THE GREENHOUSE AND ITS FLOWERS. 



235 



and affording plenty of water to the roots. This treat- 

 ment corresponds to that in which the plants naturally 

 revel in their native habitats. 



Pruning. — If this be required to keep the plants shapely, 

 it should be done before new growth commences. Do 

 not prune too severely — merely sufficient to balance the 

 plant, and discourage the removal of wood when the 

 blossoms are required. 



Enemies of Camellias are aphis and scale. Fumigation 

 will soon dispel the former if commenced before they gain 

 a stronghold, and Gishurst's compound will destroy the 

 latter. 



Propagation of Camellias is usually accomplished by 

 grafting, and in this country August is the best month. 

 The Single Ked is used as a stock. Home-grown plants 

 are r e c o m - 

 mended before 

 those of foreign 

 growers. The 

 latter are 

 generally 

 grown under 

 such rapid con- 

 ditions that 

 they soon look 

 sickly when 

 they have been 

 in the hands of 

 the buyer for a 

 brief period. 



The best 

 varieties are as 

 follows — Reds 

 and crimsons : 

 Beali, C. II. 

 Hovey, Chand- 

 leri, C. M. 

 Hovey, Coral- 

 lina, Doncke- 

 laari, Eugene 

 M a s s i n a , 

 E x i m e a , 

 I 111 1) r i c a t a , 

 L'Insubria, 

 L e e a n a 

 superba, Mme. 

 L e b o i s , 

 M a 11 a r a , 

 Matho tiana, 

 Rafia, Reine 

 des K leu i s. 

 Whites: Alia 

 plena, Candi- 

 d i s s i m a , 

 Duchesse de 

 Berri, Fim- 

 bria t a , [ n - 

 nocenza, Jose 

 Marques 

 Loureiro, 



Saudadede CA MEL LI A S. 



C a m i 1 1 o 



Aureliano, Lavinia Maggi, Montironi, Ninfa Egeria, 

 Princess Charlotte. Alba plena is as good as any. 

 Blush : Comtessa de Hainaut, Cup of Beauty, Jubilee, 

 La Reine, Lady Hume's Blush, Mme. A. Verschaffelt, 

 Mrs. Cope, Princeza Real, Prima Donna, Reine des 

 Beautes. Pinks : Beauty of Waltham, Camillo Aure- 

 liano, Adelina Benvehuti, Augustina superba, Baron 

 de Vriere, Contessa Woronzoff, Countess of Derby, 

 Mme. de Strckaloff, M. d'Offoy, Principessa Rospi- 

 gliosi, The Duchess. Rose and deep Pinks : Barao de 

 Mogofores, Commendatore Belli, Comtesse Paolini, 

 Maggi, Comtesse Bontourlin, ConspF Duarte 

 d'Oliveiro, Duchess of York, Elegans, Exquisite, Henri 

 Favre, L'Avenir, Lucrezia Gazzarrini, Marchioness of 

 Exeter, Reticulata, Storyi, Vallavaredo, Wilderi. 



Any or all of the e may be chosen. There are no 



poor kinds, but as the list may bewilder beginners it will 



probably be of some assistance to mention the finest 

 varieties. Select from amongst the reds and crimsons 

 C. II. Hovey, Donckelaari, Mathotiana, and Imbricata ; 

 of whites, alba plena — which is more grown, and 

 deservedly so, than any other Camellia — Candidissima, 

 and Fimbriata ; of blush, Cup of Beauty and Lady 

 Hume's Plush ; whilst of pinks choose Beauty of Waltham, 

 Adelina Benvenuti and The Duchess ; and of rose, Con- 

 spicua, Duchess of York, Exquisite, and Commendatore 

 Betti. 



. reticulata. — This is one of the noblest species of all 

 indoor flowers, and very rare. Its name is seen in 

 many nurserymen's catalogues, but the plant itself, in 

 spite of its magnificent flowers, is uncommon. This 



species is a 

 native of China, 

 from whence it 

 was introduced 

 to the Royal 

 Horticultural 

 Society's Gar- 

 dens by a cap- 

 tain in the ser- 

 vice of the East 

 India Company 

 in 1S20. One 

 of the finest 

 specimens of it 

 in this ci mntry 

 is in the Tem- 

 perate House 

 at Few, where 

 it is planted 

 out, and has 

 reached 

 nearly 20ft. in 

 height. Every 

 year this plant 

 blooms, and as 

 the flowers are 

 about 6 i n . 

 across, one can 

 well imagine 

 its appearance 

 when it is in full 

 bcautv. Their 

 colour is rich 

 rose, set off by 

 a cluster of 

 golden sta- 

 mens, and, 

 u n 1 i k e the 

 Camellias 

 familiar in 

 most green- 

 houses, the 

 flower is not 

 f o 1 111 a 1 , b u t 

 wavy and 

 delightfully 

 irregular. 



C. Sasanqiia. — A very pleasing shrub, native of China 

 and Japan, very free-flowering, and with flowers ot varied 

 colour, white in the true species, but under cultivation 

 rose pink and allied shades occur. " Sasan-kuwa " is 

 the name given to this Camellia in Japan. 



The Tea plant is a Camellia known as C. Thea, but 

 is of no value in the garden. It is, of course, of 

 immense economic importance, but if one desires to grow 

 the plant for the sake of its associations a cool greenhouse 

 will suffice, with treatment similar to that required for 

 Camellias in general. The leaves are very deep green, 

 and the flowers pure white. Northern India is probably 

 the native country of the Tea plant, not China. 



There are other Camellias, but the varieties and 

 species named are the most ornamental. Such kinds as 

 C. Euryoides and C. rosseflora are of small importance. 



