812 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  14,  1904. 
rather  than  serious  deprecation,  and  we  should  not  for  one 
moment  formulate  charges  against  such  cases  as  these.  Nor  can 
there  be  any  sound  basis  for  arguing  that  there  is  anywhere 
shown  a  disposition  to  adhere  to  the  heavily  timbered  and  badly 
lighted  houses  of  bygone  days. 
Of  what,  then,  do  we  complain?  Who  is  to  blame?  It  is  to 
be  feared  that  neither  employer  nor  gardener  is  free  from  cen¬ 
sure ;  but  our  judgment  is  not  needed  in  this  matter,  readers 
wilt  readily  decide  for  themselves;  though  we  may  doubt  if  the 
growing  tendency  of  the  former  to  build  without  consulting  his 
trained  employe  will  help  very  far  upon  the  way  of  improve¬ 
ment. 
Take  an  illustration  from  the  following.  A  huge  conserva¬ 
tory  was  erected  about  three  years  ago  by  an  extremely  wealthy 
man.  Built  in  the  shadow  of  lofty  trees,  nothing  was  lacking  in 
materials  to  give  this  house  a  lasting  exi.stence.  But  owing  to 
its  shaded  position,  scai'cely  any  plants  will  grow  in  it,  and  such 
as  do,  quickly  lose  their  lower  leaves  and  become  drawn  and 
unsightly.  With  such  a  structure  as  this  to  furnish  and  adorn, 
it  were  only  natural  to  expect  the  gardener  to  be  provided  with 
a  suitable  complement  of  plant  houses,  yet  what  do  we  find? 
One  or  two  antiquated  vineries  and  a  cool  Peach  house.  As  a 
consequence,  through  no  fault  on  the  part  of  the  gardener,  this 
great  conservatory  looks  well  at  one  period  only  of  the  year, 
when  Chrysanthemums  are  at  their  best. 
Take  another  instance.  A  retired  business  man,  reputedly 
of  great  wealth,  would  build  him.se]f  a  range  of  large  fruit  houses. 
They  were  built  in  approved  modern  style,  and  it  must  be 
admitted,  for  their  original  purpo.se  were  well  equipped.  No 
sooner  were  they  completed  and  the  majority  planted,  when  a 
wish  was  expressed  for  them  to  be  used  as  plant-houses.  This 
capricious  decision  has  caused  unpleasantness  and  misery  to 
more  than  one  or  two  gardeners,  and  not  many  years  have  these 
houses  been  in  existence. 
There  is,  of  cour.se,  another  phase  of  this  question,  and 
though  we  fain  would  deal  gently  here,  there  is  no  gainsaying 
that  gardeners  themselves  are  not  infrequently  deserving  of 
blame  for  mistakes  in  erection,  in  choice  of  site,  in  heating 
arrangements,  and  the  consideration  as  to  the  best  means  of 
water  supply.  Where  a  man  is  given  a  free  hand  there  should 
be  no  errors  such  as  the  above,  though  doubtless  through  a  mere 
want  of  foresight  and  thoughtfulness  they  exist,  and  will  con¬ 
tinue  to  exist  so  long  as  young  men,  and  even  those  of  greater 
experience,  are  content  to  pass  their  days  under  glass,  wnthout 
a  due  meed  of  careftd  observation  as  to  the  merits  or  defects  of 
the  houses  in  which  they  labour.  Too  many  are  content  to 
take  a  situation  as  it  stands,  without  troubling  themselves  as  to 
the  reason  why  results  are  good  or  bad,  as  the  case  may  be. 
We  will  suppose  for  a  moment  that  a  batch  of  plants  is  not 
thriving  in  a  certain  hou.se  so  well  as  could  be  desired.  A 
change  to  fresh  quarters  is  decided  upon,  and  at  once  there  is  a 
distinct  improvement  in  general  appearance  and  rate  of  pro- 
gress.  The  youthful  aspirant  to  horticultural  honours  who 
notices  such  a  change  should  at  once  become  the  possessor  of 
an  absorbing  desire  to  know  why,  and  when  satisfied  as  to  the 
reasons,  should  ivith  equal  readiness  make  careful  notes  for 
future  reference.  In  this  manner  both  young  and  old  may  store 
a  mine  of  useful  information  for  the  time  to  come. 
