundance  for  Nature’s  own  use,  two  or  three 
can  easily  be  spared  the  flower  worshipper,  and  may  be  trans¬ 
planted  to  the  garden  or  partly  shaded  rockery  with  perfect  ease. 
Cherry  House. 
The  Cherries  are  ripening  rapidly,  and  they  must  be  kept 
dry,  but  keep  the  surface  of  the  borders  moist  by  damping  with 
the  syringe,  air  being  admitted  constantly,  or  condensation  will 
seriously  affect,  the  fruit.  The  moisture  of  the  border  is  apt  to 
be  miscalculated  by  the  moifsture  from  s.vringing,  the  surface 
appearing  damp.  Therefore  it  should  be  examined,  and  water 
supplied  to  keep  the  soil  moist  down  to  the  drainage.  Tie  in  the 
shoots  as  they  advance,  and  stop  those  recjuired  to  form  spurs  at 
about  the  fifth  leaf.  Black  aphides  may  be  kept  under  by 
dipping  the  shoots  in  tobacco  water,  gently  rubbing  the.m,  with 
the  fingers,  or  their  shining  bodies  will  throw  off  the  decoction 
and  e,scape.  4Vntilate  freely  on  all  favourable  occasions,  and 
when  the  external  conditions  are  favourable  recourse  must 
be  had  to  the  heating  apparatus  to  insure  a  circulation  of  air. 
Netting  will  be  necessary  over  the  ventilators  to  prevent  birds 
attacking  the  Cherries.  Trees  in  pots  should  be  well  supplied 
with  water. 
What  is  a  Cactus  Dahlia? 
This  is  a  question  addressed  to  us  from  the  Antipodes,  where 
an  exhibitor  bad  shown  Miss  Web.sber  amongst  a  collection  in  a 
cla.ss  for  Cactus  only.  Now  Miss  Web.ster  happens  to  be  one  of 
the  best  decorative  Dahlias,  splendidl.y  pure  white,  and  is  said 
by  the  Nat.  Dah.  Soc.  to  approach  Cactus  form,  but  the 
petals  are  too  flat  as  a  general  rule  to  permit  its  being 
generall.y  classed  as  a  Cactus.  All  growers,  however,  of  Cactus 
Dahlias  know,  first,  that  there  are  tv'o  or  three  different  types 
of  Cactus  alread.y;  and,  .secondly,  that  mo.st  true  Cactus  forms 
will,  late  in  the  season,  give  flowers  with  flattish  or  even  quite 
flat  petals  instead  of  the  orthodox  twisted  or  recurved  shape. 
At  pi-e.seut,  therefore,  it  is  undesirable,  as  it  is  almost  impossible, 
to  draw  a  rigid  line  between  the  two  types — Decorative  and 
Cactus.  It  would  be  better  if  schedule  makers  would  for  the 
present  allow  Cactus  and  Decorative  to  be  combined,  and  word 
their  schedule  .somewhat  thus:  “Cactus  and  Decorative 
Dahlias — Show,  Fancy  Pompon,  and  Singles  excluded,”  and  if 
they  wish  to  favour  Cactus,  add  “  True  Cactus  forms  -with 
reflexed  or  twisted  florets  wdll  be  preferred.”  It  costs  vei-y  little 
to  add  a  few  explanatory  words  in  a  schedule,  and  it  saves  much 
heart-burning. — “Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Journal.” 
