294 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



Hex Begonias {continued). 



Frederic Schneider. — Green, mottled silver. 

 Henri de St. Didier. — Dark green base, silver, edged 

 green. 



Mme. Ciiate. — Dark green base, silver, edged green, 

 hirsute. 



Mme. de Guerle. — Silver ground, broad margin, 



spotted silver. 

 Otto Forster. — Very distinct olive green ground, 



blotched pea green, velvety. 



President Carnot.— Largo silver leaf, slightly mottled 



green. 



Richard. — Bronzy green loaf, mottled white. 



Des Fontaines.— Silvery green base, mottled margin 



bronzy green. 

 Duchess. — Silver and slightly edged deeper. 

 Gaetan O'Gorman. — Very distinct, silver, green base, 



with reddish margin. 

 Mrs. S. Low. — Silver, with green veins. 



bertolonia. — To this family of dwarf- growing stove plants, gravesias are so 

 nearly allied that for all practical purposes they may safely be grouped together. All 

 are cultivated for the beauty of their leaves, and when seen in good condition are chastely 

 attractive. Some of the most popular species are B. guttata (syn. gravesia guttata), 

 with its varieties, margaritacea, albo-punctata, rosco -punctata, and g. superba ; B. 

 maculata, B. marmorata, and B. pubescens. All are propagated by cuttings inserted in 

 light, sandy soil, in well-drained pots or pans, covering these with bell-glasses, in a 

 temperature of 75°. The spring is the best time to do this. The plants thrive in equal 

 parts of peat, leaf soil, and sand, and must be kept in a warm, close, and moist atmo- 

 sphere. They are usually seen at their best in ornamental pans, covered with a bell- 

 glass, or in a miniature frame on a bed in a hot-house ; exposure to the sun in a dry 

 atmosphere is fatal to the plants. 



bignonia. — Included in this family of shrubby climbing plants are a few species 

 that require to be grown in cither a warm greenhouse or an ordinary stove. They are 

 cultivated principally for their flowers, which are large, trumpet- shaped, and produced, 

 as a rule, in axillary and terminal panicles. The three species selected are B. 

 argyreo-violascens, South America, leaves white veined, and in a young state 

 violet ; B. speciosa, Uruguay, growth shrubby, flowers pink, stained with purple, May ; 

 B. venusta (Fig. 137), Brazil, flowers orange crimson, abundantly produced from August 

 to December. Propagation is effected by cuttings of young wood, 3 inches long, 

 inserted in April, in well- drained pots of sandy soil, and placed in a temperature of 

 65° to 70°. The young plants first established in small pots are either given liberal 

 shifts into larger sizes, or planted in narrow borders— these suiting them better than 

 pots. They succeed in a mixture of two parts fibrous loam, one part each of peat and 

 leaf soil, with a little sand. Pot or plant firmly. Train the plants either near the 

 glass, or assign them a sunny position, as only firm, well-ripened wood will flower 



