THE GREENHOUSE AND ITS FLOWERS. 



237 



the following early winter. The 

 seed is small, and the pots or pans 

 prepared for its reception must be 

 well drained, and filled to within 

 an inch of the rims with good light 

 compost, sifted moderately fine. 

 S iw the seed on this, and cover 

 with a slight sprinkling of the same 

 soil, when, in a gentle heat, the 

 young plants will soon make an 

 appearance. When large enough 

 the)' must be potted into small pots, 

 using two thirds loam to one third 

 well-decayed manure and sand. A 

 light, airy position is necessary to 

 ensure a good sturdy regular growth. 

 When sufficiently advanced the 

 young plants must be shilted into 

 the pots in which they are to 

 flower, those sin. and 6in. in 

 diameter being suitable. 



The double-flowered varieties are 

 increased by offsets — that is, the 

 small shoots that are pushed out 

 around the base of the plant. They 

 must be taken off, potted into sandy 

 soil, and kept in a close propagating 

 case in a gentle heat till rooted. 

 Few greenhouse flowers are so 

 readily raised as these, and the 

 seedlings when of sufficient size may 

 be transferred from the seedling 

 pan to thumb pots, when a cool 

 frame will suffice, shading the young 

 plants from hot suns, and giving 

 gentle sprinklings with a syringe. 

 When they have become established, 

 which will be in the course of a 

 fortnight or so, reduce the tem- 

 perature, as artificial heat unduly- 

 used is the quickest way to bring 

 about failure. Remember also that 

 Cinerarias will not stand being pot- 

 bound. When once the thumb pots 



are filled with roots transfer to a larger size, say, one potting, 

 then into the 32 pots, which will be quite large enough 

 for all ordinary growers. It is wise to stand the plants 

 out of doors during the months of August and September, 

 as this will promote a hardy growth. Remove suckers, 

 and when the flower buds appear give manure water, w eak 

 at first, and gradually increase the strength, but guard 

 against an overdose. Many plants are killed through not 

 using caution in applying liquid stimulants, w hich if given 

 too strong burn the roots. Cinerarias are unfortunately 

 prey for many insect pests, of which, of course, green-fly is 

 one. This may be destroyed by gentle tobacco fumiga- 

 tions, and mildew, another enemy of the Cineraria, is held 

 in check by dusting with flowers of sulphur any plant 

 upon which the pest is detected. Dust underneath and 

 above the foliage. A soft brush will do much to get rid 

 of green-fly, if taken in time. 



Citrus. — The orange family all have deliciously fragrant 

 flowers and ornamental fruit, added to which they give 

 but little trouble when once good thriving specimens are 

 obtained. They succeed best in a turfy loam, with a 

 liberal admixture of well-decayed manure and silver sand. 

 As they stand for some years without repotting, when 

 that operation is performed drainage and other matters 

 must be carefully attended to. They may be stood in a 

 sheltered spot out of doors during the summer months. 



Clethra arborea {Lily of the Valley Tree) is quite a 

 small tree, which produces its spikes of Lily of the Valley - 

 hke flowers in July and August. The cultural require- 

 ments detailed for Citrus will suit this perfectly, except 

 that there must be a mixture of peat in the soil. 



Clianthus. — Dampier's Glory Pea, as C. Dampieri is 

 called, is one of the most gorgeous floweis in cultivation. 

 Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult to 



LUCUL1A GKATI^SIMA. 



succeed with. The roots are so impatient of being 

 disturbed that the seed should be sown in heat singly in 

 small pots, and when potting into larger pots the roots 

 must not be interfered with in any way. The flowers, 

 which are borne in clusters, are somewhat like an 

 enlarged and elongated Sw ; eet Pea, the colour being a 

 brilliant red with a conspicuous black blotch in the centre. 

 The whole flower shines as if varnished. A mixture of 

 loam, peat, and sand forms a very suitable compost. 

 There is a variety (Marginata) in which the flowers are 

 white, edged with red, and spotted black. 



C. puniceus is a more vigorous plant, and is well 

 suited for pillars and roofs in a conservatory. In this the 

 flowers, which are freely borne in early summer, are light 

 scarlet. 



Coronilla glaiica, an old occupant of our gardens, has 

 prettily divided leaves of a glaucous tint, something like 

 those of the Rue, and throughout the summer the entire 

 bush is studded with rounded heads of bright yellow 

 sweet-scented blossoms. It strikes freely from cuttings, 

 and will succeed in any ordinary potting compost. 



Cliphea. — A pretty little shrubby class, natives of Mexico, 

 nearly all of which have tubular blossoms of different 

 shades of red and yellow. Some of them are used for 

 bedding out during the summer, particularly 

 C. platycentra. 



Cyclamen persieum {Persian Cyclamen). — In the 

 original species the flower is white tipped with crimson 

 at the base, but there are now numerous garden forms 

 differing widely from each other and from the type. 

 Pure white blossoms occur amongst them, and various 

 shades of pink and red, even to intense crimson, are now 

 represented. There seems an endless series of Persian 

 Cyclamen floweis, varying not merely in colour but in 



