48 THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Darwini tesselatum, variegatum, and vexillarium varie- 

 gatum, which is, however, prone to revert to the green 

 form if the soil is too rich. One must not imitate 

 planters in some parks and use them everywhere. Too 

 much variegation produces a spotty effect. Thompsoni is 

 probably the most popular, and if one kind is needed, 

 select this. Propagate Abutilons by cuttings late in 

 March, of moderately firm wood. Cut just under a 

 joint and remove the lower pair of leaves, then 

 put the cuttings round the sides of a 5m. pot, or, if 

 of good size, singly in large sixties. Put them if possible 

 in a close case, giving bottom heat, and only sufficient 

 water to prevent flagging. When the cuttings are rooted 

 more water may be given, and when becoming established 

 pot on until they can be hardened off before planting out. 

 Soil composed of loam and leaf-mould, mixed with 

 plenty of sharp silver sand, suffices. 



AgatllSea CCelestiS (Blue Marguerite). — This is a charm- 

 ing tender plant for bedding. A small bed filled with it is 

 very pretty, as the growth is bushy and the daisy-like 

 flowers of a clear blue colour. It can be used also as a 

 groundwork, so to say, for taller things. A dry sunny 

 position is necessary, and propagate by seeds and by 

 cuttings ; but the best way is to strike cuttings in spring ; 

 they quickly root with a little bottom heat, and may be 

 potted and grown on either for the open or to flower in 

 pots in winter. When the latter is the object, pick off the 

 buds during the summer, ceasing to do so in early autumn. 



Ageratums form a useful class of dwarf bedders, and are 

 frequently used as a groundwork to other plants, the 

 herbaceous Lobelia, for example. Cuttings strike freely in 

 warmth in early spring. The best varieties are Cannell's 

 Dwarf and Verte Bleu, both of a blue shade, Swanley 

 Blue, Tapis Blanc, and the Zoo, which is perhaps the 

 finest of all. Ageratums, because so dwarf, make good 

 edgings, but this family should be planted with caution. 

 A surfeit of Ageratums is not pleasant, and one frequently 

 sees them put into positions for which they are entirely 

 unfitted. The colours are somewhat monotonous, but 

 the plants bloom so freely and regularly that they have 

 value in the summer garden. 



Alternatltheras. — These were much used in the old 

 carpet style of gardening, happily seldom seen now, a 

 form of. bedding which entails endless labour in keeping 

 the plants clipped to make them conform to a set pattern. 

 Alternantheras are of value for their leaf only, the 

 colours ranging from yellow to reddish bronze, a few of 

 the more important kinds being Amcena, paronychioides 

 major, p. magnifica, and the variety Aurea. Cer- 

 tainly where carpet bedding is indulged in these plants 

 are indispensable, and being natives of Brazil they are, of 

 course, very tender. They are very easily propagated, 

 striking the cuttings in a warm house with bottom heat. 

 As a rule, of course, a considerable quantity 

 of plants is necessary, and then they should be 

 struck in a hot-bed. Before transferring them to the 

 garden thorough hardening off is necessary, and planting 

 must not commence before the first week in June. They 

 are only of use in bedding. 



Begonias. — One wishes every garden flower were as easily 

 raised as the tuberous and fibrous rooted Begonias. They 

 have in a large measure superseded the Pelargonium, and 

 this is not surprising when one considers that seed may 

 be obtained in distinct colours, which are faithfully 

 reproduced in the seedlings. Seed sown in January 

 will produce plants for flowering the same year, and 

 another sowing in March ensures a still richer display. 

 The tuberous kinds will be considered first. Sow in 

 January and March, and get the best seed obtainable, as 

 this is the most economical in the end. The flowers are 

 either double or single, but of course seed can be 

 obtained of either section, and it is very fine, so much 

 so that great care must be taken not to sow too thickly. 