'\\  hile  admitting  the  great  improvements  that  have  taken 
place,  we  venture  to  say  in  conclusion  that  horticultural  building 
■still  falls  considerably  short  of  perfection,  and  it  is  the  duty  of 
every  gardener  to  note  carefully  defects  as  well  as  good  points, 
so  that  he  may  be  prepared  to  avoid  failures  as  far  as  possible  on 
the  one  hand,  and  to  take  every  conceivable  advantage  on  the 
other. 
- - 
Coreopsis  grandiflora. 
Perhaps  the  best  of  the  Coreopsis  in  some  respects,  this  is 
not  the  most  perennial  of  the  genus  in  cultivation,  and  it  muII 
be  well  not  to  trust  to  it.s  remaining  long  in  our  gardens.  It 
wa.s  introduced  as  a  perennial,  and  it  seems  to  be  so  on  some  soils. 
It  is  possible  that  there  may  be  two  plants,  but  I  do  not  think  so, 
and  I  find  on  referring  to  the  authoritative  work  on  American 
flora  by  Messrs.  Britten  and  Broivn,  that  they  say  “  perennial 
(or  .sometimes  annuai?),”  a  remark  which  fairly  well  agrees  with 
one’s  own  experience,  although  one  would  prefer  to  reverse  it 
and  say  “  generally  annual  or  biennial,  but  sometimes  peren- 
mal.”  Even  with  this  somewhat  unsatisfactory  character. 
Coreopsis  grandiflora  is  a  most  desirable  plant,  either  for  the 
ornament  of  the  garden  or  for  cutting  for  the  house.  Its  large 
yellow  flowers  and  the  graceful  foliage  are  delightful  in  the 
border,  while  in  a  cut  state  they  are  capable  of  the  most  elegant 
arrangement.  C.  grandiflora  should  be  propagated  by  seeds, 
which  may  be  sown  either  in  the  open  in  April  or  early  in  May, 
or  under  glass  in  March.  The  plant  grows  from  1ft  to  3ft  high, 
according  to  the  soil.  It  is  naturally  a  lover  of  moist  soils  at 
home. — S.  Arnott. 
Herbaceous  Psonies. 
Pseonies  of  one  kind  or  another  are  familiar  almost  to  every¬ 
one,  being  represented  in  small  as  well  as  iarge  gardens.  In 
cottage  .  gardens  the  one  mo.st  frequently  met  with  is  the  old 
officinalis  in  some  of  its  varieties,  the  double  crimson  being  per¬ 
haps  the  most  commoji.  Then  we  have  the  tree  Pmony  in  many- 
beautiful  varieties,  which  is  so  useful  either  for  growing  in  i3ot.s 
or  planted  in  the  open.  The  one  of  which  we  wish  to  write, 
however,  is  P.  albiflora,  the  varieties  of  which  flower  about  a 
month  later  than  ofiicinalis.  It  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
flowers  now  grown,  and  may  be  cultivated  by  ail.  For  although 
new,  and  the  more  choice  varieties  are  very  expensive,  there 
are  many  that  may  be  purchased  at  low  prices  and  good  sorts- 
too. 
There  are  now  so  many  varieties  to  select  from  (the  tints 
of  some  being  very  beautiful)  that  it  is  difficult  to  give  a  list 
of  the  best  sorts.  Moreover,  the  flow-ers  of  some  varieties  are 
fragrant.  I  have  heard  some  complain  that  the  flowering  season; 
is  so  short  that  they  prefer  to  grow  other  things.  The  same 
point  might  be  raised  against  other  flowers.  By  a  suitable  col¬ 
lection  of  early  and  late  flowering  varieties  they  may  be  had 
in  bloom  for  almost  a  month.  The  Pmony  is  a  very  accommo¬ 
dating  plant,  as  it  may  be  grown  in  a  variety  of  situations.  It 
looks  equally  well  planted  in  bold  masses  in  front  of  the  shrub¬ 
bery,  or  in  beds  by  itself.  On  the  mixed  herbaceous  border,  or 
as  isolated  specimens  on  the  lawn  or  under  Rose  arches,  it  is  seen 
to  advantage. 
