9 2 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 157. 



mous terminal panicles, beginning to open about the middle 

 of December, remaining attractive until late in February. The 

 handsome foliage renders these plants very serviceable, even 

 when not in bloom, in imparting an artistic effect to arrange- 

 ments of flowering and other less massive foliage plants. The 

 sombre solidity of this Senecio is much relieved by the ele- 

 gance and brightness of the flowers, which when cut are of 

 further utility in that they keep fresh in water for a considera- 

 ble period. The plant is of exceptionally easy culture, and 

 during the flowering season the temperature may fall as low 

 as forty degrees Fahrenheit without injurious results. The 

 young branches which develop on the sides of the main stems 

 after the flowering season make excellent cuttings. They 

 should be taken when from four to five inches long, withaslight 

 heel of the older material, and inserted in sandy soil, taking 

 care to place them where an ordinary amount of bottom heat 

 is combined with shade and a close, moist atmosphere. The 

 shading should be removed when the cuttings are rooted. It 

 will be necessary to advance their growth in pots until they 

 may be trusted with safety out-of-doors in the open garden. 

 Here they must have abundant space, for, under ordinary con- 

 ditions, they grow vigorously. Early in September tbey should 

 be taken up and potted and placed under cover. In the green- 

 house they thrive best, with plenty of room, air and light, 

 otherwise their requirements are similar to those of the gen- 

 eral run of greenhouse plants. Larger but no less ornamental 

 specimens are obtained by cutting down the old plants after 

 the flowering season to within a few inches of the soil. Young 

 shoots soon push from the old stumps, which in the planting- 

 out season are turned out of the pots and transferred to the 

 garden like younger plants, the greater part of the old soil 

 having, meanwhile, been shaken from the roots. Their sub- 

 sequent treatment does not differ from that prescribed for 

 young plants. 



Stereptocarpi in Winter. — Our friends across the Atlantic 

 are ahead of us in appreciation of the good qualities of these 

 plants. The genus, although it comprises many excellent 

 garden plants, is scarcely known here. This is all the more 

 surprising when it is considered that at least one of the spe- 

 cies, 5. Rexii, has been cultivated in Europe since 1824, when 

 it was introduced from south Africa. But it is only within the 

 past few years that these plants have attracted much attention 

 even in Europe. The recent appearance of a number of meri- 

 torious hybrids is probably the occasion of their rapidly in- 

 creasing popularity. S. Rexii has been known in cultivation 

 longer than any of the other species, and it has proved to be a 

 most serviceable plant in the hands of hybridizers. It is, with 

 the exception, perhaps, of S. Gardeni, the handsomest species 

 of the genus. The plant is stemless ; the prostrate leaves are 

 ovate-oblong, crenate, villous, bright green and much wrinkled 

 on the upper surface, paler with prominent midrib ami veins 

 beneath. The erect, slender scapes are from six to nine inches 

 in length, and they rarely bear more than one flower. The 

 trumpet-shaped carolla, of blue-lilac color, is two inches long 

 by an inch and a half wide, five-lobed, the three lower lobes 

 being larger than those above and veined far into the throat 

 with deep purple. S. Rexii and S. polyantha — a species in 

 which the panicles of small flowers rise from the base of one 

 large leaf that develops to the almost entire suppression of the 

 others —are both in bloom at the present time. These plants 

 usually flower during the summer months, but they may 

 easily be had in bloom at this season by sowing the seeds late 

 in spring or early in summer. A somewhat sandy soil, plenty 

 of light, and an intermediate temperature are primary essen- 

 tials to the successful cultivation of these greenhouse plants. 



Cambridge, Mass. M, Barker. 



Flowering Plants in the Hot-house. 



Bougainvillea glabra. — This remarkably handsome plant 

 has long been known in cultivation, but it deserves to be 

 more largely grown, for few summer-flowering plants surpass 

 it in effectiveness when used for conservatory decoration, and 

 the flowers are also valuable for cutting. It is of scandent or 

 semi-scandent habit, but may be kept by pruning in the con- 

 dition of a good pot plant, and as it flowers very freely, small 

 plants will be found very useful, while large ones can be 

 called gorgeous without exaggeration. The foliage of this 

 species is entire, bright green and smooth, the latter being a 

 good characteristic to remember, as the other members of the 

 genus are more or less downy or pubescent. The flowers 

 proper are insignificant both in color and size, but the chief 

 beauty of the plant is found in the bracts which surround 

 them. These are deep rose in color and produced on the tips 

 of the branchlets in great quantity. 



