ON GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 715 



Eupatorium. — E. odoratum and E. riparium are most useful 

 plants, lasting in flower during the whole summer. The first is 

 tall, and suitable for the centre bed, the second is dwarf 

 and useful for the shelves. Grow in the cool pit in loam, leaf- 

 soil, and sand. E. ianthinum is dwarf and shrubby, and 

 requires to be grown in the warm pit in loam, peat, and sand. 

 Propagate by division in spring or by cuttings struck in the 

 warm pit in February and March. E. odoratum has pale pink 

 and E. riparium white flowers, which are small, being borne 

 on longish stems in good-sized panicles. Height 2^ft. to 3ft. 

 E. ianthinum is blue, and greatly resembles an Ageratum. 



Heliotropes are valuable as greenhouse plants for their 

 beautiful fragrance, and also for the colours of their flowers ; 

 they can be grown either as trailing plants in 6in. pots, in 

 hanging-baskets, or as large plants in 8in. and ioin. pots, as 

 standards or trained on balloons. Propagate by cuttings in the 

 warm pit in autumn, and grow in loam, leaf-soil, rotted manure, 

 and sand. Stop two or three times, unless required as standards, 

 when they should not be stopped, but have all the side-shoots 

 pinched out till the required height has been reached. The best 

 varieties are Miss Nightingale, Roi des Noirs, White Lady, and 

 Princess de Sagan. 



Humea elegans is a biennial, and has a most striking effect, 

 with its graceful pendulous racemes of red flowers on stems 

 4ft. high ; ' it also has a delightful scent. Raise from seed 

 sown in February in the warm pit. Grow on and place in the 

 cool frame in summer, giving frequent shifts. Remove into the cool 

 pit for the winter, and give a final shift into ioin. pots in March. 

 Grow in a light soil composed of loam, leaf-soil, and sand. Give 

 particular attention to watering, it being most important not to 

 overdo it. The slightest mistake in this respect will prove fatal, 

 therefore it is better to keep rather on the dry side. 



Pelargoniums. — There are four classes of these: (i) Show, 

 (2) Zonal, (3) Ivy-leaved, and (4) Sweet-scented. All are so well 

 known that it is unnecessary to emphasise their value. 



(1) Show Pelargoniums blossom in spring and early summer. 

 Propagate by cuttings obtained from old cut-back plants in 

 August, and strike in the warm pit. They are best placed two 

 together in a 3m. pot, using plenty of sand. Afterwards grow in 

 the cool pit in rich loam, leaf-soil, and silver-sand, adding rotten 

 dung or artificial manure. Grow as cool as possible, and feed 

 well in spring and summer. After blossoming place them out- 

 doors- in full sun to ripen off, giving a little water at first, and 

 gradually withholding it altogether. After thoroughly drying for 

 about a fortnight, cut back and syringe overhead, when they 

 will begin to break. During this time, and also whilst drying, 

 they should be laid on their sides if the weather is wet. After 



