532 PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS chrysanthemum 



C. frutescens {Pyrethruni frutescens). 

 Paris Daisy; Marguerite. — A beautiful 

 smooth, shrubby perennial 1^-3 ft. high, 

 native of the Canary Islands. Le^es 

 more or less glaucous, pinnately cut into 

 linear-toothed segments. Flowers in 

 summer and autumn, solitary, on slender 

 erect stalks, 2-3 in. across, with pure 

 white ray florets surrounding a yellow 

 disc. The variety Btoile d'or is the 

 well-known Yellow Marguerite, the leaves 

 and flowers of which are larger than those 

 of the ordinary tj-pe. In the late spring 

 months — April and May — vast quantities 

 of cut flowers of this variety are imported 

 from the Continent and find a ready sale 

 in English markets. Other forms known 

 as faeniculacetim, with Fennel-hke leaves, 

 amethifolium audi gra/ndiflorum are some- 

 times met with. 



CiMure amd Propagation. — The 

 Marguerite, unfortunately, is not a per- 

 fectly hardy plant, except perhaps in the 

 very mildest parts of the south and west, 

 and even there it would probably require 

 a, little protection in winter. Massed in 

 groups in beds or borders it makes a 

 charming display during the summer and 

 autumn. The production of flowers is 

 greatly increased by frequent cutting, and 

 all dead or dying blossoms should be 

 picked off, and others thus induced to 

 develop. 



In this country the Marguerite is 

 usually increased by cuttings taken in 

 autumn from old plants (cut dovrai some 

 time previously) and inserted in sandy 

 loamy soil in cold frames. They may 

 be placed singly into pots, and grown on 

 with plenty of light and air during the 

 winter, but fcost must not be allowed to 

 touch them. (Bushy plants are obtained 

 by pinching out the points of the shoots). 

 At the same time the air must not be 

 kept in a stagnant condition, or the 

 ' maggot ' — that deadly enemy of the 

 Marguerite — will surely appear, as it also 

 will under warm greenhouse treatment. 

 The maggot seems to attack only plants 

 which have been grown in too close and 

 warm an atmosphere. Unfortunately It 

 cannot be destroyed with insecticides or 

 washes of any sort, as it burrows its 

 milky way in white irregular lines beneath 

 the surface of the leaves. The only sure 

 remedy is to pick off affected leaves and 

 burn them, and have the plants moved at 

 once to positions where they will obtain 

 as nmch light and air as possible, and no 



artificial heat, or only just sufficient to 

 keep the frost out. 



On the Continent seeds are sown in 

 March or April in gentle heat, and the 

 seedlings are ready for planting out in 

 May or June, when danger of frost is over. 



The plants, however, are so readily 

 multiplied by means of cuttings that it is 

 scarcely worth while raising them from 



C. indicum (including C. sinense). — 



These two names indicate geographical 

 forms of the same species which is widely 

 distributed and more or less cultivated, 

 from India eastwards to China and Japan. 

 The plants are somewhat shrubby in 

 growth and range from 1 to 4 or 5 ft. high, 

 according to variety. The young stems 

 and leaves are covered with a soft whitish 

 down. Leaves alternate, usually oval- 

 heart-shaped in outline, more or less 

 regularly incised toothed or lobed. 

 Flowers in autumn in panicled corymbs, 

 various in colour. 



The flowering Chrysanthemums are 

 now so well known, and form such an 

 attractive feature of the autumn, that one 

 can scarcely believe the beautifiil forms 

 to have been developed within the last 

 100 years. The first plant in this country 

 was cultivated at Kew Gardens in 1790, 

 whither it had been sent by a French 

 gardener M. Cels. For about 30 years 

 gardeners in England and France were 

 ' selecting and improving ' it, and in 1825 

 the first exhibition in this country took 

 place. But it was not untU 1846 that com- 

 petitive shows were initiated, soon after 

 the ' Pompon ' or small-flowered forms had 

 been introduced from China. In 1862 the 

 first of what are known as ' Japanese ' 

 varieties was introduced, and to-day this 

 section has reached a very high state of 

 perfection and is cultivated in hundreds 

 of thousands. Gardeners now recognise 

 the following sections : — 



Incurved, in which the florets curve 

 upwards and inwards towards the centre. 



Recurved or Beflexed, in which the 

 florets curve outwards and downwards 

 fi'om the centre. 



Aneitwne or Quilled, in which the 

 outer florets are strap-shaped, the inner 

 ones tubular and densely packed together. 

 There are large- and small-flowered forms 

 of this group. 



Pompon or Chusan Daisy-Flowered. 

 Flowers small, numerous, florets strap- 

 shaped, regular, mostly reflexed. Some 



