124 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  7,  1902. 
Roses  at  Presdales,  Herts. 
In  answer  to  our  request  for  information  respecting  the  Rose 
garden  and  varieties  at  Presdales,  near  Ware,  Mr.  G.  Fulford 
writes  as  follows: — ‘‘The  beds  had  to  be  made  here,  as  we 
have  a  very  shallow  soil,  resting  on  a  bed  of  gravel.  The  land 
suffers  greatly  in  summer;  even  although  we  water  a  great 
deal.  The  Rose  beds  consist  of  cur  best  loam  which  is  light, 
but.  a  mixture  of  clay  and  manure  was  added  when  planting. 
We  have  to  manure  heavily  every  year,  and  feed  the  Roses  well 
with  guano  and  liquid  manure.  The  pergola  (see  illustration) 
is  made  of  rough  brick  piers,  covered  with  undressed  Oak  and 
Fir  branches.  Between  the  beds,  and  in  the  centre,  poles  are 
let  into  the  ground,  these  being  supported  by  iron  stakes,  and 
chains  (to  which  the  Roses  are  trained)  are  stretched  from 
post  to  post.  The  majority  are  now  covered,  having  only  been 
planted  five  years.  At  the  end-  of  the  Rose  garden  a  hedge  of 
Sweet  Briars  are  growing  on  wires. 
“  The  climbing  Roses,  which  extend  over  the  pergola,  consist 
of  the  following  36  varieties:  Leopoldine  d’Orleaixs,  Aglaia. 
Brightness  of  Cheshunt.  Arvensis,  Madame  Plan  tier,'  Charles 
Lawson,  W.  A.  Richardson,  FI  rich  Brunner,  Alisher  Stella 
Gray,  Paul’s  Single  White,  The  Garland,  Paul’s  Carmine  Pillar, 
gracilis,  Coupe  d’Hebe.  Princess  Louise,  Gloire  de  Dijon,  Madame 
A.  Carriere,  Fortuniana,  Bennett’s  Seedling,  Madame  Berard, 
Bouquet  cl’Or,  Longworth  Rambler,  Turner’s  Crimson  Rambler, 
Flora,  Magna  C’harta,  Morletta.  Victor  Yerdier,  Monsieur 
Desir,  Reine  Marie  Henriette,  Blairi  No.  2,  Kaiserin  Freidrioh, 
Yellow  Banksian,  Reine  Olga  de  Wurtemburg,  Dundee  Rambler, 
Gaston  Chandon,  Thalia. 
“  In  beds  there  are  the  following  thirty-six  varieties  of  dwarf 
Roses :— Marquise  de  Salisbury,  Victor  Hugo.  Paul’s  Cheshunt 
Scarlet,  Bacchus,  Duke  of  Edinburgh.  General  Jacqueminot, 
Captain  Christy,  Madame  A.  Chateney,  Docteur  Andry,  Baroness 
Rothschild,  Ca moons.  Paul’s  Early  Blush,.  Viscountess  Folke-. 
stone,  La  France,  Clio,  Augustine  Guinnoisseau,  Mrs!  W.  J. 
Grant,  Ulrich  Brunner.  Lady  Mary  Fitzwilliam.  Her  Majesty, 
Hon.  Edith  Gifford,  Madame  Lambard,  Sunset,  Madame  Falcot, 
Madame  C.  Guinnoisseau,  Catherine  Mermet,  Marie  Van  Houtte,. 
Captain  Hayward,  Paid  Neyrcn.  Clara  'Watson,  Mrs.  Paul,’ 
Madame  Victor  Yerdier,  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  General  Washing¬ 
ton,  Muriel  Grahame,  Lady  Battersea.  The  two  last-named 
varieties  do  net  appear  to  be  very  strong  growers,  but  may 
improve  as  they  get  established.” 
Strawberries. 
With  a  good  stock  of  early  and  strongly  rooted  runners  there 
should  be  but  little  difficulty  in  establishing  a  bed  for  the  pro-' 
duc-tion  of  a  profitable  crop  next  season.  In  few  cases  will 
runners  be  sufficiently  freely  rooted  if  reliance  is  placed  on  those 
to  be  found  in  the  soil  between,  or  outside,  the  rows,  even  where 
they  may  have  been  specially  encouraged  to  root  well.  Such 
plants  will,  however,  come  in  well  for  late  plantations.  For 
immediate  planting  the  best  are  those  which  have  been  assisted 
to  root  into  pots  or  turves.  The  crowns  are  strong,  the  leaves 
healthy,  and  the  root  fibres  numerous  and  ready  to  rapidly 
"multiply. 
