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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS eohdea 



need not be disturbed, but if strong flower 

 spikes are required the beds should get a 

 liberal dressing of manure every autumn 

 or winter, and when the leaves are grow- 

 ing quickly waterings with liquid man- 

 ure will also be very beneficial. When it 

 is desired to increase the stock the rhi- 

 zomes have simply to be lifted in Septem- 

 ber, divided, or rather separated, and re- 

 planted singly. 



At the time of flowering the colour 

 and size of the blossoms can^ be greatly 

 improved if they can in any way be pro- 

 tected from the weather. Old lights or 

 even a piece of thin canvas stretched on 

 pieces of wood placed over the flowers 

 will prevent them from being spoUed, and 

 they will look far whiter and purer in 

 colour than those left uncovered in any 

 way to the rain and wind. When pick- 

 ing the flower-stems they may be easily 

 detached by a rather sharp vertical pull. 

 The leaves, if possible, should not be 

 picked, as they are required to manufac- 

 ture food (as explained at p. 34) for 

 storing up in the underground rootstocks. 

 When leaves must be picked only one 

 from each crown should be taken, so that 

 the remaining one may carry on the 

 work of nutrition. 



Of late years a vast nimiber of crowns 

 of Lily of the Valley are prevented from 

 starting into growth naturally in spring. 

 They are carefully packed in fine sand 

 or sandy soil and placed in refrigerators 

 in which the temperature is kept a few 

 degrees below freezing point. This being 

 too cold for growth the :buds remain dor- 

 mant as long as the grower likes to keep 

 them in that condition. About June and 

 July when the naturally flowered Lilies 

 of the Valley are over, those which have 

 been prevented from growing, or 're- 

 tarded ' as it is called, are taken out, and 

 if planted in ordinary soil in pots, will 

 flower in a few weeks beautifully, even in 

 an ordinary well-lighted room, as well as 

 in the greenhouse. They are of course 

 vvatered and treated in the usual way. 

 In this way Lilies of the Valley are now 

 to be found in bloom almost the whole 

 year round. 



The ' forcing ' of Lilies of the Valley 

 with great heat in winter is just the 

 opposite process to retarding in summer, 

 and scarcely comes within the scope of 

 this work. It may, however, be men- 

 tioned that the crowns after being planted 

 in pots or boxes and plunged outside for 



a week to start the roots are placed in the 

 dark with plenty of moisture, and great 

 heat, 80-100 degrees Pahr. day and night. 

 After the leaves have grown a couple of 

 inches, they are of a very pale green 

 owing to the absence of light. They may 

 then be given light, but every day the 

 plants should be drenched with water 

 about the same temperature as the house 

 in which they are growing until the flowers 

 begin to open. In this way Lilies of the 

 Valley can be forced into flower from 

 December to the end of March in about 

 21-25 days. 



Where a good hotbed exists and can 

 be kept dark, forcing Lilies of the Valley 

 may be attempted. When grown in pots, 

 the crowns may be kept dark by means 

 of an inverted pot. All the plants need 

 not be put into heat at once, so as to have 

 a longer period of flowering. 



REINECKIA. — A genus with only 

 one species : — 



R. carnea. — A Chinese and Japanese 

 perennial with creeping rhizomes and 

 tufts of smooth linear lance-shaped acute 

 leaves 6-12 in. long. The flesh-coloured 

 sweet-scented flowers appear in April and 

 are borne in simple spikes arising from 

 the centre of the leaves. The tubular 

 perianth has 6 oblong acute segments, 6 

 stamens, and a 3-celled ovary. 



The variety variegata has the leaves 

 beautifully striped with green and yellow- 

 ish-white. 



Culture and Propagation. — This plant 

 flourishes in ordinary garden soil, and 

 although the individual flowers are not 

 particularly showy, they are effective when 

 the plants are grown in bold masses. 

 The variegated form is the better garden 

 plant and like the green-leaved variety 

 may be readily increased by dividing the 

 rootstocks in early autumn. 



ROHDEA. — A genus with only one 

 species : — 



R. japonica. — A distinct Japanese 

 plant 12-18 in. high, vidth short thick 

 rootstocks and tufts of large radical 

 leathery leaves, more or less lance-shaped 

 in outline and strongly ribbed. In the 

 most favoured parts of the kingdom the 

 white flowers appear in the early months 

 of the year, and are borne in dense spikes 

 or clusters. The romidish bell-shaped 

 perianth has 6 short broad lobes, 6 sta- 

 mens, and a roundish 3-celled ovary which 



