92 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ April, 
and in wild profusion—for it does flower freely. A plant at Loxford Hall in an oak 
tub 2 ft. 6 in. in diameter covers a large space, and has hundreds of flowers 
expanded at once, in clusters of from three to a dozen. At the Lea Bridge Road 
Nurseries, Mr. Fraser has a number of plants growing in a bed prepared for 
them on the north side of a small span-roofed pit. The shoots are trained to wires 
fixed in a horizontal position, and when the plants are in full flower, the house 
has a charming appearance. Mr. Fraser has saved seeds, and raised large 
quantities of plants from. them. 
The Lapageria is also well adapted to form a specimen plant for the green¬ 
house, trained umbrella fashion, with the shoots managed so that the flowers form 
a garland of beauty round the outer edge of the trellis. A plant must be five or 
six years old before it has much effect grown in this way. The best material to 
grow the plant in, is turfy peat with (if it does not naturally contain it) a liberal 
proportion of silver sand. There are, however, some sorts of peat in which it refuses 
to gro w. A good strong plant which was planted out in the corner of the green¬ 
house here, made but little progress, and on examining it I found the thick, 
fleshy roots were generally dead at the points, and in various stages of decay. 
This plant was lifted entirely out, and replanted in turfy peat of a different 
nature, and the result was an immediate healthy growth ; the peat used is dark 
brown, has no tendency to get sodden, and contains sand naturally. The 
Lapageria is one of those subjects which requires careful management, especially 
as regards potting, for when a plant has to remain two or three years in the same 
pot, the drainage must be so arranged that it will not be likely to get choked 
up during that time. If a plant is well established in, say a 7-inch pot, the 
best time to repot would be after it has commenced to grow in the spring. Take 
a 10-inch pot, place a large crock over the hole and 2\ in. of smaller pieces 
over that, with some clean fibre or sphagnum moss to prevent the mould 
from mixing with the drainage. Great care must be taken not to injure the roots 
when turning the plant out of the pot in which it has been growing ; carefully 
pick away with a pointed stick a small portion of the exhausted earth, and 
with the fingers merely press the new soil down firmly between the ball of roots 
and the sides of the pot. Any plant which is being shifted from one pot to 
another ought to be moist at the roots, so that it will not require to be watered 
for a few days after it has been repotted. The Lapageria requires abundant 
supplies of water when it is well established and growing freely, but an overdose 
shortly after repotting would probably kill the points of the young roots, and the 
plant would receive a check which it would not recover during a whole season. 
When watering, do it thoroughly, and so that the water may escape freely. 
The Lapageria will grow and flower in a stove temperature, but it is very 
liable to the attacks of insects. The thrips are especially fond of it, and must 
be destroyed by fumigating with tobacco. Mealy bug is most to be dreaded in 
the stove, as it can only be removed by careful washing; and unless this is done 
