212 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 13, 1884. 
than any other, has conduced to the erection of that structure ; 
and it follows, then, if the conservatory from its unattractive¬ 
ness fails to afford gratification, then it does not fulfil the 
purpose for which it has been built. This purpose is only half 
accomplished by furnishing cut flowers for the rooms of the 
dwelling house, or by enabling the proprietor to indulge in the 
pleasure of presenting an occasional basket of flowers to his 
friends. In the conservatory no unattractive plant should be 
suffered to have a place. If sickly it should be put where it can 
be nursed, with the view of bringing it again into a healthy 
condition. If its season of bloom is over it should be removed; 
and no plant whatever, unless pleasing through the profuseness or 
brilliance of its bloom, the richness, delicacy, or gracefulness of its 
flowers, elegance of growth, colour of foliage, or other qualifica¬ 
tion, should, be allowed a place in that house. A few ornamental- 
foliage plants of a striking character and also Ferns, especially 
■of the Maidenhair type, may be used with advantage j but it 
must be remembered that no quantity of the most brilliantly 
coloured or the most graceful foliage will compensate for an 
insufficiency of flowers, and that the chief attraction of the 
conservatory will always be in the flowers which it may 
contain. 
In order to keep up a supply for the whole or even the 
greater portion of the year certain cultural rules must be 
observed. They may be varied slightly according to the cir¬ 
cumstances of each place, but must not be entirely departed 
from. A regular and systematic course of operations in the 
preparation of plants is necessary. No haphazard cultivation, 
■without any consideration as to the time of blooming, will 
succeed. It is true that as regards many of the summer groups 
their time of flowering is determined for us, and we can do little 
to advance or retard them ; but there are other portions of the 
year during which it is more important the brightness of the 
conservatory should be maintained, and the plants for that 
purpose must be prepai'ed with special reference to those 
times. 
In endeavouring to carry out the requirements of cultivation, 
■on which success depends, many difficulties will be encountered. 
Insufficiency of means in various ways— defective heating appa¬ 
ratus, unsuitable soils or houses, or perhaps both—and many 
rough-and-ready appliances will have to be used ; and it is only 
by a close and intelligent attention and unflagging care that 
fair success can be obtained. But in the culture of greenhouse 
plants, as much perhaps as in anything, success depends on 
attention to details. Many hindrances, however, will present 
themselves which can be neither mitigated nor removed. The 
remedy for structural difficulties does not usually lie in the 
power of the gardener, and the obstacles which are met with in 
the cultivation of plants in pots are so numerous and varied 
that a correct estimate can be made only by those who have 
•encountered them. There are, of course, many gardens where, 
from deficient accommodation and appliances, an abundant and 
eontinuous supply of flowers is impossible; and in places of 
moderate capacity where all or most of the houses are devoted 
to fruit culture it can be accomplished only to a limited extent. 
Where but a single structure exists, the character and appear¬ 
ance of a conservatory cannot be maintained in it. Plants are 
not in flower at all seasons of the year, and if no other places 
are provided for them they must remain where they have 
flowered after that period is over, unless they can be arranged 
out of doors. Two or three other houses should minister wholly 
or in part to the wants of the conservatory. Where, in addition 
to a Peach house or vinery there are a good greenhouse and pit, 
these, together with a frame or two, should be sufficient to 
furnish a fair quantity of flowers all the year round. 
Let us enumerate some of the many plants available for this 
purpose- From the time when the spring bulbs begin to bloom 
until the end of September there is seldom any complaining of 
the lack of flowers. Spring, summer, and early autumn gene¬ 
rally produce such an abundance of bloom both indoors and 
out, that all which need be done here is to glance at the chief 
groups of greenhouse plants in the order of their flowering. 
Fallowing closely on the Hyacinths, Tulips, Deutzias, and Spiraeas 
the Azaleas comprise the chief of the great groups on which we 
mainly depend; and where there is even a moderate collection 
of these the period during which they are at their best will 
probably be the gayest of the year. I need say little of these 
well-understood plants. The form which appears to me best 
adapted for general decorative purposes is the umbrella shape ; 
but some, particularly of the double varieties, are better trained 
to some other form, as the blooms by reason of their weight lie 
in a position unfavourable for the eye seeing them advan¬ 
tageously. Young Azaleas in small pots are much benefited by 
placing the pot in which a plant is growing inside a larger one, 
and filling the space between them with moss or some other 
suitable material. Their fine hair-like roots are thus kept more 
cool and moist. Many of the newer varieties far surpass some 
of the older forms in cultivation. 
