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Gardening for Amateurs 



Abutilon are very desirable plants, for 

 flowers may be had almost throughout the 

 year. Such as Boule de Neige (white) and 

 Golden Fleece (yellow) are seen to great 

 advantage when trained to roof or rafter, 

 and beside these there are the free-growing 

 small-leaved Abutilon vexillarium, with its 

 profusion of red and yellow blossoms, some 

 of which are nearly always in evidence ; 



A popular climbing plant, Coboea scandens. 



A. striatum, yellow veined with crimson, and 

 the distinct A. insigne, which has large leaves 

 and widely expanded bell-shaped flowers, 

 rosy crimson with dark veins. They should 

 be pruned fairly hard in spring. 



Clematis indivisa. A beautiful green- 

 house climber is the New Zealand Clematis 

 indivisa ; its white starry flowers are borne in 

 great profusion in the months of March and 

 April. There is a variety (lobata) in which 

 they are lobed, but as far as colour is con- 

 cerned there is no difference between them. 

 Pruning should be done directly the flowers 

 are past. This Clematis can be raised from 



cuttings of the young shoots taken in spring, 

 inserted in pots of sandy soil, and placed in 

 a closed propagating case in slight warmth. 

 Shoots of moderate vigour form roots more 

 readily than very strong ones. 



Goboea scandens. This is one of the 

 quickest growing of all greenhouse climbers ; 

 a single plant will soon cover a large space. 

 The divided leaves are terminated by ten- 

 drils which take hold of any support. The 

 flowers are bell-shaped and purple in colour. 

 It grows readily from seeds sown in spring, 

 and should on no account be planted in a 

 small greenhouse. There is a variety with 

 prettily variegated leaves which can only 

 be increased by cuttings. In common with 

 all strong-growing climbers, some of the 

 shoots may be shortened in the autumn in 

 order to give light to the plants underneath, 

 the general pruning being delayed until 

 spring. 



Ficus. One member of the family, 

 namely, Ficus repens, is a desirable climber 

 for damp walls where there is not much 

 light. It will attach itself to the wall after 

 the manner of Ivy, and forms a perfect sheet 

 of small ovate dark green leaves. There is 

 a variety with even smaller leaves, known 

 as minima. It is suitable for similar posi- 

 tions to the preceding. This Ficus requires 

 practically no pruning, but straggling shoots 

 may be cut back at any time. 



Fuchsia. Many Fuchsias are of free 

 growth, and this, combined with the pendu- 

 lous character of their blossoms, fits them 

 for training as roof plants, especially as 

 during the winter there is no foliage to 

 obstruct the light. A great number of them 

 are available for this mode of treatment, 

 the following being some of the best : 

 Clipper, General Grenfell, General Roberts, 

 Lustre, Monarch, Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. Run- 

 die, Olympia, Rose of Castile Improved, and 

 The Shah. Hard pruning is necessary in 

 spring just before the plants start into 

 growth. 



Hibbertia dentata. This is a beautiful 

 greenhouse climber, possessing merits that 

 are not generally recognised. It climbs 

 readily by means of its twining shoots, which 

 are clothed with oval leathery leaves, bright 

 crimson when young, but bronzy green when 

 mature. The flowers, which are about 2 



