TROP^EOLUM, Nat. Ord. Tropceolacete. 



Tropseolum majus is a fine climber, growing ten or twelve feet in height, comprising sev- 

 eral varieties, differing in the color of both flower and foliage. In some the leaves are a bright, 



lively green, in others very 



dark. The flowers are of 



all shades of yellow, scar- 

 let, striped and spotted. 



The engraving of trellis 



shows the habit of the 



plant. Seed may be planted 



in the open ground, or 



under glass. T. Lobbi- 



anum is very desirable for 



the greenhouse, and will 



answer well for a summer 



climber when started in 



the house. T. peregrinum, 



of which we also give an 



engraving, is the popu- 

 lar Canary Flower. The 



Tropaeolums grow freely 



from cuttings, and are 

 admirable for the house in the winter. For large baskets and vases, especially for hanging bas- 

 kets, they are exceedingly desirable, drooping over the sides to the ground, making a charming 



and graceful dis- 

 play of foliage. 

 When the branches 

 have become as 

 long as desired, 

 they should be 

 pinched off. Some 

 gardeners think 

 Tropaeolums are of 

 so rampant a 

 growth that when 

 planted in baskets 

 they rob more deli- 

 cate plants of 

 their share of nour- 

 ishment, but we 

 have never found 

 this a serious ob- 

 jection, especially 

 where water was 

 given pretty freely ; 

 and a basket ex- 



posed to the air on 

 every side, without 

 plenty of water, is 

 only a snare and a 

 delusion. If any 

 trouble of this kind 

 is noticed, pinch 

 the shoots back 

 freely, and this will 

 check the growth 

 of roots. It is a 

 good thing to have 

 a few vigorous 

 plants, those whose 

 growth need check- 

 ing instead of en- 

 couraging, as an 

 abundance of foli- 

 age is thus secured 

 beyond a contin- 

 gency. We give 

 an engraving of the 



Tropaeolum flower of full natural size, and can recommend the family as worthy a place in any 

 garden, and an honorable position among the choicest of our annual Climbers. 



94 



