The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory/Chapter 5
CHAPTER V.
GREENHOUSE HERBACEOUS PLANTS.
All the plants in this section increase quickly and flower profusely if grown in a moist atmosphere in houses of low pitch, in which the temperature is never allowed to go below 40°; but in lofty and airy structures, particularly if the air be dry, they will never prosper; but they may be taken into large houses, when in flower, for decorative purposes, and if they suffer a little then, their deterioration will not be manifested until they have served their purpose and may be destroyed or restored as may be desirable.
The reader must not be dismayed by the word “destroyed,” for the essence of success in this department consists in raising a fresh stock of plants every year, and, as a rule, it is not only unwise, but positively injurious, to the garden to keep any greenhouse herbaceous plants beyond one season. However, we shall meet with several exceptions to the rule as we proceed; but it is well the destructive policy should be brought forward in good time, because it is a settled article of faith with beginners in plant culture that a pretty plant should be preserved at any cost, even if the labour alone, more wisely bestowed, would ensure fifty plants as good or better than the one petted by mistake. Herbaceous plants thrive in brick pits that have sufficient piping to keep out frost, and there are two circumstances in their favour when so grown; they are always close to the glass, and the pots stand on a moist bed. The section includes annuals and perennials: a few of them are hardy garden plants, and all of them are characterised by absence of permanent stem and capability of increase by the division of the “stool,” the natural production of off-sets, or the simple process of sowing seeds.
Amaryllis.—The florist’s “amaryllis” is the Hippeastrum of the botanist. Of this noble family there are many splendid named varieties in cultivation, but those who understand them are very few indeed; they are usually grown in stove heat, and are propagated from offsets. Now, the right way to enjoy them is to grow them in the greenhouse and raise the stock from seed. If named varieties are wanted, they can be easily obtained: and of necessity the cultivator must wait for off-sets to increase his stock, if desiring to have the named sorts reproduced in their integrity; but seedlings are easily raised, and they are sure to produce fine flowers if the seeds are saved from the best named sorts, and amongst them we shall occasionally find novelties worthy to be named and added to the most select list. We will suppose, then, that you have a few of the best-named amaryllis in flower, and intend to propagate from them.
Light and air are essential to the thorough maturation of the seed; therefore, as the plants go out of flower, they should be placed in a light airy position in an intermediate house where a genial growing temperature is maintained, and where they can be screened from the direct rays of the sun. The seed should be sown immediately it is ripe in light, sandy soil, and well-drained pots or pans, which should be placed in a melon or cucumber frame. After the plants are nicely up, and have from three to four leaves each, prick them off at once into five-inch pots, putting about half a dozen bulbs in each. Keep them steadily growing through the winter in a temperature of about 60°, and give just sufficient water to keep the foliage fresh and green. It is not necessary or desirable to dry the bulbs off in the winter: but should any show a disposition to go to rest, by all means withhold water from them, and place the pots in the greenhouse.
In the spring they will require to be repotted. The soil should be good turfy loam full of fibre, mixed with a fifth part of thoroughly-decayed hotbed manure. The compost should be used moderately rough, excepting for the first potting, as the bulbs are then small, and will not readily root into rough stuff. When they are potted off singly into small pots, the soil should be chopped up rather fine, and of course a liberal quantity of silver sand added. For the first potting from the seed-bed use three-inch pots, and at the spring potting shift into either five- or six-inch pots, according to the strength of the individual bulbs.
It is not well to disturb the roots of amaryllis frequently; a fresh pot once in two or three years is enough, and will grow better plants than can be accomplished by the annual shift usually practised.
As the bulb should stand in the same pot two or three years, particular attention should be paid to the drainage, and a few pieces of rough turf placed over the crocks to prevent the soil running down amongst them. The crocks should be packed with care, and there should be no stint of them.
The spring is the best season for repotting, because the bulbs are then starting into growth and make their new roots in the new stuff, and have all the advantage of it from the first. It is a good plan to repot a portion every spring, and not to allow a single flower on the lot last potted, but to pinch out the flower-buds as soon as they appear. Always pot firm, and always give them a substantial loamy compost.
Amaryllis will stand forcing very well, but it is not advisable to start them too early if required for conservatory decoration, as that structure will be too cold for the tender growth and flowers. Generally speaking, forcing should begin about the end of February, and those which show the most prominent signs of activity should be started first. To keep up a succession, draft out a batch every three weeks, as long as they last, and place them in warmth to start, each time selecting the most forward for pushing on. It is a mistake to suppose that they require strong bottom-heat for starting them into growth, and, indeed, the common practice of putting them on a strong bottom-heat is injurious, and accounts for the alleged difficulty of growing them, and the fewness of those who make the attempt. In a plant-house, the temperature of which averages 60° in the spring, amaryllis will start into growth well and flower superbly, and may be thence drafted to the conservatory, and there remain until their glory is past. While in the conservatory they must be protected from cold draughts, and when done flowering should be returned to the greenhouse to finish their growth.
A decided season of rest is essential to the bulbs, but it is a serious mistake to suppose it to be necessary to place them contiguous to the heating apparatus, and hundreds, nay, thousands, of bulbs are injured annually from this cause. It is also worthy of observation that the drying off must be done in a gradual manner. When this is accomplished properly the foliage will sometimes remain fresh and plump for a couple of months without water. So long as the plants are thoroughly at rest, it matters not whether the foliage dies away altogether or a few leaves remain green throughout the winter. Bulbs preserved in the way suggested will flower with double the strength of others wintering in a high temperature.
When first started, one good watering to wet the soil thoroughly will be required, and then no more must be given until it is nearly dry again. From this stage increase the supply according to the progress of the plants; when in full growth more liberal supplies will be necessary, but over-watering must be carefully guarded against in all stages. After the first year regular supplies of weak manure water will be of great assistance in promoting a vigorous growth. When the full growth is made the water must be given at longer intervals, but must not be entirely withheld, that the foliage may die off in a gradual and natural manner.
Anomatheca.—A. cruenta is grown in every garden in Europe, and is esteemed one of the choicest gems of Flora’s garland. There are two ways of treating it: one is, to flower it in pots in the greenhouse or frame; the other is, to put it in pots to grow for a time, and then plant it out in the front of a border. A mixture of loam or leaf-mould, or peat with plenty of sand, will grow it to perfection. When grown in pots, they must be kept quite dry in the pots till the time for potting them in fresh soil. If wanted to bloom early, pot them after the leaves have been withered a fortnight, keeping the pots during that period on a hot shelf; then pot them, and place in a gentle warmth. The Aromatheca cruenta may be multiplied by sowing the seeds in spring on a gentle hotbed, and by dividing the bulbs at the time of planting. It is a great favourite as a window flower.
Asters belong rather to the flower-garden than the greenhouse; but as they are valuable when well grown in pots, they must have a place here. We must assume that the reader has obtained a pinch of good seed, and having sown it in a cold frame in April, is in possession of a nice lot of young plants ready for planting out. Select from these a sufficient number of the healthiest plants, no matter how small, and put them in pots for the conservatory.
