jo8 PLANT CULTURE 



DABOLCIA. The White Irish Heath, Dabcecia cantahrica, is a 

 neglected dwarf shrub; it should be planted more largely because it 

 sends up its rather large, pure white flowers in great profusion and 

 will repay efforts to cultivate it in a cool house. It needs peat and 

 plenty of it mixed with silver sand. At Washington it blooms in a 

 cool house the year round. It is a most charming plant. 



Propagation. It is very easy to propagate from cuttings 

 placed in a cool house almost any time of the year. It may also be 

 propagated by seeds sown in a mixture of peat, loam and sand. 



DAPHNE. Few species of this fragrant flowering genus are 

 hardy in Northern latitudes. Daphne Cneorum is a hardy, dwarf, 

 evergreen trailing shrub growing not more than a foot high. It 

 flowers in April and May; the color is dull pink. It makes a neat 

 symmetrical plant, with very sweet scented flowers. It is often in- 

 jured by the cold because it vegetates so early. D. Blagayana is 

 also a desirable hardy trailing species, not so well known as the 

 above. D. Mezereum, a hardy deciduous species, is sometimes used 

 for forcing, more on account of the fragrant flowers than for their 

 appearance. D. odora, D. o. marginata and D. o. alba make very 

 satisfactory growth in sheltered positions out of doors here, but it 

 may be stated that the plants were imported direct from Japan. 

 Greenhouse grown plants have been tried in similar situations with 

 unfavorable results. D. odora is grown indoors and is discussed on 

 p. 109. D. ponlica and D. Laureola are perfectly hardy in 

 Washington, but they do best with partial shade in Summer. The 

 last named is scentless. 



Propagation. D. Cneorum is rather slow to increase from cut- 

 tings. The best method of propagation is to la\-er the trailing 

 branches in Spring, making an incision, or tongue, in the under part 

 of the stem. Have the cut part at least 2 inches under the soil; se- 

 cure with wooden pegs; press the soil firmly over it, and cover with 

 sphagnum to insure moisture. Leave until the following Spring 

 before separating from the parent plant. D. Mczcrcum is raised 

 from seed, and its forms grafted on seedlings of the type. 



DEUTZIA. The Deutzias are all valuable because of their 

 showy flowers. A free growing and handsome flowered species, 

 D. scabra, often grows 8 feet tall and bears white or blush flowers on 

 short growths made on the previous season's wood. D. s. crcnata 

 is a form with smoother leaves than the type. There are several 

 other varieties with double flowers more or less tinged with rose. 

 D. c. Pride of Rochester has the flowers large and double white. 