The Bougainvilleas are readily propagated by cuttings made 

 from firm young wood and placed in a propagating frame or 

 in a snug corner of the conservatory, and the young plants 

 should be potted on as they become root-bound in good, open 

 loam and in well-drained pots. The most satisfactory method 

 in order to secure a good crop of flowers is to dry these plants 

 off during the winter until the wood is well ripened, after 

 which they may be trimmed into shape, and then started into 

 growth by a little additional heat and frequent syringing. 

 When showing flower some liquid manure will be beneficial. 



Gloriosa superba. — This also is an old plant, but a very 

 pretty one. It is a bulbous-rooted stove climber, and is essen- 

 tially a summer-blooming plant. The bulbs require a season 

 of rest, as Gloxinias and other plants of similar habit do. The 

 plant has bright green leaves, rather narrow and sessile, with 

 a midrib lengthened out into a long tendril, by means of which 

 the plant is enabled to climb. The flowers are six-petaled, the 

 petals undulate and standing erect, while the color shades 

 from orange to red. Altogether this is a showy plant, and has 

 the merit of being quite easy to grow in a warm house, if the 

 bulbs are not disturbed after they have started into growth. 

 The most suitable soil for it is an open mixture of loam, peat 

 and sand, with some old dry cow dung for fertilizer, and the 

 bulbs are best shaken out of the old soil before active growth 

 commences, for they ere somewhat impatient of any disturb- 

 ance of the young roots, and therefore should be placed in the 

 pots in which they are to bloom. 



Gloriosas are but little subject to the attacks of insects, red 

 spider being the most likely pest unless the plants are regu- 

 larly syringed until they begin to bloom. It is propagated by 

 seeds, and also by offsets from the bulbs, the first method being 

 probably the most satisfactory. After the blooming season is 

 over water should gradually be withheld until the season's 

 growth is finished, after which the pots may be stored away 

 under the benches or in some other convenient place until re- 

 quired the following season. 



TaberNjEjviontana CORONARIA. — This is another plant often 

 found among the stove-flowering collections, and it is prob- 

 ably the best-known representative of a large genus, though, 

 strange as it may seem, its native country is not positively 

 known. It is under cultivation in various parts of India, 

 from whence it was most probably introduced into European 

 gardens. T. coronaria bears some resemblance in growth to 

 a Gardenia, while the flowers are pure white, tubular, and 

 with wide-spread petals like a Jasmine, to which they also 

 have some similarity in perfume. The peduncles are pro- 

 duced from the forks of the branches, and are furnished with 

 from two to six flowers. There is a variety with double flow- 

 ers which resemble miniature Gardenias, though their odor 

 is not quite so pronounced. 



The Tabernasmontanas are of easy cultivation in a warm 

 house, and possibly might be grown on in the open ground dur- 

 ing summer. They would be in danger, however, of losing 

 their foliage, unless very carefully lifted. These plants are 

 increased by cuttings, which should be placed on bottom 

 heat, and, if not allowed to flag, they soon root. Any ordinary 

 well-drained soil will answer if sufficient sand is added when 

 necessary, to make it more open. A moderate shade will be 

 found beneficial. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. ri. I aplin. 



Plants for Shady Places. 



T N most gardens of any extent there are places in which it is 

 ■*■ difficult to get grass to grow — shaded spots, for example, 

 like those under the dark shadow of evergreen trees and some- 

 times under trees that are deciduous. Bare, unsightly patches 

 of this description are an eyesore until taken in hand and cov- 

 ered with some of the many hardy plants suitable for this pur- 

 pose, and those which may be relied upon to thrive under this 

 adverse condition, and that, too, with but little attention after 

 the first year. One of the most useful, and, at the same time 

 ornamental, of trailing plants we have is the Trailing Myrtle, 

 which, as often happens with common names, is not a Myrtle 

 at all, but a Vinca. It is also known as Periwinkle, which is 

 the most suitable common name, being a corruption of the old 

 Latin name, Pervinca, applied to the genus by Pliny. Of this 

 Periwinkle or Vinca minor there are many varieties, all low, 

 trailing, evergreen plants, with flowers that are either single or 

 double, blue or white, as the case may be, and all well-known 

 to every one who takes an interest in hardy plants. In addition 

 to the varieties named there is a variegated form of Vinca 

 minor which, to my mind, is the prettiest of all. The young 

 growth in spring is bright yellow and green, and it is covered 

 with starry blue flowers, which stand up above the carpet 