Asters require a moderately rich soil to do them justice. The compost in which they will succeed best when in pots is turfy loam and decayed manure from an old hotbed, prepared by mixing three parts of the former to one of the latter. Five-or six-inch pots are very suitable sizes in which to grow them, and two or three plants should be put in each; a few may be potted in eight-inch pots: put three plants in a pot for special purposes.
In preparing the pots place three or four moderate-sized crocks in the bottom: then fill with prepared soil, and prick out the plants at equal distances apart round the outside. Each pot should be filled with plants that will produce flowers of the same colour, otherwise the effect will be far from satisfactory when they are in bloom. After they are all pricked off, plunge them in a bed of leaf mould, or partly decayed manure in the borders. In either case the pots must stand upon a hard bottom to prevent the worms getting into the pots. When leaf mould or manure is used it is a good plan first of all to make up a bed of coal ashes, and then only put sufficient material to reach to the rim of the pots when they stand upon the ashes. When plunged in the border a pot must be placed in an inverted position in the bottom of the hole to stand the other upon, and they must not be crowded.
PÆONY-FLOWERED GLOBE ASTER.
After the pots are filled with roots, water with liquid manure, if convenient to do so; but if not, be content with watering with clear soft water. They must not, under any consideration, be allowed to suffer for want of water, and in dry weather an occasional sprinkle overhead will be of immense benefit. They should be taken to the conservatory as soon as they begin to show colour, and placed in an airy, open position, if practicable.
The best for pot culture are the varieties of the Dwarf Chrysanthemum-flowered and Pæony-flowered, which seldom exceed a height of twelve inches, and require little or no support. The most distinct varieties are those with rose, carmine, violet, and pure white flowers.
Astilbe.—The well-known Astilbe Japonica, which is, perhaps, better known as “Spiræa Japonica,” is eminently valuable to furnish greenhouse flowers early in the spring, though it is a cheap hardy herbaceous plant. When forced slowly in a damp pit, close to the glass, it is one of the loveliest plants in the world, and well worthy to be made a feature of in any private garden where beautiful plants are valued by some other scale than their money value in the market. They should be potted in September or October, in a mixture of turfy loam, leaf mould, decayed manure, and sand, and started in a temperature of about 55°. From this allow the temperature to rise gradually to 75°. They should be supplied liberally with water when growing freely, and may be placed in pans of water to advantage. It is a matter of no consequence what sized pot is employed, but for ordinary decorative purposes five-, six-, and eight-inch pots will be most serviceable; the two former for the drawing-room jardinets, and the latter for the conservatory. Strong clumps ready for forcing may be purchased at nurseries and seed-houses, those who prefer growing them for forcing in after years may do so with but little trouble. Early in May or June they may be planted out in an open quarter previously well prepared for their reception. They should have two or three liberal waterings and a mulch of short litter, or partly decayed leaves, placed between the rows, if it can be spared. They will then require no other attention, and by the autumn will have formed strong crowns and be in grand condition for forcing. If considered desirable, they may be divided into single crowns in May, each of which will form a nice little plant by the end of the summer. Those who have not convenience for forcing may have a fine display early in the season by simply keeping them in the greenhouse from the time they are potted until they come into bloom. Of course they should be placed in an out-of-the-way corner until the young growth begins to push, and then they should be placed in a position near the glass.
Balsam.—The camellia-flowered varieties make superb conservatory plants if well grown. The seed should be sown in March, in a gentle bottom-heat, and the plants should be potted off singly as soon as large enough to handle, and as fast as they fill their pots with roots should be shifted on to larger and larger pots, until they are required to flower, and then there must be no more shifting. Very nice plants may be grown in five-inch to nine-inch pots, and they are better grown singly than several in a pot. The compost should be rich; the plants should never have the least check through cold or want of water, and if they show flower-buds while they are yet too small to be allowed to flower, pinch them out, and keep the plants growing by shifting on.
Begonias belong much more to the stove than the greenhouse, but they are such universal favorites that we dare not exclude them from this work. With the aid of a hotbed a number of fine begonias may be grown in a greenhouse, but if there is no hotbed, the selection must be restricted. The ornamental leaved kinds, such as Rex, may be kept under the stage all winter in their pots laid on their sides, and if quite dry, will be ready to start into a free growth with the aid of a moist heat in spring. The sorts that flower in winter, however, are of no use for the greenhouse, as they must have, in the dead season of the year, the comfort of the stove. However, as a few good sorts are nearly hardy, and the tender ones are accommodating, we can fairly include begonias amongst greenhouse plants. To make plants is a very easy matter. The stemless kinds are propagated by means of the full-grown leaves, in the same way as the ornamental-leaved varieties are. But all that have a shrubby habit are readily raised from cuttings of the young wood in the spring. The cuttings should be taken off about a couple of inches in length from the fresh healthy tips of the young shoots, and inserted firmly in sand under a bell-glass. It is not advisable to keep cuttings of this class of plants either too close or too moist, on account of their succulent nature, and they must not be exposed to very strong light, more especially sunshine, until after they are nicely rooted.
As soon as the cuttings begin to grow, they should be potted off either singly into 60’s, or, if a good specimen is wanted at the earliest possible moment, it is a very good plan to put three plants in a 48, and return the pots to a nice gentle hotbed until the young roots begin to feel the sides of the pots. The plants after this should be kept in a growing temperature moderately charged with humidity, say about 70° or 75°, and partially or wholly shaded from the sun, in proportion to the age of the plants and the clearness of the atmosphere. Specimens two or three years old will stand an amount of sunshine that would totally annihilate young tender plants a few months old that have been growing rather quickly. The temperature and atmospheric conditions of an early vinery are as close an approximation to the amount of heat, moisture, and shade experienced by them in their native localities and habitats as we can conveniently secure. They should have every encouragement to grow strong by being potted on as fast as they require it, until they reach 24’s or 16’s— either is a good size to flower them in, but the last size should not be exceeded; and they should be managed so that the growth is completed by the end of August, to afford plenty of time to ripen the wood, and induce an abundant formation of flower-buds. This end will be best secured by placing them in a comparatively cool and airy house for a time, and then throughout the whole of the winter and spring months they will flower abundantly in a warm greenhouse.
As soon as the flowering season is over of the winter blooming kinds—say, for sake of clearness, the middle of March—they must be pruned, but not too hard; and when they begin to make new shoots, take them out of the pots, reduce the ball of soil, and repot in the same size pots again. If the pots are then partially plunged in a bottom-heat of about 75° or 80°, the plants will speedily start into growth again. Bottom-heat is not indispensable, and equally as good growth will be made, though not so quickly, if they are placed upon the shelves of the stove or vinery. Keep rather dry at the roots until they begin to take possession of the fresh soil, and syringe
BEGONIA DIVERSIFOLIA.
overhead once or twice a day. When in full growth water freely, avoiding excess, and once or twice a week, after they become pot-bound, give them weak liquid manure. During the winter water cautiously. The tuberous-rooted species must be dried off, and the pots turned on their sides to prevent the soil getting wet.
