The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



127 



No. 4.— Outdoor use ot Foliage Plants. 



also, rtiitl ii 1- I n-.iMc to have the plants 

 in flowiT -ix iiKiiiilis from the time of 

 sowing till' x'lds. 'I'his is an achieve- 

 ment of wliieli those wlio grew gloxinias 

 forty years ago little dreamed. 



THE BEGONIA. 



One of the most notable products of 

 the nineteenth century was the tuberous- 

 rooted begonia. Of the five or so species 

 of begonia which were in cultivation in 

 18'20, B. nitida appears to be the only 

 one which has survived. Col. Trevor 

 Clarke and Mr. W. Earley were among 

 the earliest to obtain hybrids of the 

 fibrous-rooted type; the former produced 

 among others Weltoniensis, the latter 

 DigswelliaiKi. Tliiic were other seed- 

 lings a> \\r\] ■,!- iiii Kiiluctions from for- 

 eign ]T.iil~. iiirlmliii;; the glorlous B. 

 corallina In.iii l;ra/il about 1845. B. 

 fuchsioides, whicli came to us from New 

 Grenada in 1846, became very popular 

 for a time, and up to within the last 

 thirty years formed a part of most col- 

 lections of plants. The enormous devel- 

 opment of the begonia in later years is 

 too well known to be mentioned here. 



THE CALCEOLARIA. 



The calceolaria, which at the opening 

 of the last half of the nineteenth century 

 was of generally tall growth, and small 

 flowered, has been carried to the otlier 

 extreme. The plants of leading strains 

 arenow M'rv il«arf, with don-o .Iii-lored 

 heads uf Mm.mii Ml 1;,,^.,. |H„i.|,-I,L, ,,„,,]- 



las, in wllirli llir .|M:illl \ ..t -ll;i|" liirh 



ruled a ijuaitn- nf a r.Mitmy n^n i- to a 

 large degree wanting. 



THE CINERARIA. 



The cineraria has passed through a 

 similar experience, the somewhat tall 

 growth and finely-shaped blossoms of a 

 generation ago have given place to a 

 dwarf, compact habit, and very large 

 flowers, which, while in themselves strik- 

 ing, yet to a large extent lack tlic sub- 

 stance and symmetry of a former period. 

 Mere size, both in the calceolaria and 

 cineraria, may be said to rule; and yet, 

 as if in protest against the uncouth di- 

 mensions of later developments, the 



original type, C. cruenta, is being culti- 

 vated, and already seedlings show a ten- 

 dency to increase in form and size ; while 

 their tall habits and free-blooming char- 

 acteristic make them desirable as con- 

 servatory plants. It seems as if the old 

 way of improvement was being re-trod- 

 den in our day. 



THE PRIMULA. 



Some such experience appears to be 

 going on in the case of Primula sinensis. 

 While in the earily fifties only the old 

 but improved types of the red and white 

 were grown, since then there has been 

 an active time of intercrossing, with the 

 result that the varieties have inci-eased 

 to a great extent, and colors which it 

 was never anticipated by the old grow- 

 ers could be seen in the Chinese prim- 

 rose, have been obtained, such as rich 

 crimson, shades of lavender, etc. ; and 

 double forms have also been secured, so 

 that the value of P. sinensis as a deco- 

 rative agent is evidenced on every hand. 

 Here also the old single type (not the 

 original species) has been taken in hand, 

 and there has been obtained a strain of 

 very ivrr l.l..(iiiiing smaller single-flow- 

 ered \aiirii,-. i.rmed "Star" primulas, 

 wliic li ail' |ii.iiiilar in many quarters. 

 But aii\ aii.inpt to improve these seems 

 likely to lead eventually to the improved 

 forms to which a course of half a cen- 

 tury's selection have led us. 



THE FUCHSIA. 



The fuchsia, which, as the late Mr. 

 John Lee stated, was brought to London 

 by a sailor at tln' I'lal cif (lie last century, 

 and pur<lia-r.| ami il i^( ril)uted by his 

 father, yet Kiiiam^ a popular green- 

 house plant, thougii now. probably, more 

 employed for the decoration of the 

 flower garden than in the house, and 

 especially is this true of our London 

 parks. The name of Edward Banks 

 stands out most prominently as an im- 

 prover of the fuchsia in the past, as that 

 of James Lye does in the present. But 

 many others have assisted in its devel- 

 opment. Fuchsia coccinea appears to 

 have been the only one known in 1820 

 (F. magellanica is now often grown un- 



No abutilon was known during the 

 first quarter of the century, for the well 

 known A. striatum did not come to us 

 from Brazil until 1837, and the improve- 

 ments shown in the new varieties raised 

 from it belong to the last half of the 

 lentury; so do such species as insigne, 

 megapotamicum and the variegated 

 leaved Thompson!. 



THE ACHIMINES. 



The achimenes, once a much more pop- 

 ular subject among gardeners than it is 

 in the present day, had one representa- 

 tive in this country at the beginning of 

 the century — namely, A. coccinea. The 

 violet A. longiflora was introduced in 

 1841, and this, with A. grandiflora, 

 which appeared the following year, have 

 largely given us the fine varieties culti- 

 vated in the present da}'. We thtis owe 

 the free-flowering achimenes to the cen- 

 tury which has just closed. 



THE AMARYLLIS. 



The amaryllis (hippeastrum) is a 

 subject whieii has undergone a remark- 

 able transformation during the past cen- 

 tury. Dean Herbert led the way, and 

 there were always others who in greater 

 or less degree carried on the work of 

 improvement. It was an epoch-making 

 period in the history of the flower when 

 the Peruvian H. pardinum appeared in 

 1866. This was foimd to blend with the 

 forms in -cultivation, and in the hands 

 of Messrs. Veitch & Sons there has origi- 

 nated a strain of great magnificence. 

 The names of Chapman, Ker, Perkins 

 and others are among the busy workers 

 who are raising seedlings; but it would 

 appear as if the limits of perfection had 

 been nearly or quite reached. 



THE COCKSCOMB. 



It can scarcely be said that the crest- 

 ed cockscomb is holding its own as a 

 stove and exhibition plant, tliniigh very 

 fine examples are ocra-iiaiall\ -r.n at 

 flower shows held aljinii ili. .Mimtry. 

 The introduction of tin |.1iiiiim-. roiiii 

 under the name of Cilo-ia n-intea, 

 which has been consiiln alil\ iiii|.i uveil 

 1)V selection, has furnisln,! an a.nniialile 

 subject for summer bediling. a^ ran be 

 seen in some of the London parks. It 

 is also of great value for house decora- 

 tion. 



THE LACHEX.VLIA. 

 Though there were ■.uniil liiiiu like 

 twenty species and varii I ir^ uf lai linia- 

 lia. including pendula ami tiiinlm, in 

 cultivation at the beginning of the cen- 

 tury, it is only within the last twenty 

 years that attempts have been made to 

 proiluce new forms from seed, and the 

 well known Nelsoni was one of the flrst 

 to appear; other new forms have put in 

 an appearance during the past ten 

 years. 



THE LANTANA. 



1 he improved varieties of lanlanas arc 

 also the products of the nineteenth cen- 



