52 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



most popular are Gulielma, white and cinnamon 

 colour ; Jack Sheppard, yellow, striped with red ; 

 M.C.C. , yellow, with orange scarlet stripes, a very 

 effective flower; Northern Star, red, edged with buff; 

 Phyllis, white, with stripes of purplish hue ; and 

 Victoria, white, with crimson edge. This group is some- 

 what quixotic in colouring, and the colours are not always 

 very fixed. Dahlias are of great value for giving cut 

 flowers, especially for bold decorations, such as the 

 church, for harvest festivals ; and the Cactus, single, 

 and Pompon classes 

 are also most useful for 

 this purpose. 



Datura suaveolens 



is one of the most 

 suitable flowering 

 plants for the sub- 

 tropical garden. It 

 can be grown well in 

 a large pot or tub, 

 brought on under 

 glass in the spring, 

 and plunged, just as 

 it is about to come 

 into flower, in June or 

 I uly Its appearance 

 is eminently tropical, 

 and is well set off by 

 its surroundings. 

 Fuchsias. — It is plea- 

 sant to know that this 

 graceful group of 

 flowers is becoming 

 mi ire popular, but for 

 many years fashion 

 placed them under a 

 cloud. The hardy shrubby kinds will be described 

 in the chapter concerning trees and shrubs, as here 

 bedding plants only are being considered. They are 

 very easily propagated by placing the old plants in 

 heat early in the year and taking off the young shoots 

 with a heel attached and potting them either singly in 

 small pots filled with a soil similar to that in which one 

 would strike a Pelargonium, or round the sides of a 48 

 (5in. ) size. When rooted, pot them off, and the routine after 

 this is very simple, consisting in merely potting them on 

 as the pots become full of roots, and hardening off before 

 trusting them in the open garden. Loam, leaf-mould, 

 and silver sand make a good general compost, but it 

 should be rather heavier for the later pollings. When 

 one desires those fine specimens used in gardens and 

 parks, either in beds or grouped upon the lawn, the old 

 plants must be kept from year to year. This is very easy, 

 as they may be kept in their pots in any shed, or even 

 cellar, if the soil is not allowed to get dust dry and they 

 are not exposed to severe frost. Green-fly is sometimes 

 troublesome when the young growth appears through 

 placing the plants in warmth to start them again, but 

 sharp syringing with cold water before it gets established 

 will settle this marauder. The double kinds are too 

 lumpy to use freely out of doors. Such kinds as Mrs. 

 Marshall, Earl of Beaconsfield, Tower of London, Harry 

 Brooks, and Mine. Cornellissen should be obtained before 

 any others. 



Hedyehium Gardnerianum [Car/and Flower). — This 



is a tropical plant, a member of a beautiful family, and 

 worth planting in a separate bed, if not grouped with 

 other exotic flowers. In quite the Southern Counties the 

 roots may remain out all the winter if coal ashes or cocoa- 

 nut fibre refuse are heaped over them, but generally it is 

 wise to lift them and store in the same way as one would 

 Cannas or Dahlias. Plant out late in May in well- 

 manured soil — loam and decayed manure are best — and 

 water liberally in dry weather. The leaves are very hand- 

 some, not unlike those of the Canna, and the flowers, 

 which are of a buff yellow tint, are very fragrant and 

 borne freely in strong spikes. 

 Lobelias. — There seems little affinity between the tall 

 scarlet Lobelia cardinalis and the bright blue Lobelia, gay 



DATURA. 



and constant throughout the summer. The Lobelia is one 

 of the most useful of bedding plants, but it must not be 

 ov erdone. There are w hite varieties and those with flowers 

 of varying shades of blue, also the taller kinds (L. ramosa), 

 which grow about cnn. in height. Few plants, however, 

 are more useful or better known than these, as they may 

 be planted in vases, window-boxes, and in hanging 

 baskets in the greenhouse. Where it is possible to keep 

 the plants through the winter, propagate by cuttings, as 

 these furnish stock of dwarfer and more compact growth 



than is possible by 

 seeds. The way to 

 get cuttings is to keep 

 a few plants over the 

 winter in pots, placing 

 in an airy greenhouse 

 free from frost, and in 

 the spring to take little 

 cuttings from the fresh 

 growths. These will 

 strike freely in 5m. 

 pots, well drained, and 

 give slight bottom 

 heat. Pot off sepa- 

 rately, grow on in a 

 warm house, but 

 harden them off well 

 before transferring to 

 the garden. Another 

 way is by seeds, which 

 should be sown in 

 January, in heat of 

 course, and in pans or 

 boxes filled with light 

 soil. Place them in 

 a warm corner of a 

 greenhouse with a sheet of glass over their receptacle, 

 ami when the seedlings are large enough prick off into 

 other boxes, putting them about ijin. apart. Give a little 

 heat again and then pot off singly or prick out further 

 apart into other boxes. If, however, the stock is very 

 large, it is needful to merely thin them out in the boxes, 

 and from these, when well hardened off, they maybe trans- 

 ferred to the beds. Never use too much warmth. The 

 seeds may be raised even in a warm room, placing the 

 seed pans in a sunny window. Blue is a delightful colour 

 used in moderation. But lines of Lobelia here, there, 

 and everywhere are not pleasant. This is the abuse of it. 

 Pelargoniums (Zonal). — These are popularly called 

 "Geraniums," but that term is botanically incorrect, as 

 Geraniums are wild plants, whereas those so called in 

 gardens have been raised by crossing species to produce 

 new forms. Of course the Zonal Pelargonium is still 

 one of the most useful of garden flowers, but is far less 

 planted than formerly. The fine-leaved varieties, the tri- 

 colors, silver, and others, should not be planted in town 

 gardens, but the usual run of "Geraniums " are a success 

 anywhere, especially in the South, where they can 

 remain out all the winter and grow into large shrubs. 

 It is so easy to raise them from cuttings that advice 

 seems almost unnecessary. Strike them in August 

 or September. August is preferable, as the cuttings 

 made from moderately-ripened shoots and cut just 

 under a joint may be dibbled in a sunny, fairly open 

 spot in early August. Gardeners root thousands in 

 the narrow borders skirting fruit tree plantations. If the 

 soil is poor, it must be improved by adding loam and 

 leaf-mould, and in the case of any particular variety put a 

 little sharp silver sand underneath each cutting for it to 

 rest upon and prevent possible decay. Give a good water- 

 ing, and in September, before there is any risk of frost, 

 lift them and pot singly into 3m. pots, transferring them 

 from these to a larger size. Plant out in late May. It is 

 advisable to strike the tricolor and other variegated 

 leaved kinds under glass. If no border is available or any 

 spot in the garden, then strike the cuttings in shallow 

 boxes or in pots, and put them in a cold trame, or in a 

 window even. Cuttings may also be struck in March or 

 April under glass 