In  the  advertisement  columns  of  the  gardening  periodicals 
may  often  be  noticed  that  now  they  can  be  planted.  There  is,  how¬ 
ever,  a  right  and  a  wrong  time  to  plant ;  and  to  obtain  the  best 
result  the  Pmony  should  be  planted,  where  possible,  at  the 
proper  time.  No  doubt  this  is  in  the  early  autumn,  as  soon  as 
growth  is  completed.  Those  who  would  succeed  with  these 
flowers  must  treat  them  liberally,  to  which  they  will  respond 
very  freely.  The  situations  in  which  it  is  intended  to  plant 
must  be  well  prepared  by  trenching,  at  least  two  spades  deep, 
as  the  roots  go  deep  in  a  .suitable  medium.  A  quantity  of  good 
rotten  manure  mu.st  be  wed  incorporated  with  the  soil.  In  very 
light  soils,  good  strong  loam  may  be  added,  and  manure  of  a 
heavier  nature  used,  as  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  grow  them  in 
a  poor  soil. 
The  Pfeony  is  somewhat  long  in  establishing  itself,  taking  at 
least  two  or  three  years  before  making  much  of  a  show.  There- 
is,  however,  the  satisfaction  of  .seeing  it  improve  year  by  year, 
until  it  develops  into  a  fine  specimen.  When  the  ground  has- 
been  properly  prepared  in  the  first  place,  the  after  treatment 
is  quite  simple.  When  well  established  it  will  be  necessary  to 
give  an  annual  mulching  of  good  rotten  manure  in  the  early 
winter.  A  good  way  of  doing  this  is  to  carefully  remove  the 
soil  from  around  the  plants,  not  laying  bare  the  tubers,  lay  on 
the  manure,  and  then  return  the  soil.  This  will  prevent  birds  or 
other  things  disturbing  or  scratching  it  away  from  the  plants. 
In  hot,  dry  w-eather  a  second  mulching  may  be  given,  which 
will  greatly  a.ssist  the  plants  in  producing  fine  blooms.  Where 
time  can  be  spared  a  good  watering  occasionally  will  also  prove 
beneficial. 
Staking  must  have  attention  before  the  growths  fall  about. 
Many  have  a  great  dislike  to  this  being  done,  not  only  with 
Pmonies,  but  other  plants.  It  may,  however,  be  done  in  such 
a  manner  that  the  stakes  are  scarcely  visible  a  few  days  after 
being  inserted.  With  single  specimens  three  or  five  stakes  put 
in  round  the  plants,  the  tops  of  w-hich  should  fail  away  from 
them  somewhat.  Then  if  a  string  is  run  round  near  the  top  of 
the  stakes,  the  foliage  will  soon  hide  them,  and  the  plants 
will  develop  into  well-shaped  specimens. 
In  the  case  of  bods,  or  groups  amongst  shrubs  staking  may 
not  be  so  necessary.  A  good  sized  plant  will  produce  three  or 
four  dozen  blooms.  If  extra  sized  ones  are  required,  the  lateral 
buds  may  be  removed,  and  some  of  the  weak  stems  cut  out.  The 
Pfeony  is  said  to  be  perfectly  hardy,  but  it  is  not  in  the  north 
of  England.  Our  plants  were  sadly  crippled  with  the  cold,  dry 
winds  and  frost  last  spring,  the  growth  of  many  being  bent 
double.  On  one  or  two  varieties  the  tips  of  the  shoots  were 
killed,  and  the  plants  did  not  flower.  Indeed,  none  bloomed 
so  well  as  they  usually  do. 
W'e  must  remember,  however,  that  it  was  an  exceptionally 
unfavourable  spring,  but  our  plants  are  always  more  or  less 
injured  during  severe  weather.  I  would  not  advise  coddling  the 
plants,  but  a  slight  protection  should  be  given.  This  may  best 
be  done  by  sticking  firmly  in  the  ground  branches  of  common 
Laurel  on  the  north  and  east  sides  of  the  plants.  It  is  essential 
that  whatever  kind  of  protection  is  given,  it  should  be  made 
quite  secure.  A  great  amount  of  injury  is  often  done  to  plant.s 
by  the  material  that  is  used  to  protect  them,  especially  during 
very  windy  weather.  When  the  flowering  period  is  over,  the 
stems  should  be  carefully  cut  away,  taking  care  not  to  injure 
the  foliage.  The  plants  are  attractive  even  when  the  flowers  are 
past,  on  account  of  their  foliage.  In  the  autumn  the  leaves 
of  some  varieties  change  into  a  variety  of  beautiful  colours,  and 
are  useful  for  cutting  for  house  decoration. — J.  S  U. 
