140 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Febeuabt 17, 1912 



BOUVARDIAS. 



During the early winter months bouvar- 

 dias are lalways usefu!, as their neat, com- 

 pact clusters of flowers can be used in a 

 variety of ways, where those of a larger 

 and heavier type would be out of place 

 or could not he employed to advantage. 



Propagra.tion. 



In order to have good starrdy plants that 

 are capable of .sending up fine trusses on 

 long stems, it will be necessary to com- 

 mence propagating as early in the spring 

 as ipossible. When the old plants have 

 ceased flowering they should be cut back 

 ;ind placed in a brisk heat to induce them 

 to make young growths, and when these 

 axe about an inch long they will be large 

 enough for cuttings. Prepare some small 

 pots, su:'ii as and fill them with light 



sandy «oil well-warmed. Takeoff the eutting^ 



with the heel of the old wood attached, 

 and inisert them near the edge of the pots ; 

 then place in a propagating case where a 

 temperature of about 75 degrees can be 

 maintaine<l, and shade from bright sun- 

 shine until rooted. 



As it is not alwavp? possible to eet suffi- 

 cient cuttings in one batch to supply tlie 

 requisite number of plants, a second lot 

 mav be taken and treated in like manner. 

 "When tlu^se small pots are filled with roots 

 stand them out of the propagating case for 

 a few days to harden off a little, previous 

 to potting them. Those who are desiroiis 

 of obtaining large specimens may sJhift the 

 plants as they are into larger pots, but 

 where only moderate-Tsized ones ,are re- 

 quii ed then the small plants may be shaken 

 out of the soil and potted up singly, using 

 a light rich compost and amp^e drainage. 

 After being potte<l they should he returned 

 to the hotbed, where a temperature of from 

 70 to 75 degrees can Ibe maintained. 



Propagation may also be effected in tlie 

 following manner. After the cuttings hare 

 been Temoved, shake the old plants out of 

 the soil and take off all the roots, and cut 

 the strongest and most fleshy of these into 

 pieces about an inch in length. Fill some 

 pans with light sandy jsoil, tlien place 

 these pieces of roots evenly ovei* the siir- 

 face, sprinkle a little sand ovei- them, 

 give a gentle watering to settle the soil, 

 and place the pans in tSte propagating case^ 

 giving shade from the sun. In the course 

 of a few days young growths will appear 

 all along the roots, and when this occurs 

 more air should be admitted to strengthen 

 them. When the gro^\'ths are about an 

 inch long the plants should be potted off 

 singly^ using small pots, and retunu^d to 

 the hotbed until established. 



Frame Culture. 



Bouvardias grow best in a light rich soil, 

 and if ample root room can be afforded 

 them wil! make large plants in a very 

 sh'>rt period, as may be seen by thos(^ 

 raised from cuttings in the spring and used 

 for planting in the flower beds during the 

 summer months. If bouvardias are spe- 

 cially needed for cut bloom they should be 

 planted out in pits, about eighteen inches 

 apart. If such structures have a couple of 

 hot-water pipes running round them, so 

 much the better, as the requisite tempera- 

 ture can be maintained during the autumn 

 and early winter anonths to keep the plants 

 bloGiming. If it is intended to bed them 

 out there will Ibe no need to give the plants 

 a shift after the middle of April, as by 

 the time those pots are filled with roots, 



which Sihould be towards the end of 

 the 



gra- 

 the 



should be given to maintain a genial 

 temperature, but they should be 

 dually hardened off, so that by 

 m id d 1 e of J u ne th ey may be full y 

 pose<l to the weather b oth d a y a n d 

 night. We have had plants so treated 

 that made growths three feet in length and 

 as thick as a lead pencil, carrying trusses 

 of bloom from three to four inches across, 

 which we found most useful during the 

 dull months. When grown in tliis manner 

 bouvardias do not require half the usual 

 attention, either in the way of watering 

 or keeping them clean ; it may, however, 

 be necessary to stake some of the growths 

 to prevent their being broken hy rough 

 winds in the early autumn. 



Culture in Pots. 



If grown, in pot^ the final shift should 

 be given about the first week in June, after 

 which, if the plants are stood in a cold 

 frame for a week or two, and sihuded from 

 the bright sun until new roots have 

 formed, they may then be plunged in a 

 bed of ashes in a sheltered position, where, 

 if duly looked after, they will make good 

 material by the autumn, wdien they should 

 be housed for the winter. Treatment 

 througih the summer is very simple ; all 

 growths made should be pinched at the 

 third or fourth joint, and on no account 

 sliouM they be allowed to bloom, as this 

 would Aveaken them. When they have 

 their final shift, it is a good plant to peg 

 all growth^ down leA^el with the soil, as 

 the young gi'owtlis that spring up from the 

 centre will then have amp^.e room to de- 

 velop. If the plants are healthy and in a 

 flovu'ishing condition, they will send up a 

 quantity of such growths from huds under- 

 neath the isoil, and as these will be mucli 

 stronger than those made from the axils of 

 the leaves ahove ground, they should be 

 encouraged, especially those made during 

 the latter part of Jidy and August ; some 

 of these shoots will grow eighteen inches 

 high or more, if liberal supplies of liquid 

 manure are given to keep them growing. 



Va.rieties. 



BouA^ardias, like all other plants, are 

 sitbject to the attack of insect pests, bait 

 the^ cwo easily kept under if the plants 

 are in a healthy condition, but once allow 

 them to suffer for want of nourishment, 

 and there is sure to be difficulty. Varie- 

 ties are not munerous, and there is no need 

 to grow many. Three or four of the best 

 singles, and the same number of doubles, 

 are eniough. The following lare all good, 

 and may be relied on as free-flowering. 

