Cliftonia 



( 222 ) 



Climbers 



vittata, 3', Jy., ro., leaves 

 striped. 



Principal Species :- 

 elegans, 3'. Aug., wh. 

 rubra, 'A', My., pur. 



CLIFTONIA. 



This genus (ord. Cyrillea-) comprises one 

 species only. It is a half-hardy evergreen shrub, 

 readily increased from cuttings. It thrives in peat 

 and loam in equal proportions. 



Photo : Cassell (D Company, Ltd. 



CLIANTHUS DAMPIEHI AS A BASKET PLANT (si 



p. 221). 



Only Species : 



nitida, 6', My., wh. (syns. ligustrina and 

 Mylocaryum ligustrinum, the Buckwheat Tree). 



CLIMATE. 



The effects of climate upon vegetation are so great 

 that horticulturists, if they would be successful, 

 must regulate the plants and crops cultivated in 

 accordance with it. Meteorological records are 

 particularly valuable in the districts where they 

 are taken, but a mere table of average rainfall anil 

 temperature is quite inadequate. A knowledge of 

 the extremes likely to occur during any month or 

 part of a month is of vastly more importance than 

 the tables of averages referred to. For instance, 

 the average temperature in the Thames Valley for 

 May is fairly high, yet those long resident in'that 

 district are well aware that several degrees of frost 

 are likely to occur, during the night, about 

 May 20, 21, and 22, and such knowledge has been 

 the means of saving many a Strawberry crop. 

 Besides rainfall and temperature, there is the 

 prevailing wind to be taken into account, while the 

 nature of the soil dealt with has also a great deal 



to do with the effect climate has upon the plants. 

 Climate and soil must be duly considered, and, 

 given a good knowledge of these, it is not difficult 

 nowadays to select the most suitable subjects for 

 any particular garden. 



CLIMBERS. 



Valued as climbing plants have always been in 

 the best gardens, their importance is becoming 

 still more highly appreciated. One definition of a 

 climber is a plant which attaches itself to a support 

 by tendrils, roots, or otlier organs, without requiring 

 to twist itself round, as in the case of what are 

 technically known as " twining " plants. Useful 

 as this distinction is, it is little observed in 

 ordinary garden practice, and people often even 

 include in the expression " climbers " plants which 

 are neither climbing nor twining in their habit, 

 but are adapted for covering walls or trellises, and 

 have to be fastened to them. The uses of climbers 

 are many, and they add much to the appearance 

 of any garden, where they can have something 

 to cling to. Whether used for covering walls, 

 trellises, pillars, or arches, they give an element 

 of picturesqiieness. Under glass, also, they are 

 most valuable. For covering old and unsightly 

 trees they are now being much more largely 

 vised, and in this way a new and beautiful feature 

 is being given to pleasure grounds, or old gardens 

 in which trees were becoming unsightly but 

 could not be spared. Cultural details of the 

 several plants named will be found under their 

 respective titles, but a few general hints may be 

 useful, and will give growers an idea upon what 

 lines to proceed. It is highly probable that the 

 climbing habit has been induced in many plants 

 by the overshadowing of taller and more vigorous- 

 growing subjects. These shut out much of the 

 light and air, and would have caused the death 

 of the dwarfer plants had they not in a literal 

 sense risen to the occasion. 



Soil. Climbers generally require a specially 

 prepared site, so that they may receive a good start 

 and grow rapidly. A large hole, several feet 

 across, ought to be dug and deeply trenched, 

 adding, as the work proceeds, a good supply of well- 

 rotted animal manure or artificial fertilisers. This 

 preparation is especially necessary in the case of 

 plants in the neighbourhood of trees or shrubs. 

 In this prepared ground the plants should be 

 placed in autumn or spring, treading them well in 

 and fixing them firmly to the support to which 

 they are to cling. Climbers grown in pots may be 

 planted at any season. 



Other Cultural Points. Climbers against walls 

 and trees often suffer from want of water, and this 

 ought to be liberally supplied when required in 

 such quantity as to thoroughly soak the soil. 



Pruning. In pruning or thinning out climbers 

 regard must, of course, be paid to the flowering of 

 the plants and whether they bloom on old or young 

 wood. They must not, however, be allowed to 

 become crowded and untidy ; and even for picturesque 

 effects it is often advisable to give a considerable 

 amount of time to thinning out and removing 

 old wood. Plants under glass may either be 

 planted out in a prepared border or grown in pots. 

 In some cases it is necessary to adopt the latter 

 course, and it is needful to remember that the 

 plants require support if vigorous growth is 

 expected, and that liquid manure or top-dressing 

 with fertilisers is necessary. 



