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ON wee grene CONOR Here ene pevewi arin g Uae ny See ee ee es Seay eer ee) CA ne ee ay teehee og Da WC thataee cr en ce en ee ee Cee er ne Derek RPDS nc Wren Wei Cer Tn rt Deen a ee PE DO ny SOV Ce SNE Oy Nee et ee NO Cn tenn cat a are RB teaghake bt Dill Vice Sean ees. OO erm cree 2 er | Le OC hy erie eR vod RR eat oF Oo preny tove SOON e rare sealing ee ee Fete Men Pep cence tees MENEAME NE 2AM) 2 Pa. gb Has EAB 7h de nev tNet as wwe oe THN ENN kt ton TAT PON Same ain en corer’ PY WON NR Cr tte Ny POP Bene e LOO amr tesa op PPO Oe whee, ue Be NTN Gee ke Vm ee come Fer e men OI uee gt Me OT ED te Oe eee . UPA A nd eee een Ce Wn ee ec a ae RRNA ath Lint of tes We AL evinn a Baal .e pop Nii Ny MONAT 8 Nei Use Me Rene eee nant te . Ue Ty ery ar eae Sa eC nk SUL CICA Son THe ta eee Serpe an 1 € saboapt Sees BA aAiers stm, cy tba ate a Seteeeere Src rer owe Nak EVO Wee eee I ON ea on DOTS See ty BAAN MEE NMASIS eulMast as\ee jus, thes ny NUON Staten new WU hee ae wee s. eT Peron cnn CONV N ae TOMS Lee tee ae aes SON a OR EE eas Oe re Care PMO AOU Re ee gee tty LEME NP On gate, Nan . ushte Sch t Sanne URNS seed neg as sake VM Nome 8 hay wit, De WMG Wa Nee tases Ook Ceti Ne Lie. POM mL ELEN A ee te ee Se VN EU We eg Ok tee Meno pe ed AUN MA See Pet Men tH SHS TN NATE Saag Gather TA EEL Ne ys OR ee ee eh Meee eee te Seen wr een Pe be Me ee nes hay! Me aeeee . . ; mete a . : ; i ised BOE) ; = win tach intl oe ee eer WA NEE TS tae, , tly gue fee tscu tee eure : BaD PGE CROCCO TINE car] Abb oak nin vo 4 sen ANL ear out Rectiectaiatd onkinvene Sean eae he hetvearvepia a ° ¥ , ie FLOW ERS FOR THE PARLOR AND GARDEN. — BY YW : EDWARD SPRAGUE.RAND, Jr. “ t7 ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN ANDREW AND A. C. WARREN. : ~~. ; n : an es UV} ; ree a“ ye i NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY HURD AND HOUGHTON: Cambridge: The Ribersive Press. 1876. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by Epwarp S. RAND, JR., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by EDWARD SPRAGUE RAND, Jr., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington TO ee ese Ig IN MEMORY OF PLEASANT HOURS AT VIOLET BANK. PREFACE TO THE TWENTY-FIFTH EDITION. ——_- EW would have predicted, when in 1863 the first edi- - tion of “ Flowers for the Parlor and Garden ” was is- sued, the favorable manner in which it would be received by the public. There was at the time a want of a manual of culture, which the volume supplied. From the position it then took as the standard work on popular floriculture, it has never been displaced, and now, thirteen years from the time of its first publication, it remains the recognized authority on the subject. 7 The present time, however, seems fitting to issue the work in an enlarged form, with additions which bring its pages up to the horticultural standard of the present day. This has been done by the addition of three new chap- ters, in which will be found concise notices of many new and rare plants, as well as notes on improved methods of cultivation. In a manual of culture, embracing many classes of plants, it is impossible, without exceeding the reasonable limits of the work, to give long lists or extended descrip- iV PREFACE TO THE TWENTY-—FIFTH EDITION. tions, and in the present volume these have not been at- tempted. 3 The object has been to give brief notices of the best species, trustworthy directions for culture, and practical suggestions as to the adaptation of various plants to special modes of culture. Those who wish more extended directions, or longer lists of species and varieties, are referred to the companion volumes, “ Garden Flowers,” “ Bulbs,” “ Popular Flowers,” “The Window Gardener,” and “ Rhododendrons and American Plants,” in which the several subjects will be found treated at length with all the suggestions and practi- cal knowledge which an experience of many years has — afforded. The six volumes now before the public as just issued in revised editions, form an indispensable guide to the amateur cultivator. While they touch upon matters in all branches of floriculture, there are subjects which demand still more elaborate treatment. To this end we have in preparation six other volumes, on Greenhouse Plants, Stove Plants, Hardy Shrubs, Or- chids, Ferns, and Horticultural Nomenclature, which, with the volumes already issued, will form a complete library of horticulture, and for these we bespeak the favor of all lovers of flowers. GLEN Riven, January, 1876. CHAPTER SE II. III. CONTENTS. SS EES BePracvumnsie. ° beihcs Mee uated hc GATT ee THe GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. . . . . Window GAnmEN es | athe iacne? “Se Bagewisi 8 Piants FoR Winpow GARDENING. . . . . . Prants FoR Winpow GARDENING — Continued. . . Piants FoR Winpow GARDENING — Continued.. . Puants FoR Window GARDENING — Continued. . Saas EOI ETES Sp ah te tke en ap oe Sn ah be) Mer Soli EOS TEEPE DM Sa SR ee AR APR ore ae Rk THE CuLTURE OF THE TUBE Rose... .°. 4 ¢ un GrAnionis AND ITS. CULTURE. « «fa... 8. « How To Force Frowers To Bioom IN WinTER. is Batcony GARDENING. . . bs SVG a. « THE Warp1IAN CasE, AND WINTER GARDEN. . . Sracxine AND MANAGING WARDIAN CASES... . Hancinc BaskETs AND SvuITABLE PLANTS, AND SRE MEMENT. OF LVNn | oe ote ome 1 * (5) 6 CONTENTS. XVI. 2TaE Warrontan Case..«, -. <2 +, \6 i» Geuuomenee XVII. Tue Aquarium anp Water Puants. . » ae 273 XVIII. How tro Grow SpEecIMEN PLANTS. . « . .- XIX. Ovr-poor Garpeninc.— HorT-Beps. . . . . © 307 BOX: Bae GaARDEDS (a 6 8 le dl ee Bee pec ne MX. Swart Trees AND SHRUBS... 50 60 eee XXII. Harpy HERBAcEovs PLANTS. 0 EO oe aes XMM: Harpy ANNUALS: . 4)... sos) ees XXEM. 2 Beppinc PLants. . 9% « ° ss sue Reeg XXV. Harpy anp Hatr-narpy GarpEn Briss... « = 370 X XVI. Sprina FLowERS, AND WHERE TO FIND THEM.. . 381 APPENDIX. XXVIII. New AzALEAs.— Notes on CycLhAMEN. — NEW PELARGO- NIUMS. — VERBENAS. — HELIOTROPE. — NEW Roses. — Pinks. — FucusiAs. — ABUTILON. — CALLAS. — CUPHEA. — CHRYSANTHEMUMS. XXVIII. New Hyacinrus. — GLADIOLUs. — BEDDING CALCEOLARIAS. — Forcine LILY oF THE VALLEY. — LANTANAS. — NEW CANNAS. — ORCHIDS FOR THE PARLOR. — FERNS FOR THE PARLOR. XXIX. New Harpy SHruss. — AMYGDALOPSIS.— HYDRANGEA. — ExocHorpDA.— NEw LinAcs. — RHopotTyPus.— RAPHEO- LEPIS — MAGNOLIA. — SPIREA. — NEw HARDY ROsEs. — AMPELOPSIS. — LONICERA. — CLEMATIS. *Neath cloistered boughs each floral bell that swingeth, And tolls its perfume on the passing air, Makes Sabbath in the fields, and ever ringeth A call to prayer. NK, HUS sung Horace Smith, in fears gone by, in one of the ; sweetest floral poems which the English language has produced. —a verse which speaks to the heart, where its measured cadences flow in sympathy with the uprising love of Nature which springs unbidden, and sends forth its music - to gladden many a rugged path of life. The love of flowers is universal: it is an old melody, (7) 8 INTRODUCTION. which, first attuned, in earliest time, in the golden age of legendary lore, has come down to us, growing more mellow -and sweeter as it chimed through the centuries, and now, as then, echoed, with a music akin to that of heaven, in the human heart. : And this floral music has not been without its deep and lasting influence: little may we know of the countless paths of life which it has made brighter, and which have, long ages since, ended beneath a grassy, flower-sprinkled grave; but we see it breathing over us from the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian capital, sounding from the silence of medieval marble, and echoing, again and again, in the rich strains of deathless poesy.. It is one of the links binding the present to the past, joining us in sym- pathy with those. who lived long ago; and while we gather the rose, the lily, or the violet, we but ae a - pledge with the olden time, and our heart beats in sym- pathy with the universal heart-beat of the human race for centuries. What volumes might be written on the history, the legends, the poetry of flowers! ‘Yet, dear reader, pleasant, and profitable withal, as such reading might be, ours is a homelier purpose. We glean not the legends of the past, . INTRODUCTION. 9 but offer you what may give promise for the future; and believing this love of flowers to be a good, an almost holy feeling, it is our wish to minister to its development. It bas been said that no botanist was ever an infidel; may we not also say that no true lover of flowers can be a bad man? | There is a secret influence arising from these bright gems of nature, which imperceptibly makes one holier and purer. And for this let the love of flowers be encouraged. Develop it in the mind of a child. Let him grow up sur- rounded by flowers, and be assured that, in the garden of the heart, the blossoms will unfold, and golden fruit ripen in after years. ; “We have said that the love of flowers is universal: we see them alike in the dwellings of the rich and the poor; in the workman’s shop, in the window of the busy factory, peeping into the poor man’s window, and trellised round the abode of the rich. Yet with all this love for flowers, there is very little knowledge of culture. A plant is a living being; it drinks and breathes; it is sensitive as the most delicate constitution to changes of 10 INTRODUCTION. temperature, and extremes of cold and heat; its tissues are as delicate as any in nature; it has wants, which must ibe attended to as they arise, and neglect is sure to result ‘in disease or death. There are two extremes in plant cul- ture, as usually pursued: the plants are either starved to death or overfed; the result is the same, whether caused ‘by neglect or kindness. We have often heard Spade expressed at the beauty of ‘some plant grown in the poor man’s parlor—a beauty -which those of his wealthy neighbor do not attain. The reason is simple: in the one case, the wants are well pro- ‘vided for; in the other, they are neglected or over supplied. And here we touch the object of this little book, which ‘is to tell, in as few and simple words as possible, what ‘these wants are, and how they may best be attended to. A plant, or a stand of flowers, is a constant source of pleasure in a room; it is a spring of sunshine, and its silent influence makes all the household more cheerful — and better. ~~ We would have flowers in every house, for their sunny light, for their cheerful teaching, for their insensibly enno- ° bling influence. pr ‘‘But they are so much trouble!” exclaims one. Granted, a INTRODUCTION. 11 dear madam. _ But has your experience thus far in life failed to teach you that all the good things of God come but from our own exertions? Are they not the dearer to us because we have labored to bring them home? Yet again I touch my theme: I would teach you how to have the finest flowers with the least trouble. «< But flowers in a room are so unhealthy!” exclaims the nervously sensitive. — By no means. ‘‘ Do they not exhale poisonous gases >?” But slightly ; and never can the few plants you would have produce enough to be hurtful. The smallest lamp burning in your bedroom will poison the air, by abstracting its oxygen, more than a whole bay window full of plants. | There are, however, two other considerations which should not be overlooked — the effect of powerful perfumes from flowers, which, being, in some cases, such as tube- roses, many orchids, &c., given off very powerfully by night, may cause headache by impregnating the air; and the dampness, which is exhaled from plants in pots. What, however, can be easier than the remedy, in the former case? Simply remove the blooming plants from the room at night, 12 INTRODUCTION. And in the latter, the dampness will hardly be percep- tible from any number of pots one would be likely to have in a single room. a And yet again we propose to tell how even this may be avoided, by the growth of plants in the Wardian case — an experiment at once beautiful and eres We have said that plants breathed and drank; and so, as living beings, they have many different modifications of the same organization. What is nourishment and life to some is poison and death to others. Who has not been seized, when entering some well-stocked green-house, with the desire to carry home some of the floral treasures? and who has not been perplexed what to choose? And with reason: some plants, will flourish with window culture; others droop and die. Our subject, again: it is to tell you what to choose that we have taken our pen. Your neighbor, the florist, grows tuberoses to perfection ; yours are profuse in leaves, but never bloom: we will tell you the secret of culture. He has violets all winter, and you sigh for a green- house: it is not necessary; he does not grow his violets in the green-house ; you may have them, as well as he. And once again: admire as we will and must the exotic INTRODUCTION. 13 beauties of our gardens and green-houses, there are floral treasures few have dreamed of. The road sides, the fields, the meadows, the river side, the woods, are teeming with them — delicate flowers, graceful grasses, filmy ferns, ra- diant lichens, and lovely mosses. Have you never gathered these? Then let us take you by the hand on some sunny day in early June, and lead you with us. Sit with us on the lap of Nature, and cull her precious but ever-renewed store, and you will find a new and unimagined pleasure, a joy as free as God's own sun and air, the child of sunlight and vernal breezes. Did you ever think of the difference in meaning between the two verbs, to live and to exist? Did you ever think how few people live, compared with those who exist? Did you ever think there may be a blindness far worse than loss of vision —a blindness of the spirit’s eye to the beauty which the hand of a bountiful Creator has so lavishly spread around us? And again for this I write; to tell you of that beauty, to open the eye to it; not to tell you where to find it, for it is every where on this broad earth; but, by pointing out its most striking features, to gradually lead you to see it all around. -And from this contemplation of Nature’s beauty there 2 14 INTRODUCTION. is but the uplifting of the eye to the footstool of the Creator. As we began, so let us end, in the soulful poem, — ‘¢ Were I in churchless solitudes remaining, Far from all voice of teachers and divines, My soul would find, in flowers of God’s ordaining, Priests, sermons, shrines.” - GuEN Rives, April, 1863. “ C HAAcP "T.E RY &: oF THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. The Stoye.— The Hot-house.— The Green-house.—The Conservatory. — The Pit. — ‘‘ Span-roofed’’ and “ Lean-to’? Houses. — Exposure. — Construction and Materials. — Pitch of Roof and Cost.—Interior Ar- Yrangements. — Heating. — ‘‘ Lean-to’’ House. — Interior Arrangement. — A Pit.— Proper Heating Apparatus.— The Brick Stove.— The Water ‘Boiler. — Shutters. — A Cheap Green-house. — Its Construction and Cost. — Ventilation. — The Parlor Conservatory. — Heating. — Interior Ar- (15) 16 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. rangements.— Stocking the Green-house.— Mistakes of Overstocking.— Neglected Plants. — Symmetrical Growth. — Camellias. — Daphnes.— Azaleas,— Acacias. — Fuchsias. — Climbers. — Miscellaneous Plants. — One Hundred Choice Plants. =O OW shall I build a Green-house? |e is the question that arises in the mind of the amateur, when the happy time arrives which permits him to indulge the dream of many years. Straightway he applies to an architect, or consults some book on horticultural buildings : the result is a glass structure, which fulfils all architectural requirements, is in good taste and of elegant appearance, and which lacks but one thing — adaptation to a purpose; that is, ‘the healthy growing of plants. Now, why is this failure? Simply because the rules governing the growth of plants under glass were not followed; we must adapt our houses to the plants, and not expect the plants to conform to the houses. As a general rule, in building a green-house, avoid ‘“ cheap buildings,” for, be assured, they will become dear enough THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. tt in the end. Use only the best materials, and these of the most durable kind. Remember that the alternations of temperature, and the constant moisture, speedily affect the best timber, and that poor material is sure to be soon rendered useless by dampness and decay. | But, as many are not able to build expensive structures, we propose to give a number of plans for buildings, of various cost. Let us first, however, thoroughly understand the sub- _ ject, and find out what we need. There are many glass structures, all indiscriminately called ‘‘ green-houses.”” In common parlance, any glass house for the growth of plants is a green-house; but, hor- ticulturally, there are different names for structures of different forms, and adapted for different purposes. What, then, is the difference between a hot-house and a stove? a green-house and a hot-house? a conservatory and a green-house ? - A Stove isa plant house, constructed with reference to obtaining a great degree of heat, where the temperature should never fall below seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and ‘may rise even to one hundred and twenty degrees. The atmosphere is kept moist by constant evaporation of water, 2% 18 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. -and external air, when. admitted, is tempered by paseng over heated surfaces, lest the tender plant receive a chill. In this building are grown plants natives of the equator, and the East Indian orchids. It is often arranged so as to afford bottom heat, without which many of these plants do - not succeed. The term Hot-house, properly speaking, is synonymous with stove: it is, however, used to designate any building in which artificial heat is used; a homhouse! or stove, being a house in which such a high temperature is maintained. - A Green-house is a glass structure, where the tempera- ture ranges from forty to seventy degrees, and is calculated for the growth of those plants which will not bear the cold of our winters without injury. The term is, however, improperly and indiscriminately applied to any glass struc- ture, either with or without fire heat. 9 _ The term “‘ conservatory”’ is used properly to designate a show house, where the temperature ranges from forty to sixty degrees, and into which plants are removed, when coming into bloom, from the other houses. It is improperly applied, however, to any glass structure in which plants and flowers are grown. The glass structures connected with parlors are alsa THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 19 called conservatories, and this signification of the word is generally accepted. A fit is a structure below the surface of the ground, generally excavated six to eight feet, and covered with a glass roof. From such a structure the frost is excluded with little expense, and a great heat may be maintained. It is usually a cheap building, used for propagation, grow- ing roses, and forcing vegetables. 