196 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  28,  1902'. 
CARDEN;  CLEANINGS 
Astilbe  chlnensis  var.  Davidi. 
This  is  another  of  Messrs.  Veitch’s  introductions  through 
Wilson,  their  collector  in  China,  and  was  given  a  First  Class 
Certificate  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  August  5.  It 
attains  to  3ft  and  4ft  in  height,  bearing  effective  spikes  of 
flower  of  a  reddish-purple  colour.  On  page  197  we  reproduce  a 
reduced  figure  of  the  plant. 
Figs  in  Borders. 
In  replanting,  ram  the  compost,  well  incorporated,  thoroughly 
about  the  roots,  spreading  these  out  evenly  well  up  to  the 
surface,  and  with  soil  between  each  layer,  so  as  not  to  have  all 
the  roots  together.  This  will  ensure  a  fibrous  root  formation, 
steady  progressive  growth,  short-jointed  fruitful  wood,  a  solidi¬ 
fied  soil  duly  stored  with  nutrition,  securing,  with  judicious 
ventilation  and  management,  solidified  growth  and  large  heavy 
fruit.  The  border  may  be  2ft  in  depth.  Should  the  drainage  be 
good,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  detach  the  roots  as  advised, 
confine  the  roots  to  the  narrow  border,  and  remove  some  of  the 
old  soil  from  amongst  the  roots,  supplying  fresh  compost  and 
top-dressing  as  above  stated. — Groweb. 
Cordyline  australis. 
It  is  the  general  desire  of  good  cultivators  to  prevent  their 
foliage  plants,  such  as  Dracsenas,  Codiseums,  and  Cordylines 
from  running  to  flower.  At  times  it  is  difficult  to  prevent  old 
plants,  or  even  fairly  young  ones,  from  producing  their  natural 
inflorescence,  the  forerunner  of  fructification  and  fertility.  Nor 
are  the  plants  inelegant  then;  on  the  contrary,  we  have  often 
admired  their  exceeding  beauty,  and  Cordyline  australis  has 
lovely  sweet-scented  white  flowers.  From  a  photograph  of  a 
flowering  plant  by  Mr.  A.  O’Neill,  of  Dublin,  an  illustration  is 
presented  on  page  205.  This  handsome  southern  exotic  plant  is, 
perhaps,  as  often  called  Dracaena,  as  Cordyline,  maybe  oftener, 
but  we  have  adopted  the  botanically  accepted  name. 
Nepenthes  x  mixta. 
The  interesting  in  Nepenthes  or  Pitcher  Plants  may  vary,  but 
it  will  always  exist.  More  of  them  might  be  added  to  collections 
in  gardens,  while  yet  many  gardens  are  without  any  at  all.  It 
is  certainly  the  exception  to  find  a  collection  of  insectivorous 
plants,  including  Darlingtonia,  Dionsea,  Sarracenise,  and 
Droseras,  in  private  gardens,  and  yet  how  strange  these  plants 
are,  and  how  exceedingly  interesting !  N.  x  mixta  is  a  hybrid 
as  our  sign  (x)  denotes,  raised  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
Ltd.,  from  N.  Curtisi  and  N.  Northiana,  the  first-named  being 
the  pollen  parent.  The  pitchers  are  about  8in  in-  length,  pale 
yellowish  green,  and  blotched  with  red.  The  mouth  of  the 
pitcher  is  of  a  deep  crimson  colour.  (See  illustration.) 
Treatment  of  Plants  Transplanted  from  Pots. 
Many  hardy  plants  are  now  grown  in  pots  by  florists  and 
nurserymen,  and  transplanted  in  summer  at  convenient  times. 
The  risk  in  transplanting  pot-grown  stock  is  very  slight  if  the 
plants  be  strong  and  carefully  grown,  but  they  need  care, 
observes  “  Meehans’  Monthly,”  from  the  planter  when  they  are 
set  out.  The  reason  such  plants  transplant  safely  in  the  summer 
season  is  that,  grown  in  pots  the  roots  are  induced  to  form  a 
ball  more  or  less  compact,  which  is  not  disturbed  in  the  moving. 
But  the  compactness  of  the  ball,  in  one  respect  a  safeguard,  is 
in  a  way  a  danger,  as  when  placed  in  well-prepared  ground  it 
is  harder  than  the  surrounding  soil,  and  rain  or  artificial  watering 
will  not  properly  reach  the  roots  till  they  commence  to  grow, 
and  the  growing  plant  will  suffer.  The  prevention  of  trouble 
is  made  easy  by  soaking  the  ball  in  water  just  previous  to  the 
setting.  If  the  ball  be  not  hard,  and  is  to  every  appearance 
moist  all  the  way  through,  such  treatment  may  not  be  needed, 
as  the  watering  that  follows  the  planting  will  be  sufficient.  It 
is  further  desirable,  as  in  every  case  of  planting,  to  have  the 
soil  firmed  around  the  ball  of  roots. 
Hydrangea  superba. 
This  is  the  name  given  to  w7hat  appears  to  be  a  beautiful 
hybrid  form,  the  result  of  Otaska  x  cyanoclada.  This  was  first 
seen  in  America,  where  Mr.  M.  H.  Walsh  is  the  raiser  of  it, 
about  two  years  ago.  It  has  immense  heads  of  beautiful  flowers, 
the  petaloid  bracts  being  very  large.  Figures  of  it  appear  in 
the  American  gardening  journals. 
