1879.] STOVE-CLIMBERS. 351 



purpose, not to put them on the desired trellis too early — that is, until 

 the flowers are well advanced ; they can then be regularly arranged over 

 the whole trellis. 



Dipladenias. 



This lovely genera of plants ranks amongst the most beautiful of 

 stove-climbers, and deserves to be grown largely on the roof of a plant- 

 stove, where plenty of heat and moisture can be afforded them. Dip- 

 ladenia Brearleyana makes one of the finest exhibition plants. How- 

 ever beautiful the older varieties of a few years -ago were, they are cer- 

 tainly superseded by the newer varieties. D. amcena and amabilis 

 are beautiful ; while D. insignis is a great acquisition, with its rich 

 rosy-carmine flowers, which are of a good size, and having a white 

 tube or throat, renders it an attractive plant for exhibition purposes. 

 D. regina will undoubtedly, with its light-coloured flowers, prove to 

 be, from its free-blooming habit, a great acquisition. 



We intend to confine our remarks to that beautiful evergreen plant 

 D. Brearleyana, which we consider far exceeds any other variety, either 

 as a stove-climber or for exhibition purposes, both in freeness of growth 

 and for its floriferous character. Cleanliness is a point of great im- 

 portance in the culture of this plant, as it is very subject to all kinds 

 of insects which infest plants, especially mealy-bug ; and unless the 

 plants are free of these, little success can be anticipated. When once 

 attacked with bug, it in a very short time arrests the growth of the 

 plant, and the foliage soon turns yellow and falls off. 



Watering is another particular point, and this plant is very impatient 

 of carelessness in this respect ; it cannot bear being kept so wet at the 

 root as the majority of stove plants. If the waterpot is judiciously 

 used, and the plant kept clean, combined with light, heat, and moisture, 

 the cultivator will not fail to be successful with D. Brearleyana, and 

 have a quantity of large, fine-coloured flowers of great substance. This 

 magnificent hybrid is a very attractive and striking object when in 

 flower, from its peculiarity of having flowers of two colours on the plant 

 at the same time, — opening as it does pink, and then with age the 

 colour intensifies until it is of the richest crimson. This variety flowers 

 very freely. It, like several other stove-climbers, requires a large num- 

 ber of young shoots to be trained under the glass before a great pro- 

 fusion of flowers can be produced at one time. This is particularly 

 necessary if required for exhibition purposes. Like the Stephanotis, 

 it is best trained on string for that purpose, until the flowers are well 

 advanced. They should then be carefully trained round the trellis they 

 are intended to be exhibited on, placing the flowers as near equal dis- 

 tances from each other as possible. Dipladenias cling to the support 

 upon which they are trained. When trained on string, it can be cut 

 in short lengths, and easily drawn out, making it more convenient 

 to take the plant down when it has to undergo the ordeal of clean- 