3 The glass structure which will be in general request is _ the green-house, which is adapted forthe growth of most of. our flowering plants. The same structure may be con- -verted into a stove by merely increasing the power of the heating apparatus. A green house may be i span-roofed ” (Big. 1), or ‘‘lean-to-’ (Fig. 2), Fic. 2. Fic. 1. that is, with both sides _.of the roof of glass, or with a back wall of brick, stone, or wood, the roof and front being glass. The former is better for the symmetrical and healthy growth of the plants, but requires powerful furnaces to maintain sufficient heat; the latter is more economical, both in structure, and heating, and is sufficient to grow most of our ordinary “ green-house plants.” 20 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. A span-roofed house should run north and south, so as to receive the greatest possible amount of sun in the wien or, if this is impossible, it will be necessary to provide close shutters for all the northern exposure. A ‘lean-to” house should run east and west, thus facing the south. | Now, having selected our site, which should be sheltered from the north as much as possible, let us mark out a space, say forty feet long and twelve feet wide ; around the outside of this excavate a trench, from two to four feet in depth, according to the nature of the soil (a damp, clayey soil requiring more depth than one of light, sandy consist- ency, the object being to get below the reach of the frost), and about one foot or more in width. This done, fill the trench to within a foot of the top with stones; on these build a eight-inch wall of brick or stone, laid in hydraulic cement, to the height of one foot above the surface level ; on this lay a heavy wooden sill, which should be of sea- soned pine, which bears exposure better than other woods. Now for the carpenter work. You will have three feet of wood work, upright, in front, all round, both sides; you will need two lights, from eaves to cap, on each side, each six feet long and three to four feet wide. That would give THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 21 you ten lights, of four feet in width, on each side, for your house of forty feet. But as three feet gives us a more manageable light, it will be better to have one or two more, and make them of that width. The upper lights, on both sides, should slide or swing so as to afford easy ventilation ; the lower should be stationary. The upright windows of the side should swing out, being hinged at the top; the ends of the house should be permanently glazed, with a door in one, or, if desirable, in each end. The pitch of the roof should be forty-five degrees. Now, a house of this description could be built for about ten dollars per running foot. The glazing, of good serviceable glass, is included in this estimate, as well as hinges, ropes, and pulleys. The interior arrangement must vary according to the taste and means of the owner. If it is desired to make it a winter garden, a broad path should be laid, in gravel or cement, all round, at a distance, of about two feet from the side. The centre should be a bed of rich, prepared soil, in which large plants, such as acacias, and abutilons, should be planted. All around the side, and even with the bottom of the glass, a shelf should be built, about two feet wide, to be filled with flowering plants, in pots. Roses and other climbers ~ should be trained up the rafters. 22 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. The heating apparatus should run under the shelf along the sides, and may be hot water, or, what is the simplest, » though perhaps the most expensive, from the waste of heat, the old brick flue. A house of fine kind would present somewhat this appearance. ‘Now, if a span-roofed house is too expensive, or we wish something simpler, let us see how easy it is to build a ‘‘lean-to” on the same plan. We have only to take one half of the span roof. Let aus build our back wall of brick, good nine-inch work, with a suitable cap; and with a coat of paint given now and then, our green-house will last, without repairing, for many — years. A ‘lean-to” house, built after this plan, would present somewhat the appearance of Figure A. The cost would not be far from five hundred dollars. THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 23 This might be much reduced by making the back wall of wood, instead of brick, and sheathing it inside; but it would not be so warm, and in the end would be more expensive, as it would, after a few years, require constant repairs. Most of the houses of florists who raise flowers for the market are not properly green-houses, but pits ; that is, they are excavated from two to four feet below thé surface of the ground, and the roof laid on very low, so that a great saving of heat is effected. The dampness is congenial to the plants, which often thrive wonderfully ; but these structures, being cheaply built, soon fall to pieces. As a general rule, in all horticultural structures, every part which is to come near, or in contact with, the ground, should be of stone or brick; and, carrying this principle still farther, the less wood work we have, the better. \ 24 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. Could it be afforded at a reasonable price, it would be better to have the rafters of iron, as has been done in some cases. The interior of the house may be arranged in two ways, if a staging is required; the first, and, to our mind, the preferable arrangement, is, to build side shelves, as above described, and to run a long, flat table through the middle of the house, on which to place the plants, in pots. In a stove, this table is made a box, about a foot deep, which is filled with moss, into which the plants are plunged, to the rims of the pots; the hot water pipes are carried under, or through, this box, the moss is kept constantly damp, and thus a moist bottom heat is obtained, most congenial to the growth of the plants. The second mode is by a stage of ascending shelves, conforming to the roof of the house, a flat platform on top, for larger plants, the shelves again descending on the other side. By this mode, a great number of plants may be accommodated in a small house. The former mode is to be adopted where beautiful plants are desired; the latter, _ where quantity is the object, rather than quality. In a lean-to house, unless it is very wide, the latter is the only method to be adopted; and if care is used not to THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 95 crowd the plants, and the shelves are made wide enough, and the plants are frequently turned, to prevent them from growing one-sided, very creditable specimen plants may be produced. The accompanying sketch may serve to illus- trate this mode of interior arrangement. A small stove, or forcing house, is usually an adjunct to a conservatory; in this the plants are brought forward, and forced into bloom, and . then brought into the conser- . vatory, where, in the cooler air, they will remain in per- fection a long time. It is also very useful for forcing straw- berries, and cucumbers,’ or early vegetables. All parts should be of masonry, and the large bed raised in the middle should have a hollow air chamber underneath, through which the hot-air pipes should pass, and should be built up of brick. The following sketch will give an idea of a pit of this kind. The cost would vary very much with the size, and the materials used, but the best could be built for about ten dollars per running foot. 3 26 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. The heating apparatus may vary at the caprice of the owner ; as these pits waste but little heat, a common brick stove will answer every purpose, and consumes but ttle fuel. This mode of heating is used by Mr. Rivers in all his pits and green-houses, and is thus described : — The stove is a small mass of brick work, about two feet square and three feet high; or it may be larger, if great heat is required, the front looking thus : — On opening the cast iron door, you see a small chamber about twelve inches square, with a grate at the bottom, on which the fire is made; the other door, 6, opens to an ash pit, of the same size, or perhaps deeper, below the fire. THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 27 In this ash-pit door there is a small hole, to admit air needful for combustion. This stove is on the principle of the air-tight stove, and consumes but little fuel, a small hod full keeping the fire for twenty-four hours. The fire is surrounded by two thicknesses of brick, the inner one fire brick; thus the heat given out is gradual, and the plants are not injured, as is often the case with our iron stoves. ‘There is, of course, a small flue, running _ back into a chimney, to carry off the smoke. The common covering of this stove is a thick cast iron plate, c. If, however, a higher and more. uniform temperature is required, an iron boiler may be added to the stove. This is cast in one piece; the pipes are of wrought iron, and screw on. It should be set directly over the fire chamber, so that its bottom will be on a line with the top of the door, a, and its top is covered by the iron plate, c. As the water in this. boiler becomes heated, it rises and flows through the pipe, e, which is run a one end, or quite round the house, and returning, enters the boiler again a2 its bottom, 7, as shown in the figure. _ As the boiler is tight, the water = = of course makes the circuit of the whole pipe, and keeps up a. constant circulation. bh a) ‘THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. In fact, the whole pipe, which rises but a few inches in its course, may be pon idewed a boiler, the only opening to which is at the highest point of the pipe, e, that is, if the pipes run around the house at the end farthest from the boiler, where there is an opening with a small reservoir for supplying it with water. This is the simplest form of hot-- water heating; it may be varied in size to any extent, and will heat any pit sufficiently. In heating green-houses, a great saving of fuel is effected by the use of. wooden shutters fitted to all exposed portions of the range of glass. They may be made of rough boards, and should, while heavy enough to keep their place by their own weight, be of manageable size. They should be put on as soon as the sun leaves the house, and also on windy days and nights; some days in winter they should not be removed at all. The most difficult nights to keep a green-house warm are those when the mercury shows from twenty to thirty degrees of frost, with a violent wind sweeping over the house. The wind carries off the heat very rapidly, and it is easier to maintain a high tem- perature with the mercury twenty degrees below zero, and no wind, than in a windy night, when the thermometer only shows twenty degrees of frost. THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 29 But, says my impatient reader, I cannot build span- roofed houses or pits at a cost of three to four hundred dollars; yet flowers are to me a necessity ——I must have them. My carpenter has frightened me with estimates ; _ tell me how to build a cheap house. Attention, then: Your house must be about twenty-five feet long by twelve feet wide; smaller if you choose, but you will find this will give you little enough room. Pro- cure ten stout cedar posts, the larger the better, each about eleven feet long. Set them in a line, two and one half feet apart, on the northerly line of the space marked out for your house, having previously charred them half an inch deep for at least three feet at the lower end. Set them three feet deep, and ram them well; they are the back wall of your house. Opposite each of these, and twelve feet from it, set ten cedar posts, six feet long, equally stout, charred, and set three feet deep. Mou have now the out- line of the house, and the aacleaon which will give the proper pitch to your roof. : Board up your back wall with good pine boards, charred where they come in contact with the ground; also the three feet of front between the ground and the eaves (or, if stone is’ plenty, it is far better to lay up a wall in 3% 30 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY: cement); shingle the back outside, and lathe and plaster, or rather back-plaster, as it is called, within. If your © | front is board, clapboards look better than shingles, and | cost but little more. Board up and shingle the ends, leaving one or more doors, as may be desired. Sink a. walk, two feet wide, through the middle of the length of the whole house, deep enough to give plenty of head room; board, stone, or brick up the sides. Your structure, thus far, is very inexpensive. Now for the rafters and glass roof. It is not, for our purpose, necessary to have sliding sashes, nicely fitted and framed, or grooved rafters; these are expensive. The roof must be one entire piece. But do you dispense with ventilation? By no means. This would be a fatal neglect, in our climate, with such a power- ful summer sun. It is easily provided for by having boards, # and y, both | front and rear, either at intervals or along the whole line, as may be needful. These are hung y | | on hinges, so as to open 0 7. = AE : ae | a outwards, and permit a 26 . * ~. current of air fo pass through the whole breadth of the house. THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. ot To construct the roof, form a “plate” along the posts, front and back; to this nail the rafters, running from post cs post. Into these rafters fit lighter pieces of wood, run- ning at right angles with the rafters the whole length of the house, letting the top be flush with the top of the rafter, thus, R R being the Piers, C C being the cross-pieces. Then, parallel with the eae. along the whole length of the house, nail other lighter strips to the cross-pieces, C C, securing them at eaves and top to the plate. These strips should be grooved like a common sash bar, and. laid upon the roof just far enough apart to receive the glass. Glaze with common clear ee Paint all with fire-proof paint, and you have a green-house sufficient for all purposes, at a cost of about six dollars per foot. This cost may be indefinitely increased by using finer materials ; our estimate is for rough boards and common glass. Heat by a common stove, as above described, or by a brick flue. For this latter, however, a small cellar near one end, cov- 32 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. ered with a bulk-head door, will be necessary for the furnace ; and also a shed for storing coal, and for a potting zoom. This may be built on behind at a .trifling cost. It is also eriaaable to have a gutter along the eaves, to - catch the water from the roof. This should communicate with a large hogshead sunk in the ground inside, and thus a Sipply of water, of the proper temperature, is always at hand. | , | A structure of this sort will answer equally well for a ‘cold grapery, or for a peach house, in which cases the ‘plastering may be dispensed with, and the house may be attened instead of shingled, te which the cost would be ‘somewhat reduced. A conservatory, communicating with the parlor, is a ‘beautiful addition to a house, and is easily constructed. ‘We live in the age of bow windows, and by ieee one of mace our conservatory is built. Let the sides and end be of glass; the sides may be stationary or sliding windows; the end, a door opening upon the lawn or sanden walk. The roof should have some sliding sashes for ven- tilation. The width must be that of the bay window; the length may be according to the taste of the owner, but, to look well, should be proportioned to the width. It THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 33 should communicate with the parlor by glass doors, in order to prevent the dampness from entering the house. Heating should be done by a small stove, with hot-water boiler fitted as above described, the pipes to be carried round the house, and hidden by shelves for plants. The interior arrangements must vary with the taste of the owner. Climbers, such as roses, bignonias, and passion flowers, should be planted in large tubs, or in sunken brick pits, filled with prepared soil. | The stove may be hidden by a staging, or by large plants standing around it; or, if desired and convenient, the heating apparatus might be in the house cellar, and only the pipes, which could be hidden, enter the con- servatory.. This conservatory may run south, east, or west; but in any case, wooden shutters, to be put up on cold and windy nights, should be provided for the sides. Double windows may be used, but the plants do not thrive so well as with single glass. And now, having built our green-house, we must stock it. Do not, however, be in haste; the green-house wil: fill up fast enough. Let us not run into the error of almost all amateurs, and overstock; let our aim be quality, rot 34 THE GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. quantity ; and, to enable us to select, let us look at other green-houses, and gain from the experience of others. Let us visit any green-house in our neighborhood, and care- fully examine the collection: in how many shall we find a dozen really beautiful specimen plants? Here and there, now and then, a fine, well-bushed, or trained, well-propor- tioned plant may be seen; but the mass are tall, long- drawn, ungainly, ugly plants, which, aside from their com- panions, possess no beauty or symmetry. How, then, do they appear so well? By grouping; each hides the defects of each, and a _ stage-full of these ugly, ill-grown plants may often present a fine appearance. But this is not the true end to be gained in floriculture; in this way we can never approximate to perfection; the evil