1882.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



105 



AND GREENHOUSE. 



ABUTILONS AND HIBISCUS. 



These plants, which are prominent repre- 

 sentatives of the large family of Malvaceae, 

 have latterly, with the growing fancy for 

 bright, showy flowers, risen in popular favor. 

 Though there are some new varieties, many 

 species are among the oldest inhabitants 

 of our green-houses and stoves. Plants of 

 Abutilon striatum, with its delicately veined 

 bells opening so freely during the long 

 winter months in the southerly parlor- 



ABUTILON. 



window, are one of the earliest recollections 

 of our childhood. And, indeed, to-day there 

 is no better window-plant ; it always blooms, 

 thrives in the close, dry air of a parlor, and 

 is free from insects. Its only fault is a ten- 

 dency to grow too tall, but this is easily 

 remedied by pruning, or, if the plant is taken 

 young, by pinching out the leading shoots, 

 when it soon becomes a very handsome bush. 

 Closely resembling this species in flower, but 

 with more woolly leaves, are the varieties of 

 the Darwinii section. They are virtually per- 

 petual bloomers, thriving not only under 

 parlor and green-house culture, but very 

 good summer bedding plants. 



MIMOSA PUDICA. 



The flowers are on shorter foot -stalks 

 than those of A. striatum, and are more 

 open ; perhaps they are not so graceful, but 

 they are far richer in color. A very beauti- 

 ful species is Boule de Neige, or Snowball. 

 It is of dwarf habit, and little plants, only 

 a few inches high, cover themselves with 

 the large pure-white flowers. Of tall species, 

 of which A. Bedfordianum, one of the old- 

 est denizens of our green-houses, is a good 

 representative, there are many kinds; but 

 they are coarse in flower, and unless one 

 has much spare room, they are not especially 



desirable in the green -house, and are not 

 suited for the parlor. "Where room can be 

 given they make large specimens, and flower 

 very freely; and we have seen them very 

 beautiful, planted out in summer in the 

 garden. All the Abutilons require only 

 common green-house treatment, and are very 

 easy to grow ; they root freely from cuttings, 

 and are especially adapted for conservatory 

 decoration. Some are of pendent growth, 

 and do well in hanging baskets, and others 

 have gold variegated foliage. Small plants, 

 in six-inch pots on rich soil, should be 

 plunged in the open ground in the spring, 

 after all danger of frost is over. If the 

 weather is dry, they should have occasional 

 waterings, and should be pinched to make 

 them bushy. About September take them 

 up and repot into pots two or three sizes 

 larger ; place them in a sheltered place for a 

 few days and remove them to the house 

 before the nights become cold. Thus treated 

 they will bloom all winter. They can, after 

 the first year, be made into beautiful stand- 

 ards, for which they are especially adapted, 

 or they may be trained into pyramidal or 

 any other required form. As to colors of 

 flowers, we have white, yellow, crimson, 

 orange, and rose, and there is also a great 

 variety of foliage, both in color and shape. 



The Hibiscus are in flower far more gor- 

 geous than the Abutilons, are much stronger 

 growers, and, being natives of warmer cli- 

 mates, are not well adapted to parlor culture ; 

 but in the green-house they are magnificent. 

 In winter they require heat to bloom them 

 well; but in summer, large plants in tubs set 

 out of doors, or even bedded out in sheltered 

 situations in the garden, bloom beautifully 

 and are very effective. The foliage is a dark, 

 glossy green, the flowers are very large and 

 both double and single. There is a great 

 variety of colors — scarlet, orange, crimson, 

 yellow, and we have heard of white with 

 deep purple center which was very showy, 

 especially if contrasted with the brighter 

 colors. There is also a species (H. Cooperii ) 

 with white and pink variegated foliage, 

 which when well grown is very beautiful ; the 

 flowers are single, in color white much veined 

 with pink. 



This species requires to be somewhat pot- 

 bound before the foliage develops its full 

 variegation ; in too large a pot, or planted 

 out, the leaves revert to green, but a large 

 plant grown for years in a tub will be as 

 bright as a rainbow. This kind also requires 

 more heat than the green-leaved varieties and, 

 we have never seen it successfully grown as 

 a parlor plant. Tor window culture the 

 Hibiscus are not as well adapted as the Abuti- 

 lons, but we have seen the species with single 

 flowers do passably well ; those with double 

 flowers always drop the great, heavy buds 

 before opening, as double Camellias so often 

 do in the hot dry air of the parlor. The 

 Hibiscus are very easily propagated from 

 cuttings and are very free growers, a small 

 plant soon making a specimen. They do not 

 require to be kept very wet, but if allowed to 

 dry up the buds will drop. Give them a rich 

 soil, light, heat and moderate moisture, and 

 a large plant will never be out of bloom. 

 They have also the advantage of beginning 

 to bloom very young, a cutting a few inches 

 high often having a flower larger than all the 

 rest of the plant. 



Grow a few Abutilons and Hibiscus. 



. John Thorpe. 



MIMULUS. 



The Mimulus is a very pretty little plant 

 of the easiest culture, and does not receive 

 the attention which it deserves. There are 

 very pretty native species which are well 

 worthy of cultivation if one can give them a 

 moist border ; but all are impatient of drought, 

 and die if allowed to dry up. The most com- 

 mon exotic species is the pretty little Musk 

 plant (M. moscfiatus), a charming little free- 

 flowering plant with bright yellow blossoms, 

 the whole plant diffusing a pleasant musky 

 odor. Then we have the taller varieties, of 

 which M. cupreus is the type, with showy 

 flowers ; but the most lovely of all are the 



MIMULUS, WITH WHITE GROUND. 



dwarf and large-flowered varieties, of which 

 our illustrations give a good idea. The plant 

 is very dwarf, spreading, soft-wooded, with 

 light green foliage, and covers itself with the 

 large blossoms. The colors vary greatly, and 

 the markings of some of the varieties are ex- 

 quisite ; indeed, a packet of seed will often 

 give as many varieties as there are plants, 

 and all will be good. The colors are yellow 

 in every possible shade, the markings brown, 

 maroon, or even black. The culture of all 

 species is the same. The seed, which is 

 very fine, should be sown in a pot of light, 

 rich soil, and the little plants protected from 

 full sun. As soon as they are large enough 

 to handle, pot them off two or three in a pot, 



MIMULUS MACULOSUS. 



or prick them out in a shallow pan ; when 

 they grow larger, pot each plant separately 

 in rich light soil and expose fully to light. 

 If the plants grow too high, pinch them. 

 Keep them moist but not too wet. 



MIMOSA PUDICA, 



Who does not know the pretty Sensitive 

 Plant ? How easy it is to grow : only plant 

 the seed, pot off the plants, shifting as they 

 grow larger ; or plant in the garden, where 

 they will bloom until killed by the frost. 



