THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



59 



bats to feed on, which, is often the re- 

 sult of the grading and sodding that 

 is done around a pretty house. 



In milder countries the gorgeous 

 Jackmanii and its kindred varieties 

 may retain their stems through the 

 winter; with us they do not, but when 

 well established the roots have such 

 vigor that the young shoots spring 

 from the ground in a very few weeks, 

 and by end of June are a gorgeous 

 mass of bloom 7, 8 and 9 feet high, and 

 5 or 6 feet across. All these flower 

 from the growth of the same year. 

 The past severe winter has injured 

 a few, but the majority of the clematis 

 have come through none the worse. 



Plants of Jackmanii, Henryii or any 

 of that type make splendid decorative 

 plants grown on a balloon or flat 

 trellis in large pots. For this purpose 

 they should not be cut down, as the 

 frost does our outside ones, but win- 

 tered in some very cool house and 

 merely thinned out and tied in spring 

 before starting into heat. 



There is a great number of species 

 and some of them are very distinct. 

 A few of them are natives of North 

 America and make splendid plants for 

 covering fences, railings, etc. 



C. paniculata is very hardy and is 

 covered from July on with its white, 

 finely divided flowers, resembling al- 

 most balls of cotton. 



C. coccinea is a very distinct species 

 with yellow and vermillion flowers of 

 an odd shape; fine for verandas. 



C. flammula has white flowers, is 

 very hardy and one of the strongest 

 growers. 



C. Fortune! : small, white, fragrant; 

 fine hardy climber. 



C. virginiana: a very strong grow- 

 ing climber with small white fragrant 

 flowers. 



The five species last mentioned do 

 not require any special care and when 

 once established live for years. It is 

 what is known as the Jackmanii type, 

 one of the first hybrids of which has 

 immortalized the name of the raiser, 

 Mr. Jackman, of Surrey, England, that 

 need the best of attention in planting, 

 etc., and which are to many people 

 the only clematis. An old species 

 from China with pale lavender flowers 

 five or six inches in diameter must be 

 one of the parents of Jackmanii. Of 

 this beautiful type there is a number 

 of varieties and among the best are: 



Jackmanii: Still one of the very 

 best color; a rich purple. 



Jackmanii superba: Violet purple. 



Star of India: Reddish plum color. 



Sieboldii: Lavender. 



Henryii: The best white; very large. 



Mme. Edouard Andre: A very dis- 

 tinct variety, approaching a bright 

 red. 



Miss Bateman: An attractive vari- 

 ety; white flowers with dark anthers; 

 medium, flower, dense grower and free 

 bloomer, but not continuous. 



COBEA. 



The species best known and most 

 useful is C. scandens and plants are 

 annually raised in large quantities to 



be used as out door climbers. It is 

 a perennial, but it is much better for 

 us to treat it as an annual. As a 

 quick growing plant of fine appearance 

 to cover verandas, summer houses and 

 stumps of trees it has scarcely an 

 equal. It flowers profusely in August 

 and September, but the large, bell- 

 shaped flower is not conspicuous as in 

 color it is of little contrast to the 

 leaves. Where people want permanent 

 vines such as honeysuckles, bignonias, 

 etc., and are impatient of results we 

 recommend the cobea for immediate 

 effect, or till the hardy vines make 

 a show. When this is done be care- 

 ful not to let the cobeas smother the 

 permanent vines when young. 



er and it would be impossible to get 

 them apart. There are few of our cus- 

 tomers that don't know the cobea and 

 a few hundred are asked for every 

 spring. And when you have to buy it 

 is one of those things difficult to get 

 in satisfactory shape. 



COLD-FRAMES. 



What we call a cold-frame (low 

 walls of wood or brick supporting 

 some glazed sash) is a miniature 

 greenhouse without any artificial heat. 

 Every grower should know the great 

 value of them and how much they add 

 to his capacity for raising many plants 

 and temporarily increase the area of 



Clematis of Jackmanii Type. 



The variegated form of Cobea scan- 

 dens is a beautiful plant and makes a 

 fine greenhouse climber, but is not of 

 value outside. The variegated sort is 

 always propagated by cuttings which 

 strike root in the sand at any time 

 you have good young shoots ready. 



Cobea scandens is always raised 

 from seed. We sow in March in flats 

 containing two inches of light sandy 

 soil, and keep in a temperature of 60 

 degrees. Press the soil down evenly 

 and moderately firm, and press the 

 seed's into the soil, always on edge. No 

 covering is needed; the upper edge of 

 the seedi can be even with the surface 

 of the soil. Give them a good water- 

 ing and keep moist till the young 

 plants are up an inch or two when 

 they should have plenty of light and 

 be soon potted off singly in small pots. 



They grow rapidly, and when five or 

 six inches high we shift them into a 

 4-inch pot and put a stake two feet 

 long to each one. If not staked and 

 tied they get entangled with each oth- 



his glass. There are times, especially 

 with the man who raises bedding 

 plants, when his place is fearfully con- 

 gested and the addition of another 

 thousand feet of bench room is the 

 greatest relief. 



Cold-frames are used for many pur- 

 poses. In the fall and winter for pan- 

 sies, to store away hybrid perpetual 

 roses, to winter pot carnations that 

 are wanted for next summer's bloom, 

 to winter many herbaceous plants that 

 have been raised from seed the pre- 

 vious August, to protect Roman hya- 

 cinths, and also the Dutch hyacinths 

 are as well under glass where they 

 don't get so wet, and the severe frost 

 does not crack the pots. 



Some of our common little vase 

 plants we winter in cold-frames, viz.: 

 the sedums, lysimachia (money vine) 

 and the variegated glechoma. In the 

 spring these frames are of still great- 

 er use; not only do- they relieve our 

 crowded benches, but many plants do 

 far better in them than in a green- 



