42G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  19,  1904. 
kinson,  crimson;  Mrs.  E.  INIawIey,  yellow;  Spitfire,  scarlet;  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Crowe,  yellow;  Spotless  Queen,  white;  and  Uncle  Tom, 
dark  maroon. 
Last  summer  I  noticed  some  effective  beds  of  Celosia 
plumosa,  and  perhaps  the  following  hints  regarding  the  cultiva¬ 
tion  may  prove  of  .service.  The  seed  should  be  sown  in  heat 
ahont  the  end  of  March,  and  the  seedlings  potted  early,  and 
grown-on  freely  without  a  check,  and  kept  clean.  They  appre¬ 
ciate  a  rich  compost,  and  should  be  treated  similarly  to  Cocks¬ 
combs,  as  they  belong  to  the  same  genus.  In  hardening  them 
off  after  their  final  potting  into  thirty-twos  and  forty-eights, 
if  they  can  be  afforded  the  shelter  of  a  frame  where  the  lights 
can  be  removed,  it  will  do  much  towards  making  them  assume 
the  sturdy  habit  it  is  so  desirable  to  secure.  A  wet  and  cold 
summer  is,  however,  likely  to  be  disa.strous  in  its  effects  to  these 
somewhat  tender  plants. 
Effective  Arrangements. 
It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  lay  down  hard  and  fast  rules  for 
the  summer  decoration  of  any  flower  garden.  Perhaps  there  are 
herbaceous  beds  and  borders,  which,  if  well  furnished  with  a 
good  selection  of  perennials,  do  not  require  many  ordinary 
bedding  plants  in  addition.  Roses,  too,  will  also  contribute 
their  .share  in  affording  a  wealth  of  bloom,  for  which  it  would 
be  unwise  to  attempt  to  sub.stitute  anything  more  beautiful.  A 
pretty  border  may  be  made  with  an  edging  of  Viola  Bluebell ; 
behind  this  a  line  of  Dactylis  (ribbon  grass).  The  space  between 
this  and  the  shrubs,  which  form  a  suitable  background,  can  be 
filled  with  bold  clumps  of  Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums,  such  as 
Galilee  and  Souvenir  de  Chas.  Turner,  also  Coreopsis  grandi- 
flora.  Sweet  Peas,  and  Marguerites. 
When  the  Sweet  Peas  have  finished  blooming,  to  prolong  a 
display  towards  the  autumn  they  could  be  replaced  with  early 
flowering  Chrysanthemums,  such  as  IMadame  Desgrange,  Har¬ 
vest  Home,  Marie  IMasse,  and  many  others  which  can  be  named. 
These,  of  course,  would  be  planted  just  as  they  are  coming  into 
flower,  and,  needless  to  say,  would  require  almost  daily  attention 
as  regards  watering  should  the  weather  be  bright  and  sunny  at 
that  time  of  the  year. 
For  an  effective  round  bed  in  the  centre  of  a  lawm,  place  a 
specimen  of  Draciena  indivisa  in  the  centre,  plant  Coleus  Ver- 
schaffelti  rather  thickly  arotind  it,  and  edge  with  Harry  Hieoyer 
or  Crystal  Palace  Gem  Pelargoniums.  The  Coleuses  will  require 
to  be  kept  pinched  into  shape,  and  the  flowers  should  be 
removed  from  the  edging  of  Pelargoniums  unless  it  is  preferred 
to  allow  them  to  remain. 
Another  more  fairy-like  round  bed  could  be  arranged  with 
dot  plants  of  Grevillea  robusta  and  Fuchsia  Ballet  Girl,  on  a 
groundwork  of  scarlet  Begonias  and  Mesembryanthemum  cordi- 
folium.  This  should  be  edged  with  Koeniga  maritima,  inter¬ 
spersed  with  blue  I^obelia.  Or,  if  you  have  the  somewhat  recently 
introduced  Ivy-leaved  Pelargonium  La  France,  a  novel  and 
effective  bed  may  be  made  by  planting  it  with  this,  some  staked 
at  intervals  in  an  upright  position,  other  plants  of  the  same 
variety  covering  the  ground  between,  and  interspersed  rather 
thickly  with  Pyrethrum  aureum  (Golden  Feather),  or  selagi- 
noides,  which  possesses  the  advantage  of  not  flowering  very 
freely  the  first  season,  therefore  requiring  less  pinching  back 
to  keep  it  dwarf  and  neat. 
