356 



GARDENING. 



Aug. A5, 



CLUSTER OP LAPAGERIAS ROSEA AND ALBA. 



drobes, and is a deciduous plant, and 

 often blooms from its old naked stems. 

 It gives one, two or three flowers at the 

 nodes of its long pseudo-bulbs. As the 

 growth approaches completion, keep the 

 plant as cool as possible without too 

 much exposure or risk of chilling, and 

 give only sufficient moisture to prevent 

 bulbs from shriveling badly. Do not try 

 to hurry it to bloom, or, instead of get- 

 ting flowers, you will probably find the 

 bulbs will turn into young growths, by 

 means of which, however, new plants 

 may be propagated the second season. 

 Its hybrid, D. Ainsnorthii, is even finer 

 than D. nobile. The two make a beauti- 

 ful appearance side by side. 



During July, August and to approach 

 of cool nights, put No. 5 out of doors in 

 a partly shaded place and water freely. 

 On approach of cool nights, bring into 

 greenhouse, and grow on as usual. Plants 

 that bloomed but sparingly with me 

 under the usual method, gave abundant 

 flowers with the treatment recommended. 



No. 4 likes similar treatment, but any 

 orchid when put out of doors should be 

 set on ashes or something similar to keep 

 worms out of the pots. 



Should your correspondent wish, I will 



give, at a future time, directions forgrow- 



ing calanthes, which should lit- treated 



differently from the majority of orchids. 



Wm. H. Chadwick. 



The Greenhouse. 



THE LflPflGERlfl. 



The lapageria is one of our most beau- 

 tiful cool greenhouse climbers. Those 

 who have never seen it in flower have 

 from the illustration but a poor concep- 

 tion of its beauty. The individual flower 

 is as rich as the most lovely orchid. In 

 these days when all flowers used either in 

 vases or in bouquets must be long 

 stemmed, or at least on their own stem, 

 the lapageria will not readily find a place, 

 but in the very choicest and richest of 

 decorations, to grace a mirror or picture, 

 or add a charm without hidingthe beauty 

 of a statue, it has no equal. 



L. rosea was introduced to Europe 

 from Chili in 1847. Its pale sister, the 

 still more beautiful L. alba, was not 

 known till 1854. It is identical with 

 rosea except in color. One other variety 

 is described, L. rosea superba, which is 

 merely a magnificent form in size and 

 color" of the rosea. It is said that by 

 crossing the red and white flowers you 

 will obtain from the seedlings many inter- 

 mediate colors. They are often raised 

 from seed but are usually propagated 

 from lavers. Strong firm shoots of two 

 or three feet in length when layered and 



covered with soil make strong plants, 

 and anv one beginning the cultivation of 

 this fine plant is advised to start with a 

 healthy vigorous plant, as attenuated 

 plants seldom grow satisfactorily. I 

 may mention here that an instance of its 

 decorative qualities was well demon- 

 strated at the magnificent show of the 

 Mass. Hort. Society held during the con- 

 vention week in Boston, 1890. There 

 was great rivalry among florists and 

 gardeners for the prize for the best man- 

 tel decoration. The first prize was 

 awarded to the late David Allan. All the 

 decorations in that line were beautiful 

 and rich but no feature of the prize win- 

 ning decoration contributed towards its 

 success more than the grand sprays of 

 Lapageria rosea and a/6a with its pen- 

 dent waxy flowers; they were the admi- 

 ration of all. 



It is a cool greenhouse plant, even 

 standing a few degrees of frost without 

 harm, and lik<s a rather moist atmos- 

 phere. In the extreme south of England 

 and Ireland they are planted against 

 walls and trellises outside and are seldom 

 injured. In the lofty rotunda or glass 

 vestibule, as it may be called, to the 

 entrance of Mr. Veitcb's wonderful nur- 

 series at King's Road, Chelsea, London, 

 the roof is largely covered with lapageria. 

 Twelve years ago the writer saw it there 

 with thousands of flowers and the late 

 Mr. Court remarked as we looked up at 

 it: "That is often frozen tight in winter." 

 It is not essential to give it any frost; a 

 temperature of 40° to 50° in winter, and 

 as cool as possible with plenty of shade 

 in summer, will do very well. 



They can be grown in large pots or 

 tubs and trained on a wire frame, but 

 planted out in a border is their proper 

 place, and trained to a trellis on the wall. 

 Their flowering season is from end of 

 July till November. The soil used by 

 European gardeners for growing lapage- 

 rias is three parts fibrous peat to one of 

 loam, with about a tenth of the whole 

 sharp sand or broken up charcoal. It is 

 difficult, or almost impossible, to get the 

 same quality of peat as they have in many 

 parts of Europe, still we know that many- 

 plants can be grown without peat where 

 once it was considered indispensable. So 

 in place of peat use loam, but let it be as 

 fibrv as possible and don't be afraid to 

 add plenty of sand and charcoal. 



When growing the lapageria likes plenty 

 of water at the roots and at all times 

 except when in flower should be daily 

 svringed. There is no more important 

 part of the culture than perfect drainage 

 of the soil. If in a 12-inch pot at least 

 one-fourth should be drainage of broken 

 brick or crocks. If in a border, say 2x4 

 ft. and 2 feet deep, six inches at the bot- 

 tom should be of some material to let the 

 water pass freely away. 



Slugs consider the young shoots (which 

 much resemble the young growths of 

 Asparagus plumosus) a choice delicacy, 

 so look out. Mealy bug, scale and thrips, 

 and in the tender growths green fly, are 

 its insect enemies. A mild fumigation 

 occasionally will keep down the latter 

 and a daily syringing will do much to 

 prevent the others. Wm. Scott. 



Roses. 



N HEDGE OF CRIMSON RAMBLER ROSES. 



No new plant of recent introduction 

 has attained such widespread popularity 

 in a short time as has the Crimson Ram- 



