336 PRACTICAL GAEDENING. 



vigour of the plant into branches that are necessary. The 

 repotting from time to time as the old pot fills with roots, to 

 stop back any branch that is growing too vigorously for the 

 rest of the plant. If the plant is an irregular, bushy grower, 

 always take out useless shoots as soon as they appear, and stop 

 any that appear to take too much of a lead. If the plant is a 

 straggling grower with long shoots, continually stop the ends 

 of the branches. Stop even the cutting as soon as it is rooted, 

 leaving only two pair of leaves, which in most plants cause 

 four shoots, and when these four have made two good leaves 

 and are going on, take off the ends just above the two leaves, 

 and there will be two shoots for each. The stopping may 

 then be omitted while the plant grows into the form you 

 want it, but if any shoots are in the way of each other, take 

 them out, you may stop the joints then as they may seem to 

 require it ; there must be no long growth. TVe have gro^vn 

 Plumbago capensis three feet high, three feet across, and 

 without using or requiring a single support, and the same 

 with others of straggling growth, and we confess that if we 

 cannot show at exhibitions till we disgrace a plant with fifty 

 props, we will never exhibit. There are some plants naturally 

 pendulous, with branches too weak to stand out without, props, 

 but what does this suggest? Why that they are to hang 

 down. "We might as well prop up a weeping ash or willow as 

 prop up any other weeping plant. The Eriostemon cuspidatus 

 is a weakly, pendulous, or half pendulous shrub. Make it a 

 standard : let its branches hang down all round. We can tell 

 those gardeners who grow it in a cage, and drag its branches 

 through the wires, that it is beautiful as a standard, and one 

 of the most graceful of our greenhouse plants. It is half the 

 battle to understand the natural growth of a plant ; it is the 

 other half to make the best use of that habit when you 

 cultivate it. Some fuchsias are best as standards, some azaleas 

 are best as standards, and the great care required in the 

 management of these must be directed to the formation of the 

 head. There ought not to be too many branches, but those 

 which there are must be well divided to point outwards all 

 round the head. 



The formation of a standard is simple enough, no matter 

 what it is. The stem that is to lead must have the lower 

 side branches constantly removed until the stem has gone up 

 as tall as we require it, but we must not while it is growing 



