ON BEDDING PLANTS. 



179 



As they are liable to sport from seed, the best way to perpetuate 

 and preserve any special variety is by means of cuttings ; these 

 may either be inserted in autumn, or a. few old plants may be 

 taken up, potted, and kept in a frame during the winter. Early 

 in the spring remove them into a warm, moist atmosphere, where 

 they will soon make an abundance of cuttings; these may be 

 taken off, placed in a warm propagatirig-frame, and when rooted 

 pricked out into boxes and hardened off before bedding-out 

 time. In this way any amount of plants of uniform habit may 

 be obtained. The taller-growing 

 species may also be increased 

 readily by means of seeds, cut- 

 tings, or divisions of the old plants 

 in spring. Lobelia Erinus (Fig. 

 87) is the species from which 

 most of our dwarf bedding varie- 

 ties have sprung. The typical 

 plant has blue flowers, with a 

 white or yellowish throat ; it 

 grows only 6in. high. L. speciosa 

 is an old favourite, of free, grace- 

 ful habit, suitable for trailing over 

 vases ; it has dark bronze foliage. 

 L. compacta is of neat and com- 

 pact habit, suitable for edgings, 

 &c. ; there is also a white-flowered 

 variety, and one with golden 

 foliage. L. pumila magnified is 

 an excellent bedder, with bright 

 blue flowers; it grows only 3m. 

 high. L. ramosa is a taller- 

 growing form, reaching a height 

 of gin. ; it has deep purple-blue 

 flowers. There are also numerous 

 good named varieties, of which 

 Cobalt Blue, Swanley Blue, Crystal 

 Palace, and Emperor William, are amongst the best. Of the 

 taller-growing species, L. cardinalis (Fig. 88), with rough 

 corrugated foliage, and numerous spikes of crimson-scarlet 

 flowers, is one of the finest ; it grows from iJjft. to 2ft. high. 

 L. fulgens or L. splendens is also excellent ; it has reddish leaves, 

 which are rather longer, narrower, and more downy than 

 those of L. cardinalis, and beautiful scarlet flowers. The 

 form Queen Victoria has deep mulberry-coloured foliage, and 

 intense vermilion-scarlet flowers ; it attains a height of from 

 23ft. to 3ft. Firefly also has bright scarlet flowers, and 

 sometimes reaches a height of 5ft. The rich and brilliant- 

 coloured flowers and foliage of these tall perennial Lobelias 



N 2 



Fig. 



-Lobelia cardinalis. 



