20 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



more or less frequently, conditions that 

 can be met under cultivation by turn 

 ing the hose into its tank or tub oc 

 casionally. The plant has a fleshy 

 tuberous root, broad and flat at its apex, 

 narrowing to almost a point at its base, 

 and from the crown of this tuber it 

 sends out long roots in the soil sur 

 rounding, while the leaves and flower 

 stalks find their way to the surface, each 

 stalk terminated by an oblong leaf that 

 floats on the water. 



The flowers are borne on a forked 

 spike (hence the name distachyon, mean 

 ing two-spiked), are small and incon 

 spicuous in themselves, but they are dis 

 posed in clusters in the axils of large 

 showy white bracts. These bracts give 

 the spike its color attractiveness, but 

 the flowers have also a welcome charm 

 in that they possess a delightful 

 fragrance so sweet as to have earned for 

 the plant the name of water hawthorn. 

 The Cape pond weed is another popular 

 name for it and it matters not which 

 is used, either being greatly preferable 

 to its botanical cognomen, and should 

 be used by those who would popularize 

 the plant and sell its flowers. 



When once the -plant is strongly estab 

 lished it spreads freely by root increase 

 and also reproduces itself from its own 

 self-sown seed. Dry roots are also ob 

 tainable at times, these being imported 

 from the Cape. The beginner with dry 

 roots, however, must exercise caution 

 in starting his plants, otherwise he may 

 lose the lot. When the dormant tubers 

 are potted up they are dry and more 

 or less shrivelled. If then introduced 

 to aquatic conditions there is a risk of 

 the root tissues swelling too rapidly and 

 rotting in consequence. It is better for 

 a start to treat them as ordinary plants, 

 planting the tuber, with its crown just 

 covered in a pot of soil. It will then 

 absorb moisture gradually, swell nor 

 mally and when top growth is visible and 

 well under way the plants may be im 

 mersed with safety. When new planta 

 tions are being established with divi 

 sions from growing plants no such pre 

 cautions are necessary; these can be 

 planted direct into other tubs or tanks. 



AQUATICS. 



These beautiful plants that are 

 grown in the water garden are receiv 

 ing more attention every year. Those 

 who have never seen the two or three 

 acres of lily ponds at Eiverton, N. J., 

 on the banks of the Delaware, in the 

 nurseries of the Henry A. Dreer Com 

 pany, can have no idea of the beauty 

 of the nymphaea. A few plants of dif 

 ferent varieties give no idea of their 

 beauty as compared with scores of lit 

 tle oblong ponds separated by fine walks 

 of grass and each filled with one species 

 or variety of nymphaea. 



In a botanic garden, or in a park or 

 private grounds the pond of aquatics 

 will always attract the visitors and re 

 ceive general attention, not, I believe, 

 wholly on account of their rarity, but 

 largely for their beauty. And what can 

 be more beautiful and refreshing than 

 the broad leaves so placidly resting on 

 the surface and the pool lighted up with 



the exquisite forms and colors of the 

 flowers? Nearly every shade is there, 

 but in no gaudy or blending colors. The 

 yellows and pinks and blues and whites 

 are of the purest and most pleasing 

 shades. When the day flowering species 

 want to close their petals (we will sup 

 pose in sleep), the evening and night 

 flowering ones take their place. 



Nymphaea. 



Where and when the nymphaeas can 

 be used as cut flowers for a vase or 

 table decoration nothing can surpass 

 them in elegance. The day flowering 

 species are, however, available for use 

 only in the day time, unless some trouble 

 is gone to. Prof. J. F. Cowell, of our 

 Buffalo Botanic Garden, informs me 

 that he is aware of a method by which 

 the beautiful day flowering N. Zanzi- 

 bariensis and its varieties can be utilized 

 for evening decoration. It may not be 

 generally known, but has been thorough 

 ly tested. Cut the flowers in the morn 

 ing, when at their very best, and put the 

 stems at once in ice water. This seems 

 to arrest their growth and prevents 

 change either way. To use a rather awk 

 ward expression, it paralyzes them, and 

 providing you keep the temperature close 

 to the freezing point, the flowers will 

 remain open throughout the night. The 

 first experiment was made by scooping 

 out a hole in a block of ice, within which 

 the stems of the lilies were put with 

 water, and there they remained till 12 

 o clock at night, fully expanded. 



To those who intend investing largely 

 in aquatics, especially nymphaeas, the 

 handsome work by Mr. William Tricker, 

 &quot;The Water Garden,&quot; will be found of 

 great assistance. 