grows year by year. Of what plants are the collections composed? Plants from every region of the globe, all huddled together in a. space not large enough generally to grow those of one country to perfection. A small house, some sixty feet long, will be found to contain a collection of degree of success, a careful and con- stant attention to details is necessary. p> These details are all little things in themselves; they seem almost trivial; but fj their observance is imperative, if we would ey have our plants in healthy foliage and profuse bloom. It is by the neglect of all, or some of these, that; plants grown in rooms usually present. such a diseased, unhealthy appearance. Any one of us can call to mind some friend, who, as we say, is always successful with flowers; has blossoms when no one else can, and whose plants are models of health and beauty. We laughingly say, the flowers are his friends; he knows them, and they bloom for him; and so it is, in fact; he knows their peculiarities, attends to their wants, feeds them properly, affords the requisite light and air. Is it then a wonder that for him the grateful flowers put on i) 50 WINDOW GARDENING.. _ their richest dress of green, and reach out their perfumed blossoms ? But before we give rules for growing window plants, let us look at these little things, which may come under the head of general instructions. And, first, the SITUATION. We have decided to srow window plants, and we must ‘now choose our window. Let it, if possible, face the east or south; that is, be one which receives the full rays of the ‘morning sun. If we are unfortunate enough not to have such a window, choose the one having the most sun; the afternoon sun is better than none at.all. There are very few plants which will flourish without sunlight, and, as a ‘general rule, the more we can obtain the better. If you have a bay window, looking south, you need ask nothing better. HEATING. If possible, choose a room where the. temperature at night never falls below forty to forty-five degrees. Let this heat be maintained by an open fire, or by an air-tight stove, on which a large pan of water should be constantly evaporating. A furnace is injurious to plants, by reason t WINDOW GARDENING. sige of its dry heat only; the little gas escaping from our best furnaces is not sufficient to affect plants injuriously. And while speaking of gas, if possible avoid the use of gas light in the room; the unconsumed gas, always given off, is fatal to delicate plants, and hurtful to the most hardy. If you. must use gas in the room, arrange glass doors to shut off your plants from the room, or give up window plants, and confine yourself to growth in Wardian cases. If a furnace is your only means of heating, provide for sufficient. ; moisture by constant evaporation. Another objection to a furnace is, that it keeps the room too warm for a healthy srowth of the plants. The cause of so many window plants showing long,. white, leafless stalks, with a tuft of leaves on the end, is, too great heat and too little light. Proportion the two, and. you obtain a short, stocky, healthy growth. In rooms, this proportion is always unequal. In winter, there are eight hours of sun to sixteen of darkness; we keep the plant at a temperature of sixty to seventy degrees all the twenty-four. In a green-house, on the contrary, the tem- perature falls to forty degrees at night, rising, by the heat of the sun, by day, to a maximum of seventy. ae - WINDOW GARDENING. VENTILATION. _ This must not be neglected; it is as essential to the health of the plant as to the human organization. The best method of peavidins it is to open the top of the window when the sun’s rays are hottest on the plants. The quantity of air to be given must be proportioned to the outside tem- : perature. In cold, cloudy days, but little, and often none, should be given. Care must be taken never to allow a direct stream of cold air to blow upon any plant. _ WASHING. This must be done frequently. A plant breathes like an animal, and not through one mouth, but thousands. As is well known, the plant draws up its food from the soil through the roots, in a liquid form. This food, very much diluted, must be concentrated, and thus assimilated to the plant. We have in the leaves of the plant, a most beauti- ful arrangement to answer this need. They are filled with ‘ stomata,” or breathing pores, which allow exhalation when moisture is freely supplied, and check it when the supply falls off. These little mouths are found on both sides of the leaf in most plants, but usually on the lower side in by © far the greater number. They vary in different plants from WINDOW GARDENING. 53 several hundred to more than one hundred and fifty thou- sand to a square inch of leaf. Now we are careful in our own persons to bathe daily, lest, as we say, the pores of the skin become obstructed; yet we are willing to allow our plants to go unwashed for a whole winter, when the pores are much smaller, more numerous and delicate, than those of the body. ‘The rule is obvious: wash the leaves of the plants, both under and upper sides, at least once a week; if oftener, the better. Use water moderately warm, and if the plants become very dirty, a little weak soap-suds is beneficial. This washing should be carefully done with a soft sponge or cloth in the case of plants with thick, pol- ished leaves, such as camellias, oranges, and daphnes, Where plants have hairy leaves, or the substance is soft, water is best applied with a small syringe, fitted with a very fine “rose.” To use this, place the plant on its:side in the kitchen sink, syringe it well, turning it from side to side. Let it stand a few minutes for the water to drain off, and return it to its place: it will thank you for its bath by its bright foliage, Never wet the flowers of a plant; water always injures them; nor allow drops of water to stand on any leaves in the sunshine: the rays of the sun form a focus in the drop of water and scorch the leaf. Once a ‘ 5* 54. WINDOW GARDENING, month, at least, wash the stem and branches of all the hard- wooded plants with a soft sponge dipped in lukewarm water; this prevents the lodgment of insects, and con- tributes to the health of the plant. WATERING Is one of the most difficult subjects to prescribe by rule, -yet there are some rules of general application. Let it be always done with a watering-pot with a fine rose, such as may be procured at any tinman’s. ‘The advantage of this is, it allows the water to fall drop by drop -over the whole surface of the soil, whereas, if a pitcher is vused, the plants are deluged, or holes made in the earth by the stream of water, and the roots not unfrequently dis- turbed. Let it be done regularly; the morning is the best time, and once a day. The surface of the soil should never be allowed to become perfectly dry, nor should it be sodden with moisture. The temperature of the water used is of vital importance. It should neither be cold nor warm, but just the temperature of the atmosphere of the room. Thus no check, or chill, or undue excitement is given to the roots, both roots and branches being equally. warm. WINDOW GARDENING. ae A good plan is, to set over night a large pan of water among your flowers, then you will be sure of a sufficiency of water of the proper temperature for the morning water- ing. If this is too much trouble, remember in watering, it is better to have the water too warm than too cold, that is, of a higher rather than a lower temperature than the roots and branches. Now as to the quantity of water. No rule of universal application can be prescribed. What is life to one class of plants is death to another.. The amount of water necessary to make a calla lily thrive would kill a cactus or a heath, and yet the drought necessary for the cactus would be death to the heath. ; A good rule, however, is never to allow the soil to become dusty or muddy, and with drainage in potting the latter is easily prevented; by regular waterings, the for- mer. Particulars of treatment for different plants will be given when treating of each plant. Never allow water to stand in the saucers of the pots unless the plants are semi-aquatic. Pots. Choose the common flower-pots, selecting those which _ are light colored rather than those which are brick red; the 56 WINDOW GARDENING. - former are soft baked and are more porous; in these, the plants thrive better. Discard all glazed, china, glass, or fancy painted pots; they are not porous, and plants seldom thrive in them. There is nothing neater than the common earthen pot, if kept clean. If, however, something more ornamental is desired, choose some of the fancy pots, — and some are very pretty and artistic in design,—and let them be large. enough to set the common pot inside. But there is a very pretty way of fitting up a window which is but little practised; it is, in fact, making the win- dow a flower garden. Build from your window into the room a rounding wooden shelf, say, if the window ‘is large, three feet in diameter from window to outer edge, but at any rate proportioned to the size of the window. On this, place a large box, wood, or earthen ware unglazed, made to conform to the shelf, and in this put your plants, the taller at the back, the smaller in front, and on each side a climber to run over the top of the window, on a neat wire trellis or on strings. | It is desirable to have holes in the bottom of the box to allow superflous water to escape, and to permit this, the shelf should be covered with zinc, which is preferable to WINDOW GARDENING. 5G tin, as it does not rust, and have a low rim all around it, with a little hole to drain off the superfluous water running from the boxes. This is a very pretty way of window gar- dening, but is only to be practised in ‘a very light room; for in a room with but one window, the plants would all grow to the light, and being planted out, they could not be turned as if in pots. A pretty way to grow low plants, bulbs, and is to fit a box, say eighteen inches wide, and as long as the window, into the window, and then place the taller plants behind in pots. This box could be turned as occasion required, or as the plants grew towards the light, or could even be removed from window to window. PorrtinG. - But a few words are necessary. Always fill the lower inch of the pot with broken potsherds to secure drainage. In filling the soil around the plants, press it in firmly and eeablish the plant well. There is no advantage in loose potting. In re-potting, pare off as much of the old, sour soil as possible, being careful not to injure the roots, and place the ball of the plant in the centre of the new pot, filling in all around with fresh soil. As a general rule, plants need 58 WINDOW GARDENING: re-potting whenever the roots begin to curl round the inside of the pot, or as gardeners say, ‘‘ touch the pot.” This is easily ascertained by turning the pot down, striking the rim gently against some object by a quick rap, holding the ball of earth and the plant on the palm of the other hand. The plant may thus be taken from the pot and examined, returned again, settled by a smart stroke of the bottom of the pot on the table, and will be none the worse for the inspection. This is also a good way to detect worms in pots, they generally living near the outside of the ball. The operation must, however, be quickly done, or the worm will be too nimble and withdraw into the. interior of the ball. Stirring the surface of the soil is very beneficial, especially for roses, if the roots are not thereby injured. Top dressing is also prodee ae of good effects, particularly with old plants in heavy pots and tubs. It is simply removing the top soil as far down as the upper roots, and refilling the pot with fresh, light, rich soil. MaNnuRING Is not generally needed in pot plants. A mixture of pow- dered or small bits of charcoal in the soil adds a deeper lus-. tre to the green of the foliage and brilliancy to the color of WINDOW GARDENING. 59 the flowers.. Bone shavings produce the same effect on hyacinths. Liquid manure should. be sparingly used, and then very weak. . . | If guano, a tea-spoonful to a quart of water applied once a week. Liquid stable manure in about the same proportion, applied as seldom. Sort. In potting window plants rich soil should generally be used. The different kinds of soil are, — Peat, which is black earth or decomposed vegetable fibre, usually taken from meadows or damp woods. If a mixture of white sand is with it, it becomes more valuable. Ioam, our common garden soil. It may be black or light brown. The best is obtained by taking the turf of old pastures and letting it lay till it all crumbles. Sand, common, or “silver,” such as used by glass makers. It should be free from salt. White beach sand , may be freshened by frequent washings. | | Leaf asl, the decomposed leaves, being the top soil in old woods. => 60 WINDOW GARDENING. Manure, the material of an old hot-bed, well rotted and entirely decomposed; the older the better. From these five earths all the soil for green-house opera- tions is compounded. In treating of each plant hereafter we will give its con- genial soil. As a general soil for potting plants, we would say two — parts leaf mould, one part manure, one half part loam, one half part peat, one part sand. INSECTS. The only ones troubling house plants are, the green fly, the mealy bug, the scale, and the red spider. Green fly is to be killed by a smoking with tobacco. Put the plant under a barrel with smoking tobacco 5 det/at remain, say fifteen minutes; then give it a syringing. Mealy bug is to be searched for and destroyed. Fre- quent spongings do much to keep down this pest. Scale is to be treated in the same way. Warm soap-suds are peculiarly distasteful to the creature. Red spider, which is seldom found on house plants, is nourished by a dry, warm atmosphere. Water is certain death. Keep the foliage syringed and atmosphere moist, and you will have no red spider. ._ i = eee ~ a tf ky WINDOW GARDENING. 61 PRUNING i but little required. Should a branch grow out of place or die, it should be neatly cut off; and a judicious pinching does much to regulate the shape of a plant. More will be said on this subject in the chapter on specimen plants. Of course all dead leaves and old blossoms should be cut off at Once. wll ) il *LL teach thee miracles! Walk on this heath, And say to the neglected flower, ‘‘ Look up, And be thou beautiful!” If thon hast faith, It will obey thy word. CHAPTER III. PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. THE CAMELLIA: History. — Culture. — Soil. — Temperature. — Potting. — Pruning. — Selection of Varieties. ORANGE AND LEMON TREES: Culture. — Growth. — Blooming. — Varieties. — Seedlings. — Budding THE DAPHNE: Pruning. — Potting.— Varieties. — Soil. THE AZALEA (62) a pees PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 63 Description. — Potting. — Culture. — Pruning. — Varieties. THE HEATH: _ History. — Soil.— Drainage. — Watering.— Hard and Soft Wooded. — Temperature. — Summer Culture. — Re-potting. — Insects. — Rooting Plants. — Varieties. .THE CYCLAMEN: | Potting. — Soil. — Growth. — Seedlings. — Varieties. N the selection of our plants, we must be much influenced by the extent and loca- tion of our accommodations. Some plants thrive with less heat and light than others. As a general rule, choose only green-house plants, avoiding any usually catalogued by nurserymen as stove plants. Discard ferns and lycopodia. ‘With re PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. THE AZALEA. The Azalea Indica, or Chinese Azalea, is of Asiatic origin. The varieties are innumerable; but the most common and longest known variety is that. from which others are but hybrids, Azalea Indica. It is a strong growing plant, with long, coarse, evergreen leaves, producing in clusters of three or more, at the end of the branches red flowers marked with dark spots. This plant may be grown in great perfection, and, as well as all the varieties, is admirably ed for a window plant. The habit is shrubby, and the flowers are produced in great profusion. A. Indica alba has white flowers, and is a fine old variety. A. Indica purpurea is a variety with blossoms of alight purple color; a profuse bloomer, and of rapid growth. There is also a double variety. A. Indica coccinea is bright scarlet. From these all the fine varieties of the green-houses have been produced. To grow the plants in perfection good drainage is essen- tial. Fill the pot one quarter full of broken potsherds, then fill the soil to within nalf an inch of the top; soil, a . dark peat three parts, one part of loam, one half part of silver sand. PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. Ta Frequent re-potting conduces to the health of the plants. As a general rule, ‘re-pot when the roots run among the crocks at the bottom of the pot. Do not sift the soil; break it into small pieces. I’requent syringing is beneficial, but over-watering must be carefully avoided. Give full sunshine to the plant, but lay a little moss over the pot if the sun is very hot, to pro- tect the roots. Keep the plant about the temperature prescribed for camellias. As soon as the aneers fall growth begins. Give plenty of air and sun, for on this growth depends the bloom of the next year. It should be short, close, and the flower buds be set at the end of each branch. Set the plants out of doors in the summer, as prescribed for camellias. Azaleas may be’pruned into any shape. ‘This operation should be performed after the flowers have dropped, or after the plant has made its season’s growth. The Azalea is subject to rottenness of the roots, produced by a sodden soil, the effect of over-watering. The remedy is simple: re-pot the plant, and water moderately. Exces- sive dryness, the other extreme, produces yellow leaves and a general unhealthy appearance. 