148 PLANT CUI.TURE 



PHYLLANTHUS (Snow Bush). P. nivosus is a shrub hardly 

 suitable as florists' plants, but for public or private establishments 

 they should always be grown, as their fohage, in a young state es- 

 pecially, is most beautifully colored even when grown in the open 

 air during Summer. In this latitude we plant them out along with 

 other bedding material; they are exceedingly effective. 



Culture. The old plants are cut back severely in Autumn, 

 potted and stored in a rather warm house. 



Propagation. In February cuttings of the medium thick wood 

 are taken, and rooted in strong heat. 



PLUMBAGO. Two sorts commonly treated as greenhouse 

 plants are P. capensis, a light blue, and P. rosea var. coccinea, a 

 scarlet. They bloom after mid-Summer on the current year's growth. 

 Our warm Summers are very favorable to its growth out of doors, 

 and it certainly ought to be largely grown for this purpose, as there 

 is no other plant than P. capensis which can supply the color (light 

 blue) so abundantly. There is a white-flowered form which goes 

 well with the blue one, but this should not be confounded with P. 

 zeylanica — a worthless species. 



Propagation. Plants from Fall struck cuttings will be large 

 enough by planting out time to fill 4-inch pots, and they ought to 

 be planted out from this size for early blooming, as younger plants 

 are too apt to make growth instead of flower. The best flowering 

 plants are those which have been wintered over in a dormant state, 

 the larger the better; by mid-Summer they are a solid mass of 

 bloom. 



PLUMERIA. This class of plants is somewhat neglected. We 

 see them only in places where a general collection of stove and 

 greenhouse plants are grown, and yet their flowers are large, showy 

 and sweet smelling. The stems and foliage have an ornamental 

 character of their own. The species grown is P. aculifoUa. 



Culture. They make very rapid growth in Summer, being well 

 suited for tub culture. The plants should be kept dry during 

 Winter. The leaves will fall off early, and the pots or tubs in which 

 the plants grow may be laid on their sides under the bench of a 

 greenhouse. 



Propagation. In propagating, which may be done best during 

 February, the cuttings may be taken from 6 inches to a foot long; 

 stand them upright or leaning against the back part of the propagat- 

 ing bench, but not with the bases buried in the sand. Nor should 

 they be allowed any water for a week or two. After the cut part is 



