Greenhouse und Stove Plants. 



241 



LUCULIA GRATISSIMA, 



In this fine evergreen shrub we have 

 vigorous growth, a remarkably free habit 

 of flowering, delicious fragrance, and a dis- 

 position to bloom through the autumn — 

 a combination of good pioperties surpassed 

 by few plants in cultivatiim. Considering 

 the length of the time during which it has 

 been known in this country — over half a 

 century — it seems strange that it is not 

 more generally met with than it is, and 

 this can only be accounted for by the fact 

 that it does better with a little more warmth 

 than that of a greenhouse, and yet cannot 

 bear so high a range of temperature as 

 most of the occupants of the stove, where, 

 if kept, growth is so much over-excited, 

 that it api^ears never to have time to 

 flower, or if it does the bloom is of a 

 meagre description. With sufficient room 

 this plant attains a considerable size, reach- 

 ing where desired a height of 14 or 16 feet 

 when trained so as to occupy the end or 

 l)ack wall of the house in which it is 

 located. For this purpose few plants are 

 more suitable, and in such positions its 

 clusters of pinkish-white flowers are most 

 effective. It is equally suitable for train- 

 ing round a pillar, or it can be grown in a 

 pot or tub, trained bush fashion, for which 

 its natural habit adapts it. But although, 

 from its free disposition to flower, it will 

 bloom in a small state, to have it in a con- 

 dition such as to exliibit its full beauty 

 when grown as a bush, it should not be 

 stinted for root-room, nor should the head 

 be too much cut in. 



It is propagated by cuttings of the young 

 shoots, which should be put in early in 

 spring — say in the beginning of March, 

 for with this, as with most things of 

 like character, it is of importance to start 

 sufficiently early to admit of the plants 

 attaining size and strength before autumn. 

 There is one thing connected with this 

 Luculia that it is necessary to impress on 

 the cultivator — that is, the cuttings must 

 never be allowed to flag, for if they do 

 they rarely afterwards succeed. Insert 

 them singly in small pots, drained and 

 half filled ^vith a mixture of sandy Ip.am 

 and peat, the upper portion sand. Keep 

 them moist, cover with a bell-glass, and 

 let them have a night temperature of 

 from 60° to 65°. They take longer to 

 strike than many plants. When rooted, 

 gradually admit air until the propagating 

 glass can be dispensed with altogether, 

 when the young plants should be placed 

 where they will receive plenty of light. 

 As soon as' growth commences pinch out 

 the points so as to induce the formation of 



1 



several shoots near the base. When the 

 pots are fairly filled wath roots shift at 

 once into others 4 inches larger, using a 

 mixture of two-thirds loam to one-third 

 peat. A liberal sprinkling of sand is in- 

 dispensable, as, being of fairly free growth, 

 the plant requires a plentiful application 

 of water during the growing season. A 

 night temperature of 60° through the 

 summer will be sufficient, with a rise in 

 the day proportionate to the state of the 

 weather, for, being a native of the high, 

 comparatively cool, yet humid, country of 

 Nepaul, it Avill do better in such a tem- 

 perature than if warmer. A little shade 

 in the middle of the day during very bright 

 weather will be an advantage. Syringe 

 freely in the afternoons. So managed 

 the young plants will make satisfactory 

 progress. 



Treat as already advised until the middle 

 of September ; then dispense with the 

 shading, and give more aii, but keep on 

 syringing for another month, after which 

 it may be discontinued. A night tem- 

 perature through the \AT.nter of from 46° 

 to 50° will suit the plants, which should 

 be kept drier at the roots, but on no 

 account should moisture be ^vithheld even 

 at this season to the extent that some 

 things would bear, for it must always be 

 borne in mind that the moisture-lbving 

 nature of these hill-region plants does not 

 in any way change under cultivation, and 

 if ever kept too dry they get into a languid 

 state, and are made susceptible to the 

 attacks of red spider and other insect jjests, 

 which appear to prefer prejang upon plant 

 life when under conditions that reduce its 

 ■vital force. By the middle of March they 

 may have a 3 or 4 inch shift, now using 

 the soil in a more lumpy state, if possible 

 containing more fibrous matter. Pot 

 firmly by ramming the new material well 

 in, which, -with most plants, has the efl'ect 

 of inducing a more bushy habit of growth, 

 with shorter-jointed wood, more disposed 

 for an even production of flowers than the 

 few gross, over-luxuriant shoots generally 

 resulting from light potting. Pinch out 

 the points of any shoots that are taking an 

 undue lead, train the strongest growths out 

 to sticks inserted just within the rims of 

 the pots, and leave the weaker ones in a 

 more erect position, by which means they 

 will acquire strength to an extent that ^viil 

 more evenly balance the plants. All now 

 required through the summer is to treat 

 as recommended the pre^^ous season, 

 giving them liberal applications of water 

 at the roots and s\Tinging freely. By the 

 beginning of September the plants will 

 push up strongly, and when in bloom they 



