78 VINES, HARDY AND TENDER. 



late in Summer. A good plan to show off this vine to advantage is to 

 grow it against a stout support, made of iron or wood, several feet 

 high, and when it gets to the top encourage it to become bushy by fre- 

 quent pinching. Propagation is sometimes attempted from portions of 

 the roots cut into small pieces, but unless certain that the plant is on its 

 own roots this is a dangerous practice and has resulted in much disap- 

 pointment, as the resulting plants may turn out to be nothing but the 

 native T. radicans, on which T. grandiflora is frequently grafted. After 

 these root cuttings make considerable growth it is quite a difficult mat- 

 ter to tell whether they are T. grandiflora or the native species, so 

 closely does the foliage of the two species resemble each other. Those 

 on roots of T. radicans make plants quicker than from root-cuttings, or 

 from cuttings of the green or dormant wood. Cuttings of the branches 

 are a trifle difficult to manage at any time, but the ripened growths of 

 young plants will give the best results, as then the wood is not nearly 

 BO thick and pithy as in old specimens. 



THUNBERQIA— This genus includes some very desirable greenhouse 

 climbers, and at least one species, with several varieties, useful for vases, 

 baskets, and as a vine of moderate growth for the mixed border. This 

 is T. alata. Seeds will germinate outside, but to produce early effects 

 they may be sown indoors early in the season and hardened off with 

 other soft wooded plants. The best greenhouse species are: T. laurifo- 

 lia, white and blue flowered; T. fragrans, pure white, and T. mysoren- 

 sis, purple and yellow. The perennial species may be raised from seeds, 

 but plants obtained in this way are apt to have a weedy growth and 

 turn out to be shy in blooming. Cuttings put in about February will 

 furnish the finest flowering plants. 



VITIS HETEROPHYLLA VARIEGATA is a vine of straggling growth, 

 with very handsome colored foliage. It may be planted with English or 

 Boston Ivies to break the monotony of a large expanse of green. The 

 variegated form comes true from seed; it should be treated in the same 

 manner as seeds of Ampelopsis. The fruit of Vitis heterophylla is re- 

 markable in being green, creamy white and violet blueat different stages 

 of growth. 



WISTARIA CHINENSIS flowers before the leaves are fully expanded. 

 Old and floriferous plants have a gorgeous appearance when in full 

 bloom. It may be grown as a standard trained to a stout post sunk 

 in the ground, or as a vine for arbors, etc. There are several varieties 

 of this species: W. c. flore-pleno having double flowers, W. c. macrobo- 

 trys, a variety with very long and Ught-colored racemes. W. frutescens 

 is a native species, flowering later than the Chinese plant. Propagation 

 is effected in various ways. The plants, as a rule, set seed freely, but the 

 seedlings are apt to turn out shy bloomers. Seedlings of W. frutes- 

 cens may be used as stocks on which to graft W. chinensis and its 

 forms. The operation should be performed while the plants are dor- 

 mant in March or April. The long growths may also be layered in mid- 

 summer, allowing them to remain till well established. 



