STOVE FLOWEIUNG PLANTS. 7 



growth is proceeding and the roots are active, will secure fine 

 heads of the largest-sized flowers. To save the heavy heads 

 of flowers while being conveyed to the show, they raust 

 be securely staked, and each flower supported with wads of 

 cotton-wool carefully wrapped with tissue-paper. The plants 

 require to be set in the full sunlight after they have done 

 flowering, and the water gradually withheld, to thoroughly 

 mature the bulbs, as vipon their ripeness much of the success 

 in their cultivation depends. They are mostly evergreens, 

 and should not be dried off, like deciduous bulbs, but kept 

 slowly moving through the winter in a temperature of 45° to 

 50°, and put into stove heat about two months before the date 

 of the show. 



UIPLADEXIA. 



All this genus of lovely stove climbers make excellent sub- 

 jects for exhibition, and should be grown wherever a suitable 

 house can be devoted to them. They are somewhat difiicult 

 to manage, and hence their value as exhibition specimens is 

 fully recognised by all good judges of plants. When their 

 requirements are understood and duly provided for, they can 

 be grown to great perfection. 



One important point in their culture is to keep them clean 

 and not over-water them. Although they require a moist 

 atmosphere and high temperature, they will not thrive with 

 a superabundance of water at the roots. Like all other climb- 

 ing plants for exhibition, they must be trained close to the 

 glass, and should have a corner in the stove where shading 

 can almost be dispensed with, so as to ripen the growth 

 thoroughly. In order to prevent the shoots intertwining, 

 they should be trained singly to strings until they show 

 flower, when they should be brought down and placed over 

 a balloon trellis, on which they should be exhibited. When 

 they cease flowering for the season, water should be gradually 

 withheld, and the plants rested during the winter months. 

 At the same time over-dryness at the root must be guarded 

 against. Three of the most distinct for exhibition are D. 

 amaUlis, D. holidensis, and D. Brearleijana. The soil best 