New hybrid nymphaeas are being con 

 stantly sent out, all of great beauty, 

 but those described here will be found, 

 both in variety of color and in freedom 

 of bloom, to be among the best. 



The same general treatment will suit 

 all. The hardy species can be left out 

 all winter and will take care of them 

 selves. The tender ones, among which 

 are some of the finest, must be lifted 

 after the first frost and their roots re 

 moved to the greenhouse. The roots 

 can be placed in boxes or pots and cov 

 ered with loam, which should be kept 

 continually moist; in fact, as near the 

 consistency of mud as possible, as that 

 would be their natural state. The roots 

 of all the nymphaeas are tuberous and 

 they do not easily perish, provided they 

 are not frozen or allowed to get too dry. 



The nymphaeas are easily raised from 

 seed, which can be sown in January or 

 February in 4-inch pots of loam, keep 

 ing tlie pots a few inches under water 

 in a tank in the greenhouse. 



The hardy species can be placed in 

 the pond by the middle of May, the 

 tender kinds two weeks later. Those who 

 have not the conveniences for raising the 

 young plants can obtain strong plants 

 of the specialist at a moderate cost. If 

 the pond or pool has a naturally good 

 soil at the bottom, less preparation is 

 needed ; but if, as is often the case, 

 the pool or tank is made of cement or 

 puddled with clay, the eighteen inches of 



rich soil must be placed over the clay 

 or cement. Three parts good loam and 

 one part cow manure will be a good 

 compost, and you even can with advan 

 tage add a pound of bone meal to every 

 bushel of compost. They are sometimes 

 grown in large boxes, which are placed 

 in the tank, but this is not the way to 

 get fine flowers. You would not think 

 of growing cannas in pots to produce 

 the finest foliage and flowers, and grow 

 ing nymphaeas in tubs or boxes is as 

 undesirable. 



The water need not be over eighteen 

 inches to two feet above the soil, but 

 the hardy species which are to remain 

 out all winter should be sufficiently be 

 low the surface so that the soil does not 

 freeze. A foot or two of ice can be 

 above the plant, but the soil must not 

 freeze. You will find that many of the 

 hardy kinds seed themselves, and you 

 will have an abundance of stock. No 

 trees or shade of any kind should be 

 allowed, as the nymphaeas delight in the 

 broad sun. Finally, the secret of grow 

 ing fine plants with an abundance of fine 

 flowers is a good depth of loam, to 

 which has been added a liberal allowance 

 of animal manure. 



Since the above was written it has 

 been our good fortune to have had con 

 siderable experience with the beautiful 

 nymphaeas, and particularly gratifying 

 was our effort with the hardy species. 

 The bottom of the pond was a stiff brick 

 clay on which was placed one foot of 

 heavy loam with a good third of cow 

 manure. We had but one foot of water 

 when the small plants were put into these 

 artificial ponds and they were planted 

 at intervals from July 1 to end of 

 August. The following summer all 

 semed to have about the same vigor 

 and covered immense areas of surface. 



Not being able to keep any water over 

 the plants in the winter we covered the 

 surface with a foot of strawy manure 

 and another foot of evergreen boughs. 

 The frost did not reach the soil and on 

 the removal of the winter s protection 

 and water again covering them they 

 started vigorously and more than fulfilled 

 our greatest expectations, and we had 

 flowers by the acre. This is not quoted 

 to tell you how to do it, but simply how 

 to get over such an emergency. 



The ease with which these beautiful 

 water lilies can be grown and the short 

 time it takes to produce a fine display 

 of bloom make them deserving of a place 

 in every private pleasure ground as well 

 as public park. No display of flower 

 gardening will attract more attention. 

 They want the fullest sunlight. Small 

 fish in abundance should be introduced 

 into the ponds, for they destroy the 

 larva; of injurious insects. Ducks, geese 

 and swans should be banished, for they 

 eat leaves, buds and rhizomes. 



The following are all fine desirable 

 kinds, but there are a great number of 

 beautiful hybrids all worthy of cultiva 

 tion by the lover of these plants. 



TENDER NYMPHAEAS, day blooming. 

 Zanzibariensis, 30 to 12 inches, deep 

 blue; Capensis, 6 to 8 inches, sky blue; 

 Zanzibariensis rosea, same as type, color 

 rose; Mrs. C. W. Ward, 8 to 10 inches, 

 deep rosy pink; Kewensis, 6 to 8 inches, 



