SCHIZANTHUS. 



262 



SCILLA. 



Schiz.v'ndra. — Menispermacece. 

 — A climbing or trailing half-hardy 

 shrub, with scarlet flowers, nearly 

 allied to Cocculus indicus. For the 

 culture see Cocculus. 



ScHizANTHus.--*S , o/anace« or Scro- 

 phularinece. — A genus of very beau- 

 tiful half-hardy annual flowers, which 

 may be either sown in autumn or 

 spring. If wanted to flower in spring, 

 the seed should be sown in August or 

 September as soon as it is ripe, in 

 light rich mould ; and the young 

 plants should be kept in well-drained 

 pots in a frame or greenhouse during 

 winter. In February they should be 

 shifted into larger pots, and this shift- 

 ing should be repeated every week or 

 fortnight till the plants have formed 

 their flower-buds. Care must be 

 taken in shifting the plants not to 

 injure the roots, as they are very ten- 

 der and succulent. The plants are 

 also liable to die suddenly if th« col- 

 lar is exposed to much sun-heat, or 

 much moisture. The soil should be 

 composed of equal parts of vegetable 

 mould and sandy loam, or of loam, 

 peat, and rotten manure from an old 

 hotbed. When the seeds are sown in 

 spring it should be on a hotbed, and 

 the young plants should be removed 

 into the open air in May, when they 

 will flower in autumn. The plants 

 are much larger in the open ground, 

 and the flowers are finer, if the soil 

 be sufficiently rich and light ; but 

 care should be taken to plant them in 

 a sheltered situation, or to tie them 

 to stakes, as the stems are very brit- 

 tle and very liable to be broken off 

 by high winds. The principal kinds 

 of Schizanthus are S. pinnaius, with 

 its varieties, all of which have pur- 

 plish flowers ; S. retusus, with scar- 

 let and yellow flowers ; and S. Pries- 

 tii, with white and yellow flowers. 

 Of these, S. pinnatus and its allied 

 species or variety, S. porrigens, are 

 the hardiest. 



Schizope'talon. — CrucifercB. — 

 An annual flower, with curiously cut 

 petals, and a strong tap root. It is 

 rather difficult to grow, as it does not 

 bear transplanting well, unless when 

 quite young, and it requires a deep 

 free soil for its descending root. It 

 should be sown in spring, and if pos- 

 sible, where it is to remain. 



Schotia. — Leguminoscs. — Cape 

 shrubs with very showyflowers, which 

 may be kept in a greenhouse during 

 the greater part of the year ; but 

 whicb should be removed to a stove 

 or hotbed frame during winter. They 

 should not, however, be plunged, as 

 bottom-heat does not appear to suit 

 them. They should be grown in 

 peat mixed with a little loam, or in 

 very sandy loam, the pots being very 

 well drained ; and they are propa- 

 gated by cuttings struck without bot- 

 tom-heat. Many gardeners keep them 

 in a greenhouse all the year, covering 

 them with a hand-glass and a mat in 

 very severe weather. 



Schubertia. — Coniferce. — See 

 Deciduous Cypress. 



Scilla. --Asphodeleee.—The Squill 

 or Wild Hyacinth. Bulbous-rooted 

 plants, mostly natives of Europe, 

 which send up their beautiful bell- 

 shaped flowers before their leaves. 

 Their flowers resemble those of the 

 Hyacinth, but they are much smaller. 

 S. siberica is perhaps, the most bril- 

 liant blue flower grown in British gar- 

 dens ; and there are other kinds witli 

 white or pale pink flowers, well de- 

 serving of cultivation. S. nonscripta, 

 the Wild Hyacinth, is sometimes 

 called the Blue Bell, and the Hare 

 Bell ; but these names are also ap- 

 plied, and apparently with more pro- 

 priety, to Campanula rotundifolia. 

 See Campanula. All the kinds of 

 Scilla are quite hardy, but they thrive 

 best in a sandy soil and a somewhat 

 shady situation. They are increased 

 by offsets, and the bulbs may be 



