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LASIAN DRA. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
231 
as necessary until they occupy pots or 
tubs 20 or 22 inches in diameter, in which 
they may be kept in health by the as- 
sistance of manure-water during the 
srowing season for several years, when, 
if desired, they can be planted out in a 
greenhouse or conservatory border. They 
are not things that require much use of 
the knife, but, as the weaker old shoots 
cease to grow much after the plants get 
to producing strong sucker growths, the 
former may be gradually cut out. 
When intended to be grown as climbers 
or for covering a back wall one mistake is 
often committed, and to it are to be attri- 
buted frequent failures—that is, turning 
them out while very small into a large 
body of soil in a border. Lapagerias are 
by no means such quick growers as most 
things of a climbing habit, and the con- 
siderable body of soil in the prepared 
border gets sour and unhealthy before 
the roots lay hold of it; the consequence 
is that the plants refuse to grow at all, 
and remain for years in a state admitting 
of little progress. If ordinary sized plants 
are procured it is much better to grow 
them on in pots fora year or two until 
they get enough roots to penetrate the soil 
freely the first summer they are turned 
out, in which case they rarely fail to do 
well, provided they are properly treated 
in other respects. Planting out should be 
done early in the spring, before growth 
commences, or the disturbance of the roots, 
inseparable from the necessary spreading 
out, will stop growth in a way that would 
much retard it for the season. The drain- 
age of the border must be ample, and the 
soil fibrous peat, with enough sand added 
to it; and as the plants increase in strength 
it is as necessary to regularly keep the 
shoots trained as it 1s when grown in a 
pot. As the soil becomes exhausted before 
growth has commenced, each spring an inch 
or two may be removed from the surface 
and replaced with new. Manure-water 
through the summer will also be an as- 
sistance. So treated the plants can be 
kept growing in a vigorous condition for 
a number of years. We would advise all 
who have the red variety to procure the 
white one; they are fit companions in 
every way, the attractions of both being 
enhanced by the contrast in the colour of 
the flowers. 
Insects.—Most of the indoor plant pests 
will live and increase apace upon these 
Lapagerias; thrips, red spider, and aphides 
affect them, but these rarely gain a foot- 
ing if the syringe is used as it ought to be, 
soas to get the water freely to both the 
under and upper surface of the leaves. 
When these insects make their appearance 
a free and persistent use of the syringe is 
the best remedy ; scale must be removed 
by the sponge. The temperature they re- 
quire is not favourable to the increase of 
mealy bug, although it will live upon 
them; and when affected it is best re- 
moved by sponging, and by the use of a 
soft brush to get down to the axils of the 
leaves. There is one other enemy to guard 
against—that is slugs, which are extremely 
fond of the young underground shoots, 
and unless care is taken to keep these 
marauders thoroughly under they are 
sure to find the growths as they appear 
above the surface, in which case serious 
mischief will be done, as the plants have 
not the power to quickly produce others 
to replace the injured ones. 
LARDIZABALA BITERNATA. 
An evergreen climbing plant that will 
succeed in a greenhouse. The flowers are 
not of a pleasing colour, dull purple, but 
the fruit is edible. It can be increased by 
cuttings, and grown on afterwards as ad- 
vised for Passifloras, which see. 
It is a native of Chili, and blooms in 
spring. 
LASIANDRA MACRANTHA. 
There are two varieties of this evergreen 
warm greenhouse plant, L. macrantha and 
L. macrantha floribunda, quite distinct, 
and both equally well worth growing, but 
for totally different purposes. In shape 
the flowers are not unlike Pleroma elegans, 
but they do not possess the same intense 
colour ; they are, however, much larger, 
and produced in greater quantities. They 
are among the grandest of all Melastomads. 
L. macrantha floribunda was introduced 
after L. macrantha, and is best adapted for 
specimen pot culture, being naturally of a 
bushy habit of growth, blooming profusely 
in the autumn and winter, when flowering 
subjects are much in demand and not over- 
plentiful. It is a free grower, and will 
flower in a very small state, even in 5 or 
6 inch pots ; its large, rich, violet-purple 
blossoms are not of very long duration, 
like many other Melastomads—some two 
or three days are as long as they usually 
last ; they are produced in clusters from 
the points and axils of the leaves of the 
young shoots, giving a succession for several 
weeks. 
Both varieties are easily struck from 
cuttings of the soft shoots, put in during 
spring, as early as they can be obtained, 3 
or4incheslong. Put singly in 3-inch pots, 
