ISO GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



into larger ones as soon as required. After the tubers are potted the soil 

 should be kept slightly moist until the young growth appears above 

 ground. When too wet some of the tubers will decay. The double- 

 flowered varieties may to a certain extent be increased by seeds, but 

 particular forms cannot be propagated in this way. When the seed is 

 saved from the finest double flowers it will be necessary to fall back 

 upon the semi-double blossoms to supply the pollen. Artificial fertilisa- 

 tion is needful to insure the production of good seed, hence the progeny 

 will be somewhat mixed. Both the single and double kinds can be 

 propagated by cuttings put in during the spring months. When Bego- 

 nias are used for bedding, lift them at the first sign of frost, and lay 

 them out for a few days on the greenhouse stage or in a similar position 

 to dry. The stout succulent stems will in a short time drop away from 

 the tubers, which can then be laid in boxes of soil as above recom- 

 mended. 



The dwarf-growing forms of Begonia semperflorens are more grown 

 for bedding than for the greenhouse. One of the best known is Yernon, 

 which is only a few inches high. The flowers are red, while the leaves 

 become tinged with crimson of various shades, according to the season 

 and the position in which they are placed. 



An extensive class consists for the most part of varieties with fibrous 

 (not tuberous) roots, the majority of which are of considerable value for 

 the winter. Some of them have a thickened root stock, but they do 

 not produce tubers like the summer-flowering kinds. These must be 

 grown on during the summer and early autumn, and as the pots get full 

 of roots weak liquid manure once a fortnight will be helpful. To 

 flower these Begonias well a minimum temperature of 50 degrees during 

 the winter is necessary. The best of this class are Carrieri, white ; 

 Gloire de Lorraine, pink, one of the most popular Begonias ever raised : 

 Caledonia, a pure white form of Gloire de Lorraine ; John Heal, car- 

 mine ; Gloire de Sceaux, pink ; Ensign, rose ; Fuchsioides, bright red ; 

 Lynchiana, red; Paul Bruant, deep rose; Weltoniensis, pink; and 

 Knowsleyana, blush. 



The beautiful-leaved Begonia Jtex, represented by numerous varieties, 

 is always admired for the handsome marking of its large foliage ; but, as 

 above stated, only the most robust forms will pass the winter in the 

 greenhouse. Even then the temperature must not fall below 45 degrees 

 with a fairly dry atmosphere. 



Bermuda Butter-Clip. See Oxdlis cernua. 



Blue Gum. See Eucalyptus globulus. 



Boronia. This is a class of hard wooded plants, natives of 

 Australia, and needing much the same treatment as that recommended 

 for the Indian Azalea. The best Boronias are : B. elatior, rosy-red ; 

 B. heterophylla, carmine, a very pretty flower ; and B. megastigma, with 

 small, powerfully and sweetly-scented brownish-yellow bell-shaped 

 flowers. All form neat little bushes, and all flower in the spring. 



Bottle Brush Plant. See Callistemon salignus. 



Bouvardia. A popular class of greenhouse shrubs that may be 

 propagated from cuttings of the young shoots in the spring after the 



