LASIANDRA. 



Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



231 



as necessary until they occupy pots or 

 tubs 20 or 22 inches in diameter, in which 

 they may be kept in health by the as- 

 sistance of manure - water during the 

 throwing season for several years, when, 

 if desired, they can be planted out in a 

 greenhouse or conservatory border'. They 

 are not things that requiie much use of 

 tlie knife, but, as the weaker old shoots 

 cease to grow much after the plants get 

 to producing strong sucker growths, the 

 former may be gradually cut out. 



When intended to be grown as climbers 

 or for covering a back wall one mistake is 

 often committed, and to it are to be attri- 

 buted frequent failures— that is, turning 

 them out while very small into a large 

 body of soil in a border. Lapagerias are 

 by no means such quick growers as most 

 things of a climbing habit, and the con- 

 siderable body of soil in the prepared 

 border gets sour and unhealthy before 

 the roots lay hold of it ; the consequence 

 is that the plants refuse to grow at all, 

 and remain for years in a state admitting 

 of little progress. If ordinary sized plants 

 are procured it is much better to grow 

 them on in pots for a year or two until 

 they get enough roots to penetiate the soil 

 freely the first summer they are turned 

 out, in which case they rarely fail to do 

 well, provided they are projjerly treated 

 in other respects. Planting out should be 

 done early in the spring, before growth 

 commences, or the disturbance of the roots, 

 inseparable from the necessary spreading 

 out, will stop growth in a way that would 

 much retard it for the season. The drain- 

 age of the border must be ample, and the 

 soil fibrous peat, with enough sand added 

 to it ; and as the plants increase in strength 

 it is as necessary to regularly keep the 

 shoots trained as it is when gro-wn in a 

 pot. As the soil becomes exhausted before 

 growth has commenced, each spring an inch 

 or two may be removed from the surface 

 and replaced with new. Manure-water 

 through the summer will also be an as- 

 sistance. So treated the plants can be 

 kept growing in a vigorous condition for 

 a number of years. We would advise all 

 who have the red variety to procure the 

 white one ; they are fit companions in 

 every way, the attractions of both being 

 enhanced by the contrast in the colour of 

 the flowers. 



Insects. — Most of the indoor plant pests 

 will live and increase apace upon these 

 Lapagerias ; thrips, red spider, and aphides 

 affect them, but these rarely gain a foot- 

 ing if the syringe is used as it ought to be, 

 eo as to get the water freely to both the 

 under and upper surface of the leaves. 



Wlien these insects make their appearance 

 a free and persistent use of the syringe is 

 the best remedy ; scale must be removed 

 by the sponge. The temperature they re- 

 quire is not favourable to the increase of 

 mealy bug, although it will live upon 

 them ; and when affected it is best re- 

 moved by sponging, and by the use of a 

 soft brush to get down to the axils of the 

 leaves. There is one other enemy to guard 

 against — that is slugs, which are extremely 

 fond of the young underground shoots, 

 and unless care is taken to keep these 

 marauders thoroughly under they are 

 sure to find the growths as they appear 

 above the surface, in which case serious 

 mischief will be done, as the plants liave 

 not the power to quickly produce others 

 to replace the injured ones. 



LARDIZABALA'BITERNATA. 



An evergreen climbing plant that will 

 succeed in a greenhouse. Tlie flowers are 

 not of a pleasing colour, dull purple, but 

 the fruit is edible: It can be increased by 

 cuttings, and grown on afterwards as ad- 

 vised ibr Passifloras, which see. 



It is a native of Chili, and blooms in 

 spring. 



LASIANDRA MACRANTHA. 



There are two varieties of this evergreen 

 warm greenhouse plant, L. macrantha and 

 L. maciantlia floribunda, quite distinct, 

 and both equally well worth growing, but 

 for totally different purposes. In shape 

 the flowers are not unlike Pleroma elegans, 

 but they do not possess the same intense 

 colour ; they are, however, much larger, 

 and produced in greater quantities. They 

 are among the grandest of all Melastomads. 

 L. macrantha floribunda was introduced 

 after L. macrantha, and is best adapted for 

 specimen pot culture, being naturally of a 

 bushy habit of growth, blooming profusely 

 in the autumn and winter, when flowering 

 subjects are much in demand and not over- 

 plentiful. It is a free grower, and will 

 flower in a very small state, even in 5 or 

 6 inch pots ; its large, rich, violet-purple 

 blossoms are not of very long duration, 

 like many other Melastomads — some two 

 or three days are as long as they usually 

 last ; they aie produced in clusters from 

 the points and axils of the leaves of the 

 young shoots, giving a succession for several 

 weeks. 



Both varieties are easily struck from 

 cuttings of the soft shoots, put in during 

 spring, as early as they can be obtained, 3 

 or 4 inches long. Put singly in 3-inch pots, 



