82 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



that can be grown ; and I find a great demand for it as an ornament 

 for the hair. 



Being a native of the East Indies, the plant stove, or a house where 

 it can have a high temperature and a plentiful supply of moisture, is 

 most suitable for it. To have it fine, and to be seen in all its beauty, 

 it should be planted out in a bed of soil and be allowed plenty of 

 space to run, and under such treatment I question if even the lovely 

 Lapageria rosea in the conservatory can rival it for usefulness and 

 beauty. The Ipomcea comes into bloom at a season when scarcely 

 any flowers of the same colour are available, and it continues a long 

 time in bloom. We have had it in bloom here since October, and not 

 producing a few flowers only, but hanging in large and numerous clusters, 

 more than fifty of which have been cut at a time ; and now, the 13th 

 January, we are still getting a plentiful supply, with every appearance 

 of a succession for six weeks to come, and all from the same plant. 



Having grown it several years in pots, but not to my satisfaction, 

 when "looking over" our stove plants last March, a pit 3 feet square 

 and 18 inches deep was taken out at the corner of the centre bed in 

 the stove, 6 inches of drainage was put in the bottom of the pit, with 

 a layer of rough soil over it to keep it from getting choked. The 

 pit was filled up with one part fibry peat, not broken too finely ; one 

 part turfy loam, with the fine part of it separated from it by passing 

 it through a |-inch sieve ; with this was mixed a little charcoal, 

 broken to from the size of a bean to a pigeon's egg, and a sprinkling 

 of silver sand. This Ipomsea is very impatient of stagnant water, and 

 at the same time requires a copious supply of water when growing 

 freely : good drainage and an open soil are indispensable, otherwise the 

 leaves turn yellow and drop off. The plant was carefully turned out 

 of its pot and planted in the pit of soil above described, was trained 

 so far up the end of the house and over above the division door and 

 over the path along which it has been trained. It soon started into 

 growth and progressed rapidly, and by the middle of August it had 

 run the whole length of the house — 30 feet long and 3 feet wide — at 

 the same time covering several of the rafters. All through the grow- 

 ing season the shoots should be carefully tied in, as it blooms in large 

 bunches from the ends of the shoots. It grows all the stronger if occa- 

 sionally watered with manure-w^ater, and it should be liberally syringed 

 till the blooms make their appearance, which is generally in October. 

 When it stops growing and begins to bloom, less water is required ; for 

 if too liberally supplied, its flowers and leaves drop off prematurely. 

 This creeper cannot be too strongly recommended wherever there is 

 a plant stove. Here it has been the admiration of aU who have visited 

 the gardens. A. Henderson. 



Thoresby Gardens. 



