500 Cultivation of Tro^aolums. 



Art. VII. Cultivation of TropcBohims. By W. Saunders, 

 Gardener to J. Hopkins, Esq., Clifton Park, Baltimore, 



Climbing plants are universally admired. Independent of 

 any beauty of flower, or elegance of foliage, there is a natural 

 gracefulness in their habit which is always pleasing ; and they 

 never seem out of character wherever they are introduced. 



Moderate in growth, and profuse in flowering, the Tropae- 

 lums are a much admired species of this description ; com- 

 bining beauty and elegance in a high degree, and although 

 principally natives of South America, they are very hardy, 

 and can be brought to the greatest perfection in the low 

 temperature of a greenhouse ; flowering abundantly during 

 the early spring and the greater part of the summer months. 



Of late years many valuable additions have been made to 

 this family of plants, both in regard to variety of color in the 

 flowers, and diversity of form in their leaves ; there are up- 

 wards of twenty species in cultivation, all of them exceed- 

 ingly pretty. A few of the most desirable for greenhouse 

 decoration, with the color of their flowers, are the following : 



Tropje^olum tricolo^rum, scarlet, orange, and black. 



T. Azu^REUM, light blue, a very desirable variety. 



T. BRACHYCE^RAS, ycUoW. 



T. PENTAPHYLLUM, red aud green. 



T. LoBBiA^NUM, orange scarlet. 



T. sPEcio^suM, red. 



T. UMBELLA^TUM, oraugc red, tipped with green, and 



T. atrosangui'neum, dark. 



There are others worthy of particular notice, but the above 

 may be considered a good selection. 



They are very easily managed ; the principal point to be 

 attended to is the application of water ; they are very impa- 

 tient o\ much moisture about their roots, consequently the 

 pots must be well drained and the soil carefully prepared. 

 Lumpy pieces of sandy loam should be employed, and if 

 mixed with a few pieces of charcoal or crocks, a rapid circu- 

 lation of water and air will be more certainly secured. An 

 additional reason for extra care in this respect is, that they 



