PLUMBAGO CAPENsis. Greenhouse and Stove Plants 



By the miclclle of August remove them 

 to the open air ; but here they must not 

 be submitted to the direct action of the 

 sun ; they should be placed on the north 

 side of a tall hedge or trees, where they 

 M-ill not receive more than its morning 

 and evening rays. Syringe them while 

 here in the evenings during bright weather. 

 Before they are thus turned out they must 

 have sufficient sticks put to them so as to 

 properly secure the branches, otherwise 

 they will be liable to break with the wind. 

 Do not let the jJants remain out later than 

 the middle of September, or they might be 

 injured by frost, and it is unnecessary to 

 risk them, for the month's exposure will 

 have sutficiently ripened their growth to 

 induce their flowering freely. Winter as 

 before, keeping them well up to the light. 

 Tie them into the required shape, and as 

 early in the season as there is danger of 

 their suffering through the effects of the 

 sun, either shade slightly or remove them 

 to where they will not be exposed to its 

 mid-day influence. 



In respect to flowering, there is no 

 particular time through the summer that 

 it can be exactly calculated upon, as in the 

 case of some other plants — much ^vill de- 

 pend upon the situation where it has 

 been wintered. It is not a plant that can 

 be hurried on ; if any excitement were at- 

 tempted by heat it would run into growth, 

 and not flower at all. We have had it in 

 by the beginning of June, and on other 

 occasions not until the end of August. 

 When in flower the plants can be removed 

 to the conservatorv, where they will be 

 very effective. Place them where thev 

 will not be too much crowded. They will 

 last here for a month, after which they 

 should be removea to the growing-house, 

 and have any shoots that are unduly taking 

 the lead shortened back. If they have 

 flowered early in the season they ■will have 

 sufficient time before winter to make 

 growth for the next year's bloom, in 

 which case they ought to be moved into 

 pots 3 inches larger, and in the autumn 

 turned out for a few weeks, and then tied 

 and ■svintered as before — but so treated 

 they never bloom so profusely as if 

 allowed a season's rest. More commonly 

 they are only flowered every other year, 

 in which case the plants should be 

 shortened back somewhat freely after 

 blooming, then placed in a house where 

 they can be enabled to make some growth 

 without any attempt at pushing, as they 

 will have time suflicient the ensuing simi- 

 mer to grow into a large size. When so 

 treated they had better not be potted until 

 the spring ; give them as heretofore a 



3-inch shift, and subject them through the 

 summer to the same treatment as ad\ise<l 

 in their early stages, as to shaile and water, 

 and also as to exposure out-of-doors ; bat 

 this season they may be placed out by the 

 end of July, at which time, if all has gone 

 well, they will be large enough for any 

 purpose for which they may be required, 

 even to exhibit in the company of the best 

 and most select collection of plants, among 

 which there are few more telling subjects. 



After this flowering they should be cut 

 to within a foot or 15 inches of the base, 

 placed in a gri.wing temperature, and 

 syringed overhead every afternoon until 

 the end of August, when they should have 

 plenty of air, and the syringe should be 

 withheld ; it will not be necessary to place 

 them in this state out-of-doors, for under 

 any circumstances they cannot be expected 

 to flower much, if any, the ensuing season- 

 In the spring turn them out, reduce the 

 balls, and replace in the same pots with 

 new soU ; encourage growth through the 

 summer, and put them out in the open air 

 as before advised to ripen ; train s<)as to keep 

 enough young shoots to furnish the base 

 of the plant "with green healthy growth. 

 This will be facilitated by the production 

 of a number of shoots from the crowns of 

 the plants, which the cutting back will 

 have caused them to make. Ai"ter flower- 

 ing this time it is as well to discard them 

 for younger stock, which should be brought 

 on to succeed the old plants — this is the 

 more ad\"isable with this Pleroma as it is 

 a free grower, making as much progress in 

 a single season as many things do in two ; 

 besides younger plants always have a fresher 

 appearance. All that is necessary is, each 

 year, to provide a few young ones to replace 

 those that are made away with, for it is 

 naturally such a good grower that unless 

 very badly treated it rarely goes off or gets 

 out" of health. On this account it is fitting 

 for beginners in the cultivation of haid- 

 wooded plants, while as a subject for general 

 decorative purposes it cannot fail to give 

 satisfaction. 



Insects. — This Pleroma is seldom at- 

 tacked by insects ; sometimes red spider 

 will make its appearance, but this ^vill not 

 occur if the svringe is employed as advised. 

 Scale, either brown or white, will live upon 

 it, but in case the plants become infested 

 with either of these insects it is better to 

 destroy them, as the leaves are too soft 

 to bear dressing with any solution strong 

 enough to kill the pests. 



PLUMBAGO CAPENSIS. 



This is a Cape plant, introduced more 



