37 Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
ALLAMANDA, 
For propagation and cultivation, see 
Ferns, general details of culture. 
AKEBIA QUINATA. 
A greenhouse evergreen climbing plant 
of comparatively little beauty. It may be 
increased by division of the roots in the 
same way as the stove climbers, Dioscoreas, 
to which it is nearly allied. The flowers 
are pinkish lilac, and appear early in 
spring. It comes from Chusan. 
ALLAMANDA. 
These are magnificent free-flowering 
stove plants, mostly natives of South 
America. Their large, trumpet-shaped, 
yellow blooms are produced in great pro- 
fusion during a long period of the year, 
as when well managed they can be had 
in flower from April until late in the 
autumn. They are especially useful on 
account of the many ways they can be 
grown, succeeding well as trained pot 
specimens, and also as roof climbers, 
planted out or in pots. Their long unin- 
terrupted habit of flowering renders them 
equally suitable for being grown in either 
way ; the flowers are likewise well adapted 
for cutting, their colour harmonising agree- 
ably with most other things. They in- 
crease readily from cuttings of the young 
half-ripened shoots, inserted in sand, with 
brisk heat, in a propagating frame or under 
a bell glass; they can be struck at any time 
of the year when cuttings can be obtained 
in the above condition, but about the be- 
ginning of March is the best, and then 
time is given for the young plants to 
make considerable progress before the 
autumn. Put the cuttings singly in small 
pots; they will root in a month, when 
they should gradually be inured to more 
air, and, as soon as they have got fairly 
established move them into 6-inch pots. 
Allamandas do best in good fibrous loam, 
to which add a moderate sprinkling of 
sand, and about one-sixth well- rotted 
manure; mix all together, using it, for 
the plants in this stage, moderately fine. 
Press the soil firm in the pots ; now place 
them where they will get plenty of light, 
in a night temperature of 64° or 66°, with 
a rise of 10° or 15° during the day ; pinch 
out the points of the shoots so as to induce 
the lower eyes to break, and give water all 
through the growing season before the soil 
gets so dry as to cause the young growth 
to flag. Admit a moderate amount of air 
in the middle of the day, and syringe every 
afternoon ; but no shading is required, as 
all the species of Allamandas do better 
without it, making short-jointed stouter 
wood under the full influence of the sun, 
which, if the glass is of good quality, does. 
not injure their leaves. Through the 
summer months the temperature may be 
70° by night, and proportionately higher 
in the day. By the end of June the pots. 
will be filled with roots, and they should 
be moved into others 3 inches larger. At 
this shift give ample drainage, using the 
soil in a more lumpy state, and breaking 
the fibrous, turfy parts into bits about the 
size of walnuts ; again press it quite firm 
in the pots, as these plants will not do 
with it in a loose condition. ‘Place four 
or five neat sticks in the pots, and to these 
train the shoots, the points of which again 
pinch out to get them to break. Continue 
the treatment as to heat, water, and syring- 
ing overhead until the middle of September, 
when discontinue the use of the syringe, 
admit more air, and do not give water to 
the roots until the plants flag considerably; 
this will check further growth, and help 
to harden up the wood. Keep on treating 
in this way till the end of October, allow- 
ing the soil to become a little drier each 
time before water is given so as to ripen 
the leaves; many of the earliest formed 
will now turn yellow, fall off, and little 
more growth will be made. 
The temperature for the ensuing ten 
weeks may be reduced to 60° in the night, 
with 5° more by day ; and only as much 
water should be given to the soil as will keep 
the green leaves towards the extremities 
of the shoots from shrivelling. Place the 
plants during this, their season of rest, at 
the coolest end of the house. About the 
middle of January remove all the green 
shoots, cutting back into the hard ripe 
wood, and turn them out of the pots. ke 
little water has been given for some time 
back the soil will most likely be very dry, 
and, to ensure its now being thoroughly 
moistened, immerse the ball in a pail of 
tepid-water until the whole is wet through. 
If this is not done the. new soil in which 
they are about to be potted will get satu- 
rated by the water required to moisten the 
ball through to the centre. After this is 
done return them to the pots in which 
they have been growing, and place them 
for a day in the stove to allow the water 
to drain off ; then remove the old drainage 
and any loose soil that may be about the 
surface, and at once put them in their 
flowering pots, which may be from 15 
in. to 18 in. diameter. Place in the 
bottom 2 in. of crocks to secure sufficient 
drainage, as they will need a deal of water. 
The soil should be similar to that already 
advised, but will be now all the better for 
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