194 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



The Fancy-Leaved Caladiums and 

 Their Culture. 



W. FALCONER, OLEN COVE, N. Y. 



The fancy-leaved Caladiums are among 

 the richest and most showy of garden plants, 

 and amenable to cultivation by anybody. 

 Although indigenous to tropical South Am- 

 erica, they have decided seasons of rest and 

 growth, and this enables us to grow them as 

 easily as we may a Dahlia or Gladiolus, and 

 without a greenhouse. We grow them in 

 summer and rest them in winter. 



Most florists who deal in a general collec- 

 tion of plants have 

 Caladiums for sale; the 

 average price is 20 cents 

 each or $3 a dozen. 

 From October to April 

 the plants are sold in 

 the form of little tub- 

 ers. After April they 



are disposed of as _^ 



growing plants in pots. 

 Some kinds are far 

 more expensive than 

 others, and the price 

 of all sorts differs ac- 

 cording to the size of 

 the tubers, large tubers 

 costing more than 

 small ones. But our 

 American prices are 

 moderate compared 

 with those of European 

 Arms, who charge from 

 .50 cents to .$.5 a plant. 



After receiving the 

 tubers, say in April, 

 pot them singly into 

 small pots, using turfy 

 porous soil, and keep 

 them in a warm place 

 in the window and 

 away from drafts, and 

 shaded from sun- 

 shine. In May we may 

 keep them in the 

 window, or out on the 

 piazza or in a cold 

 frame,always guarding 

 against winds, draft 

 and sunshine. When 

 they have filled the 

 small pots with roots 

 repot into larger ones 

 using open, turfy soil 

 and some rotted ma 

 nure. Caladiiims like 



an abundance of water during their whole 

 season of growth, hence the great necessity 

 of porous soil, so that the water can pass off 

 readily; and although they are partial to 

 rich soil, I find it is better to give the pots a 

 good mulching of rotted manure than to 

 mix much manure in the potting soil. Use 

 lots of drainage in the pots. Probably the 

 Caladiums will continue in active growth 

 till August or September, when they will 

 show an inclination to die down; then lessen 

 the supply of water, and gradually let them 

 go to rest by stopping watering altogether. 



During the summer months we may keep 

 the Caladiums on the piazza or plunged out- 

 of-doors in a sheltered, partly shaded nook 

 in the garden. Indeed, we often have capi- 

 tal success with them when we plant them 

 out in the garden about the first of June; 

 and associated with Rex Begonias they 

 make a pretty clump. When planted out 

 they continue longer in fresh growing con- 

 dition than they do when grown in pots. 



As greenhouse plants they are superb and 

 come in during the summer months at a 

 time when our greenhouses are considerably 

 emptied of their usual contents. 



During the wintermonths keep the tubers 

 dry. You may either return them in the 

 pots in which they had been grown during 

 tlie summer, or, for room and convenience 

 sake, shake them out of their pots and store 



them close together in a flat filled with earth 

 or sand, and keep them in the cellar, cup- 

 board, or anywhere else that is handy, 

 always observing that the minimum tem- 

 perature is not less than .'iO". More Cala- 

 diums and Gloxinias die during winter on 

 account of having been wintered in too cold 

 a place than from any other cause. And be 

 very particular to guard the tubers from 

 rats and mice, which are very fond of them. 

 In spring don't let your ambition to see 

 them grow get so far the better of you as to 

 induce you to start them early. Don't start 



of which are green, flamed with crimson. 

 But very few florists advertise it. 



Among the sorts that now take the leading 

 part at our principal exhibitions are alho- 

 lutcum, Carhiatum, Comtcssc de Maillc, 

 Cypbcl, Gerard Dow, John R. Box, Lcplny, 

 Md. Marjolin, Princess of Teck, Reine du 

 Portugal, Scheffer, Sir/MS. 



heading 



FANCY-LEAVED CALADIUMS.— THE FOLIAGE OF VARIOUS KINDS. 



them to grow till you are certain that you 

 can afford them a night temperature of at 

 least HO", and without the aid of a green- 

 house or hot-bed you cannot well do this be- 

 fore the end of April. 