It is of great importance to pot them in light rich soil, through which the roots can travel freely. A very suitable compost may, however, be formed with good turfy loam and leaf mould, mixed in the proportion of two parts of the former to one of the latter. The loam must be broken up roughly, and, after adding the leaf mould, a good sprinkling of small crocks and a liberal proportion of silver sand should be mixed with it, to keep the mass open and porous, this condition being of the utmost importance.
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BEGONIA VEITCHI. |
BEGONIA ROSÆFLORA. |
The most hardy kinds are B. rosæflora, a stemless species, which flowers well in a cool greenhouse; B. Weltoniensis (also known as B. Clarkei), which is one of the best window plants: and B. Veitchi, which is hardy enough to plant in the open garden in a sheltered spot. For winter flowers the best are B. fuschioides, B. Ingrami, B. parviflora, and B. diversiflora. The last is a beautiful and accommodating plant, which can be flowered in a cool greenhouse in the summer, or in a warm house in winter. B. Sutherlandi is equally useful; the flowers are orange red.
BEGONIA WELTONIENSIS.
Blandfordia.—A pretty genus of half-forgotten Australian lilies which have lately regained a small degree of their former popularity owing to the introduction of B. Cunninghami, a very showy orange-flowered species. Treat the same as ixia,
BLANDFORDIA CUNNINGHAMI.
but do not dry them off, as they keep green the whole year round. The soil should he sandy peat.
CALOCHORTUS VENUSTUS.
a frame all the winter. The finest of the genus is C. venustus, which produces large white flowers, blotched with lilac, red, and yellow, but any calochortus the amateur may obtain will prove worth cultivating.
Cineraria—This beautiful flower is always in great demand, and deserves the best attention the amateur can bestow upon it. The flowering season extends from November to May, but, as a rule, cinerarias are flowered from February to April. A fine display may be obtained from seedlings, but the named varieties are so grand in form and colour that those who have had some practice with the flower would do well to give attention to a named collection. We will suppose you have secured a few of the finest named varieties, that they have flowered to your satisfaction, and you have now to look out for nursery stock. The first step will be to remove the flower-stems before the flowers have quite finished their career, for if you allow seeds to form you will get no offsets. Put the plants in a cold frame, keep them regularly supplied with water, and take the lights off and let them enjoy full exposure to the weather as soon as the season is advanced enough, and do not on any account allow them to be roasted by a hot sun. They may be planted out in May, but they must not be forgotten afterwards. In the first week of August you may look for offsets. Take them off carefully with a bit of root to each, and put them four or five in a five-inch pot, each offset next the pot and touching it: give them a sprinkle and shut them up in a cold frame. Keep them close and shaded and regularly sprinkled, and they will soon be plants, when they must be potted off singly in three-inch pots and be sprinkled for a few days and then have plenty of light and air.
Now it must be confessed that although the cineraria is a greenhouse plant, it can always be better grown in a brick pit than in any greenhouse, for an equable temperature and a certain degree of humidity which does not reach the stage we term “damp” is required for its perfect development. But not one degree of frost must ever touch a cineraria, so the greenhouse is the proper place to winter the stock unless the pits are heated. From the time the offsets are well started until the beginning of November, the plants should be shifted on as they fill their pots with roots, and six-inch pots are the largest size they can be put in the first season, and, as a rule, very nice plants may be made in five-inch pots, if they are assisted when pot bound with weak manure water. It is a nice task to keep the same plants on from year to year, but if it is well managed you may have them three feet across in the third year, forming gorgeous hemispheres of colour. During winter use as little fire-heat as possible; just sufficient to keep out the frost, with the aid of a covering on the glass. When exposed to much artificial heat the leaves will curl, and the plants be more or less spoiled. On the other hand, a little artificial warmth in very dull and damp weather will be of considerable service to maintain a sweet moving atmosphere.
Damp and mildew are the principal enemies to the cineraria, but both are easily kept in check if taken in time. The best remedy for mildew is flour of sulphur dusted over the foliage, and for the destruction of the green-fly nothing can equal tobacco-powder. The latter should be applied after the foliage has been wetted with the syringe, and washed off again in about twenty-four hours afterwards. Green-fly can be destroyed by fumigating with tobacco-paper, but the tobacco-powder is applied more easily and is safer.
The plants must be watered carefully at all times, especially during the winter. They must have sufficient water to maintain a vigorous growth, and no more; but they must not, under any consideration, be allowed to go quite dry. Use soft water until the end of January, and then substitute weak liquid manure for it. The plants should be syringed lightly overhead every afternoon until the end of September, when syringing must be discontinued.
Where seedlings are grown, those from which it is intended to save seed should, as soon as the first flowers are expanded, be removed from the general stock, and placed in a frame by themselves to prevent their being fertilised with pollen from the worthless sorts. This is a very easy matter, because a very few plants will furnish an ample supply of seed for the generality of gardens. The seed should be saved from plants compact in habit, and with well-formed distinctly-coloured flowers. Where seed is saved from a collection of first-rate named varieties, it will not be necessary to separate the seed-bearing plants from the general stock. As the flowers begin to fade, place the plants in a light airy position to insure the seed being thoroughly matured, and gather before it is blown away and lost.
Sow the seeds in the first or second week in July in five-inch pots. Make the surface perfectly level, and cover with a very thin layer of sandy soil. The pots should then be placed in a cold frame, and constantly shaded from the sun until the young plants begin to show above the surface, when the supply of light and air must be increased. Directly the seedlings have two rough leaves, prick off into seed-pans or round the sides of the same-sized pots, and in the same manner as advised for the offsets; and, like the latter, they must be potted off as soon as established.
The universal compost will suit cinerarias admirably, but if a compost has to be made for them, let it consist of five parts mellow turfy loam, one part rotten manure, and one part silver sand.
Clianthus.—The “glory pea” of New Zealand, Clianthus Dampieri, is a fine plant for greenhouse culture when carefully trained to a trellis or wire balloon. It is grown from seed,
THE GLORY PEA (Clianthus Dampieri).
and is strictly a biennial, as it flowers the second season and after flowering dies. In the cultivation of this fine plant the principal matter of importance is to guard against giving it the slightest check at any stage of its growth, the roots being of delicate texture, and having no power of recovery from injury. In February sow the seed singly in small pots filled with a mixture of three parts powdery peat and one part sand, and place in the coolest part of a stove, or the very warmest corner of the greenhouse. When the plants have made their third joint shift into forty-eight size using the same soil as before but in a rather lumpy state. When the roots have fairly filled the pots the plants must be put out on a border in a cool conservatory in a position where they will enjoy abundance of sunshine. The border should be prepared by opening a trench two feet deep, laying at the bottom a bed of small empty flowerpots placed bottom upwards on a similar bed of cheap tunnel-shaped drain pipes, and filling up with a mixture of the very best turfy peat and a fifth part sand. In this plant carefully, leaving the collar of every plant a little above the level. Water cautiously, keeping the roots always moist but never wet, and train out the growths from the first to a light trellis a foot from the glass. One plant will, in most cases, be sufficient for an ordinary conservatory. If grown in a pot a very large one must be chosen, and the plant put into it at one shift from forty-eight size, as it will not bear frequent disturbance of the roots.
