HABROTHAMNUS. 



Greenhouse and Stooe Plants. 



perature -with a little shade and a sprink- 

 ling overhead with the syringe each after- 

 noon until the end of August, when let 

 them be cooler, leave off syringing and 

 give more air, with as much water to the 

 roots as will keep the soil moderately 

 moist through the winter, during which the 

 temperature should be about 40° in the night. 

 By April give pots 3 or 4 inches larger than 

 those they have occupied ; these A\-ill not 

 be too large provided the plants have 

 plenty of roots, as they are free growers, 

 and like a good amount of pot-room. Use 

 the soil in a little more lumpy state than 

 would be required by things of a more 

 delicate habit, as these Habrothamnus, 

 when in free growth, need a good deal of 

 water, which always has the effect of in- 

 ducing a closer, less porous condition of 

 the soil in after years than in the case of 

 subjects that require to be kept drier. 

 For the same reason plenty of drainage is 

 requisite, especially as the plants get large 

 and are put in the pots in which they are to 

 remain for some considerable length of time. 

 Pot moderately firm and place in an 

 ordinary greenhouse temperature. It will 

 now be necessary to determine what shape 

 they are to be grown in — bush, pyramid, or 

 standard ; if the first, the strongest shoots 

 should have their points pinched out and 

 be tied in a horizontal position, training 

 one of the weaker growths up for a leader, 

 which should also have its point stopped 

 to induce the formation of side shoots ; by 

 thus bringing the strongest growths down 

 there is a better chance of ensiuing the 

 base being furnished. As the sim gets 

 powerful a little shade may be used ; 

 keep the atmosphere somewhat moist, 

 and syringe daily overhead. When the 

 roots have entered the soil freely give 

 water liberally, and maintain the shape of 

 the plants by stopping, and training through 

 the season as required. 



Few flowers will be produced so long as 

 it is found necessary to pinch out the 

 points of the shoots to secure the desired 

 shape of the specimens, as, from the 

 flowers being borne principally from the 

 ends of the branches, they are thus re- 

 moved. Towards the close of the summer 

 discontinue both the use of the syringe 

 and shading, and subject the plants to 

 more air. Winter in a temperature of 40°, 

 and again in the spring repot, gi\'ing as 

 before a 3 or 4 inch shift ; at the same time 

 stop and train the shoots into their wonted 

 position. Treat as in the preceding summer 

 in every way, except that no further stop- 

 ping for the season should be resorted to ; 

 by this means the plants will flower fieely 

 towards the close of summer and during 



the autumn, when they will be found very 

 usefulforstandingin the conservatory. After 

 they have ceased blooming they may be 

 replaced in the greenhouse, and wintered 

 in a temperature similar to the preceding 

 season, g'iving no more water than i.< 

 requisite to keep the soil sufficiently moist. 

 Before growth commences, in the' spring, 

 they should be gone over, and have the 

 shoots shortened considerably, so as to in- 

 duce them to break back and keep bushy. 

 When they have begun to grow they 

 should again be moved into pots 3 inches 

 larger, and treated in every way as recom- 

 mended for the previous summer. If very 

 large specimens are desired it is merely a 

 question of pot-room by gixnng them more 

 root-space ; or they may be kept for some 

 years in a good flowering condition by the 

 frequent use of manure- water during the 

 growing season. 



"Where Habrothamnuses are required to be 

 gro^vn as standards it is simply a matter of 

 difference in the training ; instead of stop- 

 ping and t^"ing out the shoots the plants 

 must be confined to a single stem, which 

 should have all side growths removed until 

 the desired height is attained, when the 

 point should be pinched out and the head 

 formed by keeping the shoots stopped till the 

 requisite number exist, after which, each 

 season, when the flowering is over, the 

 growths should be shortened so as to 

 maintain the required form. These plants 

 are also very suitable for planting out to 

 cover a back wall or clothe a pillar, in 

 which way some of the kinds, such as H. 

 elegans, will go on almost continuously 

 blooming, simply requiring the knife to be 

 used so as to keep them in bounds and in- 

 duce the production of shoots to furnish 

 the allotted space \Arith flowering growth. 

 In the case of these plants, as of most 

 others of a similar nature, when planted 

 out the room given to the roots should 

 always be regulated by the extent of sur- 

 face to be covered ; where too great root 

 space is allowed proportionate to the re- 

 quired size of the head too much cutting back 

 becomes necessary, whereby the ability to 

 produce bloom is curtailed. When the 

 soil has become exhausted a little of the 

 surface from the border should be re- 

 moved each sping before growth com- 

 mences and replaced by new, in addition 

 to which manitre-water may be given at 

 times during the growing season. 



The following are good kinds : — 



H. carminata rubra. Flowers red. 



H. coccinea. Scarlet. 



H. elegans. Carmine. 



H. fasciculatus. Crimson. 



H.tomentosus. Purple. 