1 76 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. The following varieties are of proved excellence, and very distinct. All will succeed in the house. | Azalea amena, a lovely variety; flowers double purple; produced in great profusion in midwinter. Indica lateritia, salmon ; Danvelsiana, bright red; Per- reyana, scarlet; Murreyana, rose; Indica alba, white; Purpurea, purple; Coccinea, red. Beryana, pink and white; Variegata, rose and white; Gledstanesii, white, striped with red. This list might be increased an hundred fold. THE ERICA. HEATH. All the plants belonging to this genus are of a low, shrub- by habit, with fine acicular foliage. None are natives of America. ‘The fine varieties of our green-houses, with the exception of the common Lrica Mediterranea, are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, whence the gardener’s term, ““ Cape Heaths.” The erica will not thrive unless the soil is adapted to its peculiar nature; this is often very difficult to learn, and experience must sometimes be the teacher. The soil to obtain is one of a friable nature, full of vegetable fibre. We find in an old magazine the best directions we remem- PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 717 her to have met in regard to choice of soil. We give them entire for the benefit of our readers. : — | ‘‘ Heaths, like the azalea and rhododendron, make very small, hair-like roots; and where these latter are growing naturally, will be found a good locality to collect soil for the artificial cultivation of the former. This soil will be found full of decaying organic matter. Take up a handful of it, and you will find a mass of thickly grown, fine fibre, feeling like a bunch of moss. Examine it, and you will see _ that it is chiefly composed of a black debris of leaves and sticks, thickly interwoven with the roots of surrounding vegetation. An inch or two only of the surface should be taken; all below that is generally inferior, the organiz matter in it being too much decomposed. *< Where this deposit cannot be obtained, a good substitut: will be found in turves fot old pasture, cut thin, collected in dry weather, and piled in a heap two or three months before using, so that the vegetation in it may be slightly decomposed. Both in its chemical and mechanical prop- erties such a soil is nearly all that can be wished. In pre- paring it, however, it is better to chop it up rather fine, securing a proper mechanical texture by the admixture of coarse sand, broken charcoal, or even a few pebbles, or 7% 78 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. broken potsherds may be used to advantage for keeping the soil open, to allow free admission for atmospheric gases ; an essential point to be kept in view in the cultivation of all plants, more particularly those in pots, for they are then entirely dependent on the cultivator for those conditions which they receive in their natural habitats. ‘Such a soil as here recommended, kept sufficiently open by any of the above mentioned ingredients, is easily pene- twated by air, thereby increasing its temperature and faci}i- toting the decomposition of organic matter, during wh.ch process various healthful gases are supplied to plants.” ‘In either of the kinds of soil prepared as directed, heaths wid do well. The great point to obtain is a loose, porous soil; for this reason the soil should always be @koken, never sifted. Another requisite in heath culture, is good drainage ; this cannot be too strongly insisted upon; with the best of soil, the plants will suffer if water stagnates around the roots. | Fill the pot one fourth full of crocks, and be careful the hole at the bottom is kept open. Never place the pot in a saucer or vessel of any kind, for all water not absorbed must be allowed to drain off. The pots should be clean PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 79 and free from mould or dirt; cleanliness is a point too much neglected. In some sections of our country, much difficulty is expe- rienced in growing heaths; the water containing salts in solution which are fatal to the plant, and we know nursery- men who have altogether abandoned their culture. This seems the case in limestone countries, and we have noticed that heaths, of the tender varieties, when watered with « hard” water, grew sickly and soon died. The best plan is to use only rain water, and pursuing this course no diffi- culty will be experienced. It is a curious fact, that in its native countries, the heath is never found in a soil of which the substratum is lime or chalk. In England, heaths are always grown apart from other plants; with us they occupy ‘the coolest part of the green-house. As a general rule, nothing short of frost is too cold for them, and some varieties will bear several degrees of frost without injury. In the wild state, they are distributed over a vast range of country, which accounts for the different temperatures the varieties require; the degree of cold adapted to each, must be the lesson of experience. Among gardeners, heaths are termed hard-wooded or soft-wooded; the former make only a short growth each season, for example, L. Cavendeshii ; 80 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. the latter grow a foot or more, as H. Caffra and others. The two kinds require somewhat different treatment; the former being far more difficult to manage; they are, how- ever, far more beautiful, some even dazzling from the bril- liancy of their flowers. Heaths require plenty of air. If crowded, they are subject to mildew; a disease much more easily prevented than cured. Air should be given, if pos- sible, every day; but cold draughts should be avoided dur- ing the growing season. | Though heaths are often lost during the winter by grow- ing them in too high a temperature, yet the greatest mor- ~ tality is caused by the heat of summer. With many it is the custom to treat the plants as other hard-wooded plants ; to turn them out doors during the summer, under the shade puasome tree. °The consequence is, the. pots are often exposed to the hot sun, the tender fibrous roots become parched, and the plant dies; or else the drip from the trees rots the roots, producing the like result. Our experience ! has shown the best plan to be a different treatment for the plants according to their age. Early in June, all young plants should be planted out in a bed with a northern exposure; there they will grow luxuriantly during the sum- mer. Before the September frosts, re-pot them with care, ? PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 81 and winter as old plants. We have found a large bed pre- pared for rhododendrons and azaleas the most favorable place. It is sheltered from the south by a belt of white pines. The soil of prepared peat is suited to the wants of ‘the plant, while the large foliage of the rhododendrons keeps the soil moe by preventing rapid evaporation. For the older plants, we choose a shaded spot, and prepare a _ bed of coal ashes; slope the bottom to carry off superfluous moisture ; plunge the pots in the bed of ashes, and if the bed is exposed to the sun for any length of time, shade by an awning. Be careful not to crowd the plants; a free circu- lation of air is essential. © By this mode, the pots are never exposed to the rays of the sun; the plants receive plenty of light without being burned, and by syringing at evening, and sprinkling (not pouring) water upon the pots and bed, a sufficiency of moisture is secured. Some varieties of the soft-wooded class, such as Caffra rubra and alba, Margari- tacea, and others, do best planted out in the full sunshine. The growth becomes short and stout, and the plants are more hardy and less liable to injury. By this course, how- ever, all beauty of foliage is lost, for the plants become of a rusty brown color, which never disappears till the leaves fall. Re-potting should be done whenever the roots become 82 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. matted or collected at the bottom or sides of the pot ; examine to see if they are healthy; if so, give them a larger pot; if not, prune off those which are dead, remove the old soil, and pot in the same size, or smaller, as the case may require. The custom with gardeners is to pot heaths in the spring, but the grower must be guided by the state of the plant. Insects give but little trouble, where proper regard is paid to the plants. Mealy-bug is sometimes found; the best course to pur- sue, if the plant is badly infested, is to throw it away, for it is almost impossible to remove the insect; if but slightly affected, pick them off, and wash the plant well with warm soap-suds; whale oil soap is preferable. The same rules apply when the plants are troubled with black or brown scale. Hrica arborea is particularly subject to attacks of the former, and from the fine, close nature of its foliage, it is very difficult to clean. We have never known our heaths to be troubled by red spider or by aphis. In growing ericas, some attention must be paid to prun- ing, or rather to pinching; the plants should never be allowed to grow tall and spindling; they should be grown PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 83 near the glass, and, by frequent turning, prevented from becoming one-sided. Some varieties are of symmetrical form by nature; others require much care to control the - too luxuriant branches. Heaths strike freely from cuttings. Take the tops of the young shoots, about an inch in length; prepare a pot or pan of heath soil; cover this with silver sand to the depth of half an inch; insert the cuttings about half net length, as thickly as you please; cover them with a glass, and frequently wipe the moisture from the inner surface of the glass; keep them slightly moist, and shelter from the direct rays of the sun. When rooted, pot off the cuttings into small pots filled with heath soil, with the addition of a little more sand than is used for the old plants; as soon as the season permits, plant them out to make growth. In re-potting plants or cuttings, care should be taken never to sink the crown of the root lower than it was before; rather raise than bai if There is no plant which makes a preater show, or proves more attractive as a specimen, than the erica. In England, it is grown in the greatest’ perfection, some of the plants being twelve feet high, and eight feet in thickness. Cana 84 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. more superb object than such a plant be imagined, when in fuil bloom ? | From over five hundred varieties, we cannot be expected to give all that are deserving of cultivation; as before remarked, none are destitute of beauty. The periods of bloom are from January to November; indeed, we may have heaths in bloom every month in the year. The fol- lowing list contains a select variety in colors: — White or Light-Flowered. Arborea, Margaritacea, Grandinosa, Bow- eana, Jasminiflora, Conferta, Vestita alba, Odorata, Ventricosa, Pellu- cida, Wilmoriana, Caffra alba. Red Flowers. Gracilis, Ignescens, Mediterranea, Caffra rubra. Scarlet or Crimson. Ardens, Cerinthoides, Hartnelli, Splendens, Coccinea, Vestita fulgida, Tricolor. Purple Flowers. Amcena, Mammosa, Melanthera mutabilis, Pro- pendens tubiflora. . Lilac. Baccans, Suavolens. Yellow. Cavendishii, Depressa, Denticulata. Green-Flowered. Gelida, Veridiflora, Viridis. For window culture, the varieties succeeding best are Caffra rubra and alba, Margaritacea, Arborea, and Medi- terranea. We have been thus diffuse in treating of this plant, because it is a general favorite, yet never seen in good condition in the parlor. PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 85 _- The plant is very hardy, yet impatient of the least neg- lect. A single day’s omission to water, or a drenching, with poor drainage, will kill the plant; yet it will lan- guish for months, and all your care will fail to restore it. If the hair-like roots once become parched or sodden, the plant will die. | | We do not recommend it for a window plant, yet its beauty is worth all the care required ; and will not some be fired by ambition to make the heath a window plant? THE CYCLAMEN. _ This pretty flower is too little known. It isa native of Europe and Asia, some varieties being very abundant in Switzerland and Italy, and is to be found in almost every — green-house. It is of the easiest culture. Pot about the latter part of November, in a rich loam, with a dash of silver sand; an addition of about a spoonful of the old soot from a flue will increase the size and brilliancy of the flowers. It must be well incorporated with the soil. Bits of charcoal, broken fine, serve the same purpose. Place the crown of the bulb just above the surface of the soil. The size of the pot must be determined by the size of the bulb; as a general rule, cyclamen do not require large pots. 8 86 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. Good drainage is indispensable. Keep the plants cool till the leaves are well grown, always keeping them near the ~ glass. When the flower buds begin to rise on the foot stalks, remove to a sunny shelf, where they will soon show bloom. By shading, the duration of the flowers is prolonged. When the bloom is past, gradually withhold water; the leaves will turn yellow, and the plants should be kept dry, in a state of rest, all summer. Do not allow the plants to ripen seed (which they do freely) unless you desire seedlings, to increase your stock. The seed germi- nates easily, sown in rich loam, and seedlings bloom the third year. Some find difficulty in preventing the shrivel- ling of the bulbs during the summer. Our best cultivators, to prevent this, bury they ‘hulbs during the summer in the open border; take them up about the middle of September, when they are found fresh, plump, and in good condition for a start. There is one risk, however, in this method: mice are very fond of the bulbs, and sometimes comin great havoc. ‘There is shown in this plant a curious pro- vision of Nature: no sooner has the flower faded, than the stem begins to curl up, and buries the seed capsule in the ground, at the root of the plant; this is designed to pro- tect the seed from birds, and to sow it in a congenial soil. iucamiaial PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. Oe Good-sized, blooming bulbs may be obtained at any green-house, for from fifty cents to one dollar each for the more common varieties. This bulb is particularly adapted, for window culture, and will give more flowers, with less ‘trouble, and occupying less space, than any flower we are acquainted with. The more common varieties are (. Per- scum, white, tipped with rich, rosy purple; C. Persicum album, pure white; C. punctatum, resembling Persicum. All these flower from January to March. C. Europeun, pinkish purple; C. Huropewm album, pure white; C. hederafolium, very large, rosy purple, a splendid variety. All these bloom from October to January. ance we see in which perch Bright gems of earth, y Le. what Paradise ma at Eden was, CHAPTER IV PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. — Soil. — Pot- — Culture. story. i Ms: NIU ARGO THE PEL ting. — Winter Treatment THE GERANIUM. History. — NA HE VERBE fy Culture. — Pottin -— Varieties VV) — Window g for Winter. Culture. — Cuttings. — Summer good Verbena. — Properties of a THE HELIOTROPE gs tering. — Soil. — Seedlin History. — Culture. — Prun- MEXICAN SAGE . . Culture. — Varieties. Summer Culture. . OR THE SALVIA, Varieties. ing. — (88) PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. - " BO _.—Winter Culture.— Varieties. THE TROPOLUM, OR NASTURTIUM: Varieties. — Soil. — Culture. — Varieties of the small Nasturtium.— Win- ~ dow Culture. THE GERANIUM. Ay) NDER this head, we propose to treat of the plants usually known, in com- mon parlance, as Geraniums, includ- ing both. those horticulturally anc botanically known as such, and Pelar- goniums. Between these there are many minute and fanciful distinc- tions ; the principal seems to be, the geranium has no nectary; the pelar- gonium has a nectary adhering to the peduncle. For window gardening, their treatment must be the same. ‘ For the pelargoniums, we are chiefly indebted to the Cape of Good Hope; the geranium is found, in some of its varieties, in Asia, Europe, and America; two of the family, our ‘‘ wild geraniums,” being familiar to us all as among the wild flowers of spring. The scarlet, or horse-shoe geranium, so called from the color of its flowers, and the dark marking of its leaves, is a yery common and popular window plant. The rose, oak, 8 * 90 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. hie and nutmeg geraniums are commonly grown for their fra- grant leaves, and for their hardiness, as they can endure more hard usage than most plants. | The general fault in geranium culture is, crowding. The plants need light and air on all sides, and unless this is’ afforded they soon become one-sided, long-drawn, and strag- gling, with but few leaves, and these in a tuft at the end. The blossoms are small and few, and the whole plant pre- sents a picture of vegetation under difficulues The fine varieties of pelargonium, called “‘ Fancies” by florists, it is useless to attempt to grow to any perfection in the house. They need constant care; and the rules for growing them as specimens, laid down by English florists, are sufficiently confusing and contradictory to involve the. amateur in a maze of difficulty. Light, air, and cleanliness are the three primary rules for growing geraniums. The horse-shoe and high-scented vari- eties are not troubled by insects. The pelargoniums (large- flowered geraniums), require constant attention to keep them free from the green fly, which increases upon them with wonderful rapidity, If the weather is warm, and the plants at all affected by the fly, they should be smoked once in ten days, and frequently syringed. Surely the beauty of PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. | 91 the flowers will compensate for any trouble. To prevent ‘drawing,’ that is, the growing of the plants towards the light, all geraniums should be frequently turned, which will give a well-proportioned plant. If the plants grow too tall, pinch out the top; all the axillary buds will then break into lateral branches. Again, if the side branches become too close, prune them out fearlessly. The geranium breaks easily, and you need never be afraid of killing the plant, even if you prune it down to a bare stump. Sor. -Pelargoniums and geraniums require a strong soil; that is, good sound loam, such as will grow melons. The top of a pasture will answer well. Let it be carted home and laid up in a long ridge, so as to expose as large a surface to the air as possible. Keep it clear of weeds, and let it be turned over every little while. To two parts of this loam, add one part of two-year-old cow dung, well turned over. Old hot-bed dung will do nearly, but not quite as well. Then add about one part of river