428 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 237. 



alpines are of this character; the distance to which their 

 roots extend makes them to a great extent independent of 

 extremes of temperature and also of drought. They are 

 all, however, intolerant of standing moisture, and flourish 

 best on sloping broken ground from which water readily 

 flows off and does not rest near the collar of the plant and 

 its dormant winter buds. 



The variety of conditions afforded by a garden of this 

 character are necessary for the proper accommodation of a 

 large collection of alpine and sub-alpine plants gathered 

 from all parts of the world. The main difficulty is that of 

 atmospheric conditions, which in a flat, low place like 

 Kew are not always favorable to the growth of alpines. 

 Notwithstanding this, it is surprising how happy many 

 truly alpine plants are in this garden, from the blue Poppy 

 of the Himalayas (Meconopsis) and the imperial Primrose 

 of the mountains of Java, to the Pyrenean Ramondia and 

 the Pinks and Campanulas from the Swiss Alps. Planted 

 in bays left here and there at the foot of the stones are 

 such moisture-loving plants as Trilliums, Arums, Helle- 

 bores, and various kinds of bulbous plants, the shade-lov- 

 ing things, such as Meconopsis Wallichii, Ranunculus 

 Lyallii, Myosotedium nobile, Primulas, Ramondia and 

 many Ferns occupying those parts which are protected 

 from the sun's rays by tall Hollies, Pines, Limes, etc. A 

 bog formed of peat, into which water trickles constantly 

 from a jutting rock above, is devoted to a collection of bog- 

 plants, and in another part an imitation old wall is clothed 

 with Cacti and other suitable plants. At the foot of this 

 wall is a peat bed in which hardy Orchids, Equisetums, 

 etc., find congenial conditions. 



Surmounting the bank of stones and in front of the belt 

 of shrubs are such stately plants as Liliums, Cistuses, 

 Rheums, Arundos, Single Roses, etc., and on the higher 

 mounds, mixed with the bushes of Box and small Deodars, 

 such striking early summer-flowering plants as Foxgloves, 

 Delphiniums and big Poppies are used with good effect. 



Entering at the south end behind some magnificent 

 Hollies, one winds along first through Ferns, then into the 

 sunshine, where the sun-loving plants are, the picture ever- 

 changing, yet never flagging in interest until the end is 

 reached. Of course, such a garden is only possible where 

 careful cultivation and constant attention are available. 

 The strong-growing plants must be kept within bounds, 

 and the needs of the small and delicate properly supplied. 

 Without these a rock-garden would soon become a hope- 

 less tangle of weedy plants, but with them it may be made 

 what it is at Kew, one of the most interesting and delight- 

 ful of the many departments of horticulture. 



London. W. Waison. 



Cultural Department. 



Summer Greenhouse Climbers. 



ONE of the best climbers with ornamental foliage is Abuti- 

 lon vexillarium igneum. It is an excellent plant for rafters, 

 as the branches have a drooping habit, and for the same rea- 

 son it is admirable in hanging baskets. The leaves are small, 

 compared with those of other members of the genus, but 

 beautifully blotched with light and dark green and pale yellow. 

 The red and yellow flowers, produced in autumn and winter, 

 are also beautiful. It thrives well in a mixture of peat, loam 

 and sand, and should never be subjected to a temperature 

 lower than forty-tive degrees. 



The AUamandas are admirable summer-flowering plants. 

 A. cathartica is the earliest to bloom, and its comparatively 

 small bell-shaped flowers, of clear yellow color, are produced 

 in profusion. The larger flowers of A. Hendersonii are rich 

 golden yellow, and those of A. Schottii, perhaps the best of 

 all, bright yellow. These plants require ample room, and are 

 most suitable for covering walls and rafters in lofty houses, 

 though they are sometimes grown in pots and trained to trel- 

 lises with good effect. They like a moderately rich loamy soil, 

 and in the growing season require plenty of water, with less 

 moisture in winter. 



Bougainvillea glabra is a desirable climber, extremely 

 showy, and not exacting in its requirements. On the roof 



of a large house, and not trained too rigidly, it grows freely, 

 and flowers profusely during the summer months. The whit- 

 ish flowers, however, are insignificant, but the large rose- 

 colored bracts which accompany each small cluster make a 

 charming contrast with the bright green foliage. It should 

 be planted in a rich loamy border, with rest in winter. The 

 temperature may then fall to forty-five degrees, and the plant 

 should be pruned moderately before the growth commences 

 in spring. 



