238 THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



size, loo, hence there are such names as the Giant 

 Cyclamens, distinguishing titles which are necessary, as 

 the varieties differ conspicuously from each other. The 

 Cyclamen is as useful as any flower of the greenhouse, 

 and how different are the present-day kinds to those one 

 knew not many years ago, when the plants were 

 straggling, the flower stems weakly, and the petals them- 

 selves not of that robust, waxy character seen at present. 

 The flowers are very useful to cut for indoor decorations, 

 and last many days as fresh as w hen upon the plant. < >ne 

 may select from whites as pure as snow, deep rose, 

 purple, white with crimson base, and intense crimson. 

 A fault, however, of the dull crimson and purple shades 

 is that the colour dies away to an objectionable magenta 

 tone, but when fresh their intense hues are very effective. 

 The Papilio strain will probably become popular ; there 

 is a certain fascination in their fringed petals, a character 

 quite permanent, as far as one has seen. The seed may 

 be sown at various limes of the year — in October or 

 early November for a spring display, and in [uly or 

 August for a winter bloom. 



The seed should be sown very thinly in a compost of 

 loam one half, ] eat and leal mould one eighlh each, and 

 one fourth ol 

 1 horoughly 

 decayed cow 

 manure, with a 

 little coarse 

 sand. 1 'a~.s this 

 through a sieve 

 \\ ith a quarter- 

 i n c h mesh; 

 cover the seed 

 to a depth of 

 one-fourth of 

 an inch; keep 

 moist and dark 

 in a greenhouse 

 temperature il 

 sow n in spring, 

 and in a shaded 

 pit or frame il 

 sown during 

 July or August. 

 Do not b e 

 hasty in dis- 

 carding a pan 

 11I seed alter a 

 few seedlings 

 h a v e bee n 

 taken from il, 



as some of the seeds take from two Id three months 

 or more to germinate. As soon as the seedlings 

 have formed a tiny bulb, lift them upon the point 

 ol a label, being careful to remove roots and bulb 

 intact. Unless one sows thinly, this is not an easy 

 matter. Place into " thumbs," using the same compost 

 as above. Water overhead through a fine rose, and lie 

 careful to use quite clear water, or the handsome foliage 

 will be disfigured. This point applies all through their 

 culture. Dirty water soon causes a sediment upon the 

 leaves, especially in the axils, and this w ill have a very 

 bad effect upon the health of the plants. They must be 

 kept shaded from bright sun during summer, and should 

 never be exposed to it during the six midday hours. 

 When they have flowered, do not dry off so completely 

 as was the practice a few- years back, but gradually with- 

 hold water, and shake out soil from their roots as far as 

 possible when partly dormant. Repot into a compost as 

 advised for the seedlings, but add more of the dry cow 

 dung and a little old mortar rubble. Never more than 

 just bury the bulb or corm. Pot very firmly, and keep 

 them as cool as possible during the summer. They may 

 be fully exposed to gentle showers, and the dew~s of 

 August and September, giving shade again during the 

 hottest parts of the day. 11 removed to a greenhouse 

 shelf by the end of September, and stood upon some 

 moist cocoa-nut fibre, or upon any cool bottom close to 



PERSIAN CYCLAMEN 



the glass, with plenty of air and light, they will flower 

 freely all the winter and spring. They can be helped at 

 this stage with liquid manure once a week or so. Frost 

 must not touch litem. brum 5odeg. to 6odeg. is a 

 good temperature during winter. If green-fly attacks 

 them, either syringe with clear water or fumigate gently. 

 After the flowering season is over they may be kept 

 moderately dry and started into growth again in the 

 spring. 



Daphne indiea. -This is a universal favourite, owing to 

 the delicious fragrance of its blossoms, w hich are produced 

 in winter. It is a neat-growing evergreen shrub, with 

 dark green leaves and little terminal clusters of bright 

 pink blossoms. There is also a variety with white 

 flowers. This Daphne is very particular in its require- 

 ments, and succeeds best in a mixture of loam, peat, and 

 sand. A fairly shady position, too, is necessary for it. 

 Kit lira is a deep-coloured variety. 

 Datura.- The huge white trumpet-shaped blooms of 

 1 >. arborea, known also as Brtlgmansia arborea, are very 

 striking, and planted out in a conservatory it forms'quite 

 a tree that will produce hundreds of flowers. It blooms, 

 as a rale, throughout the greater part of the summer, and 



w ell on into the 

 autumn. In D. 

 sanguinea the 

 flowers are of 

 an orange-red 

 colour, and in 

 D. chlorantha 

 flore-pleno pale 

 y e 1 1 o w and 

 double. A new 

 kind, D. cornu- 

 copise, which 

 flowers freely 

 treated as an 

 a n n u a 1 , h a s 

 large semi- 

 double blos- 

 soms, white, 

 edged and 

 marbled with 

 purple. Given 

 good rich soil 

 the Daturas are 

 all of easy 

 culture. 

 Erythrina 

 Crista-galli, 



known as the 



Coral tree, is very distinct from anything else. It forms a 

 stout root-stock, from whence are pushed up numerous 

 annual shoots that reach a height of 4ft. to 6ft., and are 

 furnished with trifoliate leaves of a bright shining green, 

 with a few scattered prickles on the stalks. The flowers 

 with which the upper parts of the shoots are terminated 

 are somewhat Pea-shaped, thick in texture, and of a 

 deep scarlet hue. It flowers towards the latter part of 

 the summer. 



Eupatorilim. — This is a free-flowering race, some of 

 which are valuable for winter blooming. The best for 

 this purpose are E. ripariumand E. Weinmannianum, both 

 of which bear crowded clusters of white flowers. Two 

 other species — E. atrorubens, purplish red, and 



E. ianthinum, in which the flowers are of a lighter hue — ■ 

 flower early in the spring. The two last mentioned are 

 like gigantic Ageratums. They are all easily increased by 

 seeds or cuttings in heat in spring. 



Franeoa {Maidtrts Wreath). — Two kinds, both natives of 

 Chili, are popular for the greenhouse. They are both of 

 easy culture, and readily propagated by seeds or division. 

 The flowers are borne in long slender spikes. In 



F. appendiculata the flowers are pinkish red with a 

 deeper blotch, while ¥. ramosa is while, or sometimes 

 slightly tinged. Very useful for mixing in groups. 



Fuchsia. — Many of the original species or natural varieties 

 are very beautiful, and besides these a vast number of 



