GARDENING IN NEW ORLEANS. 



58 



of the world. A year or so ago, at the sale of a private 

 collection owned by Mr. Onorata, he bought many choice 

 varieties In April they were a marvel of beautiful 

 bloom. Here also grow several fine specimen pitcher- 

 plants (nepenthes). One ' ' pitcher " — the largest ever seen 

 here — measured eight inches. The orchids generally 

 occupy two large hothouses. The Mexican collection is 

 placed outdoors in summer, under the shade of a large 

 weeping willow and an arbor. These orchids will not 

 bloom before winter. The collection is a very large and 

 valuable one. 



Cordova coffee-plants, growing under the shade of 

 Leconte pear trees, have bloomed here for several sea- 

 sons in the springtime, the small fragrant, white, star- 

 like flowers holding firmly to the stems of the plants, and 

 peeping out from beneath the safe cover of dark, glossy 



fine plants, but to describe them all would require too 

 much space. I will, therefore, only mention two specially 

 lovely vines that were both growing in coolhouses. The 

 first was a fine specimen of I'assijlora pvincefs. This 

 Brazilian . vine is rare here, and a success only in the 

 hands of florists. Several attempts of skillful amateurs 

 to cultivate it have proved signal failures. The flowers 

 grow on long, drooping sprays, and I counted 17 flowers 

 and buds on one spray. The leaves are simple, glabrous, 

 cordate-lanceolate in shape, and a bright yellow-green. 

 The flowers are of a medium size, have 10 petals, and 

 their color is a rich, glowing cherry-red. The plants 

 bloom during the summer, and are propagated by means 

 of layers or cuttings. 



A fine Allamanda Henderso7iii next attracted me. 

 This vine was ablaze with the golden splendor of several 



green leafage as if afraid of the novel sights and sounds 

 of a strange land. The Leconte pear trees are fine and 

 healthy, bearing abundant crops of perfect fruit, much 

 superior in flavor to fruit produced from sandy soil. This 

 Mississippi river bottom-land is admirably suited to Le- 

 conte culture. The Kieffer is also successful here, and 

 old orchardists think that the cultivation of these two 

 kinds of pears could be made very profitable in this sec- 

 tion of the state. 



Within sight of these fruit-trees are several bay-rum 

 plants [Pimcnla aci-i's) from the West Indies. They re- 

 quire winter protection, a light soil, and are propagated 

 in summer by layers or cuttings. Much difficulty is ex- 

 perienced in their propagation, but they are considered 

 well worth the trouble necessary to grow them well. 



Florist Fonta's establishment is brimful of rare and 



hundred large flowers, shining amid its rich, glossy green 

 foliage. For the last eight years allamandas have been 

 cultivated here in the open air, enjoying the hot summer 

 suns. The cold weather during winter does not seem 

 to injure them — that is, what little cold weather we have 

 in this mild climate. 



An extensive sale of plants, amounting to $2,000 worth, 

 was made in April by some of our florists to florist Albert 

 Fuchs, for the Masonic Hall in Chicago, but the places of 

 the plants sold were quickly filled by other specimens 

 quite as fine. Another such sale is contemplated later 

 on. New Orleans florists propose making a fine exhibit 

 at the Columbian Exposition. Plans for this will be 

 formed at their annual meeting ; doubtless they will be 

 well formed and well carried out. 



AVzc' Or/ca/is. R. W. T. 



