328 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{November, 



top has decayed in the Autumn will require to 

 be wintered, and afterwards grown on in every 

 way as recommended for the plants raised from 

 seed." 



Stepiianotis floribunda. — There is no- 

 thing more desirable for cut flower work than 

 this. Its waxy, white and very sweet flowers do 

 not wither soon, and hence are far superior to 

 orange blossoms for decorating the hair, or for 

 any other similar use in floral ornamentation. 

 The misfortune is that it does not bloom till 

 May in our gardens. If it could be brought out 

 in Winter, its value would be inestimable. We 

 give from the Gar-dener's Chronicle, an account 

 of one successful eff"ort to advance it : 



"It would be diflicult to point to any sweet- 

 scented flower as being held in higher general 

 estimation than Stephanotis floribunda. Its 

 snowy, wax-like blossoms are alike beautiful, 

 growing on the plant, as they are fitting for the 

 wreath intended to deck the brow of the bride. 

 It is a flower equally valuable to the many who 

 have to provide for the no small requirements 

 of private establishments as it is to the grower 

 for market, who knows he can always calculate 

 upon making a high price for it if he can only 

 get it in early enough at a time when it is neces- 

 sarily scarce. Its naturally free-flowering habit 

 when it receives the treatment it requires, makes 

 it plentiful in summer, but it is in the early 

 spring that it is most prized, and Mr. Baker, 

 who so ably practises the gardener's art at 

 Coombe, has hit upon a way by which he is able 

 to have it in bloom each year in April. The 

 plant occupies a position on the north end of a 

 span-roofed house running north and south, and 

 is trained on the roof in the usual way. About 

 the end of August each summer, it is freely cut 

 in, the shoots shortened to less than half the 

 length of the house, and all weak growths re- 

 moved, it is then started into growth and kept 

 going all through the autumn, and slowly dur- 

 ing the winter as well. So managed, it sets 

 flowers as the young wood is formed, just in the 

 way usual with spring-made growth, and begins 

 to open in April. It continues in blooming for 

 a long time ; in fact the quantity of flowers it 

 produces under this treatment is something un- 

 usual. By this method the plant is kept free 

 from weak shoots, and its leaves are almost as 

 broad as those of a common laurel. The house 

 is used for flowering Eucharis amazonica and 

 other things that need a similar temperature 

 through the winter, consequently there is heat 



enough to keep it on growing during the season 

 when this plant is generally at rest. Mr. Baker 

 has other plants of Stephanotis which he treats 

 in the ordinary way, that succeed it in blooming, 

 and he is thus able to have a constant supply 

 from early spring until the autumn is well on." 



The Colored-leaved Caladiums.— These 

 are coming into more general use as ornaments 

 in Summer gardening. They delight in a moist 

 and partially shaded situation. 



Ice Flowers. — Who has not admired the 

 fantastic floral devices that may often be seen 

 on frozen glass through the crystallization of 

 water during hard frost in Winter? These are 

 so interesting and beautiful that for some time 

 past endeavors have been made to reproduce 

 them in drawings, but the most exact likeness 

 of them has been obtained by means of photo- 

 graphy. This has been done by M. A. Martin- 

 Flammarion, and the engraving, taken from his 

 stereotype, proves how well he has succeeded. 

 No great stretch of imagination would be re- 

 quired to believe them to represent a bouquet 

 of delicate flowers and fern leaves, embroidered 

 on a thin curtain of light and shade. A few 

 years ago M. Haas succeeded in fixing these 

 charming devices on glass in the following man- 

 ner : He exposed to the cold a horizontal sheet 

 of glass slightly covered with water, on the top 

 of which was put some enamel powder. The 

 rime formed itself, and when the ice evaporated 

 the floral representations were formed in enamel. 

 Placing the glass thus prepared in an oven, the 

 enamel, in melting, flxed in a durable and 

 permanent manner the crystallizations. — Garden. 



NEW OR RARE PLANTS, 



Drac^na Taylori.— Many of the beautiful 

 forms of Dracsena that adorn our gardens, are 

 species introduced direct from their native coun- 

 tries, but others are garden forms raised by 

 enterprising florists. Among these last, is the 

 one which we now bring to notice, which was 

 raised by the Messrs. Veitch, of»the Exotic Nur- 

 sery, Chelsea, London, who give the following 

 account of it : "A hybrid raised at our nursery, 

 having for its parents D. magnifica and D. Moore- 

 ana, and in every respect superior to both. 



In the breadth and depth of its fine leaves it 

 follows the former, but the}' are larger, more 

 undulated, and more effective ; in the color of 



