255 



pleasure. A very common form for | 

 such plants as Tropce^'olum 2>enta- { 

 ph^llum, T. tricolbrum, and T. \ 

 hrachyceras, is that of an elongated 

 fan ; and another is that of a shield- 

 like figure mth the narrow end at 



FIG. 42. — PROPS FOR CLIMBERS. 



the pot. In general, all plants grovv-n 

 in ijots should have the support of 

 a regular or symmetrical shape ; 

 and all those grown in beds or bor- 

 ders, such as Sweet Peas, the Com- 

 mon Trop^eolum (Nasturtium), the 

 Scarlet Runner, &c., should have 

 small branchy stakes inserted in the 

 soil in a regular manner, so as never 

 to appear the work of chance or of 

 carelessness, but of art and careful 

 design. Climbing Roses may either 

 be supported by training against 

 walls or trellis-work, or on single 

 rods, with expanding parasol-like 

 tops of wire-work ; or they may be 

 supported on cones or pyramids of 

 rods or poles. The stronger-grow- 

 ing climbing Roses, which attain 

 the height of twenty feet, or thirty 



feet, or upwards, such as the double 

 Ayrshire Rose, the Rose de Lisle, 

 the Boursault, R. GrevilUi or the 

 Seven Sisters, Noisettes, &c., may 

 be supported on cones or pyramids, 

 two feet or three feet in diameter 

 at the ground, and rising to the 

 height of twenty feet, formed of 

 the stems of young Fir-trees tied 

 together ; tender Roses, on the 

 other hand, such as E. Bdnksice, and 

 the Musk Rose, requii-e to be trained 

 against walls. Props for border- 

 flowers are generally small rods 

 painted green, and made by split- 

 ting the laths used by plasterers or 

 by carpenters from deal boards ; 

 but they may be straight rods of 

 hazel, or some such wood, with the 

 bark on. The object of using the 

 rods of this kind is to render the 

 props less conspicuous. The prin- 

 ciple to be taken as a guide is, that 

 the rod should always be subor- 

 dinate to the plant to be supported 

 by it, or trained on it. If this 

 principle be kept constantly in view, 

 few glaring errors will be committed 

 either in forming supports for plants 

 in pots, or for plants in the open 

 ground. Hence walls on which 

 plants are to be trained should 

 never be built of bright red brick, 

 or very white stone ; or if they are 

 plastered, the colour should always 

 be of a subdued kind. Some plants 

 are trained up rods or cones for the 

 sake of producing flowers ; and 

 others, such as Ivy, when trained 

 up an erect rod with an umbrella- 

 like top, for the sake of producing 

 shade. When the object is flowers 

 during the whole extent of the 

 plant, the prop should always be 

 wider at the base than at the top, 

 in order that the foliage may enjoy 

 the direct influence of the sun and 

 of perpendicular rains during its 

 whole extent ; and this may easily 

 be effected by fixing a pole in the 



