SOFT-WOODED OR BEDDING PLANTS. 195 



ties, all of which require a temperature in winter of not lower 

 than 60; with less than that there will be much difficulty 

 in keeping them. Being tender, they should not be 

 planted out for bedding purposes until the weather has 

 become settled and warm. Propagation by cuttings. 



Caladium esculentum, A plant with leaves of most 

 enormous proportions, in the form of a shield ; on well- 

 grown specimens the leaves measure 30 by 20 inches. 

 The plant attains a height of 5 or 6 feet, and is a strik- 

 ing object when planted on a lawn. There are numerous 

 other species, having leaves beautifully shaded and spot- 

 ted, but these are grown mainly as stove plants. 



Chrysanthemums, Chinese. These consist of three class- 

 es, the Large Flowering, the Pompone or Bouquet, and 

 the Japanese. 



There is no plant that we cultivate, with the exception 

 perhaps, of the Dahlia, that assumes such an extended 

 range of color crimson, orange, yellow, pink, white, 

 carmine, and purple, being blended in every conceivable 

 shade. Cuttings planted out in May will produce, by 

 topping, large, bushy plants that will bloom in October ; 

 they are entirely hardy in this latitude, and will stand 

 with slight covering, which should be put on late in 

 fall, say December 15th, in the extreme Northern States. 

 They are often lifted and potted in fall, and form 

 handsome green-house or parlor plants until December. 



The Japan varieties, of which C. laciniatum is a type, 

 (see chapter on Winter Flowers) differ from the other sorts 

 in the peculiar formation of the petals, which are thread- 

 like, drooping in some varieties, like the fringe of a para- 

 sol. The coloring is also remarkable, being marbled and 

 spotted in colors of yellow and scarlet, white and rose, <fcc. 

 Many of the varieties have also the valuable property of 

 being winter-flowering. 



Delphiniums, or Larkspurs. The perennial varieties of 