Long before the last of the Azaleas are out of bloom the 
earliest Pelargoniums will be claiming a place in the conserva¬ 
tory. We have in them a class of plants which for profuseness 
in flowering and telling combinations of brilliant colours have 
few equals; while the time during which they may be had in 
bloom extends at least over five months of the year. In an 
ordinary greenhouse the earliest varieties will commence flower¬ 
ing by the beginning of May, and at the end of September some 
of them will still be showing their richly coloured flowers. That 
their flowering may cover this long period it is necessary that 
certain treatment be given them. Most of the free-flowering 
sorts, if not checked after the first flowering, will flower twice in 
the same season. Such varieties as Digby Grand, Duchess of 
Bedford, and Bridal Bouquet will bloom freely a second time, a 
large proportion of the flowers coming from the axils on the old 
stems, so that in cutting off the dead blooms care should be 
taken not to cut too low down. The dwarf compact habit of 
many of the varieties in this section well adapts them for late 
blooming, as they need not be pruned so closely as the taller- 
growing sorts; and close pruning of Pelargoniums late in the 
year should always be avoided, or they will probably not break 
again, the energies of the plants at that time being nearly 
exhausted, and the season approaching when they should be in 
a state of rest. For late flowering, however, young plants from 
cuttings struck the previous autumn are the best. These, 
regularly tied down and pinched until the beginning of July, 
then placed in a cold frame or even in a sheltered position out 
of doors till the end of August, may be returned to the green¬ 
house to bloom, which they will continue to do far into the 
autumn. These late-flowering plants must not be pruned back 
like those which have bloomed earlier; they must not be en¬ 
tirely denuded of their foliage. Stopping any young shoot 
which may be too long is all that should be done. Neither 
must they be disrooted like the others, but allowed to remain 
undisturbed till spring. 
With the Pelargoniums during June and July we have the 
herbaceous Calceolarias, which are deservedly popular for 
greenhouse and conservatory. As many of these as can be 
accommodated should always be grown, as few plants present a 
more beautiful and interesting appearance. 
Of tuberous-rooted Begonias we have an extensive assortment, 
and their usefulness as decorative plants can scarcely be over¬ 
rated. Their floriferous character, beauty and variety of colour, 
and the gracefully pendant habit of their flowers have esta¬ 
blished them in popular esteem. From the beginning of June 
to the middle of October some of these plants will bloom con¬ 
tinuously, and they are so accommodating in their habits that 
they are adapted for places of the smallest capacity. Dying 
dowm to the tubers, they may during winter be packed away 
anywhere secure from frost. When starting into growth the 
following spring, those which are not in pots sufficiently large, 
or whose shoots appear weak, should be repotted. Where they 
have enough root room, with good drainage, and are pushing 
strongly, repotting is not necessary ; indeed, old tubers in large 
pots will grow and bloom well for several years in succession 
without being repotted. They must, however, have ample 
drainage. For the purpose of supplying cut flowers the section 
of which Begonia Sedeni may be taken as the type is better 
adapted than most of the others, although its flowers are not of 
the largest size. Begonias, however, are less valuable for cut¬ 
ting than for conservatory decoration. 
Roses, although such general favourites, are not the best 
plants for producing a bank of bloom in the conservatory; and 
although that structure can scai’cely be considered complete 
without the presence of the acknowledged queen of flowers, yet 
Roses, to be of much value there, should be of those varieties 
which will flower early and again in late summer or autumn. 
Most of the sections can be had generally so much better in 
shape, substance, and colour during early and midsummer 
when grown out of doors, that they will be much less esteemed 
in the conservatory during that period than they will be before 
and after it. When, however, the declining temperature and 
the dull, foggy, or rainy days of autumn render a good Rose 
out of doors a rarity, then a few Teas or Hybrid Perpetuals 
grown inside will be very welcome. One of the best Roses for 
the conservatory is La France. It does not pi’oduce a bloom 
from every shoot at the same time, but it will give a few of its 
splendid and deliciously scented flowers three times during its 
blooming season ; and, unlike many other varieties, it does not 
