82 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



A New Plant of Promise but with 

 a Hard Name. ^ 



Last month attention was called to the 

 Platycotlon as a desirable plant of the Cam- 

 panula or Bellwort family. Now we have 

 the pleasure of introducing an entirely new 

 member of the order namely, Ostrowskya 

 magnifica, and this, if the signs fail not, is 

 likely to be the most valuable of all the 

 numerous excellent subjects of this family. 

 From the information which follows, for 

 which we are mainly indebted to 

 the Gardener's Chronicle, of Eng- 

 land, it will be seen that the advent 

 of its flowering in England occa- 

 sioned prominent notice. 



The plant is spoken of by that 

 world-renowned authority Dr. Kegel 

 of St. Petersburg, Russia, as a won- 

 derful Campanulaceous plant. It 

 was collected by Dr. Kegel's adven- 

 turous son, on the high mountains 

 of Chanat Darwas, in Eastern Bok- 

 hara, Asia, and was first described 

 by Dr. Kegel himself. 



The plant was exhibited by Messrs. 

 James Veitch & Sons, from their 

 nursery in London, in July last, and 

 constituted the most striking feat- 

 ure of the remarkable exhibition of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society on 

 that day. It obtained a first-class 

 certificate from the floral commit- 

 tee, but in the case of an entirely 

 new plant ot this excellence a botan- 

 ical certificate would surely have 

 been the more appropriate award. 

 This, however, is a matter of rela- 

 tively little consequence. The plant 

 amply deserved any award. 



It is a hardy perennial with tuber- 

 ous roots. As shown the stem is 

 about three feet in height, green, 

 sprinkled with small red spots, with 

 four-leaved whorls at intervals. 

 The leaves are glabrous, rather 

 fleshy, shortly stalked, oblong acute, 

 coarsely toothed. The inflorescence 

 is cymose, the flowers on long stalks, 

 at first pendulous,afterwards nearly 

 erect; when fully expanded they 

 measure the magnificent size of five 

 and three quarter inches in diame- 

 ter. The sepias are linear-lanceo- 

 late, without appendages at the base, 

 shorter than the bell-shaped, pale 

 lilac, eight-lobed corolla, the veins 

 of a darker bluish-lilac color. The 

 fllaments are dilated at the base, the style 

 beset with collecting hairs, and the inferior 

 ovary deeply furrowed. 



The plant, despite a paleness of color in 

 the flower, is certainly one of the finest 

 herbaceous plants ever introduced, and as 

 there can be no doubt as to its hardihood in 

 England and likely in America, and little if 

 any as to its adapting itself readily to culti- 

 vation it promises well to become a favorite. 



in a cluster, of a Uniterm size and ver y 

 large and fine. The plant is worth five 

 dollars as easily as the other was worth two 

 dollars. The plants are ot the variety of 

 Mrs. Prank Thompson. 



Again, another plant had fifteen flower- 

 ing stems; fourteen of them were disbudded 

 to single crown flowering, and the other 

 stem had the crown bud cut out and the 

 side buds left on. It was fed with liquid 

 manure and well cared for, and by the flrst 



two or three times daily until recovered, 

 then return to maniire watering as before. 



FLOWER OF THE OSTROWSKYA, REDUCED IN SIZE. 



being 

 eight 



Disbudding and Other Points in 

 Chrysanthemum Culture 



JOHN LANE, A31ATEUR FLORIST, CHICAGO, ILL. 



I had two plants which were quite alike 

 at the end of September, both having been 

 grown the same up to that time. Since then 

 one has had the ordinary watering and care, 

 and by November 10th was loaded with 

 flowers three to five inches across, with 

 many smaller inferior blooms. The plant 

 is worth and would readily sell for two dol- 

 lars. The other plant was disbudded and 

 fed with liquid manure; each stem was 

 disbudded to three buds each, and liquid 

 manure applied every two or three days 

 from the time the buds were well set untU 

 the bloom was nearly out, watering at other 

 times as needed. This plant also at the 

 same time was loaded with flowers, three 



in November was in full bloom. The single 

 stem blooms were very large, heavy and 

 fine; the one .stem had three small flowers, 

 two smaller and two imperfect, seven in all, 

 and was quite pretty, yet the seven would 

 not have sold for one-halt that the one single 

 stem bloom would bring. The plant is Mrs. 

