20 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



ly in aquatics, especially nymphaeas, 

 the handsome work by Mr. William 

 Tricker, "The Water Garden," will be 

 found of great assistance. 



New hybrid nymphaeas are being 

 constantly stnt out, all of great beauty, 

 but those described here will be found, 

 both in variety of color and in freedom 

 of bloom, to be among the best. 



The same general treatment will suit 

 all. The hardy species can be left out 

 all winter and will take care of them- 

 selves. The tender ones, among which 

 are some of the finest, must be lifted 

 after the first frost and their roots re- 

 moved to the greenhouse. The roots 

 can be placed in boxes or pots and 

 covered with loam, which should be 

 kept continually moist; in fact, as near 

 the consistency of mud as possible, as 

 that would be their natural state. The 

 roots of all the nymphaeas are tube- 

 rous and they do not easily perish, 

 providing they are not frozen or al- 

 lowed to get too dry. 



The nymphaeas are easily raised 

 from seed, which can be sown in Janu- 

 ary or February in 4-inch pots of loam, 

 keeping the pots a few inches under 

 water in a tank in the greenhouse. 



The hardy- species can be placed in 

 the pond by the middle of May, the 

 tender kinds two weeks later. Those 

 who have not the conveniences for 

 raising the young plants can obtain 

 strong plants for the specialist at a 

 moderate cost. If the pond or pool has 

 a naturally good soil at the bottom, 

 less preparation is needed; but if, as 

 is often the case, the pool or tank is 

 made of cement or puddled with clay, 

 then eighteen inches of rich soil must 

 be placed over the clay or cement. 

 Three parts good loam and one part 

 cow manure will be a good compost, 

 and you even can with advantage add 

 a pound of bone meal to every bushel 

 of compost. They are sometimes grown 

 in large boxes, which are placed in the 

 tank, but this is not the way to get 

 fine flowers. You would not think of 

 growing cannas in pots to produce the 

 finest foliage and flowers, and growing 

 nymphaeas in tubs or boxes is as un- 

 desirable. 



The water need not be over eighteen 

 inches to two feet above the soil, but 

 the hardy species which are to remain 

 out all winter should be sufficiently be- 

 low the surface so that the soil does 

 not freeze. A foot or two of ice can 

 be above the plant, but the soil should 

 not freeze. You will find that many of 

 the hardy kinds seed themselves, and 

 you will have an abundance of stock. 

 No trees or shade of any kind should 

 be allowed, as the nymphaeas delight 

 in the broad sun. Finally, the secret 

 of growing fine plants with an abun- 

 dance of fine flowers is a good depth 

 of loam, to which has been added a 

 liberal allowance of animal manure. 



Those enumerated below are among 

 the finest: 



N. zanzibarensis: Purple, day flow- 

 ering, ten inches in diameter. 



N. zanzibarensis rosea: Rose color, 

 day flowering, ten inches in diameter. 



N. zanzibarensis gigantea: Blue, day 

 flowering, twelve inches in diameter. 



N. Devoniensis: Rosy red, night 

 blooming, eight inches in diameter. 



Of the hardy nymphaeas, among the 

 most useful are: 



N. alba candidissima: White. 



N. Laydekeri rosea: Beautiful rose. 



N. Marliacea chromatella: Yellow, 

 very hardy and free flowering. 



N. Marliacea rosea: Very fine pink. 



N. odorata: White, slightly tinted, 

 very fragrant. 



N. odorata rosea: Beautiful rose; 

 the Cape Cod pink water lily. 



N. tuberosa: Our common western 

 white water lily. 



N. tuberosa rosea: A fine form; one 

 of the best of all, and fragrant. 



Nelumbium. 



This stately aquatic is now general- 

 ly known and largely grown. N. spe- 

 ciosum, often called the Egyptian Lo- 

 tus, will do in any pond where the 

 roots do not freeze and has taken pos- 

 session of some of the smaller lakes of 

 Indiana. The large peltate leaves rise 

 above the surface of the water, and the 

 beautiful rosy pink flowers are borne 

 on long stalks above the leaves. They 

 have the appearance of very large 

 double tulips. 



