96 glenny's handbook 



five-inch. The plants must be brought into shape by con- 

 tinually stopping the most vigorous branches, and so causing 

 lateral shoots. They require to be carefully watered. The 

 soil for the rooted plants should be turfy peat, made rather 

 sandy. 



DIOSPYROS. [Ebenaceae.] A genus containing some 

 hardy trees and greenhouse evergreen shrubs. They are not 

 of much moment. 



DIPHYLLEIA. [Berberidacese.] A pretty hardy her- 

 baceous alpine perennial. Soil, sandy peat. Increased by 

 division. Requires a shady situation. 



DIPLACUS. [Scrophulariacese.] Greenhouse or half- 

 hardy showy shrubs, related to Mimulus, and blooming 

 tolerably well in the borders during summer if well-esta- 

 blished or old plants are employed. Cuttings root readily in 

 sandy soil, put in a frame or hand-glass, and the striking root 

 is hastened by a little warmth. They may be potted in com- 

 post of loam, lightened with turfy soil, or leaf-mould and 

 sand. Like other free-growing subjects, the young plants 

 must be shifted on, and frequently topped to keep them 

 bushy, until they get to a blooming size, or as large as may 

 be required. If good plants are required, strong young 

 plants should be prepared through one summer for blooming 

 the following spring. Smaller plants, to bloom the same 

 year, may be raised in spring. D. glutinosus, orange yellow ; 

 D. puniceus, deep crimson ; and D. Calif ornicus, nankeen, are 

 the best. 



DIPLADENIA. [Apocynacese.] Very beautiful ever- 

 green stove shrubs, of w^hich the most familiar are D. crassi- 

 noda, D. splendens, and D. atrojmrjmrea. These are perfectly 

 manageable as pot plants when trained on cylinder-formed 

 trellises, or they are equally suitable for training up the 

 rafters or pillars, or over the roof of a stove. They are pro- 

 pagated by cuttings, which should be planted in sand under 

 bell-glasses, and placed in a warm frame, or where a slight 

 bottom heat can be given them. When rooted pot them 

 singly into three-inch pots, in a mixture of one-third sandy 

 loam and two-thirds turfy peat, with sand added to make it 

 porous. The plants must be kept in a stove atmosphere, and 

 may be topped once to obtain two or more leading branches, 



