7i8 



Gardening for Amateurs 



fusion throughout the greater part of the 

 year. There are several other variegated- 

 leaved kinds, of which the best are Savitzii, 

 Souvenir de Bonn, and Thompsonii. All 

 the Abutilons are readily propagated by 

 cuttings of the young growing shoots in 

 spring, taken when the new growths are 

 about three inches in length. They must 

 be dibbled in pots of sandy soil, and placed 

 in a closed propagating case in the green- 

 house, where they will soon root. Ordinary 

 potting compost suits them well, and the 

 young plants will flower in the course of 

 the summer. If quite short specimens are 

 wanted the tips of the shoots should be 

 pinched once or twice during their earlier 

 stages. Abutilons are sometimes grown as 

 standards, and in this way the drooping 

 bell-shaped flowers are seen to considerable 

 advantage. When standards are needed the 

 young plants must, of course, be confined to 

 a single shoot, until the required height is 

 obtained. Fairly hard pruning is given in 

 spring. (See also Climbing Plants for the 

 Greenhouse.) 



Acacia. An extensive group of Austra- 

 lian trees and shrubs, a few of which flower 

 freely when quite small, and are then much 

 appreciated for greenhouse decoration. The 

 flowers are of some shade of yellow, and 

 are generally in the form of little balls. 

 The best of the smaller sorts, which are 

 most suitable for pots, are armata, Drum- 

 mondii, platyptera, ovata, and pulchella. 

 They are all propagated from cuttings (in- 

 serted in pots of sandy, peaty soil in July, 

 and placed in a closed case in a frame), but 

 this practice can scarcely be recommended 

 to the amateur, though in nurseries, where 

 there are facilities for the purpose, there is 

 no difficulty in striking the cuttings. Seed- 

 lings take much longer to reach the flower- 

 ing stage. Only sufficient pruning is needed 

 to trim the plants into shape, and this is 

 done as soon as the flowers have faded. 

 Acacias need a mixture of loam and peat 

 with sand, and they may be placed out of 

 doors during the summer months. They 

 all bloom in spring. The yellow flowers so 

 freely sold in the streets of London early 

 in the year under the name of Mimosa are 

 those of Acacia dealbata. This has prettily 

 divided leaves, but flowers freely only when 



it has reached a considerable size, so that 

 it can scarcely be recommended for the 

 greenhouse unless it is a particularly lofty 

 one. 



Achimenes. A pretty summer-flowering 

 race of plants, nearly related to the Gloxinias. 

 However, while the root of Gloxinia is a 

 firm, solid tuber, that of Achimenes is a small 

 scaly tubercule. The flowers are of narrow, 

 tubular shape, with a widely expanded 

 mouth. After Achimenes have finished 

 flowering they gradually go to rest and pass 

 the winter in a dormant state ; during that 

 period they remain in the pots, the soil 

 being kept dry. About the end of February 

 the roots should be shaken out of the old 

 soil, and graded according to size. They 

 may then be potted in small pots, putting 

 about five roots in a pot, and using a com- 

 post made up of equal parts of loam and 

 leaf-mould with a little sand, for in common 

 with many of their allies the Achimenea 

 succeed best with a liberal amount of leaf- 

 mould in the soil. After potting they will, 

 if placed in the warmest part of the green- 

 house and carefully watered, soon com- 

 mence to grow. When the shoots are about 

 a couple of inches in height and roots have 

 formed freely, they may be shifted into their 

 flowering pots, those 5 inches in diameter 

 being a very suitable size. A finer display 

 may be obtained by putting several plants 

 in a larger pot. 



In hanging baskets Achimenes are seen 

 to considerable advantage. For this pur- 

 pose the roots should be started in small 

 pots as a'bove recommended and planted in 

 the baskets when the shoots are about 

 2 inches high. There are many named 

 varieties of which the flowers vary from 

 white to purple through all sorts of inter- 

 mediate shades. The oldest species, Achi- 

 menes coccinea, is still one of the most 

 attractive kinds, though the scarlet flowers 

 are small. 



Agapanthus. South African plants, 

 members of the Lily family ; indeed, the 

 best known sort, A. umbellatus, is often 

 termed the African Lily. They form stout, 

 fleshy rootstocks, from which rise long, 

 strap-shaped leaves. The flowers, produced 

 in rounded heads on long, firm stalks, are 

 at their best during the summer months. 



