364 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. 



flowers cliiefly during the autumii months, 3Irs. 

 Garfield, Mrs. TF. Lee, Defiance, and O'Brieni. These 

 all have flowers smaller than the ordinary hybrid 

 Amaryllises, and vary in colour from a pale pink to 

 a deep rose. 



Culture and Propagation. — A good deal of at- 

 tention is required to grow Amaryllises to per- 

 fection, although fair results may be obtained under 

 the ordinary treatment of stove plants. In large 

 nurseries where these bulbs are a speciality, houses 

 are built expressly for their culture. The houses are 

 spacious, light, well ventilated, and provision made 

 for a good command of artificial heat if required ; but 

 Amaryllises do not require very much heat, cer- 

 tainly not so much as they are generally subjected 

 to in private gardens. The rule in nursery culture 

 is to have beds of tan in which to plunge the pots 

 to the rims. These beds are placed above the hot- 

 water pipes, which keep the plunging material at a 

 growing temperature, and the roots are thereby kept 

 in an equable condition, alike as regards moistui-e 

 and heat. The mode of treatment is as follows: — 

 In January the bulbs, which have been kept di-y 

 during the preceding three or four months, are re- 

 potted. They are turned out of the pots, the soil 

 shaken from them, and are divested of any oflsets 

 formed around the bases ; these bulblets furnish the 

 means of increasing the stock. The size of pot varies 

 according to the strength of the bulb, a 7 -inch pot 

 being used for the largest. The soil consists of fibry 

 loam, with a little sharp sand, crushed bones, or well- 

 decayed cow-manure. The pots must be well di-ained, 

 and the bulbs only placed about a third below the 

 surface. After re-potting the stock of flowering bulbs 

 they are plunged in the tan beds, but no water is 

 given for some weeks, imtil the leaves and flower- 

 spike begin to appear. Water is then gi^adually 

 applied, not too much at first, but more and more as 

 the spike develops. In the meantime the temperature 

 of the house, and also that of the beds, is kept in a 

 nice growing condition of about 55° as a mini- 

 mum, rising with sun-heat during the day to 70*^ or 

 so ; slight ventilation must be given, according to the 

 weather. The pots will now be full of roots, these 

 having commenced to form almost immediately after 

 the bulbs were re-potted in the moist soil, and when 

 the bulbs show signs of vigorous growth an occasional 

 dose of weak manure- water is given. In this stage 

 of gro^-th, onwards till growth is f uUy developed, the 

 plants require a good supply of water. During 

 March and April the plants are in bloom, flowering 

 in succession, each continuing for two weeks or more 

 in perfection. Some of the strongest bulbs develop 

 three, the majority two spikes. As soon as the 

 flowers are over the leaves quickly perfect their 

 growth, and continue to add strength to the bulb 



throughout May and June. About August, when the 

 leaves show signs of decay, care is needed, that the 

 bulbs do not receive too much moisture, for as soon 

 as the leaves begin to turn yellow, water should be 

 withheld from the plant altogether. From Septem- 

 ber onwards, till re-potting time in January, the 

 plants do not receive any water, but the house is well 

 ventilated and unshaded, so as to admit all the sun- 

 heat possible, in order to ripen the bulbs thoroughly. 

 By the end of summer the bulbs will be literally 

 baked, the soil being as dry as dust, but the 

 plunging material will be sufficiently moist to pre- 

 serve the roots in a healthy condition. In this con- 

 dition they remain until the beginning of the next 

 year. 



The same principles and practice of culture 

 apply to the culture of the Amaryllises in private 

 gardens, where only a few plants are dealt -with, 

 although a special house and appHances may not 

 be provided. Under whatever conditions Amaryl- 

 lises are grown, it is always adxisable to plunge the 

 pots, especially when the bulbs are starting into 

 growth, as this is one of the secrets of their success- 

 ful culture. The heaps of feimenting material 

 generally placed in early Tineries aftord a capital 

 substitute for a proper plunging-bed ; and other 

 equally suitable makeshifts will occui' to a thought- 

 ful cultivator. 



Fortunately the Amaryllis is not subject to much 

 disease or liable to insect attacks. A moist atmosphere 

 will generally prevent the attacks of red spider while 

 the plants are in gi^owth, but it sometimes is trouble- 

 some during the warm and dry resting period, but it 

 will succumb to the usual remedies for eradicating 

 insect pests. The main point is thorough develop- 

 ment of growth and ripening of the bulbs. 



The foregoing remarks apply, however, only to 

 flowering bulbs. The culture of the seedling and 

 succession bulbs is somewhat different. TThen the 

 offsets are detached from the parent bulbs at potting- 

 time, they are re-potted in much the same way as the 

 large bulbs and plunged in similar beds. In order 

 to induce the formation of roots, a little sand is 

 placed round each bulb on potting it, and this also 

 tends to prevent decay. The young offshoots soon 

 show signs of growth, and water is gradually given, 

 as in the case of the flowering bulbs, and throughout 

 the season they are induced to make as much growth 

 as possible, and instead of the foliage decaying it 

 often keeps green throughout autumn and winter. 

 The plants, therefore, are not kept dry so long as the 

 leaves are green, though less water is given after the 

 warm weather is gone. This treatment is continued 

 until the offsets arrive at a flowering stage, which 

 is usually about the second or third season after 

 separation. 



