THE GREENHOUSE AND ITS FLOWERS. 



229 



obta i n ed. 

 Glass- 

 house gar- 

 dening is 

 not a pur- 

 suit beset 

 with diffi- 

 cult i e s . 

 Failures 

 first arise 

 t h r u g h 

 neglect of 

 or di n a r v 

 details — ■ 

 suppres- 

 sion f 

 insect foes 

 and ignor- 

 ing the 

 rules of 

 careful 

 ventilation 

 and water- 

 ing. It is 



the first 

 potting for example, 

 practice. Indoor flowers 

 understand why failures 

 gardening. 



EXOTIC FLOWERS IN A CORRIDOR. 



principles that must be correctly carried out, the common-place matters of 

 and many failures may be traced to carelessness or ignorance of this simple 

 of the more common kinds are so easily grown that it is hard to 

 should occur when a beginner has mastered the mere rudiments of 



AblltilOnS. — These valuable plants consist for the most 

 part of highly ornamental shrubs, with drooping flowers 

 more or less bell-shaped. They are all of easy culture, 

 and may be readily propagated from cuttings of the 

 young shoots put in during the spring months in heat. 

 The principal species, all of which are natives of South 

 America, are : 



A. Darwini. — A compact plant, with reddish crimson 

 flowers, introduced from Brazil in 1S71. There is a 

 variety of this called tessellatum, in which the leaves are 

 curiously variegated with creamy yellow. 



A. insigTie is a much stronger plant than the last, with 

 peculiarly rough leaves, and widely expanded blossoms 

 of a purplish crimson with blackish veins. 



A. megapotamieum. — Though small, the red and yellow 

 blossoms of this are borne throughout the year, and it is 

 in addition one of the hardiest of all. This is essentially 

 a climber, and it is best seen trained to a roof ; indeed, 

 such a position is suitable for nearly all the Abutilons, 

 owing to the pendulous nature of the flowers. 



A. Striatum. — This is a rapid grower, with handsome 

 Iobed leaves, while the flowers are of a bright orange 

 yellow veined with red. 



Besides these there is a large number of hybrid varie- 

 ties, in which many shades ol colour are represented. 

 They include — White : Boule de Neige, Seraph. Red : 

 Brilliant, Sanglant, Royal Scarlet. Yellow : Golden 

 Fleece, very charming, covering the greenhouse roof, 

 Chrysostephanum. Pink : Anna Crozy, King of Roses. 

 Purplish : The Premier, Emperor ; and with variegated 

 foliage : Thompsoni, Eclipse, Sellowianum marmoratum, 

 Souvenir de Bonn, and Sowitzi. 



Abutilons are very easily grown, few greenhouse 

 plants more so, and their bright flowers are always 

 welcome for decorations. Sometimes one desires to 



cover a wall with them, and this is not difficult ; but in 

 this case, if the wall to be thus clothed is of any extent, 

 it is well to plant out the Abutilons in the border, which 

 must be well drained with broken bricks or similar 

 material and filled up with good loam. Free drainage is 

 essential, as the plants during the summer will require 

 much water. When grown in pots, plenty of drainage 

 is also desirable, with a loamy soil in which some well- 

 decayed leaf mould has been mixed. The most beautiful 

 of all varieties, especially for covering a wall, is Boule de 

 Neige ; its pure white flowers are invaluable for decora- 

 tions, even for wreaths and bouquets, for this purpose 

 the anthers being removed and the petals bent back. 



Many of the Abutilons are of more account for their 

 colouring than the beauty of their foliage. Souvenir de 

 Bonn is one of these, with lobed leaves of distinct 

 colouring, green with a broad margin of white. Another 

 of the section less known than this variety is Sowitzi, in 

 which there is more white in the leaf, hence the plant is 

 not so robust. A. Thompsoni, A. Sellowianum varie- 

 gatum, A. Darwini tessellatum, Nrevium marmoratum, 

 and the variegated form of A. vexillarium are also worth 

 mention for their leaf colouring. These variegated kinds 

 are used in the summer garden ; but whilst one appreciates 

 variety, an overdose of white or yellow variegated foliage 

 is not pleasant. Moderation is especially necessary when 

 things of such striking character are used. 

 Acacia. — This is a very extensive family, numbering some 

 hundreds of species, nearly all of which have yellow 

 flowers. The majority are natives of Australia, and a few 

 kindsthat will flower freely in a small state are very popular 

 in this country. Cuttings of these do not strike very 

 readily, but seeds of some kinds may often be obtained, 

 and they germinate freely in heat. A few good kinds for 

 the greenhouse are the following : 