Cyclamen.—The lovely C. Persicum has become one of the most popular plants of its class within the past few years in consequence of the improved method of cultivation we initiated in 1863, when the “rapid culture” system was announced in the “Garden Oracle.” Previously, it had been customary with growers to “dry off” the corms, and in so doing dry half the life out of them, but we pointed out the folly of this procedure, and those who acted on our advice made such wondrous displays of cyclamens at the horticultural exhibitions in London that the slower class of gardeners were at last convinced. The instructions that follow are few but sufficient; those who will follow them faithfully will have good reason to rejoice in due time.
The only safe way to begin is with the best seed that can be obtained. Cyclamens may be increased by division of the corms (or bulbs), but it is a difficult process and we should waste the reader’s time in attempting to explain it. As soon as the seed is ripe, which is generally the case in July, it should be sown in pans, filled with equal parts of peat, loam, and leaf-mould, with the addition of a moderate quantity of silver sand, and a good drainage in the bottom. The compost must be broken up rather small, without sifting, so that the young plants can be taken up, when the time arrives for potting them, without injuring the roots. The seed-pans should be placed in a close part of the stove or cucumber-house, or on a moist hotbed, where they will have the benefit of a mean temperature of 75°. As the young foliage begins to show nicely above the surface, a light position, with rather more air, and not quite so warm, will be more suitable for them. Great caution is necessary in watering at this stage, as the plants have to remain some time in the seed-bed.
By November the corms will have attained considerable dimensions, and be ready for potting off separately. The same soil must be used as before, and the plants lifted carefully and potted firm, the corms on the surface, in small 60’s. The weather will not permit much air at this season, but they should be placed near the glass, and a temperature of 55° or 60° maintained. As the days lengthen, a rise of five degrees may be allowed, with more liberal ventilation. Early in May, remove the plants to a cold frame in a rather shady position, and keep them growing steadily until the end of August or beginning of September. At this stage they will require shifting into five- or six-inch pots; the largest size should only be used for the very largest plants, as they do very little good if overpotted.
There should be a slight alteration in the compost at this potting by taking away half the leaf-mould and replacing it with the same quantity of fresh horse-droppings, dry enough to mix readily. The cold frame will be the best place for a month afterwards, as it can be kept rather close, to promote free rooting in the new soil.
In October, remove the stock to the greenhouse near the glass where they will enjoy a humid atmosphere and an average temperature of 50°. They must be watered with great care, with water of the same temperature as the house. They will soon begin to flower and may then be taken to the conservatory, where their elegant fragrant flowers will charm away all the gloom of the winter season.
In March, remove them to a cold pit and keep them rather dry, but not dust dry, and take care that the pots stand on a moist surface, as absolute dryness of the roots is death to the cyclamen. When the seed is ripe gather and sow, and then repot the old corms, taking care to shake off the exhausted soil without in any way injuring the roots. None but experts should ever dream of using liquid manure in the culture of the cyclamen.
Dielytra.—The pretty Chinese fumitory, Dielytra spectabilis, with lyre-shaped flowers of the most delicate pink colour, and the white variety called alba, are two valuable plants for early
DIELYTRA CUCULLARIA.
flowering, to keep company with hyacinths, tulips, and cyclamens in the dressing of the conservatory in early spring. The best way to manage the dielytra is to have two sets of plants and pot them alternately in September, and plant them out in May, thus giving to each patch a whole year of growth and rest. They should be potted in pots proportioned to the size of the roots in a rich light loamy compost, and have the least possible amount of forcing. If they are kept in pots the whole year round, they should be put in a damp and shady part of a cold pit after they have flowered, and be kept well supplied with water until the leaves die down, when they should be shaken out and repotted. The pretty D. eximia and D. cucullaria are worth growing in pots to decorate the house in spring. They require only the simplest frame culture.
Hyacinth.—As we are desirous of cramming into this little book the largest possible quantity of valuable information, we will say nothing about the beauties of the Hyacinth, but proceed to offer brief but sufficient directions for its cultivation as a conservatory plant. In selecting varieties for pot culture it is advisable to have equal quantities of single and double flowers. But for growing in glasses the single varieties are to be preferred; while for bedding in the open ground the best are those of the most decisive colours, whether single or double, but the single, as a rule, are to be preferred. One of the most important points is to select hard, sound, well-ripened bulbs, for the fine spikes of bloom cannot be had from those that are soft and spongy, even if they are large in size. The growth must be prolonged over as long a season as possible, and consequently early potting must be practised. Pot the bulbs as early as possible after they arrive in the market, especially if they are wanted for very early flowering, and have to be forced. This will give them plenty of time to form roots and get well established. When this is accomplished before they are placed in the warmth, there will be little danger of any of them refusing to push up the spikes at the proper time. “Dumpiness” may be safely attributed to the bulbs not being properly furnished with roots, and it is a waste of time to put paper caps over them with the idea of drawing the spikes up. The fault lies with the roots, and if they are all right there will be little or no fear of a failure. Good turfy-loam and well-decayed manure, at the rate of three parts loam to two of manure, chopped up roughly and mixed with a sixth part of silver sand, forms a capital compost for hyacinths as well as other bulbs.
Use five-inch pots, and let them be well drained, by placing a layer of crocks in the bottom. Put one bulb in each pot; press the soil slightly firm in the pots, and when they are filled to within an inch of the rim, insert the bulbs and fill the soil firmly about them. The neck of the bulb should show just above the soil. When they are simply placed on the surface with a little loose soil about them, the weight of the spike will probably topple them over. The soil should be used in a moderately moist condition, and then no water will be necessary until they come from the plunge beds. When all are potted, make up a good bed of coal-ashes and stand the pots upon it. This done, turn a small sixty-pot over each bulb, and cover with coal-ashes, spent hops, or cocoa-nut-fibre refuse, to the depth of six or eight inches. Here they should remain for five or six weeks, and then be brought into the forcing-house as wanted. The young growth must be inured to the light in a gradual manner, and the plants kept near the glass. After they are well started into growth, water liberally, and let them have a breath of fresh air during the warmest part of the day; but it must be admitted without chilling the tender growth.