Propagation  and  Planting  Early  Runners. 
The  ground  for  this  early  planting  may  be  a  site  not  neces¬ 
sarily  just  recently  prepared,  but  one  that  was  liberally  treated 
in  spring  in  the  matter  of  deep  culture  and  free  manuring.  Since 
that  time  it  may  have  produced  a  crop  of  early  Potatoes,  which 
have  now  been  lift  ed.  The  preparation  necessary  on  such  ground 
mainly  consists  in  cleaning  and  levelling  the  surface,  it  not  being 
essential  to  loosen  the  soil  deeply  at  this  stage;  Strawberries,  as 
a  rule,  preferring  the  ground  to  be  of  a  firm  character,  though  of 
a  good  heart. 
The  plants  should  be  well  moistened  several  hours  before 
planting,  and,  as  a  further  means  of  ensuring  them  plenty  of 
moisture  to  assist  their  becoming  quickly  established  in  their  new 
quarters,  plant  in  a  fairly  deep  drill,  or  form  a  basin  round  each 
to  hold  water.  August  being  a  dry  month,  artificial  waterings 
will  he  a  great  help  during  the  hottest  periods.  The  distance 
between  the  rows  may  be  from  2ft  to  30in,  and  loin  to  18in  from 
plant  to  plant. 
Royal  Sovereign  cannot  be  excelled.  It  is  good,  early,  and 
prolific.  Noble,  President,  Monarch,  and  Leader  are  also  first 
c’ass  varieties  for  main  crops, -with  Latest  of  All  and  Waterloo 
for  late  supp'ies.  The  new  Laxton’s  Fillbasket.  and  especially 
the  variety  named  “  The  Laxton,”  are  very  meritorious,  and  we 
commend  them.  It  is  well  to  try  new  sorts  occasionally. 
Although  runners  left  to  themselves, form  roots  and  establish 
plenty  of  fibres  in  the  soil,  they  cannot  always  do  this,  and  a  little 
attention  is  required  in  clearing  away*  the  obstructive  growth  of 
crowded  runners  and  weeds.  Fork,  up  the  soil  about  them,  so 
that  a  loose  and  fertile  medium  is  secured,  into  which  the  roots 
can  readily  push.  Peg  or  otherwise  fasten  them  imposition  at  the 
most  desirable  spots,  and  cut  off  the  runners  extending  beyond 
the  p’antlets.  These  will  come  in  conveniently  for  the  later 
plantations.-- — E.  D.  S. 
The  Shrubbery  in  August. 
•?  c ■ 
A  combination  of  trees  and  shrubs  represents  the  majority  of 
shrubberies.  The  trees  afford  the'  shelter  and  shade  essential 
alike  to  urban,  suburban,  and  rural  dwellings,  and  beneath  and 
in  front  of  the  trees,  forming  the  undergrowth  and  fencing,  are 
disposed  a  number  of  shrubs.  After  the  spring  and  early  summer 
this  assemblage  of  trees  and  shrubs,  is  more  or  less  monotonous, 
varying,  of  course,  with  the  variety  of  .subjects..  Coloured. foliage 
plays  an  important  part  in  the  attractiveness  or  otherwise 
of  the  shrubbery  after  the  heyday  of  flowering  and  perfume  is 
over,  being  aided  by  the  profusion  of  berries  and  fruits  that  in 
many  cases  are  quite  as  beautiful  as  the  flowers  that  precede  them'. 
Flowers,  however,  are  net,  or  need  not  at  this  season  be  absent, 
and  that  they  brighten  or  are  themselves  heightened  in  contrast 
by  the  prevailing  green  is  matter  of  importance  where  herbaceous 
plants  do  not  besprinkle,  as  they  seldom  do  advantageously,  the 
trees  and  shrubs. 
