284 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



ABUTILON. 



MONG the most satisfactory house plants we have is the 

 Abutilon, being of good, free growth and bloom, pretty- 

 foliage, seldom troubled with insects, handsome flowers, 

 and of the easiest culture ; it ranks next to the geranium 

 for the window garden. It likes a light, loamy soil, not too 

 sandy nor too stiff; turfy matter with good garden loam is 

 |p the best. Of course, good drainage is indispensable with 

 this, as with all other plants. Watering should be 

 thoroughly done, giving enough each time to wet the ball of 

 earth entirely, but do not wate rtoo often, so that the soil will be kept in a wet, 

 soggy condition, as soil that is not allowed to dry out will become sour, and so 

 greatly injure the plant, No plant looks well when the foliage is covered with 

 dust, as the leaves are the lungs of the plant, and should be clean and free from 

 dust, by frequent washings and syringings. The blossoms are bell-shaped, 

 pendulous, and grow on long, slender stalks, very graceful in appearance. The 

 colors vary, from red, yellow, reddish-orange, rose, cream, and white. Some 

 varieties are more abundant bloomers than others, yet all are quite satisfactory 

 in that respect, and bloom well in summer or winter. Because of the resem- 

 blance of the leaves to the well-known maple leaf, the abutilon is often called 

 the flowering-maple ; from the shape of the blossoms it is also called fairy bell. 

 Two and three-year old plants make fine large specimens, from five to six feet 

 high, forming a beautiful object when dotted all over with the long, pendulous 

 blooms, amidst the clear, shining, green foliage, which always is beautiful, even 

 without the blossoms. If short, bushy plants are wanted, pinch of the top when 

 it has grown as high as desired. The laterals will then start, and these in turn 

 should be pinched back also, keeping the eye open with regard to the good 

 shape of the plant. If the plant is preferred in the form of a small tree, allow 

 but one stalk to grow, and no side branches, until it is three feet in height ; then 

 pinch out the top of this, when the side branches will grow, until there are as 

 many of them as desired, being careful, however, to preserve a graceful shape to 

 the small tree, and allowing no laterals to grow below two feet from the bottom. 

 Among the best varieties we find : 



Beule de Neige, pure white, comparatively, dwarf, but strong in growth, and 

 a free bloomer. 



Eclipse, scarlet flowers in a yellow calyx ; a trailing variety. 

 Hibiscus, canary color, marked with violet ; flowers resembling a Hibiscus. 

 Thompsonii plena, the only double variety, having reddish-orange flowers, 

 with green and gold foliage. 



In keeping abutilons over for winter bloom it is best to put them in a cool, 

 shady place during the heat of the summer, not allowing them to bloom any, as 

 they will then have more strength laid up for winter blooming. — Greta Beverla', 

 in Orchard and Garden. 