The bulbs must not be left in the plunge bed long enough for the foliage to grow long and become blanched. Therefore, when the flowers are not wanted until late in the spring, lift them out of the plunging material and place them in a cold frame or pit, where light and air will have free access to them. Those for early flowering must not be exposed to a great heat, or the flower-spikes and foliage will be drawn up weak and spindly; and at all times keep as close to the glass as possible, because neat, properly-developed foliage, that will maintain an erect position without support, is nearly of as much importance as good spikes of flowers.
It is a waste of time to pot hyacinth bulbs a second season, and, therefore, to secure an annual display there must be an annual purchase. But the bulbs may be turned to good account in another way. When the flowering is over, put them in a cold pit or frame and take reasonable care of them until they are beginning to die down. Then plant them all out without breaking the roots in the shrubbery or hedgerows and forget them; they will in time remind you of their existence and supply you with welcome garlands of bright and fragrant flowers.
Hypoxis.—This genus of Cape bulbs supplies a few choice plants for the greenhouse. They require the same course of cultivation as the Ixia. H. stellata, H. latifolia, and H. elata are the best species.
HYPOXIS ELATA.
Imantophyllum.—This is a fine genus of Amaryllids, requiring warm greenhouse culture. I. miniatum is the best, but I. Gardeni is worth growing for its winter flowers. A. strong loamy compost will suit these plants, and they must be kept growing the whole year round. To dry them off would be certain death to them.
Ixia and Sparaxis.—The Continental growers have been outstripped by the English in the cultivation of these most elegant flowers. The English growers are not content to grow them only; they hybridise them with much care, and have raised hundreds of new varieties. In the Channel Islands they are treated as hardy flowers, but with us they require frame or greenhouse culture.
To grow the Ixia in pots put three to seven bulbs in a 6-inch pot in a mixture of maiden loam, bog earth, and leaf soil, with plenty of sand. Put the bulbs in the soil so that they will be covered only one inch in depth. Put them in a frame, and do not cover them with earth or sawdust, but fill in between the pots quite to the rim. Not much water must be given till the cold weather is past. When the frost is severe, mats and straw must be put over the frames. When the spring has arrived, place them on shelves near the glass in airy houses. They now require plenty of air, plenty of light, and plenty of water. When they have expanded all their flowers, put them in a bed out of doors, and put into each pot a little fresh soil on the top. This is beneficial, for when the flowers wither the plants begin to make new bulbs, and the fresh soil will cause the new bulbs to be large and good. As the old bulbs die, it is worth obtaining good ones for the next season. When the leaves begin to die, give them no more water, but put them in a dry frame in the sun, and put the glass on, or lay them on their sides in a hot sunny greenhouse, so that the new bulbs in the pots will be made quite hot for fourteen days or more. Then you may take them all out and pot them for the next season, and you will find large hard bulbs which will bloom the next year better than the first.
Lachenalia.—These pretty bulbous plants thrive best in a strong yellow loam, but they will flower fairly in any kind of soil. Pot them from June to November to produce a succession of flowers, and when growing freely give plenty of water. When the foliage begins to die down withhold water and put the pots in a dry place where they may remain undisturbed until the season returns for potting them again.
Lilium.—A certain few, amongst the many fine lilies in cultivation, are of great value as pot plants for the embellishment of the conservatory, but are not often so well grown as they might be. The introduction of the noble L. auratum has attracted fresh attention to liliums generally, and the lovely varieties of L. speciosum (lancifolium) have been in increased demand and in many instances of late have been presented at exhibitions in a remarkably fine state of development. The modest L. longiflorum with its pure white flowers, and the dashing L. Fortunei, which is a gigantic variety of L. tigrinum, are worth a little extra care to bring them to perfection
In making arrangements for growing liliums in pots it is advisable to grow a portion of each kind in large and a portion in small pots, the former for front rows and the latter for intermixing with the tall-growing subjects at the back. For small specimens six-inch pots should be employed, and one bulb put in each; and for the large specimens pots ranging from eight to twelve inches in diameter should be used, and have from four to eight bulbs in each.
The proper moment for shaking out of the old soil, or for shifting the bulbs into other pots, is as early in the autumn as possible, and the decay of the stems will afford the best indication of the proper time for the work to be done. If it is desired to give the bulbs a fresh compost without increasing the size of the pot, they must be carefully shaken out of the old soil, without injuring whatever healthy roots they may have attached to them. They will not suffer very materially if all the roots are removed when repotted at the period here mentioned, but it is preferable to preserve them from injury, if it can be conveniently done. Those to be shifted into larger pots should not be shaken out altogether, but a portion of the old soil should be removed. It is highly advantageous to shift the bulbs on without divesting them of every particle of soil, for it is in this manner that the magnificent specimens of L. auratum which have been exhibited have been obtained, some of them presenting nearly a hundred flowers fully expanded at one time. If shifted early, they will be furnished with healthy roots, which will be of immense assistance in promoting a vigorous growth from the first. On the other hand, when repotted in the spring the production of roots and the growth of the stem go on simultaneously, and a poor bloom is the result.
Lilies should have a rather light and moderately-rich compost, consisting of turfy loam one part, fibrous peat one part, and partly-decayed horse-droppings, and leaf-mould, in equal proportions, one part, all well incorporated together. If the peat is not of a sandy character, add a small proportion of washed road-grit, or river sand, or sharp silver-sand. We have frequently used loam containing no fibrous matter whatever, and have made up for the deficiency by the addition of a small proportion of cocoa-nut fibre refuse. The soil must be pressed rather firm, so as to give the plants all the food possible. The drainage must be perfect; and if a few oyster-shells and lumps of charcoal can be conveniently obtained they should be mixed with the crocks. In any case, the drainage must be covered with a layer of the roughest portion of the compost, to prevent the finer parts running down between the potsherds.
With a drainage such as is here advised the most liberal supplies of water will be required from the time they are fairly in full growth until they begin to go out of bloom. As the flowers fade the supply of water must be lessened, and as the stems decay it should be withheld. The soil, however, must not be allowed to become dust-dry even during the winter, and a moderate quantity of water must be given at intervals to maintain the soil in a nice moist condition. From the time the pots are well filled with roots until the buds are formed, rather weak liquid manure should be used alternately with clear soft water, or very weak liquid manure may be used at all times.
When in growth, a greenhouse or pit where they can be placed near the glass and enjoy a free circulation of air will be the most suitable position; or they may be placed in the open air until the buds begin to expand. During the winter a cold frame, with just sufficient protection to keep the frost from the bulbs, will be the most desirable quarter for them. All kinds of lilies love sunshine, though it is generally believed they love the shade.
Linum.—The Golden Flax, L. flavum, is very showy, and when strong plants with well-matured growth are placed in an intermediate house at the beginning of February, they bloom profusely early in the spring, and are then very desirable. The directions given for the management of the double wallflowers may be advantageously followed in the cultivation of the Golden Flax.