Cissus discolor is a fine old plant for pot-culture if the stems 

 are trained to a trellis, though it loses none of its attractive- 

 ness on pillars, rafters or walls. It is grown for its richly 

 colored leaves, which are of cordate-lanceolate shape, green 

 of various shades, beautifully mottled with crimson and sil- 

 very white on the upper surface, and reddish purple under- 

 neath. It requires a stove temperature. 



Clerodendron Balfourii is another remarkably handsome 

 stove trellis-plant, blooming profusely in early summer. The 

 dark green leaves are opposite and ovate, and the flowers, 

 produced in large panicles, have a conspicuous, inflated, pure 

 white calyx and brilliant crimson corolla. The young growth 

 should be thoroughly ripened after the flowering period by 

 the free admission of air and light ; a maximum tempera- 

 ture of fifty degrees will suffice in winter, when water should 

 be given in only sufficient quantity to preserve the wood from 

 shriveling. Prune in the spring, removing all decayed wood 

 and cutting the previous year's shoots back to two or three 

 joints. The weaker ones require to be most severely dealt 

 with. 



Dioscorea illustrata is a plant of the same type of beauty as 

 the well-known Cissus discolor. The cordate leaves are very 

 large, measuring ten inches in length by six in width, of 

 rich deep green color, with parallel veins and a large central 

 blotch of silver-white on the upper side, the lower one being 

 bright purple. The stems die down annually, and the tuberous 

 roots should be stored in a dry cool place, secure from frost, 

 until the following spring, when they may be potted and placed 

 in stove-heat. D. illustrata grows rapidly in rich sandy loam, 

 and has a splendid effect when trained to pillars or columns. 



Lapageria rosea is one of the best plants for a cool house — 

 that is, one which is kept as cool as possible by shading and 

 airing in summer, and warm enough in winter to exclude 

 frost. Its ovate-lanceolate leaves are dark green and glossy, 

 and the large waxy flowers deep crimson, with a profusion of 

 small white spots on the interior. Portable specimens may be 

 produced by cultivation in pots, but the plant is more thrifty 

 when grown in a specially prepared border and trained to the 

 roof of the house. The drainage should be perfect and the soil 

 rich and porous. Good fibrous peat and well-decomposed 

 cow-manure, both in pieces not smaller than a good-sized 

 hand, with a liberal admixture of lumpy charcoal and sand- 

 stone, form a first-rate compost, which should be firmly 

 pressed about the roots. The young shoots which start from 

 the soil are by far the best, but they have a deadly enemy in 

 snails. The ravages of these pests may be prevented, how- 

 ever, by placing a large rough band of cotton-wool around 

 the base of each shoot, renewing it when it becomes satu- 

 rated with moisture. Lapagerias dislike strong sunshine, and 

 they should therefore be shaded at all seasons during bright 

 weather. L. rosea alba is a white-flowered variety fully equal 

 to the species in merit, and the two plants make a pleasing 

 combination when grown together. 



Plumbago Capensis is very effective on walls, and is a mass 

 of bloom all summer. The flowers are of a charming pale 

 blue shade, produced in large, dense, terminal clusters. The 

 plant should be pruned pretty closely after the flowering pe- 

 riod, and kept dry at the roots in winter. It succeeds well in 

 a cool temperature, but abundant light and sunshine are es- 

 senfial to the best development of flowers, and a rich sandy 

 loam is all the roots demand in the way of soil. P. Capensis 

 may also be used to ornament low outdoor walls in summer. 

 The plants for this purpose should be grown in pots, plunged 

 . in the soil at the base of the walls to be covered, and wintered 

 in a cool greenhouse or a light airy cellar. 



Rhodochiton volubile is exceedingly graceful in habit. It is 

 admirable for rafters, to which the main stems should be 

 trained, allowing the shorter branches to hang downward. 

 These branches are clothed with pale green, cordate leaves, 

 from the axils of which proceed the flowers, borne on long, 

 slender pedicels. The plant is in bloom at all times, and the 

 flowers have a prominent bell-shaped calyx of rosy color, and 

 a dark purple, tubular corolla. The temperature of the house 

 in which it is grown should never be allowed to fall below 

 forty-five degrees, and it should be planted in a mixture of 

 rich loam and leaf-mould, in equal parts, adding sufficient 



