Asteracantha 



Astiltae 



heavy dews of the late summer. Planting should 

 be done in showery weather, and water given 

 during dry spells throughout the summer. Early 

 in August, before the plants come into bloom, a 

 top-dressing of well-decayed manure spread on the 

 surface and watered in will be of great assistance. 

 The dwarf varieties are self-supporting, but stakes 

 are necessary for those of taller habit. 



Enemies and Diseases. Black fly almost in- 

 variably attacks young Asters. Green fly also 

 attacks them in dry seasons. Soak a handful of 

 quassia chips in a gallon of water, and dip the tops 

 into it. Watch for the pests through the spring 

 and summer, and syringe with quassia water when 

 a trace of fly can be seen. Slugs are very partial 

 to small .seedlings. A close watch should be kept 

 for them, and the plants dusted with lime and 

 soot. Occasionally Asters damp off suddenly just 

 below the ground. There appears to be no effec- 

 tive remedy, and a stock of reserve plants should 

 be kept to take the places of any that may fail. 



Pot Culture. Asters in pots are very effective 

 when in flower in the greenhouse. For this 

 purpose sow the seeds outdoors in May, grow the 

 plants thinly, and lift and pot when the buds are 

 expanding in September. Keep the potted plants 

 shaded for a few days, and then remove them to a 

 cold greenhouse, where they will flower through 

 the autumn. 



A Selection of Varieties. There is now a host of 

 varieties in each of the leading sections of Asters. 

 and they have almost entirely taken the place of 

 the species in gardens. The tall-growing forms are 

 suitable for exhibition and cutting, and those of 

 dwarfer habit for bedding and pot culture. The 

 principal sections and characters are tabulated 

 below : 



TAIL HABIT. 



Comet, 1-J', graceful, 

 twisted florets. 



Crown, !'. 



Emperor, 2' , largo 

 flowered. 



P!eony-flowered,2', large, 

 incurved flowers. 



Quilled, li', quilled florets. 



Victoria, 1J', florets re- 

 curved. 



DWARF HAEIT. 



Bouquet, 6", free flower- 

 ing, suitable for pots. 



Chrysanthemum- flowered 

 (dwarf), 1', compact. 



Comet (dwarf), 9", early. 



G ermaii (dwarf) , 9 " , early . 



Pseony-flowered (dwarf), 

 1', incurved florets. 



Victoria (dwarf), 1', good 

 for pots. 



All the above can be bought in collections of 

 separate colours, or mixed. 



The following are the chief species and 

 varieties : 



ASTERACANTHA. 



A greenhouse herbaceous perennial (<>rd. Acan- 

 thacese) of easy culture. Longifolia, 2', July, yellow, 

 likes a sandy loam, and to be kept rather dry. The 

 genus is referred by botanists to Hygrophila. 



ASTILBK (syn. HOTEIA). (GOAT'S BEARD.) 

 Description. Exceedingly valuable garden 

 flowers (prd. Saxifrages), used largely for borders; 

 for the margins of lakes and ponds ; and for forcing 

 in pots, for which nearly all are suitable. They 

 form fine plants for the conservatory, greenhouse, 

 or window. 



Aster iscus of Mtrnch (see Odontosperminn). 

 Asterocepltalus (see ScaUosa). 

 Astervstiyma (see titaurvstij/ma). 



Propagation. By division in spring or autumn. 



Soil. A rich, moist soil is the best for all the 

 Astilbes. 



Other Cultural Points. Plants in ordinary 

 flower-borders and those in pots must never be 

 allowed to suffer from want of water while growing. 

 For forcing purposes gootl clumps should be potted 

 early in autumn and plunged in, ashes or other 

 material until they for,m roots, when they may 



I'lwtu: Caaatll d- CuiiiiKiny, Ltd. 



ASTILBE W. E. GLADSTONE. 



be taken in and subjected to gentle forcing, 

 keeping them in a moist atmosphere and giving a 

 plentiful supply of water. 



Principal Species and Varieties : 



astilboides, 3', My., wh. Generally known as 

 Spiraja astilboides. With its fine form, floribunda, 

 it is valued as a pot plant, but it is equally good 

 outside in moist places (syns. spirasoides and Spiraa 

 astilboides). 



j.-iponica, 2', My., wh. One of our most useful 

 forcing plants. Though it suffers in some gardens 

 in spring in the open, in others it flowers freely from 

 year to year. There is a pretty variegated variety, 

 named variegata or reticulata, and one with pur. 

 leaves and stems, called foliis-purpureis (syns, 

 Spinea barbata and japonica, Hoteia japonica, 'and 

 Astilbe barbata). 



rivularis, 4', Jy., wh. A noble plant for the 

 margins of lakes, large borders, or wild gardens, 

 always in deep, moist soil. It flowers well in shade. 



Tlmnbergii, 1J', My., wh. A pretty little sub- 

 shr. which ought to be more used for forcing, but 

 is a good plant for the border. 



W. E. Gladstone, a fine seedling. 



