222 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



the white kind) are apt to suffer. In ear- 

 ly winter when the flowering season is 

 over, the plant should be cleaned and 

 all weakly shoots removed, the border 

 dressed with fresh soil, and a watch kept 

 for new shoots from the base, which are 

 liable to be nibbled by slugs or woodlice 

 and spoiled at the outset ; this may of- 

 ten be saved by placing a lamp-glass or 

 small trough of water around the spring- 

 ing shoots as a protection. Once started 

 the stems grow fast and should be trained 

 upon strings (which are better than 

 wires) stretched in their line of advance 

 and notat right angles, so that the shoots 

 may follow them in their own way. It 

 is possible to secure flowers, either in 

 clusters or in long trails, as may be de- 

 sired. If garlands are wished the shoots 

 maybe left to lengthen at will, but if the 

 strong shoots are pinched after running 

 until they begin to show broad leaves, 

 clusters of many flowers are then formed 

 upon the side shoots, as many as a dozen 

 blooms sometimes hanging together. 

 Plants may be raised from seeds or layers, 

 seedlings being more vigorous but not 

 coming true. The seeds should be sown 

 as soon as ripe, in shade, and a warm 

 house, but old plants do not fruit freely 

 save in line seasons or when fertilised. 

 Layers are prepared in the autumn, 

 strong shoots being tongued (as for Car- 

 nations) just below a leaf, and then 

 pegged down and slightly buried on the 

 newly-surfaced border; they are slow in 

 rooting, taking from one to two years, 

 and when separated must be handled 

 with great care to avoid hurting the 

 roots. If neglected, the Lapageria is 

 very subject to insect pests of all kinds, 



from which it is freed with difficulty 

 when once attacked ; even the grub of 

 the vine weevil sometimes causes much 

 mischief before detected. In a fully ex- 

 posed house liable to sudden drought 

 from bursts of sunshine, it is not uncom- 

 mon for the leaves to wither at the tip, 

 and lose their flnegloss of health during 

 hot weather ; the remedy is to give all 

 the air possible, with abundant mois- 

 ture. Old plants are sometimes seen in 

 pots, but are never so flne, more heat 

 and constant feeding being necessary to 

 induce anything like vigour where the 

 roots are closely confined. In healthy 

 border plants shoots as thick as the fin- 

 ger and many feet in length are often 

 produced in a season, and though not 

 in themselves the best for flower, such 

 main stems favour the wide spacing, 

 which results in a fine display of bloom 

 upon the side shoots. A hundred or more 

 flowers on one shoot is not unusual, 

 though they are mostly hung all along 

 its length with a white or rosy bell in 

 every leaf-axil, the number sometimes 

 increased to two or three, or more rarely 

 in large bunches of many together. 



In many parts of the 



In the Open. , J 1 c . 



south-west of England 

 and in Ireland the Lapageria thrives in 

 the open, mostly upon walls facing north 

 or north-west, for though it will grow in 

 other aspects the colour of the flowers 

 is spoiled by much sun. Quite in the 

 north of Wales, near the sea-coast, there 

 are fine plants growing in this way, un- 

 protected save in the hardest winters and 

 flowering freely far into the autumn, 

 while in Cornwall and Devon fine esta- 

 blished plants are rarely without flowers . 



