1869.] EPIPHYLLUM TRUNCATUM : STOCKS, TRAINING, ETC. 255 



tliera a trial, for those who have not seen them well done, must find it difficult 

 to conceive the great beauty of these Clematises. The varieties are many in 

 number, and various in colour. 



Withy Court. George Westland. 



EPIPHYLLUM TRUNCATUM : STOCKS, TRAINING, ETC. 



^OMING- into flower naturally at the dead season of the year, and con- 

 tinuing in perfection long after being cut, few subjects excel this plant 

 for decorative purposes, whether in hothouses or drawing-rooms. The 

 blossoms are equally useful for bouquets, but for this purpose they must 

 be mounted on wires at the point of junction with the plant. 



It is generally taken for granted that the whole of this race of Epiphyllums 

 should be grafted. However well they may grow and bloom on their own 

 roots, they are apt to assume a squatty and inelegant form, and to hide the 

 beauty of their pendent blossoms in a tangled thicket of shapeless growth. 



One of the simplest means of preventing this is to plant them thickly over 

 the entire surface of the pot, so as to cover the whole with a series of small 

 plants, instead of having one only in the centre. The result is that each 

 plant supports its neighbour, and, as each extremity would be a flowering shoot, 

 the general effect is as if each pot were filled with a perfect-shaped plant in full 

 blossom. A great objection to this mode of growth is the flatness of outline that 

 it necessarily induces. This may be obviated by using older and taller plants for 

 the centre, and newly-struck cuttings for the sides of the pots. By a wise 

 selection of graduated lengths, an elegant pyramid may thus be formed. 



Another mode of securing the same object is to choose any number of different- 

 sized pots, drain and half fill them with compost, and then arrange them from 

 the base upwards, one above and within the other. The inequality of size will 

 thus leave vacant rings for the reception of the plants. A 12-in. pot as a founda- 

 tion, finished off with a 2-in. crowning summit, arranged either in regular 

 gradation or intermittently, forms a massive unity of singular beauty. The 

 Epiphyllum seems to enjoy these restrictive rings amazingly. The roots hug 

 the sides of the pots with great tenacity, and very soon the entire pyramid is 

 clothed with vigorous growth, and enwreathed with the loveliest flowers. It may 

 be well to add that the furnishing of such pyramids begins at the top, and is 

 completed at the base. The plants thus escape injury or being soiled during the 

 operation of potting. They must also be potted very firmly, and when all is 

 completed have a thorough soaking of water. This ring-culture necessitates at 

 all times careful and thorough watering. Each ring being quite independent of 

 the others for its supply, it must be watered with the same care as if it were a 

 distinct pot. It is very provoking to have a fine mass spoiled for want of 

 attention to this simple fact. One point more needs attention. It is necessary 

 to guard against the possibility of the pots or pans shifting their position when 