sand and bits of charcoal, mixed. Let all these ingredients be kept in separate heaps till wanted for potting, then mix them in the above propor- tions, and use them moderately dry. This compost should 92 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. be used to bloom and grow the plants in. For the winter season, use a small quantity of leaf mould instead of dung. Fresh soil is always to be preferred, for old soil is apt to become cloddy and sour. PortineG. All being ready, put the drainage in a suitable sized pot. Place first a suitable crock, or a large oyster shell over the hole ; then lay a few large crocks upon that, and smaller upon those, so that the drainage may occupy about three fourths of an inch. Place a thin layer of moss upon the drainage, and upon that a sprinkling of soot or charcoal dust; after that a thin layer of the rougher parts of the compost, and finally a layer of soil. Then turn the plant out of the old pot, pick out the old drainage, and loosen part of the old roots, spreading them over the new soil as much as possible. Then see that the collar of the roots is just below the rim of the pot, and fill in around the ball with the fresh soil, pressing it down gently as it is put in. When the pot is full, give it a smart stroke or two upon the bench to settle the soil; level it neatly, leaving it about half an inch below the rim of the pot. This finishes the potting. Then give a good watering of tepid water. PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. , 93 - For four or five weeks, while new roots are running into the fresh soil, they will not need a large supply of water; but when the roots reach the sides of the pots, and the leaves and shoots are advancing in growth, then water will be required in abundance. They should never be allowed to flag. After a hot, sunny day, let the plants, in addition to the water at the roots, have a gentle syringing. Exercise dis- cretion, however, on this point. The geranium is a spring and summer blooming plant. It is very difficult to obtain a flower from December to April; therefore, during the winter it should be kept cool, and moderately dry. About the first of February re-pot the plants, give more heat, sun, and water, and your plants will bloom profusely in May. | | heres The varieties grown only for their leaves may have more generous culture during the winter months. VARIETIES. Ivy-leaved geranium (P. lateripes), is a pretty trailing ‘species, with ivy-shaped leaves and purple flowers in the summer. There is also a variety with white flowers. It is 94 _ PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. a pretty window plant, and always does well. It needs plenty of light, sun, and generous culture. The varieties of horse-shoe geraniums (P. zonale hybrids), are all good window flowers, and will often bloom in winter. The following are the best old varieties : — Scarlet. Dazzle, Tom Thumb, Defiance. Cerise. Cerise unique. Pink. Rosa mundi. . White. Boule de Neige, Lady Turner. Variegated Leaved. Flower of the Day, Golden Chain, Alma, Bijou. These latter varieties need a green-house to develop the rich colors of the foliage, yet they do well as bedding plants in the summer. P. graveolens is the common rose geranium. THE VERBENA. There are few plants which lend more beauty to the flower garden in summer, or enliven the green-house in the winter and early spring months in a greater degree, than the verbena. From the variety of colors, the rapidity of propagation, the little care needed to bloom the plant in per- fection, and the abundance of blossoms, it is, and always must remain, a universal favorite. * PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 95 In addition to these advantages, the facility with which cca varieties are raised from seed, adee it a favorite with the amateur; and in no collection do we fail to find the verbena, in some of its many varieties. ? It is a difficult task to prescribe the culture of a plant so well known, and which will grow and flourish under such a variety of circumstances, and in such different situations. As every one has grown verbenas, each has his own peculiar mode of treatment, if, indeed, a flower requiring so little care can be said to have peculiar treatment. In writing of a plant, from which seedlings are produced with such ease, and which sports into such an infinite variety of colors and shades, we cannot be too careful in expressing a decided opinion. Every year new seedlings are “brought out,” and latterly the varieties have so mul- tiplied that it is very difficult to choose those really worthy of cultivation : the favorite of this spring may, after a year’s trial, be cast aside as worthless, for it may not be found worthy of general cultivation, or better varieties may have been originated. Our verbena was introduced into England from Buenos Ayres, where it is indigenous, by Mr. Hugh Cumming, an ardent lover of nature, about the year 1825. ‘06 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. The first, and for a long time the only variety cultivated, was Verbena melindres, or. chamedrifolia; but it now appears lost among the new and superior kinds which have been raised from seed. In form, it has been repeatedly excelled, but its creeping habit and abundance of bloom must always recommend it, though we doubt if at the — present (ime it can be obtained at any of our green-houses, -and probably few of our younger cultivators have ever seen ithis once popular variety. The color is scarlet, and though ‘perhaps equalled, can never be excelled. Many other ‘earlier varieties might be mentioned, but, although interest- sing, it would too much extend the limits of this article. Verbena multifida, with lilac purple flowers, was intro- ‘duced from Peru; Verbena Tweediana, with rose crimson flowers, from Brazil; and from these, and a few other varieties and seedlings, have sprung all the numerous varieties, many hundred in number, which may be found in extensive collections. The credit of introducing this plant into the United States belongs to Robert Buist, of Phila- delphia. About the year 1835, from seed received from Buenos Ayres, he raised the first white, pink, and crimson verbenas. The plant soon became generally known, and was every where a favorite; in the floral world it caused PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. OT quite an excitement, and the original kinds were soon sur- passed, in every respect, by newer seminal varieties. The culture of the verbena is very simple. The plants will bloom with very little care, but to grow them in perfec- tion requires attention; of thousands of plants of any size, scarcely one is a fine specimen. Let us, beginning in early spring, trace the plant, as generally grown, and then see how much a little care might increase its beauty. About the first of February, cuttings of the young shoots are taken from old plants: in a sandy loam, a few weeks, and sometimes a few days, will suffice to root them; they are then potted off into thumb pots, and, if placed near the glass, will soon show a terminal flower. As soon as the season is sufficiently advanced, these young plants are bed- ded out, and, in favorable seasons, soon form a conspicuous feature in the flower garden, continuing to bloom till long after the early frosts. About the first or middle of Septem- ber, the gardener begins to re-pot his plants for winter, and the common practice is to take a runner, which has rooted well. at a joint, and, after suitable pruning, to pot it fox winter blooming and propagation. Others, again, take up the old roots, while others, by sinking pots in their verbena bed, about midsummer, allowed the runners to root directly 9 98 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. in the pots; the pots being taken up, and the connection with the mother plant cut, the young plant receives no injury or check. But this mode is very objectionable, for two reasons: first, the loam in the ae is apt to become sour and sodden; and again, earthworms often enter the pots, and prove injurious during the winter. ‘The plants ‘are housed, and, for a long time, produce no flowers, and are any thing but ornamental. Soon after the new year, they begin to grow vigorously, but are allowed to trail care- lessly over the staging, or droop from some hanging shelf. — No care or attention is bestowed upon them, except to give the daily supply of water. , The days grow towards spring. Cuttings are again taken’ off; the same process is repeated year after year ; and thus one of our loveliest flowers, which, with a little care, might be one of the greatest attractions and ornaments of our green-houses, is never seen in perfection, except in the garden. . That this is the fact, is to be deplored; yet the remedy is simple. . By beginning about midsummer, we may have verbenas in bloom as well during the winter as the spring months. About the first of August, or earlier, cuttings should be taken from desirable varieties. In a fortnight PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 99 they will be ready to transplant. Pot them in thumb pots, and re-pot as soon as the roots touch the sides of the pot. Keep them in vigorous growth by affording plenty of light. and air, being careful they never suffer from want of water. Pinch off the leading shoots, to cause all axillary buds to break, and in no case allow them to bloom. ‘Train the plant in any form desired, but be careful not to permit it to grow too straggling. When other plants are housed, remove your verbenas to some warm shelf, where they may have the morning sun, and on every favorable day give plenty of air, and fumigate well to destroy green aphis. Your plants will soon be in luxuriant bloom, long before those potted in the common way have shown a bud, and will continue to afford an abundance of flowers until late in the spring. To grow verbenas well in the house in summer is far easier. They may be bloomed in pots of any size, and trained in almost any form, the only requisites being plenty of light and air, careful pruning, and means to destroy aphis and keep off mildew. One great fault in growing verbenas is the practice of watering too copiously. The plant, as originally found, grows on dry hills; and damp not only produces mildew, but rots the roots, and thus déstoae or produces disease in the plant. 100 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. The proper soil for verbenas, is two parts of loam, two of — leaf mould, with an admixture of sand, and in this we have found them grow and bloom luxuriantly. Many verbenas, which for green-house blooming are unsurpassed, are worthless for bedding purposes; the petal of the flower being too thin, or the color fading or changing. Again, some bloom well in winter, others far better in sum- mer; some form large masses and flower well, others are of rambling growth and poor bloomers; some of creeping, others of more upright habit; while a few possess every desirable quality ; and in making a selection, all these prop- | erties are to be considered. We have said that seedlings were produced with great ease. The verbena seeds well where the plants have not been too long propagated by cuttings. A long-continued propagation by cuttings seems to diminish the power of the plants to produce seed, and, as a general rule, the further removed a plant is from a seedling, the less the chance of its perfecting good seed. The seeds may be sown in a hot- bed or green-house, early in spring, and the plants, when about an inch and a half high, pricked out in the border; it is a good plan to pinch out the leading shoot, as thus the plants branch and become stronger; the plants grow rapidly, and soon show bloom. PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 101 But to raise a seedling is one thing, to raise a fine seed- ling, a far different. Of many hundred raised in the course of the last few years, by the writer, not more than half a dozen have been worthy of preservation, and only one (and that produced by chance) really a first-class flower: In raising seed, much may be done to insure its quality by planting fine varieties together, and allowing them to intertwine, then gathering the seed from these plants. No rule can be laid down to obtain any desired color, for the seedlings sport infinitely. We can only approximate towards definite results; thus, if we plant Annie (white) and Robinson’s Defiance (red) together, the seedling will be likely to be pink. The flowers of the verbena are of every color and shade, except light blue, which color has never been obtained. A good yellow verbena has not yet been produced. There is a miserable variety, with a small truss of dirty yellow fl-wers. The writer, some years since, by a curious process of watering and fertilization with a white verbena, obtained a seedling, which proved, on blooming, to be of a light straw color; the plant was weak and sickly, and died before cut- tings could be taken. Since that time he has tried the experiment often, but never with any successful result. 9 * 102 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. The qualities of a first-class verbena, as laid down by florists, are: roundness of flower, without indenture, notch, or serrature ; petals thick, flat, bright and smooth; the plant should be compact, with short, strong joints, either distinctly of a shrubby habit, or a close, ground creeper or climber ; the trusses of bloom, compact, standing out from the foliage, the flowers meeting, but not crowding each other; the foliage should be short, broad, bright, and enough to hide the stalk; in the eyed and striped varieties, the colors should be well defined and lasting, never running into each other, or changing in the sun. As a window plant, there is nothing that will give more bloom than a verbena. Let it be trained on a trellis, and give it all the sun possible; the more sun, the more bloom. Pinch the shoots, to prevent its becoming too rambling, and give air enough, and your work is done. The production of seedlings, as above directed, is a very pretty amusement, and very simple. Seedlings will bloom in three months, from the seed. It only remains for us to describe some of the best vari- eties, both old and new. Those called first-class flowers, can be recommended for general culture, while many others, though very distinct and beautiful, are valuable only in a PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 103 large collection, or interesting to the amateur. We have not noticed seedlings, unless they have been proved and shown to be worthy of general culture. Grant oF Barres. Flower and truss large; habit good; foliage large; color dark scarlet, with purplish eye. A good variety. Drep. Flower medium; habit weak; a good bloomer, but of a dull purplish lake color. Pretty for variety. ApmiIrAL Dunpas. Foliage and habit good; color vel- vety scarlet. Fine. Generat Stupson. A magnificent variety; color scarlet, crimson; flower and truss very large; habit very strong; by far the best of its color. No garden should be with- out it. CeLEsTIAL. A strong growing variety, the leaves often two inches wei. truss large, forming a fine head; color pink, with darker eye; very fine. Evrentne Star. Color dark crimson, with well-defined white eye ; growth small; very fine in the house, and one of the best of the eyed varieties for the border. Rosy Gem. pretty little flower, always in bloom, and only needs light and a rich loam to make it a beautiful window plant. The best way to procure it is to buy seed; sow it in the spring, in the garden, and on the approach of frost, pot the plants for winter blooming. It may then be easily increased by slips or layering. The carnation pink is a very old inhabitant of our gar- dens. It is said to have been introduced into eultiva- tion from Italy or Germany before 1510. The question is often asked, What is the difference be- tween a carnation and a picotee? None, botanically; it is Pal "a a PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 127 purely a florist’s distinction. The carnation has the marks ° a its petals, from the centre to the edge, in flakes or stripes of colors, on a white ground. The picotee has a white or yellow ground, the edges of the petals being fringed with various shades of red and purple. Carnations are divided into five classes, namely: 1. Scarlet Bizarres; 2. Pink or Crimson Bizarres; 3. Scar- let Flakes; 4. Rose Flakes; 5. Purple Flakes. Bizarre is derived from the French, meaning odd or irregular. The flowers in these classes have three colors, which are irregularly placed on each petal. Scarlet Bizarres have that color predominating over the purple or crimson ; but the Pink or Crimson Bizarres have more of these colors than the Scarlet. Scarlet Flakes are simple white grounds, with distinct stripes or ribbons of scarlet. Rose and Pur- ple Flakes have these two colors upon a white ground. Picotees are divided into seven classes: 1. Red, heavy- edged; 2. Red, light-edged; 38. Rose, heavy-edged ; 4. Rose, light-edged; 5. Purple, ek Oe 6. Purple, light-edged; 7. Yellow ground, without any distinction as to the breadth of the edge color. Pinks, both picotees and carnations, are of little use as house plants until well into the spring; if, however, they 128 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. are grown, they should be kept cool, and rather dry; there is nothing gained by trying to force them. The best method of growing them is in the open border, preserving them in a cold frame through the winter. If grown in pots, they are much more difficult of management. In the open border, they bloom in June, July, and later, and are an indispensable ornament. We do not recommend the pink as a window flower, but have been constrained to include it in our list, as it is a favorite flower. The rules we give are very full, and apply both to the window, the cold frame, and the garden; they are com- piled from English authorities, and possess little claim to originality. PROPAGATION AND GENERAL TREATMENT. Soil ae Culture in Pots. Get the turf from an upland pasture; take off about three inches thick, and keep it in a heap for a year, to cause the grass roots to decay and mellow the soil; chop it, and turn it over four or five times during the year; it will be in finer condition for use. During this, the worms and grubs, especially wire worms, should be picked out, for it is frequently the case that the soil’ best adapted to the carnation contains its greatest PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 129 enemy. SBefore Tees fee the soil should be passed through a coarse sieve or screen, and the fibre rubbed through with the soil. The soil in which the plants are bloomed, and that in which they are kept in small pots through the winter, should be different, for in the latter they are not required to make much progress, and the less they are excited in autumn and winter the better, provided they make steady progress and preserve their health. This can only be secured by abstaining from the use of stable dung, using pure loam, and such decayed vegetable matter as is afforded by the grass naturally growing in loam when the turves are cut. Neither should the loam be too adhesive, but sufficiently porous to allow the water to percolate freely; should it not be so naturally, a little sand may be used to lighten it. In preparing the soil for blooming the plants, take of this loam three parts, well decomposed leaf mould one part, thoroughly rotted cow dung one part af this cannot be obtained, hot-bed manure, well decomposed, in fact, reduced to a fine, black mould, may be substituted), and of sandy peat, one part. A small portion of old lime rubbish, slightly sifted, will be of service to the plant, mixed among the compost. Being duly mixed, in sufficient quantity, let it be brought pas shelter to dry some time before the potting season. 