Erica  mediterranea. 
The  small  illustration  of  this  hardy  and  very  showy  species 
shown  on  another  page  represents  a  bush  which  reaches  8ft  at 
its  highest  point.  The  photograph  was  taken  by  Mr.  A.  O’Neill, 
Thomas  Street,  Dublin,  in  the  Glasnevin  Botanic  Garden,  and 
though  we  knew  that  Ericas  and  Ericaceae  in  general  grow  luxuri¬ 
antly  in  the  sister  Isle,  wre  had  never  heard  of  E.  mediterranea 
reaching  8ft  before.  Is  this  a  record  ? 
The  Importance  of  Mulching  Trees. 
The  urgency  of  cultivating  soil  about  trees  is  often  made 
impressive  by  horticultural  writers;  and  teachers,  while  the 
importance  of  mulching  is  less  brought  to  the  fore.  Soil  is  culti¬ 
vated  with  two  objects  in  view — of  conserving  moisture  and 
removing  weeds.  Mulching  shade®  the;  soil  and  helps  it  to  retain 
moisture,  fulfilling  one  of  the  objects  most  excellently ;  and  also 
to  some  extent  it  keeps  down  the  weeds.  Remove  a  good  mulch 
from  about  a  tree  during  a  drought,  and  if  there  has  been  any 
rain  since  the  transplanting,  the  surface  will  be  seen  to  be  moist 
and  cool.  Manure  containing  an  abundance  of  straw  is  the  best, 
thogli  plain  straw  answers  most  purposes. 
Increasing  Magnolias. 
The  Magnolias  which  seed  freely  are  readily  increased  by 
sowing  the  seeds  in  early  spring,  keeping  the  seeds  in  a  moist 
condition  from  the  time  they  are  gathered.  Some  sow  the  seeds 
in  autumn,  some  after  they  are  gathered,  placing  a  covering  of 
leaves  over  them  for  the  winter.  But  keeping  them  in  slightly 
damp  soil  all  winter  and  sowing  early  in  spring  is  a  sure  way ;  of 
course,  watching  the  seeds  right  along  through  the  winter  to  see 
that  everything  is  right.  Magnolias  may  also  be  grafted,  and  are 
increased  in  this  way  by  many  who  use  the  M.  acuminata  stocit 
for  the  purpose.  What  suggests  the  subject  now  is  that  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese  sorts  are  mostly  increased  by  layering, 
and  this  is  the  season  of  the  year  to  do  the  wTork.  Shoots  of 
the  present  season  are  used ;  these  root  quickly,  and  by  fall  will 
be  nicely  rooted.  Many  propagators  cut  off  these  layered  plants 
from  the  parent  ones  in  late  autumn,  burying  them  almost  com¬ 
pletely  in  some  sheltered  position  till  spring,  but  it  is  just  as  wTell 
to  leave  them  undisturbed  over  winter,  cutting  them  off  in  spring. 
The  only  gain  by  performing  the  operation  in  the  fall  is  the 
getting  that  much  ahead  with  work. 
Hedges  of  Roses. 
The  nurseryman  is  often  asked  to  recommend  some  shrub 
to  form  a  hedge,  screen,  or  thicket,.  Usually,  I  think,  Roses  ar^ 
not  thought  of ;  yet  there  are  several  sorts  unequalled  for  the 
purpose  by  any  “shrub.”  Kewites,  or  those  who  have  visited 
Kew,  may  remember  the  grand  sight  some  of  the  clumps  of 
Roses  make  there  when  in  flower.  I  have  in  mind  (writes  J oseph 
Meehan  in  an  American  exchange)  a  sight  of  a  grand  display 
of  Rosa  moschata,  which  it  was  my  privilege  to  see  at  Kew  at 
one  time.  Another  sight,  which  “haunts  me  still,”  was  an 
arbour-lined  avenue  of  Rosa  setigera,  at  Dosoris,  Long  Island, 
when  William  Falconer  wTas  in  charge  of  the  grounds.  To-day 
I  saw  a  thicket  of  some  extent  of  the  lovely  Japanese  Rose,  Rcsa 
multiflora.  The  thicket  was  8ft  high,  and,  covered  as  it  was 
with  thousands  of  the  small  white  flowers,  it  was  a  sight  un¬ 
common  and  beautiful.  For  a  thick,  spreading  hedge,  what 
equals  one  of  Rosa  rugosa  at  this  season  of  the  year?  Covered 
with  its  large  single  pink  flowers,  with  their  background  of 
lustrous  green  leaves,  it  is  of  great  beauty.  Then  it  has  flowers 
off  and  on  all  the  season  through.  There  is  the  large,  healthy 
foliage  all  summer  long,  and,  to  add  to  all,  the  bright  red  large 
berries  must  not  be  overlooked.  Having  in  mind  the  sorts  seti¬ 
gera,  multiflora,  and  rugosa,  all  are  easily  raised  from  seeds. 
Gather  the  berries  the  last  thing  in  autumn,  wash  them  free  of 
pulp,  and  place  in  a  cool  shed,  in  slightly  damp  soil,  and  they 
will  be  in  prime  condition  for  sowing  outdoors  in  the  earliest 
days  of  spring. 
