Greenhouse and Stove Plants. 



281 



The first of the family undoubtedly is P. 

 spectabilis rosea ; this variety forms the 

 largest plant, and has proportionately large 

 flowers, which it produces freely from the 

 points of the shoots in large ball-like heads, 

 white suffused at the points with rose. 

 They are alike distinct and handsome, and, 

 from the time they begin to open until 

 they fade, they will last about three weeks. 

 This plant will grow in either peat or 

 loam ; we prefer the latter where it can 

 be had of good yellow quality and con- 

 taining plenty of fibre ; in such it grows 

 stronger than in peat. 



All the kinds of Pimelea strike readily 

 from cuttings made of the points of the 

 young shoots, which should be ttiken off 

 when about two inches long in April ; put 

 them an inch or two apart in 6-inch pots 

 in sand, keep moist, shaded, and covered 

 with a bell-glass in an intermediate heat ; 

 here they will soon strike, after which 

 remove the glass, and as soon as a mode- 

 rate amount of roots are present move 

 singly into small pots, using for this first 

 potting a mixture of peat and sand. Let 

 the atmosphere be moist and close, with 

 shade in the day until they have begun to 

 grow away freely, after which pinch out 

 the points of the shoots ; keep the material 

 on wliich the pots stand moist, damping 

 overhead with the syringe daily through 

 the summer. By July admit a little more 

 air, and only shade when the sun is on the 

 glass ; keep the young plants moderately 

 near the light. Give a little more air in 

 autunm, and -ttinter at about 45° or 48° 

 in the night ; in this way they will move 

 slowly through the ■wintei-, and be in a 

 condition for shifting into 3-inch pots by 

 the middle of March, when they should be 

 given soil similar to that used at the first 

 potting. Again stop the shoots as soon as 

 they begin to move freely, and treat through 

 the summer as in the preceding, with the 

 exception that they will now bear a little 

 more air. In September give more air, 

 and winter at 45° in the night. Again in 

 March move them, this time into 6 or 7 

 inch pots, now using loam in place of peat ; 

 stop the shoots when they have made a 

 little growth, and as soon as they have 

 fairly broken afterwards tie out the 

 strongest, bringing them down to a lioii- 

 zontal position. This summer treat as to 

 water at the roots, moistening the material 

 on which they stand, syringing overhead, 

 and shading from the sun, as heretofore 

 advised, giving more air as the plants get 

 stronger and further increasing it in 

 autumn. Winter as recommended for the 

 preceding, and again in March give a 

 3-inch shift, using the loam in small lumps 



the size of walnuts ; add one-sixth of clean, 

 sharp sand, drain effectually, and pot 

 firmly. Place them where they will re- 

 ceive no side air for three weeks, and keep 

 the surface on which they stand damp, 

 closing the house with the sun upon it, and 

 syringing the plants liglitly overhead at 

 the same time. They also must be care- 

 fully shaded all through their growing 

 season when the sun is powerful. This 

 latter is not nearly so much attended to in 

 the cultivatif)n of Pimeleas as it should be. 

 The flowers on the points of the shoots in 

 good healthy plants will by this time be 

 getting prominent, but we do not approve 

 of their being renidved early in the season, 

 as in the case of most things, for the reason 

 tliat if such is done the shoots will require 

 stopping during the summer, which is 

 rather a disadvantage than otherwise, 

 causing them to make weakly growth, and 

 to set prematurely — moreover, it deranges 

 their time of flowering. Still it is better 

 this season not to let the blooms open fully, 

 as the plants would be weakened and there 

 would be no adequate return from what 

 little flower they could make at this size, 

 so as soon as they begin to open they had 

 better be removed. Immediately below 

 the base of the flower, on each branch that 

 produces them, will be seen several young 

 shoots breaking ; many growers are 

 tempted to allow the.se to remain, hesi- 

 tating to remove them, but neglect in this 

 matter is calculated to spoil the plants, by 

 allowing them to get too long in the 

 branches for the number of shoots they 

 carry. The right distance to cut them 

 back to is midway between the flowers and 

 the place where they were cut back the 

 preceding year ; this will keep them close 

 and bushy. Encourage them to grow 

 freely through the summer by sufficient 

 shade, closing in sun-heat, and the use of 

 the syringe as already atl vised. The latter 

 should be so used that the water can be 

 got well to the underside of the leaves ; 

 and the plants should be turned round 

 occasionally, so that the whole surface can 

 be well wetted, or they will get affected 

 with their greatest enemy, red spider. 

 Continue this treatment up to the end of 

 August, when the syringing may be dis- 

 continued, as also the early closing ; give 

 less shade, to harden them up a little for 

 the winter, when they should be placed in 

 a good light situation, where they will be 

 kept in a night temperature of as near 45° 

 as possible. 



We have said nothing about training, as 

 the plants from their habit require very 

 little ; a few sticks may be placed to them 

 so as to bring the branches down to keep 