130 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. On receiving the plants from the nursery, if in the fall, they should be potted, as above, in four-inch pots, giving two inches of crocks at the bottom for drainage, and nearly filling the pot with the earth, but highest in the middle, and spreading the roots as much as possible all around alike. The soil.is only just to cover the roots, and to be pressed gently to them, and in this state, after watering, to settle the loam about their roots, they should be placed in a common garden frame, upon a hard bottom, into which the waste water, when refreshed, cannot soak, but with a very gentle slope, that any water which runs through the pots may run away. In the winter management, the chief object is, to give all the air they can have in mild weather by taking the lights off; to give them water very seldom, and never till they absolutely want it. If to be grown in pots, they should be re-potted early in twelve-inch pots, two or three plants in a pot, using the soil above directed. Let there be at least three inches drainage. In putting © them in those large pots, let the ball of earth be turned ‘out whole, rub off a little of the surface, and, after having filled the large pot high enough with the compost, place the ball so that the collar of the plant, which is just above the - surface of the old ball, be within half an inch of the edge PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 131 of the pot; put the soil around it; press it down between the ball and the side, and fill the whole up ea with the collar of the plant and the edge of the pot. Let them all be placed in a sheltered spot, and refreshed with water when they require it, which will be more or less frequently, according as the season be dry or wet. Let each 4 have a stake in the centre, to which the plants may be closely tied as they rise up for bloom. When they show their buds, remove all but three, and the flowers will be the finer, and not more than one blooming shoot may be left on each plant. When the buds have swollen, and are about to burst, tie a piece of bass matting round the middle, and carefully open the calyx down to the tie, at all the divisions, as the flower can then open all around alike; otherwise, they frequently burst on one side, and it is then difficult to form an even flower. As the petals develop themselves, they should be shaded from the sun and rain, either of which would damage the flowers. Culture in pots is sel- dom resorted to in this country, unless it be for exhibition purposes; and it is for the benefit of amateurs, who wish» to grow them for that purpose, that we have given such minute directions. * Culture in Beds and the Flower Border. This is the 132, PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. most common method in this country, culture in pots being attended with more trouble, and occupying more time, than can usually be given. They succeed admirably in any good garden loam, pro- vided it is well drained; wet or moisture, when over abundant, is very injurious. The soil should be trenched to the depth of eighteen inches in the fall, enriching it at the same time with leaf mould and cow’s manure, thor- oughly rotted; should the soil be heavy, an addition of refuse charcoal, lime rubbish, or sand, will be beneficial, leaving the surface rough, that the frost of winter may act upon it. In the spring, the beds should be again thor- | oughly spaded to the depth of one foot, and raked smooth ; after which the plants should be turned out of the pots, leaving the ball entire, and planted two feet apart each way. The after treatment may be the same as recom- mended for pot culture. Propagation. By layers and pipings, for increasing approved sorts, and by seed for the production: of new varieties. By Layers. The time for performing this operation is when the plants are in full bloom, or a little past. The shoots of the plant, around the bottom, should then be le 8 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 133 brought down to the ground, and, when rooted, separated from their parent. The materials needed for layering are a sharp, small knife, a quantity of notched pegs, and some finely-sifted soil. Choose a dull, cloudy day on which to perform this work; or, if the plants are in pots, they may be layered in any weather. Begin by trimming off the leaves from the bottom of a shoot, leaving the two upper- most on, and entire. ‘Trim off the lower leaves on every shoot before layering one, because, when a layer is tongued, it is easily broken off. When this is done, take hold of the shoot, turn it up, and pass the knife blade through the third joint upward, commencing the cut just below it; then reach a hooked peg, thrust it into the soil, catching hold, by its hook, of the layer as it descends, and press it gently down to the soil. Do the next in the same manner, and so on until every shoot is layered, then cover them all with the sifted mould, about three quarters of an inch deep, and the process is completed; then give a slight. watering, and the layers require no further care, but watering, until they are rooted, which will be in about a month or six weeks. When sufficiently rooted, pot them off into five-inch pots, a pair in each; or, if your space is limited, and the layers small, three may be put into each pot. After they are 12 134 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. potted, they should be placed under glass, in a cold frame or pit, plenty of air given in mild weather, and shelter from ‘severe frost, when it occurs. Very little water is required during the winter months, and the air in the frames should be as dry as possible. Should damp prevail, the plants, some fine day, should be taken out, and a coat of fine, dry coal ashes spread over the surface. The plants should then ibe replaced in the pit. | | By Pipings. Carnations may be propagated by this mode, where there is the convenience of a gentle hot-bed. It is, however, not so safe as layering; but when there are ‘more shoots fhan can be layered, and it is desirable to ‘propagate largely, the superfluous shoots may be piped. Cut off the lower part of the shoot, up to the third joint, trim off the lowest pair of leaves, and pass the knife just through the joint. Prepare a pot, by draining it, and filling it with the compost up to within an inch of the top; fill that inch with silver sand, water it gently to make it firm, and then insert the piping all around it, close to the pot sides ; place them in a gentle hot-bed, shading from the sun; watch them daily, and supply water when the sand - becomes dry. When they are rooted, which they will show by sending up fresh leaves, pot them in pairs, PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 135 as directed for layers, and treat them in the same manner. By Seeds. The seeds may be sown, during the spring months, in boxes or pans filled with the same description of soil as before recommended. Let the surface of the soil be made even, and the seed, evenly scattered over it, cover them to the depth of a quarter of an inch with finely sifted mould. If early in the season, the pans may be put in a moderate hot-bed, just to cause the seeds to germinate, but must not be long kept there for fear of weakening and drawing the plants. Without artificial heat, the seeds may be sown in May, placing the pans or boxes in an open, airy part of the garden, but shaded from the sun, at least from ten in the morning till four in the afternoon. Moderate » moisture will be indispensable, but if the soil be kept too wet, the plants are liable to damp off, or to be otherwise injured. When the plants have acquired six leaves, and are about two inches high, they should be pricked out in rows six inches apart, keeping them well watered until they have taken fresh root. About the beginning of October, they should be potted for the convenience of wintering. Plant out in the spring, in a bed prepared as before flirected. As soon as the blossoms can be seen, all the 136 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. single sorts should be taken up and thrown away, to give the double ones more room to grow. The finer blossoms ought then to be selected for layering or piping. The following list comprises a few of the varieties : — CARNATIONS. PICOTEES. Admiral Curzon, Esther, Coriolanus, Prince Albert, General Simpson, Amy Robsart, King of Carnations, Haidee, Falconbridge, Ophelia, Acca, Princess Royal, Squire Trow, Lamia, Valentine, Duke of Newcastle, Benedict. Ganymede. THE FUCHSIA. If by a window plant we mean one which blooms in winter, then the Fuchsia is not a window plant. A few solitary blooms may be produced during the spring, but the summer is its season of glory. As a pot plant, for summer blooming, it is unsurpassed, being very floriferous, of brilliant foliage, and symmetrical habit. All of our garden varieties are hybrids, from ancestors introduced from South America and Mexico. Strange to say, there is a New Zealand species also. The aa ae. _ ae PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 137 Grst, F’. coccinea, was introduced from Chili, just before the year 1800. The plant is of the easiest culture; the growth is rapid, and a young spring cutting will make a large plant by autumn. The secret of growing the plant is, never to let it stop growing until you have it of the desired blooming size; keep re-potting, as soon as the roots touch the pot, until you get it into a twelve-inch pot, which is large enough for the window blooming of a fuchsia. Give plenty of light and air; turn the plant frequently, lest it grow one-sided, and fumigate when needed to kill green fly. The best form to grow a young plant is the pyramidal. | Train up a leading shoot, and if the plant is supplied with pot room and plenty of light, aiid has not heat enough to draw it out weak, it will form side shoots in sufficient abundance to produce a handsome outline, the branches being allowed to take their own pendent form. The plant may also be prettily grown on a flat trellis. The best place for a fuchsia in winter is a dry cellar, free from frost, where they should be kept nearly dry. About the first of March prune back all the side shoots, and leave only the upright stem; prune in the roots also, and re-pot them in as small a pot as will hold the roots; as the eyes break, i2* 138 PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. thin out those which are not needed, leaving enough to give plenty of side branches. Re-pot, and treat as above directed. Sort. One part of peat, one of loam, and one of leaf mould will grow them well; thoroughly mix the component parts, | and break it rather fine; be careful to secure good drainage. VARIETIES. Every spring gives us a host of new varieties, most of which are discarded in a few years. The white corollaed varieties are generally of weak growth, and not adapted for culture out of the green-house. Those with a double co- rolla we do not admire; the multiplication of floral leaves detracts much from the simple beauty of the flower; they are, however, valuable in a collection, and very showy. Fuchsia coccinea is a pretty species, with purple and white sepals and corolla. Fuchsia serratifolia, a species with scarlet tube, tipped with green, blooming in winter. There are some twenty other species, which are beautiful in a‘green-house, but valueless for window growth. The following hybrid varieties are all fine: — PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING. 139 Venus de Medicis. Tube white, sepals blush white, corolla deep blue; fine habit. Etoile du Nord. Bright scarlet sepals and tube; corolla black violet, with short, reflexed sepals. Souvenir de Chiswick. Tube and sepals rosy, crimson, violet; co- rolla fine. . Ajax. WHERE TO FIND THEM. 401 weed, the other tall growing, and only increased by division. The latter is by far the most desirable, the former often proving a troublesomé. favorite. The Double White Buttercup (Ranunculus aconitifolius), or ‘ Fair Maids of. France,” is very rare. It is a beautiful little flower, very double, pure white, and the foliage is re- markably pretty. It is, however, very liable to be winter- Killed... - It has. often. been a question with us whether we have a more beautiful wild flower than the common and much despised Dandelion (Taraxacum dens leonis), The foliage of pinnatifid or runcinate radical leaves, is very pretty, and of a pleasing green; the yellow flowers are of. elegant form and pleasant fragrance; the single florets, when examined through a microscope, are of singular beauty; the globular head of seeds is very ornamental. If this flower was now first introduced from some distant country, the whole flori- cultural world would go into ecstasies over its beauty ; but ‘as it is common, it is despised, and we say; in scorn, “‘ only a dandelion.” We do not hope to induce any to cultivate the Dandelion (to observe its beauties this is not necessary), but if any will give closer heed to the beauties of the plant, and observe with what layish hand the great Creator has 34 * 402 SPRING FLOWERS, AND endowed it, our purpose in including the Dandelion in our catalogue of spring flowers will be answered. iy The early Meadow ‘Rue (Thalictrum diovcum) is con- spicuous on hills and in rocky woods in April and May. The flowers are greenish, with yellow anthers, and are noticeable for blooming so early in the spring; the: foliage is very delicate. The white flowers of the larger species (Thalictrum cornutwm, or corynellum), are very or- namental in meadows in June and July. The foliage is ornamental, and for this reason both of these plants would be additions to the flower border. They are too common and too well known to need further description. Trittium. A strikingly beautiful plant is the Trillium, in all its species. It is a gem among spring flowers, but is rarely met with in gardens, and is not common in the woods and swamps. It seems to delight in old. woods, and locali- - ties where the axe of the woodman has never found its way, but where the old, moss-hung trees still maintain the grandeur of the primeval forest. In such situations the Trillium is at home. In early spring, the stem pushes up from the short, tuber-like root, bearing at the top three large, broad, ovate leaves, and a terminal flower. The plant delights in shade and moisture, and the root is commonly \ WHERE TO FIND THEM. 403 found deep in the peaty turf or moss. In congenial situa- tions, the leaves and flower are very large, and the whole plant has a somewhat rank appearance ; but in drier soils, the growth is less rapid, and the plant, though less vigor- ous, is more sturdy. After the fall of the flower, the plant bears a large, six-sided, purple or red berry, which is very | ornamental. The name is derived from the Latin triplex, triple, all the parts being in threes; leaves, petals, and sepals, all three, though monstrosities, sometimes occur. The plants are of easy culture, if planted in proper soil and transplanted at the proper season. ‘The soil should be rich, peaty loam, and the situation moist, for in sandy, dry soil the plants never succeed. We have known plants to flower several years in common garden soil, but if we except Trilliwm erectum and grandi- © florum, which sometimes flourish in moist loam, all the species require a prepared soil; a rhododendron or azalea bed is well suited to them. The proper time for transplanting is late in the autumn, after the stem has died down. They may also be moved in the spring, but as the root starts so early in the season the experiment is not safe. The principal species are, — Trillium cernuwm (Nodding Trillium). This is the most 404 SPRING FLOWERS, AND- common variety of New England, and the least ornamental of the genus. Leaves, three large, roundish, or rather rhomboidal pointed; petals white, about an inch long, reflexed longer than the sepals; the flower bends down so as to be hidden by the leaves. A native of moist, shady _thickets. This species is worthy a place in the flower border, and succeeds with little care; it has not with us, however, increased in cultivation, or improved in size or color. | T. erectum (Purple Trillium). Leaves nearly as broad as long, abruptly pointed; petals ovate, flat, spreading, ‘broader, but not much longer than the sepals; flowers ~ dark brownish-purple, green outside, of not a very pleasant odor, nodding on an inclined peduncle. A native of old, rich woods. Succeeds and increases in cultivation, but is not desirable for a bouquet flower. | T. pictum, or erythrocarpum (Painted Trillium). A very delicate and beautiful species. Leaves ovate, taper-pointed ; petals ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, pointed, wavy, wide, spreading, painted with purple stripes at the base, almost twice the length of the sepals, and shorter than the pedun- cle (Gray). This lovely species is difficult to cultivate. We have bloomed it in the border