Commercial Gardening 



plants, being so varied in colour. There are varieties having almost 

 pure-yellow and golden leaves, others being veined with deep green, 

 brown, crimson, &c., while many forms have shades of colour varying 

 from pink to the deepest of reds and crimson, intermediate shades of 

 every description being represented and more or less conspicuously veined 

 with other distinct colours. Besides the garden forms, C. thyrsoides from 

 Central Africa is known in private gardens. It has long spikes of deep- 

 blue flowers. 



The garden varieties of 

 Coleus are of easy propagation 

 and culture, and, although sold 

 cheaply, give good returns, ow- 

 ing to the short time they are in 

 hand. The stock plants should 

 be kept fairly dry during the 

 winter, and in a temperature 

 that falls little, if at all, below 

 50 F. By the end of February, 

 with increased heat and moisture, 

 new shoots push freely. When 

 large enough they can be taken 

 as cuttings and dibbled into 

 shallow boxes of sandy soil. In 

 a gentle heat these will soon 

 root, when they may be potted 

 singly. Any fairly light soil will 

 suit. The stronger plants may 

 be shifted into 5-in. pots (48's) to 

 form little specimens, for which 

 there is a demand for various 

 decorative purposes, while the 

 later-struck and weaker plants 

 can be disposed of for bedding 

 out. If there is a demand for these last, the later crop of cuttings can 

 be put into shallow boxes, in which they may be sold without disturbance. 

 When this is done, about two dozen should be put in each box, allowing 

 one or two over in case of accident. The varieties for which there is most 

 demand are those of clear decided colours and good constitution, the old 

 Verschaffeltii being still one of the most paying kinds. [w. T.] 



Cordyline. Among plants grown for the beauty of their foliage 

 the Cordylines are very popular, and large numbers are disposed of for 

 decorative purposes. Although nearly all of them are by botanists placed 

 in the genus Cordyline, they are usually called Dracaenas. The hardiest is 

 the New Zealand C. australis (often erroneously called Draccena indivisa, 

 a quite different plant). Seed of C. australis is at times readily obtained, 

 even from plants grown out-of-doors in particularly favoured parts of 



Fig. 273. -Coleus Blumei 



