CLIMBERS AND BASKET PLANTS 37 



placed vertically, and each growth kept religiously to its 

 own string. As the annual growth is made very quickly 

 plenty of water should be given during this period. 

 All growth of the previous year should be cut away 

 before the new growth comes up, otherwise the result 

 will be a hopeless tangle. 



Passlflora. The Passion-flowers in variety are quick 

 growing and admirable plants for covering a greenhouse 

 roof. Out of many, probably the best for our use are 

 P. cxrulea and its variety P. Constance Elliot, the latter 

 having large, white, sweet-scented flowers. All the 

 Passion-flowers are easy to grow but many of them 

 require more than the ordinary greenhouse tempera- 

 ture. As it is necessary that the wood should ripen 

 up well, the soil should not be over rich or deep, and 

 plenty of drainage should be given. Beyond thinning 

 out and keeping the plants within bounds, the less 

 pruning they get the better, as they do not like much 

 restriction. 



Plumbago capensis. Of this there are two forms, 

 the blue and the white, which are excellent as climbers 

 of moderate growth. They are suited either for cloth- 

 ing roof, rafter, or pillar, and bear large numbers of 

 chaste and delicate looking flowers in large bunches on 

 the end of each new shoot. The Plumbago succeeds 

 best when the roots are somewhat confined as to space, 

 and should be grown in soil made very porous by 

 the addition of broken brick and sand. It does not 

 require a great supply of water at any time, and towards 

 the end of autumn should be allowed to get almost dry, 

 as this assists in ripening up the base buds of the new 

 growth. In pruning, cut back to within an inch of 

 the main stem or stems. Give little or no water until 

 new shoots are breaking out, and be careful not to 

 excite the plant into growth before winter is well 

 over unless prepared to give it more than the usual 