for three successive WHERE TO FIND THEM. 405 years, but the plants dwindled year by year, and finally disappeared. The trouble appears to. be a want of moisture. In the wild state the plant is never found except in ¢éold, damp woods and bogs. Could this requisite be supplied, we see no reason why this fine plant should not do well; certainly from its beauty it merits every attention. It is not a common species in New England. T. grandiflorum. This species is the largest and finest. of the genus. Leaves longer than broad, rhomboid, ovate; petals obovate, longer and broader than the sepals, spread-- ing at the top; color pure white, turning before the flower | fades to dark rose color; flower on a stem about two inches long. Petals from two to three inches long. Native of rich woods; not uncommon in the north of New England. Berry dark purple. This fine species is of the easiest cultivation. The soil, if rich loam, needs no further preparation; it does not succeed in light, sandy soil. We have seen it bloomed in gardens of a size sur- passing that of the wild plant. Plants may be obtained of some of our florists, but the easiest way is to obtain them from their native woods in the proper season. Our other native species are, — T. sessile. _Color dark and dull purple, varying to 406 SPRING FLOWERS, AND greenish. Native of moist woods, Pennsylvania to Wis- consin, and southward. | ZT’. recurvatum. Color dark purple. Native of Wiscon- sin, Illinois, Kentucky, and southward. LT’. erectum, var. album. Petals greenish-white, rarely yellowish ; ovary mostly purple (Gray). Found with the species, from which it otherwise does not differ, especially from New York westward. T. nwale (Dwarf White Trillium). Petals white, wavy. Native of rich woods, Ohio to Wisconsin. | The smooth, shining, evergreen leaves of the Goldthread (Coptis trifolia), are very conspicuous in wet bogs and low woods in early spring. In some localities they fairly carpet the ground, and when spangled with the white starry flowers the effect is very pleasing. The plant is a low- growing perennial, with creeping roots of a golden yellow color (whence the name). In places where the plant is -abundant, they run through the dark bog earth in every direction, appearing not unlike threads of gold. The scape bears one small, starry, white flower, composed of five to seven club-shaped petals; stamens from fifteen to twenty- . five ; pistils from three to seven; seeds numerous, black, oval. Blooms from middle of May to June. \ WHERE TO FIND THEM. 407 One of our finest native plants is the Hrythronium Americanum, commonly called Dog’s-tooth Violet, though why called Violet has been a puzzle to botanists. The plant belongs to the Lily tribe, and is the smallest of the family. Root a solid scaly bulb, deep in the ground, white inside, brown outside. Plant smooth. Leaves elliptical, lanceolate, pale green, dotted or clouded with irregular spots. Flower drooping, solitary, hades of six pale yellow petals, dotted near the base, expanding in sunny weather. The rapidity with which this plant exhales moisture is very remarkable. It is almost impossible to carry it any distance in the hand, as it dries and fades very rapidly. This lovely flower may be cultivated in a deep, moist, loamy soil; in any other it dwindles year by year. It is a native of moist woods and thickets, and is not uncommon. According to Gray, 1. bracteatum, of Boott and Bigelow, is only an accidental state of this species. The flower is larger, and the scape has a narrow lanceolate bract about an inch long, situated about an inch below the flower. It ea differs slightly otherwise. E. albidum, the white Dog’s-tooth Violet, is not found in New England. The leaves are spotted, not dotted ; flower 408 - SPRING FLOWERS. white. Native of low thickets from Albany, New York, to Western Pennsylvania, to Wisconsin, and southward. Thus have we gathered our bouquet of Spring Flowers. We have roamed through the woods and fields, and culled their treasures without exhausting the store. Many flowers have we neglected; much have we passed by unnoticed. We lay no claim to completeness; it requires many a : ramble to. learn all the flowers teach; but if we have introduced any one.to a new flower, our purpose is answered. CHAPTER XXVII. New Azaleas.— Notes on Cyclamen. — New Pelargoniums. — Verbenas. — Helio- trope. — New Roses. — Pinks. — Fuchsias. — Abutilon. — Callas. — Cuphea: — Chrysanthemums, N the previous chapters, first priated in 1863, we have followed the course of horticulture to that year. Now in 1876, twelve years since our first edition was issued, the progress of horticulture demands additional chapters to bring our subject to the standard of knowledge of the present day. Each passing year te given us, both by discovery and hybridization, many new plants, and although in floriculture novelty is by no means a criterion of superiority, we have _ yet obtained many plants which are decided acquisitions. In bedding plants, such as Verbenas and Pelargoniums, in bulbs, in roses, each year some old varieties are lost to cultivation, and their places are’ taken by. new kinds, which in their turn often give place to others of yet more recent origin. | _ Some of the varieties mentioned in former pages, it 410 AZALEA INDICA. would be difficult now to find in any florist’s catalogue; thus supplementary lists become necessary. AZALEA INDICA. In this popular plant there has been great improvement. Although the old varieties are still cultivated, many of the new seedlings, especially those produced by continental cul- tivators, are superior to any of former years. In substance of flower, brilliancy of color, form, and habit, they are far in advance of old varieties. The double-flowered kinds, although in our opinion by no means as beautiful as the single, from the durability -of the flower are most valuable. It is a great question, upon which cultivators differ in opinion, whether the most effective way of growing azaleas is by the natural or artificial system. In the former, the plant is allowed to grow as it will, too luxuriant shoots only being pinched, and it soon forms a spreading plant, which every year covers itself with flower. In the latter, each shoot must conform to a required style of growth, be it pyramidal, flat, or round, must be pinched in or tied out, until the plant becomes a symmetrical shape of green, hidden when in bloom by the mass of flower. To us the natural growth is far more pleasing, although, perhaps, more brilliant effects are produced by the artificial. -AZALEA INDICA. 411 The catalogues of. florists contain lists of hundreds of | azaleas, all of which are beautiful. There is, however, great room for selection, and as none can grow all, we give a list of a few which cannot fail to give general satisfac- tion. Flag of Truce. Pure double white. Souvenir de Prince Albert. White and rose, very large deuble flower, — a late blooming variety. : Sigismund Rucker. A very distinct variety with large flowers, rosy lake with broad margin of pure white, large blotch of crimson-maroon on upper petals. Decora. A very old variety, but unsurpassed for fine, compact habit and brilliant flower. Mont Blanc. Pure double white flowers of great sub- stance. Mademoiselle Léonee Van Houtte. Rose with sulphur- yellow blotch. | Chelsoni. Orange-scarlet. Due de Nassau. Rosy carmine, semi-double. Alice. Double rose, vermilion blotch. Baronne de Vrére. Snow-white flowers, red_ stripes, sulphur blotch. : Hulalie Van Geert. Fine, large, variegated flower. There is also a variety with variegated foliage. Dominique Vervaene. Bright, orange-red, double flow- ers. A12 - GYCLAMEN, © Mrs. William Bull. Large, white, fine form. Marquis of Lorne. -Orange-scarlet, saffron spots. Rot Leopold. Salmon, light centre. - Stella. Orange-scarlet, violet spots. Roi d’ Holland. Rich scarlet, finely spotted. CYCLAMEN. Cyclamen. may be easily raised from seed, and thus with- in the last few years many choice varieties have been ob- tained. | - The seed should be sown as soon as ripe, say about the first of July, on a compost of rich garden loam and leaf mould, with a little sharp sand.’ Germination takes place in about six weeks; if, however, the seed has been allowed to dry, this period is considerably increased. When once the plants have shown their first leaves, they should by frequent, watering, be kept in a growing state for about eighteen months ; that is, till after the second spring, at which period they would natur ally rest. Rest the bulbs then out-of doors for a short time, and then pot them sepa- rately in a compost of rich sandy loam, with well-rotted ‘cow dung, and bits of charcoal. They will bloom freely that autumn: If, however, we wish, Cyclamen may be bloomed i one year from seed, by keeping the bulbs in \ NEW PELARGONIUMS. 413 active growth, and giving plenty of heat. The variety of color. obtained i in these seedlings, is no less remarkable than the size of flower. Figures of some of these may be found in “ Floral Magazine,” plates 339, 387, 442, 488. The most successful raiser of Cyclamen in the vicinity of Boston, is James O’Brien of Jamaica Plain, who has exhibited before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, magnificent plants, remarkable for size, color, and profusion of bloom, and who grows this plant by thousands for the market. NEW PELARGONIUMS. _ Every year has shown progress in these plants. Many which we formerly recommended are now surpassed. by better varieties. Y We cannot do better than give a selection from the lists. appended to the admirable paper upon the Pelargo- nium, read before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society last spring, by William Gray, Jr., to which paper, embody- ing the results of careful experiment and close observa- tion, we would call the attention of all growers. Mr. Gray gives long lists, from which we select a few. . GOLDEN TRICOLORS. Achievement, E. P. Benyon, Howarth Ashton, Lady Cullum, Lucy Grieve, Miss Goring, Mrs. Little, Macbeth. 414 NEW PELARGONIUMS. SILVER TRICOLORS. Eva Fish, Excellent, Lady D. Neville, Mrs. Laing, Mrs. Clutton, Lass o’ Gowrie, Princess Beatrice. BRONZES. Black Douglas, Earl of Rosslyn, Chieftain, Emperor of Brazil, Reine Victoria, Mrs. John Lee, W. E. Gumbleten, Maréchal McMahon, Mrs. Harrison Weir. ROUND-FLOWERING SCARLETS. Beauty of Waltham, Coleshill, Lord Derby, Incompar- able, Diana, Coeur de Lion, Orbiculatum, Omega, Sir Charles Napier, Vesuvius, Majestic. SCARLET, SHADED WITH RosE. Christian Dugin, Astival, E. J. Lowe, Renown, Crystal Palace Gem. SCARLET, SHADED WITH PURPLE. Ianthe, Peabody, Shade of Evening, Madame Mezard, T. Hammersley. SALMON-SCARLET. E. S. Dodwell, King of Roses, Paul Brie. \ NEW PELARGONIUMS. - 415 PINK. _ Master Christine, Mrs. Keeler, Rose Rendatler. SALMON. Acme, Albert Grevy, Gloire de Corbenay, Mme. Jean Sisley, Polly King, President Thiers. ' WHITE. Mme. F. Hoch, Mrs. Sach, White Clipper, White Prin- cess, White Wonder. WHITE witH RosE CENTRE. Alice Spencer, Madam Werle, The Bride, Remus, Miss Gladstone, Marguerite Ponton. Of Hybrid Nosegays the best Scarlets are Dr. Muret, Emilio Castelar, Jessica, Sunshine, Wellington. Ross. Caven Fox, Cherry Lips, Florence Durand, Lawrence Heywood, Mrs. Masters. . PINK. © Christine Nilsson, Delight, Lady Belper, Pink May Queen, M. E. Buenzod, Mrs. F. Burnaby. A416 | NEW PELARGONIUMS. The above list may seem long, but it has been made ‘from experiment with many hundred varieties, and all recommended are worth growing for house culture. | For bedding, however, a very short list will suffice. Mr. Gray writes: “Orbiculatum, Sir John Moore, Coleshill, Wellington, Douglas Pearson, and Sir Charles Napier are the best among the Scarlets, and to these must be added, for large beds, General Grant. “ For pinks I recommend but two, Master Christine and Pink May Queen. | | “There are no white-flowering varieties fit for bedding, ‘but their place is well supplied by the white-edged Albion ‘Cliffs. “Tn the golden-leaved section, Crystal Palace Gem still holds the first place. “Of bronzes, the Moor is the best. Harold, the Earl of Rosslyn, and the Marquis of Lorne are next, but at a long interval. | “There are no silver tricolors worth growing for bedding. Of the golden ones Mrs. Pollock is the best.” VERBENA. 417 VERBENA. - Each year produces new varieties of this plant, so that it is impossible to give a list of varieties which will prove of permanent value. It would be impossible to find in any ‘ collection of to-day the kinds described on page 102; yet at the time that list was first printed, now about twelve years ago, they were the popular varieties, and any prom- inent florist could have furnished any of them by the thou- sand. 3 The kinds grown to-day are probably no better in any respect. So many good verbenas. have been raised that improvement seems almost impossible. We give a short list for present use. Amides Gerard. Dwarf purple. Monstrosa. Large velvet-purple. White Beauty. Fine white. Silver Star. Crimson maroon. Splendor. Vermilion, crimson eye. Virginale. Large pure white. Surprise. Rosy pink, yellow eye. Austerlitz. Red, white eye. Emily. Fine pink. Scarlet Circle. Bright scarlet. Colossus. Crimson, violet eye. 27 418 _ HELIOTROPE. Gigantic. Crimson, very large. Zenobia. Purple, white eye. Ultramarine. Fine blue. E. G. Henderson. Fine scarlet. HELIOTROPE. We can almost say of this plant what we have said of the Verbena; yet though many new varieties have been produced the old have not been entirely superseded. The following is a list of choice kinds: — Jane Messmer. Light blue, very sweet. Alexina. Lilac blush, large flowers. Garibaldi. Nearly white. General Valubert. Violet. Le Pape. Blue and lilac. Mina. Deep violet, white centre. Madame Fillion. Clear violet, passing to lavender. Jersey Beauty. The best blue for pot culture. Etoile de Marseilles. Deep violet, white centre, large truss, the best dark variety. Souvenir de Leopold I. Dark blue, white eye. Beauté des Parterres. Lilac, almost white when grown under glass. ROSES. 419 ROSES. Of new tender Roses the name is legion, and all are so good it is difficult to make a selection. When, a few years since we first saw Marechal Niél, we thought no more splendid rose could be raised, and yet, to-day, both Perle de Lyon and Belle Lyonnaise are its superior. We thought no finer or more beautifully-colored bud than Lon Silene could be found, and yet Duchess of Edin- burgh is superior in both these respects. In fact it is hard to tell what not to grow. We givea few of the choicest kinds, not all new, but all indispensable to a choice collection. Marechal Niél. Deep canary-yellow, very large, a rampant grower; should be budded on some strong stock, as thus it flowers more freely than on its own roots. Bon Silene. Rich pink or cherry. Bella. Pure white. Safrano. Orange-yellow, fine bud. Duchess of Edinburgh. Deep crimson. Devoniensis (climbing). Creamy white, large. Isabella Sprunt. Light-yellow. Madame Villermoz. White, salmon centre, large and full. Madame Faleot. Dark apricot. 420 ROSES. Madame Margottin. Deep lemon, rosy peach centre. Royal Tea. Pure white, very fine. Belle Lyonnaise. Deep canary-yellow, changing to sal-— mon. Perle de Lyon. Deep yellow: Niphetos. Pure white, very fine. Canart. Bright canary. Pauline Lebonté. Blush pink, —a lovely rose which will give more bloom than any we know. Fine globular flower, lasting long when cut. Alba rosa. White, rose centre, large and full. Archimede. Rosy fawn, darker centre, —a large flower of good substance. La France. Rosy; the most fragrant of all. Souvenir dun Ami. Pink,—a fine old rose. _ Adam. Pink; fine long bud. Souvenir de Malmaison. Large, flesh-color. Mrs. Bosanquet. Delicate flesh-color. Madame Ducher. Fine form; clear yellow. For a showy bed in the garden Agrippina is the best rose ; it is not hardy in New England, but requires frame pro- tection in winter. al The bright-colored perpetual roses, such as General — Jacqueminot, are much used, for forcing, and bring high prices. A bouquet of this rose and Lily of the Valley, is most charming in mid-winter. PINKS. 491 The treatment is very simple: grow the plants in the border as strong as possible till the middle of November , pot them and keep them very cool in a cold frame or shed, —a little freezing does no harm. About six weeks before they are wanted, bring them into a cool house, let- ting them there remain till the shoots are an inch long, then remove them to the rose-house and force them with plenty of water, light, and heat. The Cherokee Rose (A. levigata) is a charming plant for a cool house; the flowers are single, very large, pure white. PINKS. In forcing pinks we have some very fine varieties, the _ best for winter blooming are : — La Purite, bright cherry, very free flowering. La Belle. Pure white, very fragrant. President Degraw. White, tinged with blush. Louise Lenoir. Dark crimson. Unique. Pure white. _ Astoria. Yellow, marked with red. 422 FUCHSIAS. FUCHSIAS. To the list already given we add : — Wave of Life. Scarlet sepals, violet-blue corolla, gold- tinted foliage. Elm City. Crimson-scarlet, double. Conspicua. Crimson sepals, white corolla. Tower of London. Carmine-scarlet, sepals recurved, large violet-blue corolla. Meteor. Fine bronze foliage. White Eagle. White corolla, scarlet sepals. Avalanche (Smith’s). Double blush, sepals carmine-scar- Jet. Arabella, or Mrs. Marshall. Pure white tube and sepals, rich rose corolla. Balaclava. Carmine-scarlet sepals, violet corolla. Emperor of Brazil. Reddish-crimson sepals, double vio- let-purple corolla. George Peabody. Double white corolla, very fine. M. Lauth. Long carmine sepals, plum-colored corolla. Sir Garnet Wolseley. Flame-colored sepals, deep violet- purple, corolla double. Sun-ray. Fine foliage, crimson, white, and green. ABUTILON. — CALLA. 