204 



Commercial Gardening 



months from June till the end of August the plants will do well in a 

 cold frame, or in a greenhouse with a northern aspect. Abundance of fresh 

 air and diffused light must be available during this period to keep the 

 plants sturdy, but they must be protected from very strong sunshine as 

 well as cold biting winds and an excess of moisture. Besides the single- 

 flowered varieties a pure-white double-flowered one is also grown, and was 



once very po- 

 pular for cut 

 flowers with 

 florists, and real- 

 ized from 12s. 

 to 20s. per dozen 

 bunches years 

 ago; but those 

 days are long 

 past, and prices 

 have dropped 

 considerably. 

 For pot plants 

 the average mar- 

 ket price now 

 varies from 3s. 

 to 6s. per dozen. 

 Rhododen- 

 drons, Green- 

 house. The 



trade in these plants is practically confined to a few nurserymen, and many 

 fine hybrids have been raised by crossing species from the Malayan and 



Javanese regions with R. mul- 

 ticolor from Sumatra (fig. 298). 

 The plants are nearly always 

 in bloom, and vary in colour 

 from pure white to pink, rose, 

 salmon, crimson, scarlet, &c. 

 They are grown in sandy peat 

 in a warm greenhouse temper- 

 ature, and like plenty of mois- 

 ture during the summer months, 

 and also frequent syringings, 

 to keep them free from Thrips 

 and Mealy Bug. Propagation 

 is by cuttings of the half- 

 Fig. 29Q.saintpauiiaionantha ripened shoots in a close frame. 



Saintpaulia ionantha. This 



curious little African Gesnerad is gradually attracting attention owing to 

 its compact habit with small fleshy Gloxinia-like leaves, and deep- or light- 



Fig. 298. Rhododendron Multicolor hybrid 