 Just cover it with fine soil. Use for sowing very shallow- 

 pans, which must be thoroughly well drained, almost to 

 the rim. Little soil is necessary for the seed, and this 

 should be composed of sandy loam, leaf- mould, and 

 sharp silver sand well mixed together. Moisten it before 



sowing, but disturb the surface as little as possible, as 

 the soil must be quite even. The best way is to let the 

 water percolate through the compost by holding the pan 

 in a pail of water. When sowing is finished, cover the 

 seed pan with a piece of glass. Place on a hot-bed, or 

 keep the surroundings fairly moist. A bed filled with 

 cocoa-nut fibre refuse, in a warm house and over hot- 

 water pipes, is an excellent place for raising seedlings 

 of Begonias and similar flowers. The temperature of 

 the house should be not less than 65deg. , and in 

 about a fortnight the seedlings will be ready to prick off 

 into a shallow pan or box, using a lead pencil or small 

 pointed stick for this work. Give the same warmth, and 

 when the}' touch each other pot into 3m. pots, gradually 

 hardening them off until they can be placed in the cold 

 frame in May, covering at night if frost is anticipated, 

 ready for the open ground, in which they may be planted 

 early in June. Begonias appreciate a rather moist soil, 

 and a position not too much exposed to the sun. Always 

 group the colours well, and a bed, for example, of a 

 crimson variety is more effective than a medley of various 

 hues. White and pink, bronzy orange and self orange, 

 and associations of colours of this character create brilliant 

 effects. A list of named varieties has not been given, for 

 the reason that the colours in seedlings raised from good 

 seed are wonderfully rich and varied, from white, through 

 softer rose, pink, and peach tints, as subtle as in the Tea 

 Rose itself, to bronzy orange, deep yellow, crimson of all 

 shades, and vermilion. The same beautiful colouring is 

 found amongst the double varieties. Propagation by 

 division is easy, and useful when dealing with named 

 varieties. Half bury the tubers in a sandy soil, and 

 place the box in a warm house. When the eyes push 

 out from the crown, lift the tuber, removing the soil, 

 and cut clean through, taking care to have two eyes at 

 least to each piece of corm. Pot up the divided portions, 

 place in the warm house, and treat in the way advised 

 for seedlings. The fibrous-rooted Begonias are very 

 popular and more easily raised even than the tuberous 

 varieties. They are scarcely so gay as the others, but 

 useful and effective, especially in moist summers. 

 Duchess of York, Crimson Gem, P'airy Queen, and 

 Duchess of Edinburgh are delightful, and may be raised 

 true from seed. B. Worthiana is an excellent bedding 

 Begonia. The orange scarlet flowers have a drooping 

 tendency, hence are less exposed to storms of rain and 

 wind. It is an old but valued kind. The way to winter 

 Begonias is to store the corms when lifted from the 

 ground and thoroughly dry in silver sand, using shallow 

 boxes for the purpose, and keep them in a cool place, 

 quite free from frost. If already in pots when the 

 foliage has died down, lay them on their sides under 

 a stage, and when sighs of growth appear in the spring 

 bring them out. Remember that the foliage of Begonias 

 is very succulent, and if exposed to the full sun, especially 

 when water has settled upon it, the result is that it gets 

 burnt and disfigured. Many fail to grow Begonias 

 satisfactorily for the reason that the requirements of the 

 plants are not studied. In very hot southern exposures 

 it is hardly advisable to plant them, unless the soil is 

 moist and gentle sprinklings in the evening can be given. 

 So greatly has the habit of growth been improved of late 

 years that the plants are available now for positions 

 which they could not have occupied some time ago, for 

 then the stems were "gawky" and the flowers com- 

 paratively few. The single kinds are generally a greater 

 success in the open than the double Begonias, which 

 expand less freely, and the plants are seldom so free. 

 Caladium eseulentum.— This is a noble foliage plant 

 for the summer garden to group with India-rubber plants, 

 Eucalyptuses (Blue Gum), and plants of like character. 

 It must not, however, be crowded up with things of 

 unruly growth, as under such conditions one loses the 

 massive aspect of the foliage. Plant it in rich soil, in 

 a warm sheltered spot, lifting the tubers at the end of 

 September, before frost has played pranks with the 

 foliage, and storing them in a greenhouse much in the 

 same way as one would the Carina. 



