124 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



Double-flowering Forms of the 

 Oxalis. 



Whether any Oxalis can ever stand higher 

 in the estimation of florists and window 

 gardeners than the wonderfully handsome, 

 easily grown and profuse-blooming sorts, O. 

 rosea (or floribunda of some), O. lutea or O. 

 rosea alba, may well be questioned. But 

 at any rate it will interest many flower lov- 

 ers to know that some double-flowering 

 forms of this favorite class are attract- 

 ing notice in England and elsewhere in 

 Europe. 



Of one such double flowering kind, 

 Oxalis imbricata, the annexed flgm-e is 

 a good representation. This cut first 

 appeared In the Gardener's Chronicle 

 and was re-engraved for our columns. 

 It shows the flowers as well as the 

 other parts of the plant a little under 

 the average size. Being of a pleasing 

 rose color, and perfectly double, they 

 should prove very attractive little 

 flowers, — indeed we are sure that those 

 of our readers who have met with the 

 usual abundant success with the single 

 rose-colored sort referred to would 

 have a great desire to try their hands 

 on this comparatively new comer. 



This new species was introduced to 

 Kew, England, from the Cape of Good 

 Hope, through the botanic gardens in 

 Port Elizabeth. The plants and 

 tubers were originally gathered about 

 au miles from the Port. The color Ls a 

 deep rose, and in form the flowers are 

 as double as the most double of Chinese 

 Primroses. Another double Oxalis 

 that has been known but for a few 

 years, and was supposed for a time to 

 be the only one in existence, is Oxalis 

 cernua fl. pi. In this the flowers are 

 umbellate on an erect scape ti inches 

 high, lemon-yellow in color, and as 

 donljle as those here figured. 



Still another double Oxalis was 

 brought to notice in England in 1888, 

 under the head of "A Wild Double 

 Oxalis from Natal," and named O. 

 seiuiloba rt. pi. Of this Mr. N. E. 

 Brown of the Kew Herbariiun has re- 

 cently .said: "If the plant were intro- 

 duced I think it would prove of even greater 

 horticultural value than the double form of 

 O. imbricata, as the peduncle is several- 

 flowered in O. semiloba, whilst in O. imbri- 

 cata it is but one-flowered. The double 

 form of O. cernua is exceedingly pretty, but 

 I have only seen it once, several years ago, 

 in the collection of Mr. Wilson Saunders, 

 with whom Oxalises were favorites." 



In 1848 Annee began hybridizing Cannas 

 and obtained the variety called Anneei. 

 But it was not tmtil 18.5.5, when the public 

 squares of Paris were created, that the value 

 of Cannas as garden plants was fully appre- 

 ciated. Since that time they have been 

 much improved, not only at the hands of 

 Annee, but by other horticulturists. 



The earlier efforts at improvement seem 



Cannas as Flowering Plants. 



ARTHUR H. FEWKES, MASS. 



As flowering plants there are few who seem 

 aware of the possibilities of the Cannas, 

 although their beautiful foliage has long 

 since placed them in the front rank of sub- 

 jects suitable for the sub-tropical garden. 

 To those not well acquainted with their 

 merits as bloomers it needs only to be said 

 that they are of the easiest cultivation, stately 

 in growth, and producing a succession of 

 flowers somewhat resembling and vieing in 

 beauty with the best Gladioluses. 



A Bit of History. TheoldCannalndica, 

 or Indian Shot, a native of the East and 

 West Indies, was introduced and cultivated 

 as a stove plant in the time of Gerard, about 

 1.59»i. This, with its variety lutea, were the 

 only Cannas cultivated for more than a 

 hundred years after, and as hot-house plants 

 at that until 184(i, when Th. Annee, the 

 French Consul at Valparaiso, South Amer- 

 ica, brought with him to Paris a considera- 

 ble collection. Part of these were first 

 planted in the open ground with entire suc- 

 cess, and the next year the entire collection. 



A DOUBLE-FLOWERING OXALIS.— OXALIS IMBRICATA 



to have been largely directed toward leaf 

 development, but of late attention has been 

 given to the flowers, resulting in some very 

 remarkable varieties, ranging from bright 

 yellow through orange, and the brightest 

 scarlet to deep crimson. 



It is true the hybridists have not yet suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining fine flowers in connec- 

 tion with the broad, dark, purple leaves of 

 some of the older varieties, but there is 

 reason to expect that at no distant date we 

 may see as flne foliage with the flowering 

 varieties as with the others. The variety 

 M. Ferrand, with its purple leaves and 

 crimson scarlet flowers, shows quite an 

 advance, and Ehemanni, with its broad 

 Musa-like leaves, is not equaled for flowers 

 among the light leaved kinds. The last- 

 named variety, of which too much can hardly 

 be said in praise, made its appearance in 

 1883. When well grown it attains the height 

 of ten feet, with long spikes of large, droop- 

 ing flowers, i^ inches in length, with petals 

 l}i inches in width, of a rich magenta 

 crimson color. The Banana-like leaves 

 are not much liable to be injured by the wind. 



