Greenhoicse and Stove PlanU. 



229 



duced ; but as its requirements became 

 better understood, and it acquired strength 

 and size, its full beauty and freedom of 

 blooming became fully realised, for, in 

 addition to the individually attractive 

 character of the flowers, and their elegant 

 drooping habit, it exhibited the excellent 

 property (jf flowering over a much longer 

 period "than most plants. Indeed a large 

 well-managed specimen when planted out, 

 so as to ha\e plenty of room for its roots, 

 will continue producing its brilliant cam- 

 panulate blooms for several months in 

 succession. In general habit the plant has 

 one advantage over most climbers, that it 

 covers a very consideiable space, yet is not 

 such an (jver-rampant grower as to be at 

 all difiicult to keep within bounds. Its 

 natural disposition of producing strong 

 undeiground shoots, which yearly break 

 up from the collar below the surface of the 

 soil, keeps the base continuously furnished 

 with young growth in a way that pre- 

 vents "^its getting naked at the bottom ; 

 another advantage which the plant pos- 

 sesses is, that its stout, glossy, ovate-lanceo- 

 late leaves are sufficiently large to be 

 effective, but neither too big or numerous 

 to shade injuriously the generality of 

 things grown in conservatories, which 

 often are seriously injured when the roof- 

 climbers are of an over- vigorous character. 



We have so far only spoken of the plant 

 when grown as a climber, in which posi- 

 tion its flowers are best seen, but it is also 

 well adapted for being treated as a trained 

 pot specimen. In this way the red vaiiety 

 has been produced bearing 500 of its deep 

 red, white spotted, or marbled flowers at a 

 time, in which condition few plants could 

 be more eftective. The red variety, how- 

 ever, is eclipsed by the newer white form, 

 a counterpart of the former in all except 

 that its flowers are pure white. Inasmuch 

 as white flowers of such a character as this 

 are scarce, the white Lapageria is a real 

 acquisition, especially for cutting. When 

 arranged in the natural drooping position, 

 for filling vases or epergnes, both varieties 

 are eftective ; they are also well adapted 

 for bouquets where their long-enduring 

 capabilities — they will last for a week 

 almost as fresh as when growing on the 

 plant — have few equals. 



Wlien the red or typical form was first 

 introduced it was considered difficult to 

 grow, for the simple reason that has given 

 many other fine plants a bad character in 

 this respect, namely, the fact that they 

 cannot conform to treatment suited to sub- 

 jects that exist naturally under widely 

 different climatic conditions. It is found 

 in Chiloe, where it is represented as twin- 



ing over the undergrowth of shrubs in the 

 woods, where consequently it receives con- 

 siderable shade. The country is subject to 

 frosts and deluging rains in winter, and is 

 also wet and cold in the summer, the tem- 

 perature seldom rising above 70°, and gene- 

 lally being considerably lower. This at 

 once points to the plant's requirements 

 under cultivation, showing the necessity for 

 supplying it liberally with moisture "both 

 overliead and at the roots, as also its iri- 

 ability to bear anything approaching a hot 

 or dry atmosphere, and its need of shade 

 in bright weather. All this has been fully 

 verified in practice, as where these condi- 

 tions do not exist it does not succeed well. 

 All the plant requires in the shape of heat 

 is just enough to exclude frost ; on the 

 shady end or side of a cold conservatory or 

 corridor it is at home, where it can have 

 plenty of root-room, requiring in this re- 

 spect more space than many things would 

 bear without being induced to grow too 

 rampant. 



Tlie red and white varieties require the 

 same (cultural treatment, and, when grown 

 as trained pot specimens, must, as they get 

 big enough to need it, have large pots. 

 They will succeed in either peat or loam, 

 or a mixture of both ; but where good jaeat 

 containing plenty of vegetable fibre can be 

 had it should be used. They are strong- 

 rooted plants, and do not require the soil 

 to be broken very fine, but, as the character 

 of the roots is such that they do not like 

 shaking out so as to renew the material, it 

 is necessary that whatever is used should 

 be of a description to last long before it 

 becomes adhesive, consequently plenty of 

 sand must be added— one sixth or seventh, 

 according to the character of the soil, will 

 not be too much ; from the quantity of 

 water required it is necessary that the 

 drainage should be ample and sufficiently 

 secured from the soil getting washed down 

 into it by a layer of sphagnum or turfy 

 fibre. As will be easily understood from 

 the comparatively low summer tempera- 

 ture of the native country, they are here 

 early excited into growth, which neces- 

 sitates their being potted corresijondingly 

 soon in the season, for they do not like any 

 interference with the roots when growth is 

 in progress. They are not, however, plants 

 that will show the effects of such treatment 

 as some things would, but when subjected 

 to this usage they do not increase in 

 strength so fast as if managed more in ac- 

 cordance with their requirements. 



In selecting plants for growing on see 

 that they are free from scale insects, as 

 both the white and brown species will live 

 on them : if but a trace of the former can be 



