70 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
BIGNONTA. 
kind from Mexico, producing purple and 
red flowers. 
B. magnifica. A new species of mode- 
rate growth ; crimson flowers with a purple 
shade. It comes from the United States of 
Colombia. 
B. ornata. A desirable variety, mode- 
rate in growth. 
B. purpurea. A stout-growing, very 
handsome kind, bearing large mauve- 
coloured flowers, with white centre. 
Country not known. 
B. venusta. An autumn-flowering, 
orange-coloured kind from South America. 
Insects.—Bignonias are not much sub- 
ject to insects. Aphides will sometimes 
make their appearance on the young 
growth, but can be destroyed by fumiga- 
tion. Where the syringe is freely used 
during the growing season red spider will 
be kept down. If the plants become 
affected with scale, it must be removed by 
sponging, by which means and a free use 
of the syringe they can be cleansed from 
mealy bug should this pest affect them. 
BIGNONIA. 
(Greenhouse. ) 
The different species here treated of 
are climbing or twining plants, and are 
suitable for greenhouse or conservatory 
decoration, for roof-climbing, for cover- 
ing back walls, or growing round pillars. 
So manayed their natural habit is seen 
to advantage, as a portion of their shoots 
can be allowed to hang in graceful fes- 
toons ; and grown in this way they are 
very effective even when not in flower. 
They can be arranged to drape the wood or 
ironwork of the building so as to take off 
the objectionable straight lines without 
shutting out too much light from the 
general occupants of the house. This is a 
matter that cannot be too forcibly impressed 
upon those who have the charge of plant 
structures of this description—that where 
roof-climbers are allowed to form a com- 
plete thicket up to the glass, they exclude 
the light from the plants that occupy the 
lower stages, so that the latter can only 
drag out a miserable existence. 
Roof-climbers have an elegance that 
cannot be imparted to ordinary trained pot 
specimens’; but to allow the comparatively 
few plants that can be accommodated on 
a roof to monopolise the whole house, so as 
to render the cultivation of everything else 
attempted to be grown an impossibility, is 
as great a mistake as can well be committed. 
In this as in most other things a medium 
course is the best; the roof of a con- 
servatory can be sufficiently draped with 
‘ 
climbers to answer the purposes required, 
without making the body of the house a 
mere living sepulchre for the unfortunate 
plants placed therein. Subjects for fur- 
nishing the roofs in this way can either 
have their roots kept confined in pots pro- 
portionately large to the size of the plant, 
or, as is more usual, be planted out ; the 
latter system has many advantages, not the 
least of which is that the plants will last 
much longer so treated, but the space thus 
apportioned to the roots should always be 
sufficiently confined to prevent the plants 
getting too rampant. Nor should plants 
intended for growing in this way ever 
be turned out in beds whilst they are 
very small ; in many cases, unless naturally 
strong growers, they do not do well, as 
when the roots are few in quantity they 
cannot lay hold of the soil before it gets 
sour, and rarely afterwards do satisfactorily. 
Therefore if the plants are small it is 
generally better to grow them on in pots 
until stronger, and afterwards to put them 
out. 
Climbers are often grown for sale and 
kept with their roots confined in small pots 
until they get so stunted as to prevent 
their growing freely ; it is much better to 
start with such as are young and free in 
erowth than with those that may be larger 
yet not in so good a condition. 
Greenhouse Bignonias can be increased by 
root cuttings, or layers of the shoots ; the 
former should be made of bits of medium 
strength, cut into lengths of about an inch, 
and treated generally as for shoot cuttings. 
Layering, nowever, will usually be found 
the safest way of propagation in private 
gardens, and it may be carried out at dif- 
ferent seasons. If done towards the end of 
summer, some 6-inch pots should be filled 
with a mixture of peat, loam, and sand, 
and such of the current season’s shoots as 
spring sufficiently near the base of the 
plant to be convenient for operating upon 
should be layered singly ; the joint that is 
to be inserted in the pot should be notched 
and secured with asmall hooked stick, and 
covered with soil. Press the soil firmly, 
and keep it moist ; in this way the shoots 
must remain until well-rooted, which will 
be during the ensuing summer. Then 
sever them from the parent plant and keep 
through the winter in an ordinary green- 
house temperature. They should be potted 
on in April, and be given a 3-inch shift. All 
the kinds here treated of will sueceed ina 
mixture of turfy loam and fibrous peat in 
equal proportions, to which should be added 
enough sand to keep the whole porous ; do 
not makethe soil too fine, and potmoderately 
firm. In most cases it will be better to 