 Singles — Jasminiflora, w^hite ; Mrs. Robert 

 Green, pink; President Cleveland, scarlet; 

 and Humboldti corymbiflora. Doubles — 

 Bridesmaid, pink; Alfred Neuner, white; 

 and Hogarth flore pleno, scarlet. There 

 are others^ such as Scarlet King, President 

 Garfield, Sang Tjorraine, The Bride, etc., 

 which are <j:orKl, j iid should be ";rown where 

 a colle<-tion is required. 



When bouvardias are housed in the 

 autumn, no attempt shoukl be made to 

 force them into bloom, as plants grown in 

 strong heat are quite useless. A free cir- 

 culation of air is necessary to keep the 

 plants sturdy, hut the temperature should 

 not be allowed to fall below 50 deorrees or 

 the flowers will not expand praperly or 

 be of fine colour. H. C. Prinsep. 



be 



second week in May, it will 

 safe to transplant them to the 

 The lights should be kept on , and 

 if the nights are oold , a littl e hea t 



"CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND HOW TO GROW 

 THEM FOR EXHIBITION," by J. B. Wroe.— Full 

 details on timing and etopping- for Northern, 

 Southern, and Midland growers, eelections of th^ 

 best varieties, illustrated infitructions on taking the 

 budfi, cuttings, staging, etc. Prices Is. net. by post 

 la 3d.; cloth, U. 6d., by pofit U. Sd., from \V. H. 

 and L. Collingridg^, 148 and 149, Aidepflgat* Street, 

 IxindoQ. 



PERENNIALS GROWN AS 



ANNUALS. 



The cult of annua! plants foa* deoarative 

 isumnier display in English gardens has 

 reached amazing proportions, and doubt- 

 less 1912 will see even greater progress 

 ■made. The special attention whi<?h is now 

 given to annuals is very different to the 

 •starved conditions which used to be ac- 

 corded them in many gardens. Thorough 

 cultivation in \Nell-prepared beds and bor- 

 clei-s has resulted in a high degree of excel- 

 Jencej and this, combined with the raising 

 ^and selection of new and improved varieties 

 by the florists, have given annual plants a 

 very exalted place in the horticultural 



world. 



In these few notes I wish to briefly dis- 

 cuss the merits of certain perennial sub- 

 jects from an ''aiunual" point of view ; that 

 is, the growing and flowering of perennial 

 plants effectively, within the limits of a 

 single season. It is noteworthy that many 

 of the ordinary annuals have a very short 

 flowering season, consequent upon the rapid 

 maturing of seeds, and it is to obviate this, 

 and to gain the greater effect, that I have 

 had recourse to perennials in their place. 



The first point in this direction is to sow 

 early, dioosing just those subjects wliicli 

 will give one the greatest pleasure and the 

 most effective display. Secondly, one must 

 resort to frame culture for a short period 

 to ensure unchecked growth, and follow 

 this up, if po^^sible, by early planting, put- 

 ting all the young plants out hefnre ^* bed- 

 ding out " commences. From this point, 

 growth hecomes both quick and vigorous, 

 and many subjects will he coming into blos- 

 som in June or early in July, when, if pro- 

 per selection has hcen given, and good cul- 

 tivation maintained, will go on in beauty 

 until autumn. 



One of my most-favoured subjects is Del- 

 phinium Belladonna, which gives such a 

 delightful display, with its dainty spikes cf 

 soft blue iblossoms, and raised from seed 

 each season, one is able to secure a long, 

 continuous display good alike for cutting 

 or for garden decoration. Chrysanthe- 

 ,munis, particularly the single forms, are 

 now so generally grown as annuals that any 

 remarks of mine may seem superfluou-^, 

 though a good bed, or, better still, a sl<)i>- 

 ing hank, planted up with an array of s^t^i-'- 

 ling singles, provides a feast of colour ior 

 quite two months before the frosts como. 



Chrysanthemums of the C. maxinuun 

 group and those C. leucanthemum forms, 

 known as the Shasta daisies, can be well 

 grown as annuals. A series of seedlings ci 

 Mrs. Lowthian Bell weie grown hy us last 

 year with marked results, giving plenty or 

 long-^stemmed, large-sized flowers durmp: 

 the latter half of summer and ear.y 

 autumn. Lupines were treated in the same 

 way ; both L. polyphylkis and l--. arboreu^ 



Trown, though the greatest 

 success w^as p-ained from hybrid fiMins 

 tween the two groups mentioned. » 

 formed neat bushes, well-flowered, and ol 

 considerable de:*orative value. 



Gaurafs, as may be well imagined, come 

 grandly as annuals, these 'being almost in- 

 dispensable for giving waving misty nias>^- 

 of snowy hlossoms in the more infornud 

 spaces. fMontbretias may not be regard^^^^ 

 as a-nnuals, nor are tliev, but I have been 

 struck with their utility when treated a'^ 

 such. Few summer flowers are more ch 'arm- 

 ing or more valued for cutting than tliesc^ 

 and I say with all sincerity that I believ" 

 the montbretia has a great future treat^';i 

 as an annual subiect. Campanulas, ji nti' 



sections were g 



cularly those 

 dred sections 



season. 



su b ject . Campa n u I a s . ji i ^ ^ 

 of the C. carpatica and ku^- 

 , came well as annuals I:i>t 

 But the taller forms, i-pcci '.'.^ 



