1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



127 



NASTURTIUMS. 



These popular annuals are all natives of 

 South America, but the common species 

 have been inhabitants of our gardens for 

 nearly three hundred years. 



The common large Nasturtium ( Tropmo- 

 lum majus) and its varieties may be sown in 

 the garden in May, where it is to bloom 

 through the summer, and requires no special 

 care. It is a showy plant everywhere 

 — in rich ground covering the surface 

 with foliage and flowers, and in poor 

 soil, while making a less rampant 

 growth, blooming even more freely. 

 It is also very serviceable for covering 

 trellis-work, rocks, fences, or stumps, 

 and is one of the bright flowers to 

 which the sea air gives additional 

 brilliancy. The brightest Nasturtiums 

 we ever saw were planted where, i 

 a storm, the spray almost dashed over 

 them. The colors are dark, velvety 

 crimson, orange, scarlet, straw-col- 

 ored, and spotted. There is a double 

 orange-colored variety, which is a 

 greenhouse plant, and is increased 

 by cutting, and used for summer-bed- 

 ding ; but it is of little value. 



The dwarf Nasturtiums ( T. minus ) 

 are among the most useful bedding 

 plants. Many of the varieties form 

 close, compact clumps, which all sum- 

 mer are bright with flowers. They 

 are of all shades of scarlet, yellow, 

 orange, rosy, almost white, and nearly 

 black. They bloom more freely in 

 poor soil , if the earth is too rich, 

 they run too much to foliage, and 

 it is always well to cut out the larger 

 leaves that the flowers may show 

 better. The mode of culture is to plant 

 them where they are to stand ; Tro- 

 pceolums do not bear transplanting 

 well. 



There is a class of tall climbing species 

 which are among the best of annual climb- 

 ers. A well-known example is the Canary- 

 bird flower ( T. peregrinum or aduncum), so 

 called from its bird-like, bright yellow 

 blossoms. It is a hardy annual, which 

 should be planted in not over-rich soil, in 

 May, and trained upon a trellis, or allowed 

 to ramble over bushes. It begins to bloom 

 in July, and continues until killed by the 

 frost, producing a profusion of delicately cut 

 foliage and bright flowers. It is very effect- 

 ive planted at the foot of woody climbers, 

 such as Honeysuckles and Wistarias, the 

 beauty of which is in a great measure past 

 before July. The light-green leaves and 

 yellow flowers contrast well with the dark 

 leaves, and make the trellis bright all 

 summer. 



Another tall climbing species is T. Lobbi- 

 anum and its many varieties. The species 

 has small, bright, orange-scarlet flowers, is a 

 most profuse bloomer, and is quite as good 

 as any of the varieties, although the latter 

 give a great range of color, — crimson, yellow, 

 orange, scarlet, and almost black. They are 

 admirable plants for the greenhouse, make a 

 great show trained on the rafters or up the 

 pillars, and are perpetual bloomers. At 

 first they may be raised from seed, and then 

 are easily propagated from cuttings, which 

 root readily in sand. They are useful as cut 

 flowers, as they preserve their beauty long in 

 water. 



Planted out in" the garden, they are apt to 



run to leaves, but for rock-work or situa- 

 tions where the soil is rather dry and poor, 

 they are admirably adapted, and make a 

 brilliant effect. 



The varieties of T. minus and majus may 

 readily be distinguished by their leaves ; in 

 the former the nerves of the leaves end in a 

 point, which is never the case with that of 

 the latter. E. S. E. 



TROP/EOLUM PEREGR 



CARNATIONS FOR WINTER BLOOMING. 



Plants propagated by cuttings during 

 the previous winter are best suited for 

 blooming from the following December to 

 May. The plants should have been bedded 

 out in early spring in an airy situation, and 

 shaded for a few days after planting. 



When about six inches high they should be 



TROP/EOLUM LOBBIANUM. 



pruned to not less than half their size, so as 

 to produce side shoots and an abundance of 

 buds. They have to be kept moderately 

 moist, and, unless the ground is very rich, 

 be watered from time to time with liquid 

 manure. 



About the middle of September they are 

 taken up, potted in six-inch pots, and placed 



on slight bottom heat in a pit or house. For 

 about a week, the sashes should be kept 

 closed and shaded if necessary, after which 

 time air is given gradually when the outside 

 temperature permits. During winter, a tem- 

 perature of forty degrees is sufficient, and 

 preferable to more heat. Of course, plants 

 intended for this purpose must have a good 

 number of flower-buds when taken up from 

 the ground. When proper care has 

 been given, sixty to eighty buds will 

 sometimes be found on a single plant. 



When the buds begin to expand, the 

 plants may be removed for in-door 

 decoration, placing them as near as 

 possible to the light and as far as pos- 

 sible from the fire. 



Plants with but few buds should, 

 before frost sets in, be lifted with a 

 good ball of earth and put close to- 

 gether in a pit. They should remain 

 uncovered as long as possible, and 

 during winter protected enough only 

 to keep them from freezing, giving 

 air on all mild days. These plants 

 will become suitable for potting in 

 March or April. 



It is useless to attempt the forcing 

 of poor plants. They will grow strag- 

 gling, lose their leaves, and bloom un- 

 satisfactorily. Jean Sisley. 

 Montplaisir, Lyons, France. 



LILIUM AURATUM. 



Unsuitable soil and imperfect drain- 

 age are frequent causes of failure 

 with Lilies ; but more bulbs are lost, 

 probably, by too shallow planting 

 than from any other cause, and the 

 following remarks on this subject by 

 Mr. W. E. Endieott, before the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, con- 

 firm this position. 



"The showiest of Lilies is unquestionably 

 the auratum. It is not suited to pot culture, 

 and the size of its flowers makes it look out 

 of place when so grown. A clump of it in 

 bloom is a fine sight in a garden. It is well 

 known to possess a delicacy of constitution, 

 owing to which the bulbs, after flowering 

 pretty well for a year or two, dwindle and die. 

 Great numbers, planted in all soils and posi- 

 tions, have gone the same way, except a lot 

 of six planted ten years ago in ordinary 

 garden soil. All but two are in good con- 

 dition; one of these had the shoot knocked 

 off by a careless person, and the bulb of the 

 other was pierced by the underground shoot 

 of a plant of Arundo Donax. This imperfect 

 success is ascribed to the fact that the bulbs 

 were originally planted twelve or fifteen 

 inches below the surface of the soil, and 

 leads to the conclusion that all Lilies should 

 be planted deep rather than shallow. To 

 get a sound, strong stock of IAlium auratum, 

 they should be raised from seed here. This 

 has been found true in England, where such 

 sell for from one-quarter to one-half more 

 than imported bulbs. It is beneficial to this 

 and other species to provide at least a par- 

 tial shelter for the lower half of the stem. A 

 remarkable point about the/, auratum. is the 

 variability in the time of flowering, which 

 ranges from June to September, and, stran- 

 ger still, the plant which flowers early one 

 year will bloom later the next. They also 

 vary greatly in size as well as in the tints of 

 their flowers." 