The plants need the same general 

 treatment as the hardy nymphaeas, 

 and the compost can not be made too 

 rich. One authority says they like to 

 root into a stiff clay. If the bottom 

 of your tank or pond is out of reach of 

 frost, leave them there all winter. If 

 not, lift the roots and keep in moist 

 soil till spring. 



There are now several varieties of N. 

 speciosum. N. luteum is a native of 

 our southern states and has very large 

 yellow flowers. 



Other Aquatics. 



To accompany the nymphaeas and 

 nelumbiums in the artificial lake or 

 water garden, and of smaller growth, 

 you can have the following: 



Eichhornia crassipes major: Often 

 called the Water Hyacinth. They 

 spread rapidly and float without the 

 roots being in any soil. Some of them 

 must be removed to tubs of water in 

 the greenhouse during winter to fur- 

 nish a supply for the following season. 

 This curious little aquatic is also 

 known as Pontederia. 



Limnanthemum: In appearance a 

 miniature water lily with a pretty 

 white flower. 



Limnocharis Humboldtii: Yellow, 

 poppy-like flowers. Good for the mar- 

 gins of ponds, but inclined to become a 

 weed. 



Papyrus (or Cyperus) alternifolius: 

 This is well known and' much culti- 

 vated in our greenhouses. It also 

 makes a good aquatic for small ponds. 



Papyrus antiquorum: The papyrus 

 of the ancients, from which they made 

 their writing paper. It is sometimes 

 called the Egyptian bulrush. It has 

 long, straight stems growing seven or 

 eight feet high and is very striking in 



appearance. Both this and alternifo- 

 lius must be removed to the green- 

 house before danger of frost. 



Acorus japonicus: The variegated 

 sweet flag. 



Pontederia peltandra virginica: 

 Greenish, calla-like flowers; hardy. 



Calla palustris: A native, hardy- 

 plant. 



Perhaps none of the above is of com- 

 mercial value, except the nymphaeas, 

 but if asked to stock a lily pond those 

 noted will be found to be among the 

 best, easily obtainable and good, free 

 growers. 



ARAUCARIA. 



Of this noble genus of conifers A. 

 excelsa is the only one of commercial 

 value to us. A. imbricata is a hardy 

 tree in England and when 20 to 30 

 feet high, with branches sweeping the 

 grass, its symmetry is matchless. It 

 is not, however, hardy here and does 

 not make a useful plant for the green- 

 house. 



A. excelsa is called the Norfolk Is- 

 land Pine, being a native of that fai- 

 away island. It will endure a very 

 cool temperature, but not freezing. 

 The plants are imported in large quan- 

 tities from Europe. When ordering 

 see that you are promised plants from 

 cuttings. They are readily raised from 

 seed but never make as fine plants as 

 those from cuttings, the lower branch- 

 es being always snorter and weaker, 

 spoiling the symmetry of the plant. 

 They are propagated from the leading 

 shoots of the tops and branches in- 

 serted in sand, kept moderately moist, 

 and covered with a hand-glass or 

 frame till rooted. 



The plants usually arrive in this 

 country in excellent order, soon re- 

 covering from the journey and start- 

 ing to grow. I have had the best suc- 

 cess importing in the spring, the 

 plants reaching here in May. You can 

 then grow them on during summer and 

 have well established plants for winter 

 trade. Any good, fresh loam lightened 

 up with a fifth or sixth of leaf-mould 

 or very rotten manure will suit the 

 araucaria. They will thriye during 

 summer out of doors in the broad sun, 

 but will lose color, and are best under 

 glass with a slight shade and all the 

 ventilation that you can give them. 

 They want a uniform and moderate 

 amount of water the year around. In 

 the winter months 50 degrees is suffi- 

 ciently warm. 



The araucaria is not only the most 

 graceful small tree we have but is 

 very satisfactory for house culture 

 when given a light window. Your 

 customers should be told to keep them 

 as light and cool as possible. 



The forms of A. excelsa known as 

 glauca and compacta are more ex- 

 pensive but are improvements on the 

 type. 



ARDISIA. 



Dwarf, hard-wooded trees that 

 flower and fruit when quite small; 

 the best of the berried plants, surpas- 

 sing the solanunis, being more com- 



