1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



139 



was in no way to blame in the matter except in 

 being too confiding in believing the representa- 

 tions of the party from whom he bought it in 

 England. 



In 1860, a London nurseryman of the highest 

 reputation, sent out with a great flourish of trum- 

 pets a new golden flowered Verbena, which he 

 named Most Welcome ; I quickly bit at the 

 golden bait, and was the unfortunate medium of 

 sending it far and wide in this country. "When 

 the thing flowered it proved to be an old ac- 

 quaintance, that I had known when a boy — a 

 distinct spieces known as Verbena sulphurea, 

 flowers of a dirty white, a plant of no value ex- 

 cept for botanical collections. I have not even 

 yet heard the last of my yellow Verbena ven- 

 ture, but it was a valuable lesson and has 

 taught me to have less veneration for the horti- 

 cultural veracity of some of our English cousins. 



[Beauty of Glazenwood as we understand that 

 question, was a sport from Fortune's Yellow, but 

 which was of such a transitory character, that it 

 returned speedily to its original. We have 

 never believed that there was any lack of -ver- 

 acity in those who first sent out that rose. — Ed. 

 G. M.] 



HABROTHAMNUS ELECANS. 



BY J. L. RUSSELL, DENVER CONSERVATORIES, 

 DENVER, COLORADO. 



This beautiful plant is a native of Mexico, 

 and belonging to the natural order Solanacese, 

 deserves more attention than it gets, for instead 

 of attention from many it gets what the gar- 

 dener terms "pitched out." So a word on 

 its culture, and the description of a plant grow- 

 ing in our conservatories may not be out of 

 place in the Monthly. The plant I refer to 

 was grown from a cutting about eighteen months 

 ago, and planted out in the bed where it is now 

 growing scarce one year ago, and at this writing, 

 November 28, it has towered up to the height of 

 sixteen feet by twelve feet through, and by actual 

 count it was found to contain over six hundred 

 trusses with buds and blooms, about one-sixth 

 fully expanded and drooping with all the grace- 

 fulness of life, which forms a sight worth seeing. 

 And aside from the beauty of the bloom on the 

 plant, in a cut state they last a considerable 

 time, and work in to good advantage in cut flow- 

 ers. It has, I admit, a fragrance that is not 

 much admired, but by introducing fragrant 

 flowers around, it is seldom or ever noticed. As 

 regards culture, the most essential point is pot- 



room, and without that it will not do much. It 

 does not require the temperature of the hot- 

 house. The house in which our plant is growing 

 has often registered forty-five, and below that 

 on some occasions. The soil used was princi- 

 pally composed of screenings of soil for finer 

 purposes, which evidently contained much man- 

 ure. It is easily propagated by cuttings taken 

 from wood not too old or not too young, which, 

 by a little observation, can be easily regulated 

 by the pressure the knife requires. Inserted in 

 brisk heat they soon root; when rooted, pot off" 

 and place in a sunny place when started in the 

 pots. Keep them pushing lively by giving 

 plenty of pot room. When all danger of frost is 

 over plunge the pots outside in full sun ; about 

 the middle of September place them in the 

 the greenhouse in a sunny situation, give manure 

 water freely, and when they show inclination to 

 break give lai-ger pots. If good specimens give 

 two sizes larger. They will soon fill up and 

 bloom finely. Admitting as I do that good 

 plants and bloom can be obtained from pot cul- 

 ture, still I would advise any one that has the 

 space to bed it out against the south wall, or 

 any sunny place where scarce anything else 

 would grow, to try the Habrothamnus. I think 

 you could plant nothing that would aff'ord so 

 much pleasure as well as benefit in so short a 

 space of time. As I have just said, good flowers 

 can be obtained from pot-culture, but the blooms 

 fall far short of having that brilliant hue which 

 the plant in the bed would yield. As to insects, 

 I have the first one of any kind to see on the 

 plant yet. 



FLORAL PROGRESS. 



BY WALTER ELDER, PHILADELPHIA. 



The new type of fringed-leaved Coleus seems 

 to be in a fair way to become varied and pop- 

 ular. During a visit to Mr. H. A. Dreer's coun- 

 try nursery last Eall, I noticed no less than 

 eight different kinds of them. Singly they show 

 little differences, but together in beds the dis- 

 tinction is very apparent, and the whole result 

 remarkable. 



The advance in Zonale Geraniums is particu- 

 larly remarkable, to say nothing of Mr. Harris' 

 beautiful seedling Archbishop Wood ; some of 

 the French kinds are remarkably distinct. The 

 New Life of Mr. Cannell is a decided addition 

 to the list of good kinds. The flowers as I have 

 seen them are as large as a quarter dollar, and 

 they are striped and flaked like some of the 