Lobelia.—The herbaceous Lobelia is one of the most useful plants we have for conservatory decoration. It is doubly valuable to amateurs who have little room for wintering plants, because it is nearly hardy, and the stock can be preserved in a cold frame, or plunged in a bed of coal-ashes. The plants that have embellished, during summer, the open borders, can be lifted and placed in a dry corner out of doors, and covered with coal-ashes; and if protected from heavy rains they will take no harm. It is, moreover, a most easy matter to grow them into magnificent specimens.
Supposing you have a few old plants to begin with; some time in February, or the beginning of March, turn them out of the pots, and divide carefully, according to the number required. It is not desirable to divide them into small portions when required for indoor decoration, as a few good specimens have a much better effect than treble the number of small plants with single spikes. An average of four spikes to each specimen is the most suitable for ordinary purposes.
Good fibrous loam, mixed with a liberal proportion of hotbed manure, will form a suitable compost. Use six-inch pots to commence with, and after potting place the stock in a cold frame until the pots are nicely filled with roots, and then shift them into sixteen-inch pots. Admit plenty of air to keep the growth short-jointed and hardy; and towards the end of May, place the plants out of doors in a shady corner, and be careful to stand the pots upon a bed of coal ashes to keep the worms out. Here they may remain until the flowers begin to expand, when they will be taken to the conservatory.
After the beauty of the flowers is past, remove them to the open air, and cut away the old flower-stem, and in October return to the cold frame, or heap a good thickness of coal-ashes over the pots, and lay a few boards on the top to throw the wet off. Where frame-room is abundant, they may be potted in the autumn with advantage, because it gives them an opportunity to get well established before they start into new growth in the spring.
Marica.—This is a genus of Irids for the greenhouse and the stove. The proper soil for it is a mixture of loam, peat, leaf-mould, and sand, but no manure. The most ornamental species are, M. Sabini, M. cærulea, M. Nortliana, and M. semi-aperta; the latter is the hardiest, and may be grown in either a greenhouse or a stove. At the foot of each stem on which flowers are borne, young plants are produced; like some lilies, it is viviparous. As for the flower-stem, that arches over until it touches the ground, and the cultivator should allow it to do so, or the flowers will not open properly.
Mignonette is such a favorite that there will be no question about the propriety of giving it a place here. And, perhaps, a few of our readers will find that what we have to say upon it is somewhat new as well as useful, for humble as the plant is, we have given it some amount of special attention. In the books mignonette is described as an annual that should be sown where it is to remain, as it cannot with any safety be transplanted. These statements are correct if the cultivator will but allow them to be so, but it is in the power of art to make nonsense of them. When allowed to go on in its own way mignonette is strictly an annual which flowers, ripens seed, and perishes. But if we cut the flowers as fast as they are produced, and never allow a single seed pod to be formed, the plant will live any number of years, and continually increase in size if assisted with root room and liquid manure until it becomes a gigantic wonder. We have kept the same plants seven years, and then threw them away because of their unmanageable magnitude. To manage the mignonette as a round perennial bush, and have it in flower the whole year round is most easy. Sow two or three seeds each in 60-size pots in rich, light, loamy compost. From May to August is the best time for this business. When the plants are fairly up pull out the weakest, and leave only one plant in each pot. Keep them in the greenhouse only when the state of the weather compels, for they should make all their summer growth in the open air. As soon as they begin to show flower, and long before the flowers open, pinch out the top of the plant, and a week afterwards shift into 48-size. They will again show flower very soon, and the process of pinching and potting on must be repeated. This, with constant and careful watering, will ensure the formation of fine bushy plants in 32-size pots. If this occurs in winter keep them in a warm place near the glass, and allow the flowers to open, and the result will be a beautiful spectacle, and a diffusion of the most delicious fragrance. Watch the plants closely, and the instant that seed-pods are apparent, cut all the flower spikes away, and prune the whole plant tenderly, so as to keep it round and bushy, and again place near the glass, but do not disturb the roots, for they may stand twelve months in the 32-size pots. As soon as the new shoots appear and another bloom is promised, water with very weak liquid manure, and continue this to make amends for the exhaustion of the soil. When the bloom is again passing, pinch and prune. After they have been in the pots twelve or fifteen months turn them out carefully, remove some of the old soil without seriously injuring the roots, and pot them in the same pots, or in pots one size larger, and in these let them stand another year, taking care always to pinch and prune after every bloom, and never allow a single seed pod to swell, or you may lose your plants. The accompanying figure will give an idea of the appearance they should present when first allowed to flower in 32-size pots.
Tree mignonette is obtained by another course of treatment, beginning with the seed of any of the more vigorous growing varieties. The seed should be sown singly in 3-inch pots, and when the plants have filled them with roots shift into 6-inch pots, and from thence transfer them into pots two sizes
SPECIMEN BUSH MIGNONETTE.
larger before they become pot-bound. Extra-sized specimens may at the last shift be put into pots three sizes larger, but for ordinary conservatory decoration 9-inch pots will be quite large enough. The pots must be clean and efficiently drained. Use a compost consisting of turfy loam three parts, and thoroughly-decayed manure one part, and a rather liberal quantity of silver sand. The plants intended for standard specimens must have all the side-shoots nipped off until the stem has attained the desired height, and then the terminal point must be pinched off five or six joints above where the last side-shoots were removed. Side-branches will soon be produced at four or five joints nearest the top, and these must be stopped when a few inches in length. The main stem will require supporting with a stout stake, and a ring of strong wire should be fixed horizontally near the top, and the main side-branches trained to it. The latter must be stopped as often as may be necessary for the formation of a dense head.
To produce pyramidal specimens, train the leading shoot in an upright manner and stop it once or twice, if necessary, to induce the plants to produce a beautiful proportion of side-shoots, which also must be stopped once or twice. Sometimes the leading shoot will break freely, and then it is not necessary to stop it. The same sized pots and soil should be used as recommended for the standards, and most efficient trainers may be extemporised by a stout stake and a few pieces of wood. After the plants have had their last shift, insert the stake in the centre of the pot; then make a ring of stout wire about two feet in diameter, and with two cross-pieces of either wood or wire. Lay it on the top of the pot, and fix it in its place either with stout pegs driven into the soil, or else fix a piece of wire just underneath the rim of the pot, and fasten the cross-pieces to it; then fasten lengths of thin wire or string to the wire hoop, and bring the other ends to the top of the stake and securely fasten them there. The young growth must then be trained to the trellis regularly. A cold frame will be the most desirable position for the stock until September, when it should be removed to the greenhouse. Liberal supplies of water will be required until August, and afterwards it must be applied in a more sparing manner; but the plants must not at any season of the year suffer through the soil being kept too dry. It will also be needful to sprinkle them overhead two or three times a week during warm weather, but it matters not whether a water-can, to which a fine rose is fixed, or a syringe is employed.
