May 4, 1912 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



361 



The length of time required by this agave 

 to reach the flowering stage gave rise to 

 the popular name of Century Plant. There 

 is however, no foundation for the common 

 belief that it blooms once in every hundred 

 years. It blooms once, and once only, for 

 when a plant has floAvered it dies. Plants 

 may have reached their hundredth year 

 before completing their life cycle, but no 

 authentic record has yet come under our 

 notice of their having done so. Probably 

 the average life of a plant of A. americana 

 would be nearer fifty years than one hun- 

 dred but there is not sufficient evidence 



species is stately in 

 much to recommend 



and has 



take 



in 



agaves, 

 ture available 



interest in 

 and have 



aspect, 

 it to those 

 the larger-growing 



struc- 



Like 



a spacious 

 for its cultivation . 

 the other species here referred to, A. atro- 

 virens is a native of Mexico, and w^as intro- 

 duced to cultivation in 1860. It first 

 flowered at Kew in the winter of 1887-8, 

 and, as the plant could not l)e placeil in 

 the open at that season of the year, it was 

 removed to tlie palm house to afi^ord room 

 for the development of its tall flower stem. 

 This latter attains, according to Mr. Baker^ 



who RUNNER BEANS IN FLOWER 



BORDERS. 



In cases wliere a temporary background 

 is desired for herbaceous borders in the 



vegetable garden, runner beans 

 utilised to form one. The 



be 



may 

 beans may be 

 grown in a continuous row or in clumps 

 at so many feet apart. For many years 

 I grew a row of beans as a background to 

 8uch a border in one garden that I had 

 charge of. The row was over 300ft. in 

 lengthy and generally averaged 7ft. in 



AGAVE ATROVIRENS. 



[Photo: C. r. T^flffill 



The fine specimen now coming into bloom at Kew, as it appeared previous to the development of the flower stem 



available to fix any definite period for the 

 flowering of the agaves popularly known as 

 century plants. 



A. atrovirens, which is now coming into 

 blooin at Kew, is not unlike the older 

 species, but it is taller in growth, and has 

 leaves that are of greater length, and 

 somewhat narrower. The Kew specimen 

 ^as a spread of about fifteen feet, but 

 ^arawmskiy by whom it was introduced to 

 cultivation, states that leaves of wild 

 plants growing under favourable condi- 

 ^^M!?\*^ttam a length of twelve feet. As 

 be readily seen from the illustration 

 gven herewith of the specimen before it 

 "^gan to produce its flower stem, this ripe, 



a length of hetween twenty-five and thirty 

 feet, and the flowers are borne in a panicle 

 some seven feet in length, at the top of the 

 stem. The height of the plant with its 

 flower stem is now about twenty feet. 



height. The l>eans flowered from June 

 October, and provtMl useful as well as orna- 

 mental. Voih were gathered regularly, ; 



Cotoneaster horixontalis-— Of 



the innumerable cotoneasters that we have 

 received from China this is one of the best 

 and most distinct. Its regular, distichous 

 style of growth forms a very notable feature, 

 and it is especially attractive at different 

 sca-sons. In the first place, its pretty pinkish 

 flowers are borne in great profusion; next, 

 tliey are succeeded by berries which, when 



bright scarlet. — K. 



many as forty pecks in some months; and, 

 of course, this regular gathering also re- 

 sulted in continuous flowering. 



The plants in the row were grown at a 

 distance of 4ft. from the nearest lierba- 

 ceous subjects, and 1 never f<)un<l thai any 

 harm was done to the flowering ])lauts in 

 any way by the beans. ThivS b()r<ler could 

 l>e seen* from a very long d:stan<'e, and the 

 herbaceous phloxes', delphiniums, solidagos, 

 spii-seas, Michaelmas dairies, ami otlier 

 ])lants showetl to great advantage iii fiont 

 of the wall of bean blossoni;s. 0. 1^ 



