Gardening for Amateurs 



815 



occasional doses of soot-water should be 

 given. 



Forsythia. The golden bells of this 

 pretty early-flowering shrub are universally 

 admired. When grown in pots in the green- 

 house Forsythias are, as out of doors, among 

 the first to bloom. The best for general 

 purposes is F. suspensa, which is naturally 

 a climber, or at all events a pronounced 

 rambler. The principal branches should 

 be secured to an erect stake, and the minor 

 ones alloM-ed to dispose themselves at will. 

 In this way it forms a very graceful specimen 

 in a pot, and when laden with blossoms is 

 remarkably showy. After flowering cut the 

 growths back to two or three buds, from 

 which the shoots for the next year's flowering 

 will be produced. 



Laburnum. The long drooping racemes 

 of Laburnum render it very effective for 

 grouping in the greenhouse. The best re- 

 sults are obtained from established plants. 

 The pots ought to be plunged 

 to the rims in ashes out of 

 doors in summer and be given 

 fertilisers occasionally. 



Magnolia. One of the 

 most easily grown and most 

 useful of the Magnolias for 

 the greenhouse is the pure 

 white Magnolia stellata. with 

 flowers that suggest in con- 

 tour those of the Water Lily. 

 Plants from 18 inches to 2 feet 

 high bloom freely. Other 

 larger kinds suitable for the 

 greenhouse are M. conspicua, 

 M. Lennei, M. purpurea, and 

 M. speciosa. They all dislike 

 being disturbed at the roots. 



Prunus. In this group are 

 now included the Almonds, 

 Cherries, Plums and Peaches. 

 As large specimens nearly all 

 of them are available for 

 forcing, while for small green- 

 houses the best are P. sinensis 

 alba plena and P. sinensis 

 rubra plena, with double 

 rosette-like flowers that wreath 

 the shoots for a considerable 

 distance. A near ally is the 



triloba. If these shrubs are kept in pots 

 the side shoots should be cut back after 

 flowering and encouraged to make good 

 growth during the summer. A sunny spot 

 is essential in order that flower buds may 

 be freely formed. 



Pyrus. Of the tall-growing kinds the 

 best are Pyrus floribunda, its variety atrosan- 

 guinea, and P. Scheideckerii. The different 

 forms of Pyrus or Cydonia japonica are very 

 pretty under glass, as also is the salmon-red 

 P. Maulei. All may be treated as recom- 

 mended for the Prunus. 



Rhododendron. These shrubs must on 

 no account be hard forced. As they form 

 a dense mass of fine roots Rhododendrons 

 may be lifted and potted with :but little 

 check. The smaller-growing kinds such as 

 R. ciliatum, Early Gem andpraecox are well 

 suited for the greenhouse, and in selecting 

 varieties of the ordinary garden kinds for 

 this purpose preference should of course be 



semi-double pink-flowered P. 



The beautiful White Lilac Marie Legraye. 