Moræa.—A pretty genus of Cape bulbs, that may be grown in the same way as the Ixia and Sparaxis. The best
varieties, requiring shelter in winter, are M. edulis, M. lineata,
M. exaltata, M. hicolor, M. Collina, M. papilionacea, M. polystachys, M. viscaria.
Primula.—The Chinese primrose, P. prenitens, is a great favorite for winter and spring display, and there are several remarkably fine varieties, both single and double, in the market, those of the last named section being true florist’s flowers, with names and histories, and fixed characters. The single kinds are the easier to manage, as we raise them from seed, and when they have flowered throw them away, whereas the double varieties have to be grown from divisions of the stool, and it is a matter of very nice management to make stock or to grow fine specimens. We will begin with the single kinds, which anybody can grow who will take care to secure a supply of first-rate seed to begin with.
To insure a continuous display throughout the winter, make two sowings of seed; the first sowing the last week in May or the first week in June, and the second towards the end of August. The first batch of plants will commence flowering: in November, and the second early in January, unless the first flower-buds are nipped out, and in that case the time of their coming into flower will be delayed for a month or six weeks. Sow the seed in five-inch pots, previously prepared by draining them efficiently, and then filling them with a light rich com- post. Make the surface of the soil perfectly level, to prevent the possibility of any portion of the seed being buried too deep. Water the soil moderately, previous to sowing the seed, to prevent the necessity of a heavy application of water afterwards. The seed should be covered as lightly as possible with fine sandy soil, and the pots then placed in a pit or house, the temperature of which is maintained at about 60°. It is also important to sow the seed rather thinly, to prevent overcrowding; before the young plants are strong enough to prick off. Instead of potting the plants off separately in small pots, when they are removed from the seed-pot, they should be pricked off into seed-pans, and be at once returned to a warm pit or house to promote a free growth. In the course of a fortnight remove them to a cold frame, which will be the most suitable quarter for them until the autumn. When strong and well established, pot off singly into three-inch pots, and stand them upon a bed of coal-ashes in a cold frame. After the pots are well filled with roots, but before the plants have become pot-bound, shift them into five-inch pots, and as soon as they are well established in these, shift again; the strongest plants into eight-inch pots, and the others into pots one size larger, and that will be the last shift they will require.
The most suitable compost in which to grow these plants is one prepared by well incorporating together three parts turfy loam, and a fourth part consisting of equal quantities of decayed manure and leaf-mould. To this add a liberal sprinkling of sand, and if the loam is deficient in fibre, or the leaf-mould is not available, a small proportion of cocoa-nut fibre refuse may be added, to assist in keeping the mass open. It is scarcely necessary to say that the pots must be effectually drained to prevent the soil becoming sour.
After the plants have recovered from the effects of their removal from the seed-pan to the small pots, ventilate freely both night and day throughout the season, and until danger from frost may be apprehended, and then remove them to a cool and moderately airy house. The plants should be shaded from the direct rays of the sun during the months of June, July, and August. A mat thrown over the glass during the middle of the day when the sun is shining brightly, is all that is necessary in the form of shade.
Water carefully at all seasons, but more especially during the winter months. The best system of watering is to give sufficient to moisten every particle of soil within the pot, and then give no more until the soil has become somewhat dry again. Avoid the use of stimulants, and use soft water only. Liberal supplies of liquid manure are advised by some writers, but our advice is that it be not used at all, for it is more likely to do harm than good.
The whole stock should have a temperature of about 45° or 50° throughout the winter, as the plants from the second sowing will grow freely during that season. To produce large specimens, and also to prolong the season of flowering over as lengthened a period as possible, nip out the first flower-buds of the strongest plants of the second batch immediately they are sufficiently advanced. Do not attempt to keep plants a second season, no matter how promising they may appear, for if they remain in health, the flowers are always small in size and poor in colour, compared with young plants. There is no gain either as regards size, in preserving the old plants after they have done flowering.
The double-flowering primulas, as above remarked, are awkward things to manage, and the inexperienced cultivator had best for a time be content without them. They may be raised from seed, but the usual method is by cuttings obtained by splitting up the old plants. When the bloom is over, allow the plants a season of rest. Three or four weeks will suffice for this if they are kept rather close, and by that time cuttings may be taken in plenty. These should be potted singly in the smallest thumb pots, the end of the cutting being cased entirely in silver sand, and they must be placed on a steady bottom-heat of 70° until rooted, when they must be shifted into five-inch pots, and be again put in bottom-heat for a week, after which they must be carefully inured to a cooler temperature, and be ultimately removed to a cold pit. All the forwardest, that have filled the 48-size pots with roots, may be shifted into 32-size, but it will be folly to shift any, the roots of which have not reached the sides of the pots.
To obtain extra fine specimens, select well-grown plants in flower. Remove the flowers and shake the plants out of their pots, and repot in 48-size. Then put them on bottom-heat to promote a good start in the new soil; and as soon as they have filled the pots with roots, shift into 24-size (eight-inch). If the pots are fairly drained, if the plants have no more artificial heat than is necessary, and the management otherwise is right, you will be well repaid when these large plants come into flower.
Primula japonica is a frame plant, reputed hardy, yet not well adapted for weathering the storm in the open border. To secure fine specimens, put them into rather large pots in a rich, light, loamy soil, and keep them in a cold frame at all seasons except when they are in flower, when they will be treasures for the conservatory. They produce plenty of seed, which should be sown as soon as gathered, and covered very lightly. The seed will probably remain dormant a long time, and there must be no haste in disturbing the soil it was sown in, for the young plants may appear in myriads in the course of six months or so. We have always succeeded in getting the seeds up in about ten days by putting the seed-pans in a heat of 75°. When grown as a border plant this primula should have a shady sheltered situation.
Schizostylis.—A few years ago, Messrs. Backhouse introduced to English gardens the beautiful Cape Iris, Schizostylis coccinea, which has the twofold merit of being perfectly hardy and of flowering in the later months of the year, when there is nothing to compete with its brilliant scarlet flowers. The best way to grow this plant is to plant it in any sunny border in spring, carefully take it up and pot it at the end of September, and place it in the greenhouse, where it will flower during October and November, and, if the clumps are large and strong, until Christmas.
Sisyrinchium.—A pretty Irid, almost equal to the lovely Iris reticulata. The most useful is the little S. anceps, which you can plant in patches in front of rhododendron beds, and it will grow and flower freely. S. grandiflora has white flowers; S. Nuttali, blue; and S. striatum yellow. They are all hardy, and will grow well in sandy peat, or mellow sandy loam in which there is much vegetable fibre. A few of the early-flowering kinds are to be valued as pot plants in the greenhouse.
Statice.—This is an interesting genus, and in high favour with exhibitors, because they offer a few difficulties, and none but the patient and painstaking ever succeed in obtaining fine specimens. The requirements of the plants are few enough, but they will not endure any kind of neglect, or any really bad management. They have tender roots, and if kept too wet or too dry, grow smaller instead of larger; and if not soon aided by remedial measures, die outright. We will suppose you have a plant or so of each of the sorts you wish to grow, including, of course, such as S. Holfordi, S. imbricata, and S. profusa. The first step is to obtain a few cuttings, and preparatory thereto the plants must be persuaded to make shoots for the purpose. The best course of procedure is to place the old plants in a warm house at the beginning of March. A safe temperature is one ranging from 50° to 60°, such, for instance, as is to be met with in a peach-house or vinery at work.
