298 



Greenhouae and Stove Flautt 



RHODODENDRON. 



inch pots, in good loam, witli a little 

 manure and sand added. Stand in a 

 irame, and when the plants are up thin 

 them out to one ; if to be grown tree- 

 fashion the.se must have all the side shoots 

 pinched off as they appear, and a stick 

 sliould be put in the soil to support each. 

 When the pots are fairly full of roots move 

 into ethers 7 or 8 inches in diameter, keep- 

 ing the side growths removed until the 

 leader is 18 or 20 inches high, when pinch 

 out the point so as to cause shoots to break 

 that will form a head. During this time 

 ordinary greenhouse treatment is all that 

 is needful, give plenty of light and air, 

 with water to the roots as required, and 

 syringe overhead in the evenings. Stop 

 the shoots two or three times through the 

 summer, keep the flowers picked oB', and 

 put a stick to the stem sutlicient for sup- 

 port. If the plants are required large they 

 should be moved into 10 or 12 inch pots 

 when those they occupy are full of roots, 

 but much may be done to produce large 

 plants with comparatively little root-room 

 if manure-water is given freely when the 

 soil is filled with roots. If bush-shaped 

 plants are preferred stop the leading shoot 

 when about 4 inches high, and again, later 

 on, giving the requisite supports to keep 

 the shoots well opened out so as to admit 

 light to the centre of the plants and secure 

 the desired shape. To flower in winter in 

 small pots, which in most cases will be 

 found the most convenient way, the seeds 

 should be sown early in August ; stand 

 the pots in a frame, directly the little 

 plants ajjpear give plenty of air by draw- 

 ing the lights off when tliere is no likeli- 

 hood of excessive rains, giving water when 

 the soil seems to require it. Four or five 

 plants are enough to grow in a 6-inch pot, 

 and a small stick should be put to each so 

 as to keep them erect. Before there is 

 danger of frost move the plants to a pit, or 

 the shelf of a greenhouse, where they will 

 be close to the glass, and admit air freely, 

 with an ordinary greenhouse tempera- 

 ture. Another sowing should be made in 

 September to flower in spring, manage 

 them as advised for the earliest set of 

 plants ; winter near the glass, with plenty 

 of air to prevent them from being drawn. 



Insects. — Aphides are often troublesome 

 on Mignonette, and if allowed to remain 

 long undisturbed will spoil the plants. As 

 soon as present they should be destroyed 

 by fumigation. 



RHAPIS. 



This genus of greenhouse Palms consists 

 :>{ few species, one at least of which, E. 



flabelliformis, is second to none for its 

 usefulness where slender-growing elegant 

 plants are required. 



Propagation and cultivation given under 

 Palms, geneial details of culture. 



R. flahellijormis. A pretty, thin-stemmed 

 species, with small fan-shaped leaves deeply 

 divided. Like many other Palms, in the 

 early stages of the plant's existence the 

 leaves do not show their true character, 

 but it is always eff"ective, and the foliage is 

 so stout in texture and naturally so endur- 

 ing that it bears much hard usage. From 

 China. 



R. flabelliformis variegata. A prettily 

 \ariegated form of the preceding, deservedly 

 much prized by lovers of variegated foliaged 

 plants. 



RHODODENDRON. 



The kinds of Rhododendron that will 

 thrive under greenhouse treatment are now 

 numerous ; among them aie several species, 

 such as tJie magnificent R. Nuttallii from 

 Bootan, wliich attains a height of 20 or 

 30 feet, R. Gibsonii, a compact bushy 

 habited sort from Khoseea, R. arboreum, 

 from Nepal, R. Dalhousianum, from the 

 Himalaya, R. jasminiflorum, from Malacca, 

 and R. javanicum, a Java species, from 

 which have sprung the large number of 

 laeautiful hybiids, now coming so largely 

 into use for conservatory decoration. The 

 free-growing habit of these hybrids, and 

 their equally free disposition to flower — 

 often two or three times in the year — com- 

 bined with the beauty of their flowers go 

 to rank them with the most desirable 

 plants for the decoration of cool houses. 

 The hybrid varieties possess a much better 

 habit than R. javanicum, which is a de-. 

 termined spare erect grower', not disposed 

 to branch out. 



The mode of propagation best suited to 

 the hybrid sorts is grafting on such of the 

 seedling varieties as possess a free vigorous 

 constitution. The stocks require to be 

 raised from shoot cuttings in the ordinary 

 way, and grown on in 6 or 8 inch pots 

 until large enough for grafting, when they 

 must be headed down to within 5 or 6 

 inches of the pots, and the grafts, which 

 should consist of pieces of the preceding 

 year's shoots, inserted. The work ought 

 to be done in the winter, and after grafting 

 the plants should be jolaced in suflicient 

 Avarmth to start them into growth ; when 

 some progress has been made the points of 

 the slioots must be pinched out to induce 

 the loAver eyes to break so as to furnish the 

 plants with side branches. After this the 

 treatment is simple, merely giving pot-room 

 as required. 