But  my  object  is  not  to  review  the  many  subjects  that  enter 
into  the  composition  of  shrubberies,  rather  to  note  a  few  that  are 
not  too  often  seen,  and  without  which  the  shrubbery,  is  certainly 
unattractive  in  August.  I  should  like  to  mention  that  the  very 
beautiful  shrub,  Choisya  ternata,  in  examples  4ft  to  6ft  high  and 
half  as  much  again  in  diameter,  produced  its  peduncles  of  white, 
sweet-scented  flowers  in  great  profusion  at  the -end  of  June,  and 
is  one  of  those  charming  plants  with  bright  green  ternate  leaves 
far  too  seldom  seen.  That  as  a  prelude,  with  the  reminder  that 
it  is  cnly  hardy  in  the  southern  and  milder  districts  of  England, 
for  it  is  a  native  of  Mexico. 
Olearia  Haasti,  an  evergreen  with  small  leaves,  white  beneath 
and  densely  disposed,  has  been  smothered  with  its  numerous  heads 
of  white,  sweetly  scented  flowers,  in  examples  of  scarcely  a  yard 
up  to  6ft  in  height  and  as  much  through.  There  are  some  fine 
specimens  in  the  burial  ground  attached  to  the  Baptist  Church. 
Dagnal  Street,  St,  Albans,  and  smaller  ones  in  the  cemetery.  It 
is  a  native  of  New  Zealand. 
Bush  or  Spanish  Broom,  Spartium  junceum,  has  no  equal  for 
bright  golden  sheen,  the  flowers  yellow,  fragrant,  and  disposed  in 
terminal  racemes.  It  is  very .  ornamental  when  in  flower,  and 
though  becoming  somewhat  straggling  with  age,  is  well  adapted 
for  shrubberies.  It  may  be  kept  quite  low  by  cutting  down  and 
spurring  the  growths  close  in  every  spring,  thus  securing  bushes 
of  3ft  or  4ft  height,  with  splendid  growth  and  extra  fine  flowers. 
Left  to  itself  it  becomes  somewhat  bare  at  bottom  and  attains  a 
height  of  6ft  to  10ft.  It  hails  from  the  Mediterranean  regions 
and  Canary  Isles. 
Kerria  japoniea  was  bedecked  with  its  bright  orange  yellow 
flowers,  the  single-flowered  form  being  much  the  most  elegant 
plant,  having  a  graceful  habit,  and  specimens  may  be  had  scarcely 
a  yard  high  and  as  much  or  more  through  by  cutting  in  close  in 
spring.  Indeed,  it  may  be  cut  to  any  extent,  and  flowers  all 
the  better  in  consequence,  being  nearly  always  in  flower. 
The  Spiraeas  or  shrubby  Meadowsweets  were  delightful. 
S.  bella,  with  its  terminal  cymes  of  flowers  of  a  beautiful  red 
colour,  lit  up  the  greenery  of  adjacent  evergreens  in  a  telling, 
manner.  S.  Douglasi  charmed  with  its  bright  pink  bloom  borne 
in  a  dense  terminal  thyrsoid  panicle  6in  to  9in  in  length.  Not 
least  in  attractiveness  was  the  naturalised  in  Britain  Willow¬ 
leaved  S.  salicifolia,  with  its  rosy  or  pink  blooms  disposed  in  ter¬ 
minal,  racemose,  dense,  sub-cylinclric  cymes.  The  Siberian  or 
Sorbus-leaved,  S.  sorbifolia,  gave  its  flowers  in  thyrse-like  panicles, 
its  white  telling  against  dark  green. 
I  pass  new  to  the  changeable.:.  The  finest  examples  I  have 
yet  seen  in  pots  of  Hydrangea  hortensis  are  in  the  Stationmaster’s 
garden  in  Ridgemount  Road,  .opposite  St.  Albans  Midland  Rail¬ 
way  Station.  The  plants  are:  abou,t  a  yard  high  and  more  through, 
and  the  heads  of  bloom  are  not  only  abundant,  but  remarkably 
large  and  fine;  not  stiff,  formal  things  on  the  stake  and  tie 
system,  but  compact,  natural  trained  specimens.  I  was  also 
delighted  to  see  H.  panieulata  grandiflora  as  standards,  the  stems 
about  3ft  high,  in  a  villa  garden  in  Clarence  Road,  St.  Albans, 
the  white  flowers  disposed  in  a  large,  terminal,  leafy  panicle  Pin 
to  12in  long,  consisting,  of  openly  arranged,  small,  star-shaped 