423 ABUTILON. . Several new Abutilons have proved very valuable, of these the best is : — Boule de Neige, a dwarf, free flowering variety, with pure white blossoms. A, Pattersonit, or Santana, has large blossoms resem- bling the old A. Bedfordianum, but is a comparatively dwarf grower, and very free flowering. | | A. vexillarium, or megapotamicum, has showy red and bright yellow flowers, which contrast well with the black anthers. The variegated form has very showy foliage, and is one of the best plants we have for summer carpet-bedding. A. Verschaffeltii has pale yellow flowers, and is a very handsome and desirable plant. CALLA. A new dwarf Calla (Richardia ethiopica nana) has proved worthy of cultivation from its flowering freely and occupying but little space. For house culture it is well adapted, requiring the same treatment as the species. The Spotted-leaved Calla (A. maculata) has a hastate ‘leaf spotted with white; the flower is green and not 424 CUPHEA. — CHRYSANTHEMUM. showy. This plant must be allowed to dry off after growth. Except for variety in a collection it is not desirable. CUPHEA. C. hyssopifolia is a very valuable plant for parlor culture. It is of dwarf habit, fine dark green foliage, and is always covered with delicate pink flowers. | It requires to be potted in good loam, and to have-plenty } of light, and not to be kept very hot; thus treated it will never be out of bloom. CHRYSANTHEMUM. Every year gives new varieties which supplant those previously grown. It is no easy task to make selections. C. laciniatum is valuable for cut flowers, as it blooms. _ very late. The Japanese species is ‘not generally popular, the large ragged flowers being more curious than beau- tiful. For general show the large-flowered kinds are the best, but the pompones are by far the prettiest flowers. Some of the best large-flowered are Bijou, rose-purple ; Countess of Derby, rose; George Peabody, white; Hero of Stoke Newington, rosy blush ; Prince Alfred, rose-crimson ; \ oe Sear CHRYSANTHEMUM. 495 Prince of Anemones, blush; Mrs. Forsyth, white; Baron Buest, red and yellow. : Of Pompones: Bob, rich crimson; Hrnest Benary, white and rose; Marc Aurele, purple crimson; eine des Anemo- nes, white; Lilac Gem, lilac; Danton, rose-lilac; Fabeola, lilac; Golden Anemone, yellow ; Précocité, yellow; ose @amour, clear rose. CHAPTER XXVIII. New Hyacinths. —Gladiolus.—Forcing Lily of the Valley.—New Cannas. — Lantanas.— Hardy Calceolarias.— Orchids for the Parlor.— Ferns for ‘the Parlor. THE HYACINTH. EW varieties are yearly sent out by Dutch cultivators. To the lists already given we may add, — DousBLE RED. Koh-i-Noor. Bright salmon-pink. Shakespeare. Large rose. DovusLE WHITE. Madame de Staél, Prince of Waterloo. DovusLE YELLOW. Croesus, La Grandeur. DovusLeE Bue. Comte de St. Priest, Sir Colin Campbell. \ HYACINTH. — GLADIOLUS. 427 SINGLE Rep. Hina. Very fine large truss and flower. Von Schiller. Very deep red Prince Albert Victor. Rich dark-crimson. Princess Helena. Rosy pink. SINGLE WHITE. La Grandesse, Snowball, Alba maxima, L’Innocence, Leviathan, Lord Shaftesbury. SINGLE BLUE. Blondin, Feruch Khan, King of Blues, Lothair. SINGLE YELLOW. Bird of Tes Liberia, Anna Carolina. GLADIOLUS. The experience of the last few years has shown that in the production of seedling Gladiolus we are by no means excelled by English and French growers. We may import high-priced kinds, but from a collection of American seed- lings we can often select superior flowers. There is, however, a difficulty in bringing to public 498 LILY OF THE VALLEY. notice any new plant in this country. We have no large growers who are in a position to take such a plant, prop- agate it, and send it into the market, and many good seed- lings are lost to cultivation. To the general grower we say, buy, for general display, the old varieties, of which we have already given lists, or order from some dealer a few hundred unnamed seedlings, in which there will not fail to be many good flowers. Of new French varieties the best are, — De Michel. Rose veined with lilac, throat dark carmine. Le Vesuve. Fiery red, very large flower. Murillo. Cherry red, all petals lined with white, with — large white spot on lower petals. Psyche. Light satin-rose, lower petals darker rose. Sirene. Salmon-rose. In England the prize varieties the last summer were Mons. Legouvé, Ondine, Hercules, Orpheus, Pactole, Psyche, Warrior, Adolphe Brogniart, Sylvia, John Wa- terer, Seda, Madame Despertes, Almathea, Felix, Shake- | speare, Xerxes, Meyerbeer, Triumphans, Talisman. FORCING LILY OF THE VALLEY. Within the last few years Lilies of the Valley have been very profitably forced by florists, the stalks bringing ten \ LILY OF THE VALLEY. 429 cents each. ‘The clumps of roots, or the single crowns are usually imported, these giving better bloom than home-grown stock. Single crowns are preferable to clumps, as they produce more flower, and bloom equally all over the pot. The crowns should be potted firmly in any soil (for they will not make much root), the roots being cut off to within two inches of the crown, at equal distances, in pots, pans, or boxes. Keep the crown above the soil, as otherwise the plants come up irregularly, and an even surface of bloom is to be desired. Place the pots in a cold-frame, and give moderate water- ing. It is a good plan to cover the crowns with a layer of sphagnum moss, as thus they swell evenly, and to keep them covered until they begin to develop. Bring them gradually into heat, and plunge them in bot- tom-heat in a close frame, say from 80° to 90°. They will stand any amount of bottom-heat, and may be forced into bloom in three weeks, but if forced too rapidly there will be all bloom and no foliage. ‘This is desirable for cutting, but for beauty both flower and foliage should be produced together, and to do this the plants must be forced gradu- ally. ie It is a good plan to let the pots be exposed to frost be- fore beginning the forcing, as thus the flower is much finer. 430 CALCEOLARIAS. — LANTANA. This plant may be forced by placing the pots on the shelf over a kitchen range, or on the hot pipes of a green-house. The leaves and flowers will lack color if kept from the light, but a few days exposure will remedy this want. BEDDING CALCEOLARIAS. These plants are not favorites, as they fail to give cen- tinuous bloom. There has, however, been an improvement, and some of the varieties are desirable, as in color they have no rivals, — . Crimson Queen. A free grower, with scarlet-tinted bronze-crimson flowers. Pillar of Gold. Rich golden-yellow. Sparkler. Yellow and maroon. Aurea floribunda. Clear yellow. Crown Prince. Golden-yellow, large truss. Amplexicaule. Lemon-yellow. William Lucas. Vermilion-crimson. THE LANTANA. e An improvement has been made in these plants by the — introduction of some dwarf varieties of continental origin. \ NEW CANNAS. | 431 The best of these is a light yellow flower, named Boule d’ Or, which either as a pot-plant or in the garden, is a mass of bloom, and is well worth general cultivation. NEW CANNAS. If the production of new varieties means progress, more has been accomplished with this plant the past few years than with any other. We have before us the Catalogue of Messrs. Huber, of Hyeres, France, in which one hundred and fifty varieties are described. The greatest improvement has been in the size and shape of the flower. Cannas were formerly foliage plants, now they are among the most brilliant flowering plants of the garden. In addition to the list we have given, the following vari- eties are very fine : — Adele Levallois. Very dwarf. Seldom growing more than two feet high; thick dark-green foliage, large daz- zling crimson flowers. | Premice de Nice. Foliage glaucous-green, flowers cana- ry-yellow. Senateur Chevreau. Bright green foliage, salmon-scarlet flowers. 432 CANNAS. — ORCHIDS FOR THE PARLOR. Auguste Ferrier. Large green leaves shaded with ma- roon; the tallest variety, often growing nine feet high. A very late bloomer, seldom flowering in New England; flowers red. Iridiflora hybrida. Rich orange-scarlet flowers shaded with crimson. The newest varieties, which, however, have not been yet proved in this country, are, — Helvetia. Yellow, white, and carmine. Auguste Buchner. Bright orange. Capucine. Brilliant red. i Vuleain. Bright red. Dr. Lavingston. Orange-carmine. Gloire de Provence. Pale yellow, tipped with carmine. Victoria. Saffron-yellow and carmine. Souvenir de Barillet Deschamps. Vivid red. Alégatiére. Brilliant orange. Bonnett excelsa. Purple-red. ORCHIDS FOR THE PARLOR. Some few of the “cool orchids” will grow and bloom well in the parlor. They should be potted in rough peat and sphagnum moss, with lumps of charcoal or broken potsherds, to keep the \ \ FERNS FOR THE PARLOR. 433 soil open, and secure good drainage; given full light, and be kept warm, and in not a very dry atmosphere. Those that we have found to succeed best are, — Cypripedium insigne and C. venustum. Two East In- dian species of Lady’s Slipper, which grow freely and bloom profusely, the flowers remaining long in perfection. Lycaste Skinnert. A choice and showy plant, with large white and purple flowers. _ Odontoglossum grande. ‘The largest flowered of the Odontoglots, which grows and blooms freely at a low tem- perature. Flowers rich yellow, veined with chocolate- brown. In the volume on “ Window Gardening,” we have given _ full directions for the culture of these showy flowers. FERNS FOR THE PARLOR. Some ferns succeed well in the parlor, if the room is light and airy. They should be potted in a compost of peat, loam, and sand, with good drainage. Over-watering must be avoided, and full exposure to sunshine. If there is plenty of light, they grow well on a centre-table. The best species for parlor ‘culture are, — Adiantum cuneatum. A lovely species of maiden-hair, 28 434 FERNS FOR THE PARLOR. from Brazil; the fronds are graceful, and attain a large size. A. affine. A New Zealand species, delicate and pretty. Davillia canariensis. A graceful and pretty fern, of easy culture. Pteris tremula. A large-growing species, which wix once established, soon makes a fine plant. It is one of the hardiest and best. P. cretica albo lineata. A pretty variegated fern ; fronds light green, with clear white centre and midrib. Nephrolepis exaltata and pectinata, are showy ferns, with long, narrow fronds; they grow freely, and are very or- namental. Polypodium vulgare is a well-known native fern, very - common in shady, rocky places. Transplanted to the par- lor, it thrives well, and is quite as ornamental as many of the rare exotic ferns. \ 4 CHAPTER XXIX. New Hardy Shrubs. — Amygdalopsis. — Hydrangea. — Exochorda.— New Lilacs. — Rhodotypus. — Rapheolepis. — Magnolia. —Spirea. — New Hardy Roses. — Ampelopsis. — Lonicera. — Clematis. HE introduction of a new hardy shrub is of more ben- efit than the discovery of a host of new greenhouse plants. The one can be grown by the people and all can enjoy it, the others must ever remain the pleasure of a few. ; It is, therefore, a pleasant duty to describe some new shrubs which are real acquisitions, and adapted to general cultivation. AMYGDALOPSIS. This charming plant (A. Lindleyana), more commonly known as Prunus triloba, is a dwarf-growing plant, which in early spring is a mass of large, bright, pink, rosette-like flowers; native of China. It has proved perfectly hardy, and. should be in every garden. 436 HYDRANGEA. — EXOCHORDA. The flowers resemble those of the double flowering al- mond, but are fuller and brighter, and three times larger. The foliage is ornamental, and in autumn the round, hard, plum-like fruit is very showy. HYDRANGEA. A very showy summer-blooming shrub, known as &. paniculata grandiflora or deutzifolia, is coming into general cultivation. The flowers are white, in immense corymbs, and remain weeks in full beauty, turning deep rose before they fade. To produce large trusses, the soil should be rich and the _ plant should be pruned in spring, the weak growth being cut out. As this shrub blooms at a season when the shrub- bery is generally barren of flowers, it is especially de- sirable. It has been generally propagated, and is now very cheap. EXOCHORDA. This plant (2. grandiflora), known also as Spirea grand- iflora, although for years grown in England as a green- house plant, is perfectly hardy. We have plants eight feet high, which stood the severe winter of 1872 without even the tips of the shoots being killed. | LILACS. — RHODOTYPUS. 437 The foliage is glaucous-green, the flowers an inch in diameter, white, with green centre, in long spikes, com- pletely covering the plant in early June. The only successful mode of propagation is by root cut- tings in bottom heat. It is not a common shrub, but is most desirable, and one of the handsomest we grow. LILACS. The last few years have been prolific of new lilacs, which are far superior to the old varieties, in size both of flower and truss, and in rich coloring of flower. Dr. Lindley is a magnificent variety, of strong growth, with very large rich purple flowers. The following are very fine: Charles X., Blanc virginal, _ Goliah, Ville de Troyes, Dr. Noble, Ambroise Verschaffelt, Gloire de Moulins, Nigricans, Lavanensis. A mass of these gives charming variety of color. RHODOTYPUS. R. kerrioides. Is a pretty shrub, resembling in foliage the well-known Oochorus (Kerria japonica), but with large white flowers. 438 RAPHIOLEPIS. — MAGNOLIA. — SPIREA. It is a dense-growing plant, preserving its foliage in good ‘condition to late autumn, and in winter is covered with clusters of shining, hard, black seeds. It is perfectly hardy, and well worth growing. RAPHIOLEPIS. &. ovata is a low-growing shrub, with leathery dark ‘green foliage and spikes of showy white flowers, which are succeeded by black berries. It is not hardy in New Eng- Jand, but will probably prove so south of Philadelphia. MAGNOLIA. ‘The newest Magnolia is M. Lenne, —a beautiful variety, with very large, deep purplish-red flowers. It has proved perfectly hardy with us at Glen Ridge, Sa should find a place in every collection. The flowers are produced before the leaves in early spring, about a week later than those of J/. Soulongiana. SPIREA. Although there is nothing new in shrubby spireas we desire to call attention to S. Thunbergt as the earliest \ i HARDY ROSES. _ 439 blooming species; very free in growth and profuse in bloom. About the middle of May it is a mass of white flowers, and is a very showy plant. Although not very common, it cannot fail to be gen- erally cultivated when its merits are known. HARDY ROSES. To give a list of these would be to copy the florists’ catalogues. English, French, and Continental growers every year send out so many new varieties, many of great merit, that it is difficult to make a selection, and to at- tempt a description would exceed the limits of our volume. The following is a select list: — Comtesse d Oxford. Bright shaded carmine, large, full fine form. ; : General Jacqueminot. An old rose, but unsurpassed in color, brilliant velvety-red. | | Abbe Garaudier. Fine rose, large and full. Paul Neron. Deep rose, immense flower. Baronne de Rothschild. Bright rose, very large. Dr. Andry. Rich crimson-shaded carmine. Auguste Mié. Light pink, — a good old rose. Madame Vidot. Delicate pink, cupped, very double. 440 AMPELOPSIS. Duce de Cazes. Deep crimson-scarlet. Caroline de Sansal. Flesh color and blush, large. Madame Lacharme. White suffused with pink, changing to pure white. Paul Verdier. Bright rose, imbricated, very double. Keine des Blanches. Fine rosy white, very large. Boule de Neige. Pure white, fine cup, double. Edouard Morren. Bright carmine. Oriflamme de St. Louis. Brilliant scarlet. * _ Prince Camille de Rohan. Dark velvety-crimson. — Prince Leon. Vivid crimson, large. Alfred Colomb. Bright rich carmine. La France. Deep pink, very fragrant. Charles Rouillard. Lilac rose, very large. John Hopper. Brilliant rose, crimson centre. Princess Mary of Cambridge. Silvery pink, large and full. AMPELOPSIS. A very valuable introduction is the new Japanese wood- bine, Ampelopsis Veitchit, or tricuspidata. / It is a perfectly hardy climber, with small neat foliage when young, and shoots which cling close to either wood, stone, or brick. : . It is admirably adapted for covering walls, and will take \ a i ee > LONICERA. — CLEMATIS. 441 the place of ivy which, unfortunately for us in New Eng- land, is not hardy. ‘The foliage turns a rich dark purple in the autumn. It is a rapid grower, is not attacked by insects, and is altogether the best hardy foliage climber. LONICERA. L. brachypoda aureo reticulata is a beautiful small leafed species of honeysuckle, with leaves beautifully reticulated with golden veins. At a distance it appears a mass of yellow, and is invalu- able for growing with dark foliage vines. Although generally hardy this plant.is sometimes winter- killed, and therefore should have a sheltered situation and be shghtly protected in winter. THE CLEMATIS. When the first edition of this book was issued, there were comparatively few Clematis in cultivation. | The last three years have greatly added to the number, until now it is difficult to make a selection where all are so beautiful. The general treatment has been given in the previous pages. 442 CLEMATIS. _ These hybrid Clematis divide themselves into several classes, and in classification we follow that of English cul- tivators, giving a list of the best of each. — FLoripa TYPE. Fortunti. Double white. John Gould Veitch. Double mauve. Floral Magazine, ‘page 394. Lucie Lemoine. Double white. Floral Magazine, page 102. : These like the species are precariously hardy; they are summer bloomers, and produce the flowers from the old wood. — JACKMANNI TYPE. In addition to those previously mentioned, we can recom- mend : — | Star of India. Reddish-purple, with red markings. Magnifiea. Reddish-purple. Floral Magazine, page 453. | Prince of Wales. Deep purple. Velutina purpurea. Mulberry purple. These are free bloomers, and flower on the new wood, and are hardy. CLEMATIS, 443 LANUGINOSA TYPE. Gem. Deep lavender blue. Henreyi. Creamy white. Madame Van Houtte. Large white. Aureliant. Light blue. Lawsoniana. Rosy purple. Regine. Light blue. William Kennett. Deep lavender. In this class are found the finest and largest flowered Clematis ; they are summer and autumn bloomers, flower from the new wood. Should be moderately pruned in spring. ‘They are not hardy in New England. Patens TYPE. Albert Victor. Deep lavender. Fair Rosamond. Blush-white, red markings. Figured in Florist, 1874, page 169. 7 | Miss Bateman. White. Floral Magazine, pp. 495-96. Standishii. Mauve. | Stella. Deep mauve. Figured in Florist, 1874, page 169. cyst The Queen. Light mauve, Mrs. S. C. Baker. French gray, claret bar. Lord Londesborough. Deep mauve. 444 CLEMATIS. Lady Londesborough. Gray. Floral Magazine, pp. 495-96. | These produce flowers in early spring, on the ripened wood. 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