78 



Gmeiiliouse and Stove Plaittts. 



BOUGAINVILLEA. 



the new soil they will need very little 

 shade, but must have plenty of water. 

 Syiinge overhead in the afternoons, and 

 raise the tem2ierature 5° ; by the middle 

 of May pinch out the points to induce them 

 to form several shoots. About midsummer 

 they will, if all goes well, have filled their 

 pots with roots, and should be moved into 

 others 9 or 10 inches in diameter. Now 

 use soil in a more lumpy state than when 

 the plants wei'e smaller, and add a similar 

 quantity of rotten manure and sand. 

 Place four or five sticks 4 ft. in height in 

 the soil just inside the rims of the pots, 

 round these train the shoots, tying them 

 loosely, so as to give the requisite support 

 and keep them from getting entangled. 

 Give air early in the day through the 

 spring and summer when the temperature 

 of the house runs up to 80° ; but close in 

 the afternoons with the sun upon the glass, 

 and continue to syiinge overhead, and give 

 plenty of water to the roots as soon as they 

 have got well hold of the soil. This Bou- 

 gainvillea is naturally so free in flowering 

 that the plants will no doubt bloom in 

 this stage of their growth ; but, if the 

 object is to grow them on to a large size, it 

 will not be advisable to remove them 

 when in flower to a conservatory, or 

 similar cooler house, as that would retard 

 their progi'ess. If, on the contrary, small- 

 sized decorative plants are deemed the 

 most desirable, they can be placed in a 

 cooler situation during the summer months, 

 but when used for such purposes this Bou- 

 gainvillea re([uires such treatment as few 

 plants would Ijear. 



When the flowers are about half-grown, 

 and before they have begun to colour much, 

 the plants should be removed to the cooler 

 house in which they are to remain when in 

 bloom, for, if allowed to stay in strong heat 

 until the flowers are fully matured, the 

 check they receive in that state generally 

 causes them to fall off in a few days after 

 removal, whereas if they are moved while 

 the flowers are growing, they will not only 

 come to maturity, but last twice as long — 

 often five or six weeks — as in a high tem- 

 perature ; the colour is also many shades 

 deeper. Yet it is not advisable to allow 

 the plants to remain in too low a tempera- 

 ture too late in the season. By the middle 

 of September, at the furthest, they should 

 be returned to the stove, being likely to 

 suff'er if the night temperature of the house 

 dr(jps below 48°. When replaced in the 

 stove, no more growth should be encouraged 

 during the autvimn, as there would be 

 difficulty in getting it ripened up before 

 winter. To prevent this, water should be 

 withheld until the plants flag considerably, 



and then a little only should be given to 

 freshen them up. Do not fully moisten 

 the ball, and gradually dry them off in this 

 way until only enough moisture exists in 

 the soil to prevent its becoming abso- 

 lutely so dry as to endanger the roots. 

 Keep them in this state during the closing 

 months of the year in a night temperatui'e 

 of 55°, with 5" more in the day. Where it 

 is wished to extend the flowering as far as 

 possible, they may be started early in 

 January, the temperature raised 10° day and 

 night, and all the weakest shoots not sti'ong 

 enough to produce flowering wood cut out ; 

 at the same time turn them out of the pots, 

 remove any loose soil not occupied by roots, 

 and afterwards place the ball in a pail of 

 tepid water for eight or ten hours, so that 

 it may get soaked right through ; otherwise 

 difficulty will be found in getting it pro- 

 peiiy moistened, without which the growth 

 will be weak. After this immersion retuin 

 tlie plants to the stove for a day to allow 

 the soil to drain, and then put them in the 

 pots they are to remain in for the season. 



If they are not required much larger than 

 the size they attained the previous year, 

 they need not have pots above 3 or 4 inches 

 larger than they have already occupied ; 

 soil similar to that they have hitherto been 

 in, but with a little more manure in it, 

 should be used. They should now be 

 trained on Avire trellises proportionate to 

 the size they are intended to be grown to, 

 and syringed every afternoon. In three 

 weeks they will push young shoots, which 

 will grow fast, and should, as they extend, 

 be kept tied in an upright position, for if 

 allowed to hang down their free extension 

 is stopjjed and they are induced to break 

 back, which causes them to flower more 

 sparingly by diverting the sap so as to pre- 

 vent their getting so strong as desirable. 

 As the roots begin to grow freely give 

 plenty of water, for if ever the young 

 shoots, after they have made considerable 

 progress, are allowed to flag through in- 

 sufficiency of moisture, they will stop 

 growing and set flowers, but in much fewer 

 numbers than if the growth had been 

 stronger before they were formed. By the 

 middle of March, as the sun gets more 

 powerful, raise the temperature 5° in the 

 night, allowing it to run up to 80° before 

 giving air, and keep the plants well up to 

 the glass. Bougainvilleas do not require 

 shading from the sun, the flowers being 

 more highly coloured when exposed to its 

 full influence. About the beginning of 

 April the plants should be in bloom, but 

 at this early season ought not to be removed 

 to a cooler house. If the flower shoots are 

 trained down round the trellis the plants 



