POPULAR GARDEN PLANTS. 



417 



Camellias frequently suffer for want of 

 pruning. Strong shoots will often spring from 

 the centre, and if not shortened back in time, 

 are certain to weaken the already weaker side 

 shoots. Where the plants have been allowed 

 to grow out of shape, or have been too much 

 crowded, so as to cause them to get naked a f 

 the bottom, it often becomes necessary to head 

 them down. This should take place two months 

 before they commence growth, removing them 

 to a temperature of 60°, and keeping the soil 

 fairly dry until they have broken. 



Camellias may be planted in either peat or 

 loam, or a mixture of both. In peat they make 

 free growth, and the foliage is always of a 

 rich green; but the disposition to flower is not 

 so free, especially with young plants, unless the 

 supply of water is restricted at the time when 

 the flower-buds should set. A mixture of peat 

 and loam is used by some growers; others pre- 

 fer loam alone, containing plenty of fibre, and 

 broken in pieces about the size of walnuts, or 

 larger for large specimens, enough clean sharp 

 sand being added to keep the whole porous. 

 The quantity of water they require in the 

 growing season makes it necessary that the soil 

 should be open. Where good loam cannot be 

 procured we advise the use of peat of good 

 quality. The best time to repot them is just 

 after they have completed their growth. Where 

 the flowers are required in October, it is neces- 

 sary to start the plants into growth early. 

 When about to set their flowers, the shoots 

 thicken at the points, the terminal leaves having 

 attained their full size. This is the time to pot 

 such as require more root-room. The opera- 

 tion must not be delayed until the buds are 

 fully formed or they will drop off prematurely. 

 If Camellias are potted after flowering, the dis- 

 turbance of the roots always interferes with the 

 season's growth. They do not require repotting 

 often, as they will grow to a large size with 

 comparatively little root-room. Newly-imported 

 continental-grown plants should be potted into 

 firmer soil as soon as received. 



As they complete their growth, and the ter- 

 minal buds become visible, they should be kept 

 as dry as is safe without causing the leaves to 

 flag. After the flower-buds have set, the soil 

 should be kept moderately moist, or the buds 

 will fall off. Liquid manure, if applied with 

 judgment during the time of growth, is of 

 great assistance to plants that are wanting in 

 strength, or too much restricted at the root, or 

 that have flowered very heavily. It may be 



made from sheep or horse droppings or guano, 

 Vol. I. 



adding a little soot, which keeps worms in check, 

 and imparts a dark-green colour to the leaves. 



Cuttings of free-growing sorts will strike at 

 any time of the year, but preferably when the 

 wood is nearly ripe, towards the close of the 

 growing season; they may consist of the entire 

 shoot, 4 or 5 inches long, or shortened to one 

 or two joints, and should be inserted in pots of 

 sandy peat plunged in bottom-heat; they will 

 root in five or six weeks. Cuttings made of the 

 ripe wood require to be placed in a cold frame 

 or pit until they have callused, when they may 

 be removed to a heated pit. 



Camellias may be grafted at any time of the 

 year, but the best time is the early spring before 

 growth has commenced. Good-sized specimens 

 of inferior kinds, with stems an inch or more in 

 diameter, may be headed down and cleft-grafted, 

 putting two or four grafts in each. These, if 

 in a healthy condition, soon make very fine 

 heads. 



Insects. — Camellias are subject to attacks of 

 both brown and white scale, and if allowed to 

 go unchecked they soon increase to a serious 

 extent. They are easily removed with an ordi- 

 nary tooth-brush after a thorough syringing 

 with water at 95° to 100°, applied as soon as 

 growth is completed, and again before the buds 

 begin to swell. A strong solution of carbolic 

 soap is also effectual, but it should be afterwards 

 washed off with a syringe or hose. The plants 

 are much benefited by having their leaves 

 sponged over once or twice a year to remove all 

 accumulations of dirt. 



Select List of Varieties. 



Adrien Lebrun. Large red, beautifully imbricated. 

 Alba-plena. One of the best whites. 

 Archduchesse Marie. Cerise, striped with white. 

 Bealii. Crimson, one of the best, a free late bloomer. 

 Bella portuensis. An improvement on Jubilee. 

 Bonomiana. White, striped rosy-carmine. 

 Chandleri Eleyans. Light-rose; flower large. 

 C. H. Hovey. Deep-crimson, fine form. 

 C M. Hovey. Scarlet, very large ; one of the best. 

 Comte de Paris. Salmon -pink edged w-th white. 

 Contessa Lavinia Maggi. The best white striped variety. 

 Countess of Ettesmere. White, striped -rose; variable. 

 Countess of Orkney. White, striped -carmine. 

 DoncJcelaari. Crimson, mai'bled-white ; semi-double. 

 Eximia. Crimson-scarlet; of fine form. 

 Fimbriata. White, imbricated and fringed. 

 Henri Favrc. Rosy-salmon ; one of the best. 

 Imbricata. Crimson, imbricated ; one of the best. 

 Jubilee. Pinkish-white, splashed with rose. 

 Lady Hume's Blush. White, flushed with rose. 

 La Reine. White, splashed with carmine. 

 Madame A. Verschaffelt. White, spotted-red. 

 Marchioness of Exeter. Very large ; fine rose-colour. 

 Mathotiana. Brilliant-red ; large. 



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