1882.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



89 



h |piI§W (|if1©i 



AND GREENHOUSE. 



CINERARIAS. 



The culture of these beautiful and showy 

 house-plants, which may be had in bloom 

 nearly all winter and spring, has so far not 

 received the attention of amateurs here 

 which their many desirable qualities deserve. 

 Several recently received inquiries seem, 

 however, to indicate their growing into more 

 favor. Gardening Illustrated gives the follow- 

 ing practical and timely directions, which 

 may be of interest 

 to those intending to 

 grow Cinerarias : 



SOWING. 



When plants are 

 required for winter 

 blooming a few seeds 

 should be sown in 

 April or May, but for 

 a general display, 

 continuing through 

 spring, sowings 

 should bo made from 

 June to September. 

 Prepare a pan or box 

 for receiving the 

 seeds by putting in 

 plenty of drainage in 

 the usual way, then 

 filling in the roughest 

 part of the soil to 

 within an inch of the 

 rim, and pressing it 

 firm, adding one and 

 a half inches of finely 

 sifted soil, consisting 

 chiefly of well-rotted 

 leaf -mold and a fourth 

 part of loam and 

 sand ; press the sur- 

 face quite level and 

 smooth, and sow the 

 seeds over the sur- 

 face equally, and 

 again press with a 

 board, without cov- 

 ering the seeds at 

 ail; place the pans 

 in a moist, close pit, 

 where there is a lit- 

 tle bottom-heat but 



no fire-heat, or in a shady part of a green- 

 house ; or, what is better still for these seeds 

 and many others, in a warm north house ; 

 place a sheet of glass over the pan until the 

 seed germinates, when it must be removed, 

 to prevent the seedlings " drawing," and the 

 pan placed close to the light, in whatever 

 house it may be. 



POTTING. 



When the seedlings have two rough leaves, 

 and can easily be handled, they should be 

 transplanted into boxes, giving them two 

 inches of space every way ; place the boxes 

 in a cold pit and shade from bright sunshine, 

 taking care to keep soil and atmosphere con- 

 stantly moist ; allow abundant ventilation, 

 but no draft. When the plants begin to be- 

 come crowded in the boxes they should be 

 potted into four-inch pots, and as these be- 

 come filled with roots they should be shifted 

 into five or six inch pots, as may be thought 



desirable, and in these the plants should 

 flower. Shelter and moisture, however, about 

 the soft foliage must be still maintained, for 

 if the Cineraria be once allowed to become 

 stunted and wiry in its growth, from neglect 

 of water, or any other cause, the prospect of 

 good plants is quite hopeless. Weak man- 

 ure-water should be given them every time 

 they are watered, after they have filled their 

 pots with roots. 



SOIL. 



The Cineraria is not very particular as to 

 soil. It will grow well in a fresh sandy loam, 

 with a third part of well-rotted horse manure 

 or leaf-mold, to which should be 'added a 

 little coarse sand. In order to keep the 



HYBRID CINERARIA. 



drainage free and open, the rougher portions 

 of the leaf-soil should be placed over it. The 

 latest sown batch of plants will be found 

 the most easy to manage, and will turn out 

 the best specimens, having the cool, moist 

 nights of autumn in their favor. 



The Cineraria is particularly subject to the 

 attacks of the green fly, but these vermin 

 are easily destroyed by tobacco smoke. They 

 will sometimes attack the roots, without any 

 signs on the leaves, in which case the plants 

 should be turned out of their pots, which 

 should be inverted, the plants placed on 

 them, and in this position should be fumi- 

 gated and then returned to the pots. 



SPECIMEN PLANTS. 



Large specimen plants may be easily grown 

 by shifting the plants on into ten-inch pots, 



using some rough bones in the soil ; but care 

 must be taken that the plants never become 

 in the least pot-bound before they are shifted 

 into the flowering-pots ; in other words, they 

 must be kept steadily growing, without cheek, 

 and when the heads of bloom are well up they 

 may be opened out and tied into shape by 

 thin ties of bast to "the rim of the pots, for 

 which purpose perforated and rimmed pots 

 should be used, as they are much better 

 adapted to this work than the common pot, 

 which necessitates the use of sticks. These 

 specimen plants must be grown close to the 

 glass, in a moist house from which frost is 

 excluded. Weak liquid manure must be 

 given regularly, and plenty of room allowed 

 between the plants 

 for the free circula- 

 tion of air. 



SICKLY ORANGE 

 TREES. 



These and other 

 large house - plants, 

 as Oleander, Laures- 

 tinus, Lemons, etc., 

 may often be restored 

 to health and vigor 

 by taking them out 

 of their pots and tubs 

 and planting them in 

 the open ground dur- 

 ing summer, cutting 

 back at the same 

 time all weak and 

 straggling branches. 

 The soil should be 

 mellow and moder- 

 ately rich, but no 

 manure, liquid or 

 solid, should be ap- 

 plied before the 

 plants have started 

 into vigorous growth 

 again. In the fall, 

 before frost comes, 

 they should be re- 

 potted in pots but 

 little larger than 

 those they occupied 

 before, giving plenty 

 of drainage, and 

 watering only when 

 the soil becomes dry. 



When it is not con- 

 venient to transfer 

 the trees to the open 

 ground, they should 

 be taken from their pots, have all the earth 

 shaken from the roots, decayed parts cut off, 

 and be repotted again in fresh soil, consisting 

 of equal parts of loam, leaf-mold, and thor- 

 oughly decomposed manure, with a small 

 addition of charcoal dust. 



THE NEW GERMAN IVY. 



Mr. Wm. Falconer, superintendent of the 

 Cambridge Botanic Garden, writes us : " The 

 illustration of the new German Ivy, Senecio 

 macroglossus, in the May number of The 

 American Garden, is a good likeness. It is 

 not such a superfluous grower as the old Ger- 

 man Ivy, Senecio scandens, but it has a finer 

 look about it ; its leaves are thick, fleshy, and 

 violet tinged, and its blossoms are moderately 

 large, buff-yellow, and borne in moderate 

 quantity in the winter months. The flowers 

 of the old German Ivy are very sparingly 

 produced, inconspicuous, and Groundsel-like. " 



