352 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



to protect them from noxious insects, give an occasional syringing with 

 a decoction of Fowler's Insecticide— one of the best and cleanest we 

 have used, and certain death to both black-thrip, red-spider, and green- 

 fly. Two of the best Dipladenias commonly grown for exhibition are 

 garden hybrids, having been raised from seed by Mr H. Luke, a well- 

 known exhibitor at the Leeds and Yorkshire shows. These are 

 D. amabilis and D. amoena, seedlings from D. crassinoda and D. 

 splendens. Another, and if possible a more handsome variety, has 

 been raised at Well Head, near Halifax, by JSIr S. Fenwick — this being 

 a seedling from D. amabilis named D. insignis, and now in the hands of 

 Messrs Yeitch & Son, who have several times shown it in flower. Its 

 blooms individually measure nearly 5 inches in diameter, and are of a 

 vivid rosy-crimson colour, and of good substance; while the plant 

 appears to possess the robust constitution of its parent, and will doubt- 

 less make an effective plant for summer and autumn exhibitions when 

 distributed among growers. The best kinds for exhibition are D. 

 amabilis, D. splendens, D. crassinoda, D. amoena, and to these we may 

 add the delicate white-flowered D. Boliviensis. This last species is 

 very distinct in colour, all the other species bearing rosy or yellow 

 flowers. A nice plant of this species was staged at the Bath show, but 

 it is very rare in general collections, though very beautiful when well 

 grown and laden with its snowy, salver-shaped blossoms. Dipladenias 

 make effective stove -climbers trained up wires along with Cissus 

 discolor, Gloriosa superba, G. Plantii, or Stephanotis Horibunda; and 

 plants so treated produce a fine supply of choice flowers for cutting, 

 and grouping along with Ferns and Lycopods in the drawing-room vase. 



When the plants are resting, they may be kept moderately moist at 

 the root and in a dry and comparatively cool atmosphere. When 

 they are wanted for starting, take them into the stove and plunge 

 them into a moderate bottom-heat, repotting them in good fresh com- 

 post as soon as the roots begin to move. Do not give too much 

 w^ater at first, but let the plants get into vigorous growth, after which 

 it may be liberally supplied — strengthened occasionally as already 

 recommended. Some of the older species, as D. Harrisii, bearing 

 golden-yellow flowers, blotched with crimson ; D. flava, bearing clear 

 yellow flowers ; D. nobilis, bearing pale-rosy flowers ; D. acuminata, 

 and D. urophylla, — are more or less valuable as general decorative 

 plants all requiring stove treatment, and most of them are very rare in 

 modern gardens. 



If our plant-growers were to pay more attention to the cross-breeding 

 of these and other stove-plants, we should doubtless soon become pos- 

 sessed of other choice varieties, valuable either for decoration or public 

 exhibition. F. W. B. 