During  damp  weather,  always  use  boards  when  planting,  to 
prevent  treading  down  the 
edges  of  the  turf  around 
the  beds.  Do  not  intro¬ 
duce  too  much  scarlet  or 
purple  close  to  a  recently 
erected  red  brick  house. 
Too  many  plants  with  light 
flowers  or  foliage  in  a 
shady  garden  are  out  of 
place,  and  something  is 
needed,  like  the  .scarlet 
Geraniums  and  yellow 
Calceolarias,  to  give 
warmer  tints.  It  is  also 
advisable  to  use  the  Dutch-hoe  frequently,  and  all  dead  blooms 
and  decaying  foliage  should  be  removed  from  the  plants  as 
often  as  it  may  be  pos.sible  to  do  so. — F.  Slow,  The  Gardens, 
Felton,  Sutton. 
Clianthus  Dampieii. 
Now  and  then  we  see  a  plant  of  this,  the  Glory  Pea  of  Aus¬ 
tralia,  but  rarely  a  w’ell-grown  specimen.  No  finer  subject  (il, 
indeed,  any  can  vie  with  it  amongst  greenhouse  plants)  is  found 
among  tlie  Leguminosie.  Its  quaint  flowers,  3in  to  4in  in  length, 
are  borne  in  clmsters  four  to  seven  in  number,  upon  a  rather 
stout,  erect  stem ;  they  depend  gracefully,  are  of  a  fiery  scarlet 
colour,  with  a  glossy  deep  bluish-black  centre  or  boss,  which, 
seen  amid  or  above  the  elegant  light-shining  glaucous-green 
foliage,  have  quite  a  .striking  effect.  It  is  a  native  of  Australia, 
and  is  generally  accepted  with  C.  puniceus  as  a  climber. 
None  of  the  plants  I  have  grown  of  C.  Dampieri  have  any 
climbing  tendency.  The  first  shoot,  it  is  true,  rises  erect,  but  is 
not  long  ere  it  seeks  a  dependent  habit,  and  from  the  neck  or 
collar  of  the  plant  emanate  shoots  about  the  same  time  as  the 
primary  growths  begin  to  depend,  and  those  have  not  an 
upward  tendency.  This  habit  is  so  decided  that  I  can  imagine 
no  finer  subject  planted  upon  a  knoll  or  raised  bed  with  the 
shoots  allowed  to  ramble  in  all  directions.  The  trusses  of  flowers 
will  rise  4in  to  6in  clear  of  the  foliage,  appearing  as  jewels  of 
coral  set  in  silver.  i  Or,  grown  in  a  large,  deep  pot,  raised  so  as 
to  be  level  with  the  eye.  the  shoots  depending  all  around,  would 
be,  when  in  flower,  strikinglj’  effective.  Half  a  dozen  or  more 
plants  might  be  grown  in  a  pot  or  placed  in  the  centre  of  a 
bed  ;  but  not  having  put  the  idea  into  practice  for  lyant  of  space 
in  the  one  case  and  of  unsuitableness  of  climate  in  the  other, 
I  will  proceed  to  describe  the  culture  by  which  plants  were  suc¬ 
cessfully  flowered  in  pots  of  moderate  size  for  greenhou.se 
decoration.  .  ,  ,  ,  •  i 
The  seed  is  sown  and  placed  in  a  hotbed,  covering  the  seed 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep,  the  compost  consisting  of  turfy 
loam  three  parts,  sandy  peat  one  part,  leaf  soil  a  part,  halt  a 
part  of  charcoal  in  sizes  from  a  pea  to  a  hazel  nut,  and  halt  a 
part  of  silver  sand,  the  loam  and  peat  broken  up  rather  roughly , 
the  whole  well  incorporated.  No  difference  is  made  in  the 
Clianthus  Dampieri.  Flowers  crimson. 
