134 The Flower Garden [Chapter 



minates in from eight to ten days. The plants do 

 equally well on north, south, east or west walls, but 

 should be kept sufficiently watered on the south or 

 west. 



There is but one precaution I have found neces- 

 sary in growing the Japanese Hop : namely, to give it 

 a rather elastic support, a twine trellis being better 

 than a rigid wire one. The finest Japanese Hop I 

 ever saw grew over a south window on a trellis of 

 chicken netting; the growth was wonderful, and the 

 great leaves were beautifully splashed with white. I 

 was exceedingly proud of the vine, but one day I saw 

 it hanging limp and withered from its trellis, and an 

 investigation revealed the astonishing fact that it had 

 grown so rapidly and attached itself so firmly to the 

 unyielding wire that it had pulled its roots entirely 

 out of the ground, literally committing suicide. Since 

 then I have used a more yielding support. 



The Japanese Morning-glory should be started 

 in the house or hotbed and not transplanted into the 

 open ground until the nights and ground are warm. 



Many of the varieties received direct from Japan 

 are only adapted for growing in pots ; that is how the 

 Japanese grow them, and we can hardly expect to 

 improve on their methods. Pot off all plants showing 

 unusual markings, or oddly shaped leaves, and plunge 

 in the sand-box, giving sunshine and abundance of 

 water and using large pots, or shifting frequently as 

 needed. Give liquid manure once or twice a week. 



