WINDOW GARDENING. 



201 



Fuchsias are greatly troubled with the red spider, and for antidotes consult 

 chapter on Insects, Part I. 



When the plants are in the cellar they will not need anj"- water, but when 

 growing rapidly and flowering, they desire a good supply, yet not too much ; 

 don't keep them soaking or let them become dry ; either condition will make 

 them drop their buds. 



In training plants due heed should be paid to their natural habits. A plant 

 like the Pride of England — 

 which always grows like a 

 shrub — cannot be forced into 

 the umbrella or spreading form ; 

 while those like the Souvenir de 

 Chiswick, naturally inclined to 

 the tree-shape, cannot be forced 

 into a shrub. They must fol- 

 low out their own peculiar hab- 

 its to thrive well. In Califor- 

 nia they bloom every month in 

 the year, and grow as tall as the 

 honeysuckles of the Atlantic 

 coast. The Double Fuchsias are 

 most beautiful, and when stud- 

 ded all over with their gorgeous 

 wealth of pendant floral gems, 

 are unsurpassed by any other 

 flower. They are not inclined to 

 bloom in the winter, but if all 

 their buds are pinched oft, and 

 they are kept in the shade, and 

 little water given until October 

 or November, they will bloom 

 in January and February. 



The varieties are very numer- 

 ous, and yearly the florists pro- 

 duce new ones. They are raised 



from seeds by most careful hy- Fig. 73.— a Fucbsia trained in Umbrella form. 



bridization, and they will bloom in two years. The seeds require careful treat- 

 ment, bottom heat, and a gardener's care to germinate well ; but a young child 

 can raise a cutting, so easy is its culture. There are no plants which more fully 

 repay the attention you may give them ; and they are so graceful and attractive 

 that they strike even the dullest eye with admiration. 



The Fuchsia was named in honor of Leonard Fuchs, a German botanist of 

 repute. 



The most desirable varieties besides those already named, are : 



