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THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



June. Plants may be raised from seeds sown in gentle heat in March or April, but are 

 more often obtained by offsets from the old plants. Firm potting is requisite, in a 

 mixture of two parts sandy peat to one of loam, and not much root-room is required. 

 A light position in a freely ventilated greenhouse is the best position for this plant, and 

 care must be taken not to sour the soil by over- watering. 



yucca. — Of this large genus a limited number of species and varieties are 

 recommended for pot culture in greenhouses or conservatories, and these for the beauty 

 of their leaves. Y. aloifolia, a species with broad glaucous leaves, and its varieties, 

 quadricolor leaves reddish ; lineata lutea, leaves white and yellow ; variegata, leaves 

 with whitish stripes, are, with Y. filamentosa variegata, leaves having pale yellow 

 markings and thread-like filaments, sufficient for most establishments. They are pro- 

 pagated by division or offsets in the spring, and by pieces of thick, fleshy roots, cut 

 into short lengths, and inserted in sandy soil in a temperature of 50° to 55°. Any 

 plants which are very much root-bound should have larger pots in March, employing a 

 mixture of two parts sandy loam to one of leaf soil, with sand added. During the 

 summer these yuccas may be used for the decoration of the flower garden, plunging 

 them in pots — not planting out ; or they may be grown constantly in light green- 

 houses and conservatories. They should be kept in a cool greenhouse during the winter, 

 and will not require much water. It may be observed that when Y. filamentosa 

 variegata is grown in peat in a stove temperature, the variegation is white, and the 

 plant very beautiful. It is noteworthy that many plants of it in the grounds of 

 Messrs. Pearson & Sons, of Chilwell, Notts, have passed without injury through a 

 long series of winters. 



Many other plants than those described in these pages are mentioned in trade 

 catalogues, but only cultivated by a few connoisseurs. 



