July 17, 1909 



HORTICULTURE, 



71 



Clerodendron Thomsonae (Baifouri) 



A more useful greenhouse plant would be hard to find 

 than this magnificent climber. It can be used ^s a 

 specimen trained either as a pyramid, or balloon-shaped. 

 As a pillar plant for twining around the supports of a 

 conservatory it is ideal. Covering a wall or draped 

 gracefully around a doorway it makes a beautiful effect. 

 It has been known to the gardening world since 1861 

 coming from Old Calabar, about that year. I have often 

 wondered why commercial florists have not taken to 

 growing it as a spring flowering plant, as it can be had 

 in bloom for Easter or earlier, and, if properly treated, 

 as late as the end of September, and, as to its lasting 

 qualities, we have a plant here in Medford, Mass., placed 

 on a north piazza that has been in flower five weeks and 

 it is still quite fresh. 



This Clerodendron is easily rooted in a temperature 

 of about 65 to 70 degrees, and if given a good open 

 rich loam will make quite a plant in a couple of years. 

 After it has reached that age is a good time to figure at 

 what season you want it to flower. We give it two 

 months' rest only giving enough water to keep the wood 

 from shrivelling. At the end of that time most of the 

 leaves will have dropped. During the resting period, if 

 possible keep in a house with 10 degrees lower tempera- 

 ture than when growing. Around 70 is good heat to 

 start the ripened off plant into growtli and a shift into 

 a slightly larger pot will give larger panicles of flowers. 

 In early spring it will take two months to get the plant 

 into flower but as the season advances it will take much 

 less time. We figure on starting another plant for a 

 succession when the first begins to show the crimson 

 color on the end of the flower and so on during the 

 season. 



There are many other Clerodendrons — shrubs and 

 climbers, but for greenhouse purposes the above-men- 

 tioned as a climber, and Fallax as a shrub, are in my 

 opinion as good as any. The above culture agrees very 

 well with C. Fallax only I think it likes a slightly higher 

 temperature and does not want so severe a drying off as 

 C. Thomsona^ 



'West llcdford, Mass. 



The New Hybrid Freesias 



The new varieties of Freesia brought into commerce 

 by the well-known Dutch firm, C. G. Van Tubergen, and 

 called Tubergeni under various varietal names, are cre- 

 ating a favorable impression among European horticul- 

 turists. These hybrid varieties are of tender rose, lilac, 



pure golden yellow, etc. ; and they flower as freely, are as 

 vigorous in growth, as fragrant and as easily cultivated 

 as the ordinary F. refracta. 



The blooms possess the same delightful fragrance of 

 violets as that species. 



In the year 1901 the firm of Van Tubergen received 

 from an English correspondent, Mr. Armstrong, resident 

 in S. Africa, several freesia tubers with the remark that 

 these were pink flowering. Naturally Herrn Tubergen 

 was somewhat suspicious concerning the color of the 

 . new comer ; as all the freesias obtained from that part 

 of the world were outwardly of a brown tint, or white 

 with yellow staining. F. aurea, another Cape species, 

 has a yellow tint, and small flowers, and is a gardener's 

 variety only, with no market value. 



Freesia Armstrongi, a name given to the variety by 

 Herrn Tubergen when it bloomed, was employed as the 

 pollen parent in crossing with F. refracta alba, and the 

 cross originated the F. Tubergeni varieties. By compar- 

 ison with F. refracta alba, the flowers of F. Armstrongi 

 are considerably smaller, but the value of the hybrids 

 consists in their lovely tints, and more numerous flowers. 

 F. Armstrongi differs from F. refracta alba in its weaker 

 habit, its less stiff pose and weaker flower stalks which 

 reach an unusual height, and the many side flower-shoots 

 produced. The chief flower stalks carry from 9-12 flow- 

 ers and the side stalks mostly 6-8 each, as against a 

 total number of 8-9 on F. refracta alba. 



F. Armstrongi was next crosser by Herrn Tubergen 

 with the largest flowered F. r. alba, snow white and des- 

 titute of all spotting, the last named being the seed bear- 

 ing parent ; and the male, the most intensive in color of 

 the varieties he had. Several hundred of seedlings of 

 this cross have been raised, of carmine and rose tints, 

 with many gradations; and some differences in habit. 

 The darkest in color and strongest in growth will be 

 selected for perpetuation, and for use in future cross- 

 ings; and some of these were shown at the Haarlem 

 Show, obtaining the Golden Medal, as being the most 

 "valuable quality." 



Some continued crosses of F. refracta, F. r. alba and 

 F. Leichtlini with F. Tubergeni, have given in the sec- 

 ond generation, quite other results. Along with many 

 valueless varieties, a certain percentage of desirable new 

 forms and rare colors in the flowers may be anticipated ; 

 and thus far, the results have been satisfactory, and tints 

 produced hardly to be hoped for in Freesias. One va- 

 riety, which from the first, exhibited great vigor of 

 growth and flowers of a soft mauve color, has received 

 the name F. Tubergeni Amethyst, and is already in com- 

 merce; and it promises to be much sought after. The 

 variety received an award of merit at a recent meeting 

 of the R. H. S. in London. 



OTHE^ si^E^oi^vr^ 



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ivxjj\(I:be^ic 



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