Other Varieties. Of other varieties of 

 special value for their flowers, the following 

 may be named : 



Nnutoiii, one of the most valuable for flowering 

 purposes, is a still newer variety of C. Iridiflora 

 (parent of Ehemanni), growing about seyen or 

 eight feet high, with dark, glaucous green leaves, 

 narrower and more pointed than those of Ehe- 

 manni. The more erect, deep crimson flowers, 

 average in length about 3)^ inches, and spread 

 about 3 inches, with petals an inch in width. 



Vemiviiis, another new variety, somewhat re- 

 sembles the last in habit, but of lower giowth 

 and with bright crira-fon scarlet flowers. Al- 



though not quite so free flowering as some of the 

 other varieties, its brilliant color is very effective. 

 Aditli>h Weick is by far the most valuable of 

 the red flowered Cannas, excelling aU others in 

 freedom of bloom and general usefulness. 

 Though not a new variety its great value has 

 been but recently appreciated. It does not con- 

 tent itself with throwing up simple spikes of 

 bloom, but each one branches into four or five 

 side branches, which terminate in very full 

 clusters of flowers of large size and great 

 beauty. When well grown it will average 

 about five feet in height, beginning to 

 flower very early in the season. In pots 

 in the greenhouse it will flower when 

 about two feet high, and if planted in a 

 rich bed in June they will flower all through 

 the summer until cut down by the frost. 



Pellet iere, a new variety of last season Is 

 almost identical with the preceding, ex- 

 cept in the color of the flowers, which is a 

 bright orange crimson, with dark crimson 

 sepals. 



Premicci elf NUc. Among yellows there 

 is nothing better than this old variety, 

 which was introduced about twenty years 

 ago. The flowers are large, very freely 

 produced and of a clear, canary yellow 

 color. It reaches the height of about six 

 feet, with pointed, Ught glaucous green 

 leaves. The bright color and freedom 

 with which the flowers are produced make 

 this one of the most useful varieties grown. 

 Abo)idance, a yellow flowered variety of 

 more recent introduction, is very useful in 

 its way. It is of dwarf growth, averaging 

 about four feet in height, with Ught green 

 leaves, and a remarkably free bloomer. 

 The flowers are of good size and thickly 

 set on the spike. In color they are deep 

 yellow, thickly spotted with orange. 



Safrano. a variety introduced at the same 

 time as the preceding, has proved to be 

 one of the very finest. It is of medium 

 height with long, pointed hght green 

 leaves, and produces its large bright orange 

 colored flowers in great abundance. It 

 begins flowering when very small and con- 

 tinues throughout the season. 



The foregoing are the most valua- 

 lile for general growing, and when 

 they become better known no garden 

 will be complete without a fair repre- 

 sentation of these plants. In parks or 

 other large grounds there can be 

 nothing more effective than well arranged 

 plantations ot these varieties, they showing 

 to the best advantage when massed in large 

 beds of one color or variety. 



Cultivation. The cultivation of Cannas 

 is very simple; and while they will grow 

 most anywhere, to obtain the best results 

 the soil should be removed from the beds to 

 the depth of two and one-half feet or more 

 and filled in with a compost of good loam 

 and stable manure in about equal parts. 

 The roots should be planted in this as soon 

 as all danger from frost is past and liberally 

 watered through the summer. Light water- 

 ings will do but little good; the bed should 

 be well drenched and should not be allowed 

 to become dry at any time through the sea- 

 son. Where one has the advantage of a 

 greenhouse it is best to have them well 

 established in six -inch pots by planting-out 

 time. By this means an immediate effect is 

 produced and they are all sure to grow, 

 whereas if dry roots are used it will be 

 some time before they will appear above 

 ground, and .some may never start. 



In the fall after the frost has destroyed 

 the beauty ot the plants they should be cut 

 down nearly to the ground, the roots lifted 

 and stored away for the winter. They may 

 be either placed in the cellar, packed in 

 boxes of loam, or what is better, where 

 practicable, in the greenhouse beneath the 

 stagings, selecting a place where there will 

 be but little water drip upon them. Water 

 should not be entirely withheld from them 

 through the winter, but enough should be 

 given to keep them from shriveling. This 

 is especially applicable to the varieties above 

 described, as they all have rather long, thin 



