PIMELEA. 
Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 
281 
The first of the family undoubtedly is P. 
spectabilis rosea; this variety forms the 
largest plant, and has proportionately large 
flowers, which it produces freely from the 
points of the shoots in large ball-like heads, 
white suffused at the points with rose. 
They are alike distinct and handsome, and, 
from the time they begin to open until 
they fade, they will last about three weeks. 
This plant will grow in either peat or 
loam ; we prefer the latter where it can 
be had of good yellow quality and con- 
taining plenty of fibre; m such it grows 
stronger than in peat. 
All the kinds of Pimelea strike readily 
from cuttings made of the points of the 
young shoots, which should be taken off 
when about two inches long in April ; put 
them an inch or two apart in 6-inch pots 
in sand, keep moist, shaded, and covered 
with a bell-glass in an intermediate heat ; 
here they will soon strike, after which 
remove the glass, and as soon as a mode- 
rate amount of roots are present move 
singly into small pots, using for this first 
potting a mixture of peat and sand. Let 
the atmosphere be moist and close, with 
shade in the day until they have begun to 
grow away freely, after which pinch out 
the points of the shoots ; keep the material 
on which the pots stand moist, damping 
overhead with the syringe daily through 
the summer. By July admit a little more 
air, and only shade when the sun is on the 
glass ; keep the young plants moderately 
near the light. Give a little more air in 
autumn, and winter at about 45° or 48° 
in the night; in this way they will move 
slowly through the winter, and be in a 
condition for shifting into 3-inch pots by 
the middle of March, when they should be 
given soil similar to that used at the first 
potting. Again stop the shoots as soon as 
they begin to move freely, and treat through 
the summer as in the preceding, with the 
exception that they will now bear a little 
more air. In September give more air, 
and winter at 45° in the night. Again in 
March move them, this time into 6 or 7 
inch pots, now using loam in place of peat ; 
stop the shoots when they have made a 
little growth, and as soon as they have 
fairly broken afterwards tie out the 
strongest, bringing them down to a hori- 
zontal position. This summer treat as to 
water at the roots, moistening the material 
on which they stand, syringing overhead, 
and shading from the sun, as heretofore 
advised, giving more air as the plants get 
stronger and further increasing it in 
autumn. Winter as recommended for the 
preceding, and again in March give a 
3-inch shift, using the loam in small lumps 
the size of walnuts ; add one-sixth of clean, 
sharp sand, drain effectually, and pot 
firmly. Place them where they will re- 
ceive no side air for three weeks, and keep 
the surface on which they stand damp, 
closing the house with the sun upon it, and 
syringing the plants lightly overhead at 
the same time. They also must be care- 
fully shaded all through their growing 
season when the sun is powerful. This 
latter is not nearly so much attended to in 
the cultivation of Pimeleas as it should be. 
The flowers on the points of the shoots in 
good healthy plants will by this time be 
getting prominent, but we do not approve 
of their being removed early in the season, 
as in the case of most things, for the reason 
that if such is done the shoots will require 
stopping during the summer, which is 
rather a disadvantage than otherwise, 
causing them to make weakly growth, and 
to set prematurely—moreover, it deranges 
their time of flowering. Still it is better 
this season not to let the blooms open fully, 
as the plants would be weakened and there 
would be no adequate return from what 
little flower they could make at this size, 
so as soon as they begin to open they had 
better be removed. Immediately below 
the base of the flower, on each branch that 
produces them, will be seen several young 
shoots breaking; many growers are 
tempted to allow these to remain, hesi- 
tating to remove them, but neglect in this 
matter is calculated to spoil the plants, by 
allowing them to get too long in the 
branches for the number of shoots they 
carry. The right distance to cut them 
back to is midway between the flowers and 
the place where they were cut back the 
preceding year ; this will keep them close 
and bushy. Encourage them to grow 
freely through the summer by sufficient 
shade, closing in sun-heat, and the use of 
the syringe as already advised. The latter 
should be so used that the water can be 
got well to the underside of the leaves ; 
and the plants should be turned round 
occasionally, so that the whole surface can 
be well wetted, or they will get affected 
with their greatest enemy, red spider. 
Continue this treatment up to the end of 
August, when the syringing may be dis- 
continued, as also the early closing ; give 
less shade, to harden them up a little for 
the winter, when they should be placed in 
a good light situation, where they will be 
kept in a night temperature of as near 45° 
as possible. 
We have said nothing about training, as 
the plants from their habit require very 
little ; a few sticks may be placed to them 
so as to bring the branches down to keep 