These plants, if carefully watered, will soon begin to push out side-shoots. When the young shoots have about five or six leaves they can be taken off. In taking them off with a knife let it have a thoroughly keen edge. There is a certain amount of nicety necessary to be observed in this operation, for cuttings strike quicker if taken off with a thin slice of bark— not a clumsy heel, but cut so close to the stem as to take a portion of the bark with it. There is very little fear of them damping off when this is done. It must be borne in mind, at this stage, that the cuttings are necessarily tender, and further, that they will either root quickly or die quickly. The cutting-pots should be prepared previously, to enable the cultivator to get them in as quickly as possible. The pots, after the cuttings are inserted, should be plunged in a brisk bottom-heat of not less than 70°, and kept rather close until the cuttings begin to root, when more air will be necessary. The glass of the propagating frame will require wiping occasionally, otherwise they will probably damp off.
When the cuttings are nicely rooted, prepare the soil and bring it into the propagating-house a few days beforehand, to become of the same temperature as the house in which they are growing. This is an essential point—one that cannot be very well over-estimated in dealing with young tender plants of any description. For the first potting, the soil should consist of good fibry loam and peat in equal proportions, with plenty of leaf-mould and silver-sand, to keep it light and open. Use small 60’s for this potting, 4S’s for the next, and then 21’s. Though it will not be necessary to replace the young plants in bottom-heat, it is advisable that they should remain in a nice growing temperature until they get established. They do better when kept in a warm house until they have filled the pots with roots, been repotted into the next size, and established in their new quarters. At this stage the plants should be removed into the greenhouse, and after a little nursing be placed so as to get plenty of light and air. In August, if everything goes on favourably, repot the plants into 24’s, and use two parts loam, one of peat, half a part of thoroughly decomposed cow-dung, and a little leaf-mould and sand. The soil should be chopped up and well mixed together, and every particle of fibre preserved. It is necessary to exercise the utmost caution at all seasons in watering these plants. They require a plentiful supply when growing, and but little at all other times.
The proper place for statices through the summer, is undoubtedly the conservatory or greenhouse. Though they are very properly classed with greenhouse plants, it will be found that they do better in an intermediate house through the winter, where a mean temperature of 45° is maintained. As decorative plants, they are invaluable, for they last good a long time, and are moreover particularly useful for mixing with other everlasting flowers for making up vases for winter decorations, their colours being so distinct from everything else in the same way.
Stocks of several kinds may be turned to good account for the conservatory, their spicy odour being as welcome as their bold spikes of double flowers. To grow them well in pots is not so easy a matter as may appear to amateurs who have not made the experiment; consequently, those who are altogether inexperienced must not expect triumphant success in the first instance.
The seed should be sown in a shallow box or pan on the 1st of August, and be shut up in a frame until sprouted, after which full exposure to light and air is necessary. As soon as the plants are large enough to handle, pot them into 48-sized pots, three plants in a pot. The compost should consist of turfy loam, two parts, and good rotten manure one part. They must be potted firmly, or they will not thrive; keep them fully exposed to the weather until frost is likely, when remove them to a cold pit, and put a mat over when the weather is severe.
Early in January take the forwardest to the greenhouse and keep them near the glass. In the middle of February remove them to a temperature of 50° to 60°, syringe them daily, and keep them watered with weak liquid manure. They will flower finely, and repay you for your trouble.
Those left in the pit are to be taken to the greenhouse in February, and are to remain there until they flower, to succeed the first lot, as they will not want any more heat than they will obtain here.
It is a good plan to put out a lot of the plants from the August sowing in a bed of light rich soil in a turf pit, and in the spring lift them carefully, and plant them in a bed near the windows, to perfume the welcome breath of the early summer.
Streptanthera.—This scarce Cape bulb is by some considered a gladiolus, but it is a true Irid. S. cuprea is the most handsome, being a rosy copper-colour with black marks in the centre. S. elegans is white and blue, and more scarce than S. cuprea. These may be grown in the same way as Ixias, in a warm, sheltered border, or in pots. When grown in the greenhouse, they flower in April or May; but in the border they do not flower till June.
Tritonia is a grand section of Irids, and some of the species much resemble Ixias. The same treatment as Ixias will suit them. T. aurea is the only one which it is quite safe to grow out of doors, and that must have some protection in winter. November is the proper time to pot them, in a mixture of loam, leaf-mould, and peat, with plenty of bright sand. Keep them rather dry till they begin to grow. T. aurea makes a fine bush-like plant if grown in a large pot. Five bulbs may be put in a pot seven inches across, and the plants will grow two feet high, and bloom superbly. The colour of the flowers is reddish-orange. The best of all for the greenhouse shelf is T. crocata, which can be grown five bulbs in a 6-inch pot; and most important is it that the bulbs are not disturbed or repotted more often than every four or five years, for when repotted often they do not flower well. The plants should not be tied to sticks, but be allowed to fall about in their own way; they are then very pretty with garlands of scarlet-orange flowers. T. rosea is a beautiful rosy flower. The best way for the amateur who loves fine flowers is to grow all the Tritonias and Ixias obtainable. He will not easily obtain too many sorts, for each will have a charm to afford him fresh delight.
Tulips.—Treat as directed for hyacinths, but put three bulbs in a 48-size pot. The early tulips are the most useful for greenhouse culture, and the safest way to ensure a flue display is to have two sets of bulbs, so as to be enabled to plant them out alternately in October, one season’s growth in the open ground in rich soil being sufficient to restore their energies for growing in pots again the following season. They increase freely by offsets, and considering their high quality, and that one purchase of roots is sufficient for a lifetime, they are the cheapest of all the early flowering bulbs in cultivation.
Violets.—The Neapolitan and Russian violets are well known, yet they are not grown so extensively in small gardens for the conservatory as they should be. The double variety of the latter is very sweet-scented, highly ornamental, and useful for bouquets. To ensure a good supply of violets it is necessary to put out strong runners as early in the season as they can be had, in a bed of rich soil. They should be planted at a distance of nine inches apart one way and twelve inches the other, and if the weather happens to be dry, water liberally three or four times in the course of the summer. Beyond watering and keeping the bed free from weeds very little attention will be required throughout the growing season. Early in October lift them carefully, and put the clumps singly in pots, or two or three together in large pans. For supplying flowers for bouquets and vases they should be planted in a bed of light rich soil made up on a heap of warm leaves in a pit. It will be advantageous if those in pots are started with the assistance of a bed of leaves only, as the heat given off by them appears to suit them better than the heat from hot-water pipes or flues.
RUSTIC JARDINET FOR CROCUSES.