1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



229 



GUERNSEY LILIES. 



Nerine. 



Considering the general desire for easily 

 cultivated plants with showy flowers which 

 will thrive in a small conservatory or win- 

 dow, it is surprising that the Nerines are 

 not oftener found among those interesting 

 little collections which receive so much care 

 from the amateur. This neglect can only be 

 attributed to the supposition that they are 

 difficult to manage. Nothing is further from 

 the truth, as will be seen from the following 

 directions given in Gardening Illustrated, to 

 which we are indebted for our illustration. 



The culture of the 

 Nerine is very sim- 

 ple, and the pro- 

 duction of their 

 gorgeous flowers is 

 certain, provided 

 the following de- 

 tails be borne in 

 mind: In the first 

 place, be it dis- 

 tinctly understood 

 that the Nerines 

 do not require and 

 will not thrive in 

 a warm, moist 

 house ; they are 

 cold greenhouse 

 plants, requiring a 

 dry atmosphere all 

 the year round. 



Most species be- 

 gin to flower in 

 August, and con- 

 tinue to bloom 

 throughout the 

 autumn. During 

 flowering and after- 

 ward, through win- 

 ter and spring, they >3S^ 

 should be watered 

 until the leaves, 

 by turning yellow, 

 show that the rest- 

 ing time has ar- 

 rived. The remain- 

 der of the summer, 

 while the plants 

 are leafless, not 

 one drop of water 

 should be given un- 

 til the flower-spikes 

 appear, or in excep- 

 tional eases until 

 the bulb, by its per- 

 sisting in pushing 

 up leaves at the 

 flowering time, 

 shows that it does 

 not mean to bloom, 



in which case the plant must be watered 

 and grown again until the next year. All 

 the sun-light and air jjossible should be given 

 to them at all times. 



During the resting season, a shelf in a 

 sunny part of a greenhouse or cold frame, 

 where air can be freely admitted without 

 letting in the rain, suits them admirably. 

 These, like many other bulbs, often are 

 ruined by being placed under a stage 

 when not growing. It is important not to 

 give water before the flower-spikes become 

 visible, else the leaves will commence to 

 grow, to the detriment of flowers, and the 

 spikes may not appear at all. 



Potting should be done as seldom as possi- 

 ble. The Nerines when repotted are gen- 

 erally thrown one year out of bloom. They 

 thrive for years in the same pot, piling one 

 bulb on another, and thus greatly increasing 

 ing the number of spikes to each plant. The 

 best soil for them is turfy yellow loam, with- 

 out admixture of any kind ; this, when the 

 plants get well rooted into it, will last and 

 keep them in good condition for years. 



Nerine flex nosa, A. elegans, and a few other 

 winter-blooming hybrids are, to a certain 

 extent, exceptional to the above rules, as 

 they do not require so long a rest, but may 

 be watered in September, without regard to 



NERINE FOTHERGILLI. 



the condition of flower-spikes, as they bloom 

 well when growing. 



Among the best kinds for the window- 

 garden, in a temperature of from -±0° to 

 50° are : A. coriisca, dark scarlet ; A. flexu- 

 osa, white pink line ; A. Fothergilli, scarlet ; 

 N. F. major, vermilion; A. limit Ms, pink; 

 A. rosea, dark rose ; A. sarniensis, rosy crim- 

 son; N. venusla, crimson. 



flowers may be gathered almost every day in 

 the winter to ornament the parlor or sitting- 

 room, and they may be glad to learn that 

 there are some things that preserve their 

 freshness and beauty for a long time, and 

 cost but little to procure. One of the very 

 best and prettiest of these is the leaf of 

 Cissus discolor, the rich and varied coloring 

 of which surpasses many kinds of flowers. 



Take an ordinary soup-plate, or any similar 

 thing that will hold water, and fill it with 

 water or, better still, sand kept saturated 

 with water. Now go to some florist and get 

 leaves of Cissus discolor, to go around the 

 edge of the plate. Pick out the prettiest 

 colored leaves, and 

 get the leaf stalks 

 as long as possible. 

 Insert the stalks in 

 the sand around the 

 edge of the plate, 

 and you will be 

 delighted with the 

 charming effect. It 

 will not be very 

 long before the leaf 

 stalks emit roots 

 freely, and the 

 leaves will retain 

 their freshness and 

 beauty for a long 

 time in the sitting- 

 room, no matter 

 how hot or dry the 

 air may be, pro- 

 vided only the sand 

 be kept wet. I have 

 kept them fully 

 three months in 

 this way. 



Having usually 

 plenty of flowers, I 

 keep the center of 

 the dish filled with 

 them, renewing 

 them as they fade. 

 If you have no flow- 

 ers for this purpose, 

 get some variegat- 

 ed Wandering J ew, 

 or Tradescantia ~eb- 

 rina, and dot over 

 the dish. They will 

 soon root and grow. 

 Selaginella may be 

 used in the same 

 way for the center, 

 and makes a good 

 green ground in 

 which to insert a 

 Rose, a Carnation, 

 or other choice 

 flower that may 

 happen along. All 

 this can be done with very little trouble, 

 and will make- the center table, or even 

 the dinner table, look very cheerful. 



A CHEAP AND PERMANENT BOUQUET. 



There are, says Horticola, in the Rural 

 New-Yorker, a great many people who have 

 no greenhouse from which a dish or stand of 



CALLAS 



Plants that have been kept dry during 

 summer, intended for winter flowering, 

 should be watered more frequently as soon 

 as they start into growth ; when growing 

 vigorously, they may be kept standing in a 

 saucer filled with water at all times. As a 

 rule, Callas should be planted in compara- 

 tively small pots, as in large ones they are 

 apt to produce too luxuriant foliage, to the 

 detriment of flowers, 



