Cre.enlioase and tSfuce Flcuitd. 



ALLAMAKDA. 



For propagation and cultivation, see 

 Ferns, general details of culture. 



AKEBIA QUINATA. 



A greenhouse evergreen climljing plant 

 of comparatively little beauty. It may be 

 increased by division of the roots in the 

 same way as the stove climbers, Dioscoreas, 

 to which it is nearly allied. The flowers 

 are pinkish lilac, and appear early in 

 spring. It comes from Chusan. 



ALLAMANDA. 



These are magnificent free-flowering 

 stove plants, mostly natives of South 

 America. Their large, trumpet -shaped, 

 yellow blooms are produced in great pro- 

 fusion during a long period of the year, 

 as when well managed they can be had 

 in flower from April until late in the 

 autumn. They are especially useful on 

 account of the many ways they can be 

 grown, succeeding well as trained pot 

 specimens, and also as roof climbers, 

 planted out or in pots. Tlieir long unin- 

 terrupted habit of flowering renders them 

 equally suitable for being grown in either 

 way ; the flowers are likewise well adapted 

 for" cutting, their colour harmonising agree- 

 ably wath most other things. They in- 

 crease readily from cuttings of the young 

 half-ripened"^ shoots, inserted in sand, with 

 brisk heat, in a propagating frame or under 

 a bell glass ; they can be struck at any time 

 of the year when cuttings can be obtained 

 in the "above condition, but about the be- 

 ginning of March is the best, and then 

 time is given for the young plants to 

 make considerable progress before the 

 autumn. Put the cuttings singly in small 

 pots ; they will root in a month, when 

 they should gradually be inured to more 

 air," and, as soon as they have gut fairly 

 established move them into G-inch pots. 

 Allamandas do best in good fibrous loam, 

 to which add a moderate sprinkling of 

 sand, and about one-sixth well -rotted 

 manure ; mix all together, using it, for 

 the plants in this stage, moderately fine. 

 Press the soil firm in the pots ; now place 

 them where they will get plenty of light, 

 in a night temperature of 64° or 66°, with 

 a rise of 10° or 15° during the day ; pinch 

 out the points of the shoots so as to induce 

 the lower eyes to break, and give water all 

 througli the growing season before the soil 

 gets so dry as to cause the young growtli 

 to flag. Admit a moderate amount of air 

 in the middle of the day, and syringe every 

 afternoon ; but no shading is required, as 

 aU the species of Allamandas do better 



without it, making short -jointed stouter 

 wood under the full influence of the sun, 

 which, if the glass is of good quality, does 

 not injure tlieir leaves. Through the 

 summer months the temperature may be 

 70° by night, and proportionately higher 

 in the day. By the end of June the pots 

 will be filled with roots, and they should 

 be moved into others 3 inches larger. At 

 this shift give ample drainage, using the 

 soil in a more lumpy state, and breaking 

 the fibrous, turfy parts into bits about the 

 size of walnuts ; again press it quite firm 

 in the pots, as these plants will not do 

 with it in a loose condition. Place four 

 or five neat sticks in the pots, and to these 

 train the shoots, the points of which again 

 pinch out to get them to break. Continue 

 the treatment as to heat, water, and syring- 

 ing overhead until the middle of September, 

 when discontinue the use of the syiinge, 

 admit more air, and do not give water to 

 the roots until the plants flag considerably; 

 this will check further growth, and help 

 to harden up the wood. Keep on treating 

 iir this way till the end of October, allow- 

 ing the soil to become a little drier each 

 time before water is given so as to ripen 

 the leaves ; many of the earliest formed 

 will now turn yellow, faU oti', and little 

 more growth will be made. 



The temperature for the ensuing ten 

 weeks may be reduced to 60° in the night, 

 with 5° more by day ; and only as much 

 water should be given to the soil as will keep 

 the green leaves towards the extremities 

 of the shoots from shrivelling. Place the 

 plants during this, their season of rest, at 

 the coolest end of the house. About the 

 middle of January remove all the green 

 shoots, cutting back into the hard ripe 

 wood, and turn them out of the pots. As 

 little water has been given for some time 

 back the soil will most likely be very dry, 

 and, to ensure its now being thoroughly 

 moistened, immerse the ball in a pail of 

 tepid-water until the whole is wet through. 

 If this is not done the new soil in which 

 they are about to be potted vnR get satu- 

 rated by the water required to moisten the 

 ball through to the centre. After this is 

 done return them to the pots in which 

 they have been growing, and place them 

 for a day in the stove to allow the water 

 to drain off ; then remove the old drainage 

 and any hjose soil that may be about the 

 surface, and at once put them in their 

 flowering pots, which may be from 15 

 in. to 18 in. diameter. Place in the 

 bottom 2 in. of crocks to secure sufficient 

 drainage, as they will need a deal of water. 

 Tlie soil should" be similar to that already 

 advised, but will be now all the better for- 