 E. W. Clark, the prize taker, and was sent 

 to me by Robert Craig, of Philadelphia, 

 about the middle of October. 



Few Chrysanthemums can mature all the 

 buds that set, and disbudding should be 

 done on all large-flowering sorts. They 

 had better be picked ofl' when very small; 

 as they get larger use a knife and cut the 

 stems which bear these ott. Take away 

 one third to three fourths of the buds; it 

 is no great amount of work. 



Liquid manure may be readily prepared 

 by filling a barrel half full with cow manure 

 and filling up with water. Have the barrel 

 elevated upon an inclined plank with a tub 

 under it to catch the liquid and drip, and 

 with a spigot near the bottom to run out the 

 liquid as wanted. Keep the barrel full of 

 water as the liquid is drawn away. In using 

 reduce with five time as much water at flrst, 

 and after a time with three times, applying 

 two or three times a week. If the liquid 

 used too strong, or is applied too often, the 

 leaves will be quite certain to droop, and 

 its use must stop for a time and pure 

 water be applied by syringing the leaves 



The Ornamental or Chilian Beet. 



JOHN F. RUPP, CUaiBERLAND CO., PA. 



Though it has been several years since the 

 introduction of the Chilian Beet, its great 

 beauty and ornamental uses are but com- 

 paratively little known. Planted either 

 singly, or as a border to larger growing 

 plants, they produce an 

 effect which can not be 

 excelled by any winter 

 class of plants. 



The past summer, I 

 have given them a 

 thorough test, and am 

 highly pleased with 

 them in all the different 

 ways that they were 

 grown. As a border to 

 a large bed of fall grow- 

 ing Cannas they gave 

 an appearance that was 

 grand beyoml descrip- 

 tion, gaining the admira- 

 tion of all who .saw them. 

 The bed was in the cen- 

 ter of a circular drive 

 way in the lawn, the 

 plants grew to height of 

 about thirty inches, hav- 

 ing leaf stems twelve 

 inches long by one and 

 one half inches thick, 

 beautifully colored. 

 Some of the stems were of brilliant scarlet, 

 others deep crimson, dark blood red, and 

 a few striped with scarlet, yellow, and 

 crimson. The leaf blades were of a dark, 

 glossy green, measuring nine by eighteen 

 inches. Plants grown as single specimens 

 attained a very large size, of strong, sturdy 

 growth, the leaves measuring three feet, 

 with stems eighteen inches long by three 

 inches thick, higiily colored, and blades 

 twelve inches wide. They also do admira- 

 bly as pot plants, making a unique and 

 pleasing effect wherever placed, as their 

 large, lustrous leaves and colored stems at 

 once attract attention, and can thereby be 

 shown to advantage. 



They are really quite hardy plants; those 

 out in several heavy frosts were not in the 

 least injured, and showed as well late in 

 the fall as in the summer; this will prove 

 a great advantage in having large foliage 

 plants late in the season. The Chilian Beet 

 will grow luxuriantly in any good, rich 

 soil, with very little attention, and will suc- 

 ceed where many other oraamental plants 

 would prove a failure. Next summer I 

 shall test the Brazilian varieties. 



Do You Grow the Calandrinas? 



C. E. PARNELL, ytrEENS CO., N. Y. 



The several species or varieties of Calan- 

 drina form, when taken together, a group 

 of very beautiful free flowering bedding 

 plants belonging to the Natural Order Por- 

 tulacacae. Somewhat like their near rela- 

 tive, the Portulaca, the plants are of pros- 

 trate habit, having succulent stems, 

 fleshy, smooth alternate leaves, and large 

 purple or rosy pink flowers, which are pro- 

 duced in the greate,st profusion during the 

 summer and early autumn months. 



On account of their succulent habit they 

 are invaluable for growing on rock work, 

 dry, hot banks, or sunny situations, and 

 then they will endure heat and drought 

 equally as well as the Portulaca. Although 

 they will thrive in almost any soil and situ- 

 ation provided it is not too wet, yet to ensure 

 satisfactory results it is best to give them a 

 deep, moderately enriched soil. 



The seeds should be sown about the mid- 

 dle of March, in a well drained pot or pan 