The following are capital sorts and quoted 

 by our florists at $3 per dozen: 



BoUdieu. Green towards the outside, flamed 

 with crimson in the middle. 



Candidum. White ground, green ribs. 



Chantini Splend^ns. Spotted with rose and 

 crimson. 



La Perle du Bresil. White, tinted rose, trans- 

 parent, green veins. 



Louis Duplessis. White ground, green margin, 

 red veins. 



Md. Alfred Bleu. Green ground, white 

 blotches, red veins. 



Md. Fritz Kcechlein. White ground, purple 

 ribs, green \eins. 



Meyerheer. White, green veins, red ribs. 



M. A. Hardy. White, rose tinted, green spotted. 



Napolemi III. Green, flamed crimson. 



Prince Albert Edward. Greenish, dotted white, 

 crimson veins. 



Triomphe de V Exposition. Green, flamed with 

 bright crimson. 



While the above are bold-appearing plants, 

 the gem of the gems, C. arfiyriteK, green and 

 white, grows only to a height of si.x or ten 

 inches, and makes one of the prettiest pot 

 plants imaginable. It costs no more than 

 the others. A capital companion plant to 

 Argyrites is C. minus erubesccns, the leaves 



A Few Noteworthy Roses. 



BY MBS. M. D. WELLCOME. 



I do not mean to be understood by this 

 that there are not many Roses 

 worthy of note, but 

 it is of those recently 

 introduced and not 

 yet widely known that 

 I would write. "Her 

 Majesty " rather took 

 the lead last year; a 

 Hybrid Perpetual, the 

 rival of Paul Neyron, 

 the largest Rose grown 

 This Rose is a seed- 

 ling originating with 

 Mr. Bennett of Staf- 

 ford, England, and was 

 introduced in this 

 ccmntry by Mr. C. F. 

 pjvans.of Philadelphia 

 the importer also of 

 the famous Hybrid Tea 

 Rose. W. F. Bennett, 

 The color of "Majesty" 

 is a delicate satiny 

 pink, very sweet. This 

 Rose has given very 

 general satisfaction. 



The leading popular 

 Rose of the present 

 year is undoubtedly 

 " Mrs. .John Laing," 

 which also comes from 

 Mr. Bennett, and 

 laden with honor, 

 across the sea. It was 

 awarded the gold 

 medal at the National 

 Rose Society in Eng- 

 land, .July, 188.5. I will 

 give the testimony of 

 one of our own Horti- 

 culturists respecting 

 it. Mr. F. I.. Temple, 

 of the Shady Hill 

 Nurseries, Cambridge, 

 Mass., says: "This is 

 undoubtedly the finest 

 Hybrid Rose introduced in the past ten years; 

 its color is a beautiful soft pink; it has a 

 most delicious fragrance and is of exquisite 

 shape and large size; a strong grower, not 

 subject to mildew, and — which is very rare 

 in a Rose of its size— is a constant and abun- 

 dant Ijloomer. I grew it last year at Shady 

 Hill— the first season of its appearance here 

 —and the results were so surprising that I 

 will relate them. Plants six inches high 

 were set out June 14th, and gave three crops 

 of magnificent blossoms, about two shades 

 darker than Baroness, of the most exquisite 

 and powerful fragrance, and, finally, of en- 

 tirely unusual substance, a point of great 

 importance in an outdoor Rose, as it enables 

 it to keep in good condition in the hot sun 

 for several days. It gave me a full crop of the 

 grandest sliow flowers every three weeks." 

 This is very high praise, and so assured is 

 Mr. Temple of its perfections, he guarantees 

 to replace the cost to anyone who is not 

 thoroughly pleased with Mrs. .John Laing. 

 Other specially valuable Roses not novel- 

 ties of this season, but treated for a few 

 years, are Pierre Guillot, the best Hybrid 

 Tea, and Antoine Verdier, also a Hybrid 

 Tea. Both extra fine, and constant fine 

 bloomers. 



For Yellow Roses we have to go outside 

 of the Hybrids. The best hardy is Persian 

 Yellow, very bright color, small but very 



