IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME V. 



No. ^:! 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 



ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



JULV 

 zgio 



Herbaceous Calceolarias 



By J. H. Gumming. Overseer, Royal Dublin Society. Balls Bridge. 



\^^ T'S a dirty thing" for greenfly. " Such 

 ^.^CyY '•'^ the charge g^enerally brought 

 VI 7" against the calceolaria by unsuc- 

 1 cessful growers. Now, it must 



k' frankly be admitted that greenfly 



^^-4/ I are somewhat partial to calceolarias 



/^w/i. i grown under certain conditions, but 

 \^^^^ by fulfilling a few simple require- 

 ments the plant can be so grown that the 

 aphides will give very little trouble. I am aware 

 that in these days there is a great demand for 

 cut flowers, both from out-door and in-door 

 subjects, and I quite agree that for furnishing 

 cut flowers the calceolaria is useless, but the 

 same applies to many other flowering plants 

 that are deservedly popular, notwithstanding 

 this slight drawback. 



A well grown batch of herbaceous calceolarias 

 always commands attention and admiration 

 and not a little envy from g-ardeners, and they 

 are not cultivated so extensively as their merits 

 deserve. This in a great measure is due to a 

 fallacy — viz., that there is some special difficulty 

 about the cultivation of the plant, whereas its 

 cultivation is of the easiest description. It is 

 a subject that can be grown at a minimum o'i 

 cost, requiring very little artificial heat, and 

 succeeding best in structures of the most un- 

 pretentious kind. In this connection let me 

 say that most of the failures that occur in cal- 

 ceolaria culture are due to coddling ; in other 

 words, when the calceolaria is killed it is almost 

 invariably by kindness. Our present-day superb 

 strains are the result of hybridisation between 

 such old-named varieties as amplexicaulis, 

 integrifolia, purpurea, corymbosa, and a few 

 others. There are comparatively few really 

 poor strains of seed in the market to-day, but 



some are undoubtedly superior to others, and 

 caution in the purchase of seed is advised. 



In comparing strains two points ought to be 

 kept in view. The first and primary one is the 

 size and quality of the flowers. The second is 

 the habit of the plants. Tom Thumb strains 

 and those with a leggy habit should be avoided, 

 a medium height with a compact habit being 

 the thing to be desiderated. Another point 

 worth noting is that plants which naturally 

 produce ample foliage of a thick, succulent 

 character are more vigorous and healthy than 

 those with thin, spare foliage ; moreover, a 

 groundwork of massive green foliage l-^elps to 

 relieve the bright colour of the flowers. 



Now, as to details of cultivation. The end ot 

 June or early in July is a good time to sow 

 for the production of plants for general decora- 

 tive purposes. Sow in pans thoroughly clean 

 and well drained. Equal parts of fibrous loam 

 and leaf-mould, with a good dash of sharp sand, 

 form a good mixture for sowing the seed in. 

 Pass the material through a half-inch sieve, 

 and place the rough portion over the drainage, 

 and the fine portion on the top of this. A small 

 quantity of the compost should be passed 

 through a still finer sieve to finish off" the pans. 

 Finish with as smooth a surface as possible. 

 Water through a fine rose, and allow the soil 

 to settle for an hour or so before sowing. Sow 

 thinly, and just give a dusting with the finish- 

 ing soil. Cover the pans with a pane of glass, 

 and if clear glass shade will be necessary. A 

 frame on a spent hotbed is an ideal spot for 

 placing the pans in, and in fact for growing 

 the plants in until late autumn, but any cold 

 frame will answer the purpose quite as well. 

 As soon as germination takes place, air and 



