266 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[September, 



most interesting bed. They are much looked at 

 for their curious diverse appearance. But no one 

 need expect much success with them if the 

 position chosen retain water for any length of 

 time ; at least such is my experience with them in 

 our climate, and Mr. Siler's remarks surely con- 

 firm the advisability of particular attention to it. 

 Gov't Grounds, Canada. 

 [We think the cases Mr. Siler referred to, where 

 water was continually poured on the plants by 

 mistake, were not cases where water was retained. 

 The water so freely given no doubt passed away 

 freely. In regard to Cactus culture Mr. Robert- 

 son's practice is certainly the proper one ; that is, 

 plenty of water in the hot growing season, always 

 provided it passes rapidly away, and plants kept 

 rather dry and cool in the resting period. — Ed. 

 G. M.] 



VERBENA CULTURE. 



BV E. L. KOETHEN. 



The culture of the Verbena is not nearly as 

 well understood by the average gardener or florist 

 as it should be, and I believe that most of the 

 more successful cultivators have yet much to 

 learn. It is therefore with the hope that I may 

 be able to throw a little light on an important 

 topic which may be of benefit to some that I am 

 about to attempt to give my ideas on the subject. 

 I am often somewhat surprised to find that 

 otherwise successful florists do not even at- 

 tempt to grow their own Verbena stock plants. 

 And just here let me say, that though this might 

 not aid any practical florists, it will probably be 

 read by some amateurs who will be benefited 

 thereby. There is too much reluctance displayed 

 by some practical men in disseminating horticul- 

 tural knowledge. I hold that success in cul- 

 ture by the consumer of plants makes increased 

 demand for our products. We therefore do our- 

 selves an absolute injury when we pass an oppor- 

 tunity by to disseminate knowledge, without avail- 

 ing ourselves of it. 



To begin with, I wish to find fault with a 

 statement made by Mr. Henderson in his " Practi- 

 cal Floriculture." He says, " Verbenas, whether 

 grown for sale or for private use, if we would have 

 plants in fine health and vigor in May, should not 

 be propagated sooner than January. The stock 

 plants propagated in October or November be- 

 come exhausted by spring and are inferior to later 

 propagations." The above is all very true if you 

 propose to keep the older plants in small pots un- 



til May. The Verbena delights in cool weather, 

 and if planted out early will do far better through 

 the summer. It is my practice to select nice 

 bushy plants free from rust and green fly (but 

 there is no excuse for green fly to make its appear- 

 ance among plants in the houses), and plant them 

 out as early as the first week in April if the ground 

 can be worked to advantage ; planted thus early 

 they will become well and deeply rooted before 

 the hot, dry weather sets in. 



1 have often heard the opinion expressed that 

 seedling Verbenas do better than greenhouse 

 plants. So they do if sown early and the usual 

 long starved plants are put out late in May. It is 

 very natural that they should, being full of vigor 

 and life, while it takes the sick pot plants a month 

 to get ready to begin to grow. Not so with a nice 

 thrifty pot plant ; it has the advantage over the 

 seedling that it can be planted when the seed is 

 sown and thus it has at least three weeks the start 

 of it. 



My plants at this date (June 25th) which were 

 planted out early in April have an average of fif- 

 teen fine large blooms to each and are in all 

 the full vigor of growth as usually seen in August. 

 Last year the stock plants were covered with three 

 inches of snow after they were set out, and I 

 never saw better ones in May, although the outer 

 edges of the leaves were nipped a little. The 

 rapidity of their growth was remarkable after they 

 took a start. 



Verbenas require an abundance of nourishment, 

 and 1 find the use of liquid manure applied to 

 plants in pots a decided benefit to them. As 

 to the stock plants which 1 do not require for 

 planting out, they are shifted into 3-inch pots and 

 plunged into a hot-bed where they make fine 

 large plants that will bring double the price of 

 ordinary 2-inch pot plant Verbenas. We thus 

 provide something nice for our best customers who 

 have failed to set out early. Plants thus grown 

 will be provided with from five to eight branches 

 and look far from being weakened. 



Zanesville, Ohio. 



[This is a very timely communication. In this 

 part of the world the Verbena has almost disap- 

 peared from cultivation, growers protesting that 

 they soon become diseased and worthless. And 

 it has become a sort of by-word that only those 

 buy them that know no better. There is no gain- 

 saying that they are far more liable to disease 

 than they once were, and it is worth inquiry how 

 far the methods of propagation may have had an 

 influence in giving us a stock with a weakened 



