208 THE GARDENER. [June 



NOTES ON DECORATIVE GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 



LAPAGEEIA ROSEA AND L. ALBA. 



The above are two of the most beautiful and striking flowering green- 

 house climbers in cultivation. The sprays of flowers are lovely objects 

 for hanging over the edges of vases filled with cut-flowers ; and both 

 of them, if trained on balloons and well flowered, are two of the very 

 choicest of exhibition plants : indeed it would be difiicult to conceive 

 of a more beautiful and telling plant for this purpose than the white 

 variety. They are both natives of Chili, and thrive well in an ordinary 

 greenhouse after they are fairly established ; but until then they are 

 all the better of being kept rather close, and in a temperature that 

 does not fall below 50° at night during winter. After they are well 

 established, they will stand it a little lower without suffering any 

 damage. They are grand plants for training up rafters ; and in this 

 position, where they are always exposed to the full light, it will be 

 found that they flower much more freely. 



The Lapageria is propagated by seed and layering the shoots, and 

 sometimes by cuttings. The wood, however, is so hard and wiry that 

 they do not root very readily as cuttings, so that this method of pro- 

 pagation is not often resorted to. The soil which suits them best is 

 turfy loam and fibry peat in equal proportions, with plenty of sharp 

 sand, and some lumps of sandstone or charcoal incorporated with it. 

 The soil should be used in a roughish condition, according to the size of 

 pot, and the drainage should be perfect, as they are strong feeders, and 

 in the height of their growing season delight in abundance of water, 

 which should have a free exit, else the soil will become soured, and 

 in consequence the plants will fall into weak health. An occasional 

 watering with liquid manure may be given when they are in vigorous 

 growth, and the syringe may be applied at times, so as to keep the 

 foliage clean and healthy. They keep blooming continuously for a 

 long time, and no collection of plants, however select, should be with- 

 out one or both of them. The price at which the white variety has 

 hitherto been sold has prevented it from having been introduced into 

 many places where it doubtless would have been, so that it has only 

 been some of the more enthusiastic lovers of plants who have ven- 

 tured to become the purchasers of it. It is now becoming much 

 cheaper, however, and more within the range of moderate purses, so 

 that we may soon hope to see it in every collection of greenhouse 

 plants. 



THE CLIANTHUS (pAKROT'S-BEAK, OR GLORY -PEA OF AUSTRALIA). 



The Clianthus is one of the most showy and most suitable plants for 

 training up the rafter or for covering the back wall of the conserva- 



