May 0.1 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 85 
drum), has fine foliage, very large panicles of flowers, 
! each with broad petals of a most dazzling scarlet colour. 
Clerodendrum Kampferi (Ktempter's 0.), a splendid 
species, producing a large panicle of scarlet flowers, 
rising very conspicuously above the noble foliage. 
Clerodendrum fall ax, also very handsome, sending up 
several branching heads of bloom of the finest scarlet 
colour. 
Clerodendrum Dcvonianum, so named in compliment 
to that eminent patron of gardening, the Duke of 
Devonshire. Jt has fine branching panicles of scarlet 
flowers, hut the foliage is not so large as that of the 
preceding. 
Clerodendrum panieulatum (Panicled C.). Foliage 
very fine, of a rather glaucous hue, extremely large 
panicles of flowers of an orange scarlet. 
Clerodendrum macropliyllum (Broad-leaved C.). This 
has the finest foliage of all the genus, produces large 
panicles of pure white handsome flowers, flowering very 
dwarf. 
Clerodendrum fragrant florc pleno (Sweet-scented 
double-flowered C.). A very desirable species to culti¬ 
vate on account of its fragrance ; it produces umbels of 
white and pink flowers on small plants. 
Culture. —This genus of plants may bo propagated 
easily in the usual way, by cuttings of the young shoots 
placed in pots, under hand-glasses, in heat; but as they 
do not usually produce plenty of young shoots, they 
may be propagated successfully by cuttings of the roots. 
The way to manage this is to take an old plaut out of 
the pot, shake off the soil, and cut off portions of the 
root, dividing them in to pieces four inches long. Tut 
these sections of the root into small pots singly, and 
place them in a propagating house, or in a hotbed; they 
will soon put forth new roots and shoots, and in one 
year make excellent plants. But the readiest way of 
increasing the four kinds first mentioned is by seeds, 
which are frequently produced freely; gather them as 
soon as they are ripe, and sow them in pans or pots 
plunged in a brisk heat. The March following pot the 
seedlings off, as soon as they have made two or three 
leaves, into small pots, singly; place them near the glass 
to induce dwarf growth, and repot them into larger pots 
as the roots fill the pot. This should be repeated three 
or four times during the summer, so that by October 
they will be in pots eight inches diameter, and be stout, 
stocky plants. They may remain in these j>ots till the 
February following, when they may be potted again, 
and placed in a higher temperature, have plenty of 
water given them, and be frequently syringed ; by such 
liberal treatment they will grow surprisingly, and will 
require repotting again by the end of April. In these 
pots they should remain to flower in July, and will then 
be really magnificent ornaments to the stove till Sep¬ 
tember. The same treatment of young plants raised by 
cuttings of the shoots or roots will have the same 
happy effect, but there is the advantage in raising seed¬ 
lings of the probability of obtaining finer varieties. 
Winter Treatment. —The strong plants that have 
flowered so finely may be cut down after flowering, and 
bo placed under the stages, where no water will fall 
upon them, giving them only just water enough to keep 
them alive. In the spring take them out of their resting 
place, turn them out of the largo pots, reduce the ball 
and roots, repot them and plunge them in a gentle 
bark-bed heat; they will soon begin to grow, and most 
likely produce two or more shoots, but do not leave 
more than three to flower. Follow on the same gene¬ 
rous treatment, by freely potting and liberally supplying 
water, that we have described above for one-year old 
plants; by tints treating two-year old plants, more head, 
or panicles of flowers, will be produced. After this 
second season of bloom it will not be worth while to 
keep them any longer: let younger plants take their 
place. 
Son..—As these plants are rapid growers, and in a 
short time developo a large amount of foliage and bloom, ; 
their food should be proportionably rich and stimu¬ 
lating; good fibrous loam, rough peat, and well decayed ! 
dung, in equal parts, is the compost they delight in ; a 
sprinkling of sand amongst it to keep it open will also i 
be useful; use both loam and peat in a very rough 
state, if there be fibrous lumps in each of the size of 
hen’s eggs it will be all the better. Manure-water, well 
diluted, in the last stage of their growth, previously to 
flowering, will be useful, giving it every third time the 
plants require watering. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Since we wrote last we have had a return of cold 
northerly winds, and slight frosts at night; we have 
had also some sunny days. Now, these changes from 
cold to heat, from didl weather to bright sunshine, im¬ 
peratively calls upon the lovers of flowers to be on the 
alert to protect their blooms and plants from such ex¬ 
tremes. 
Tulips. —These noble flowers are now the grand or¬ 
nament of the florists' garden, and, with the exception 
of some early pansies, are the only flowers now requiring 
shade from too great sunshine. The old practical 
florist will bo on the look out every morning, to observe 
whether the clouds will clear away to allow the bright 
sun to sliino with unbroken splendour; if that is likely 
to take place, down goes the shade to protect his 
favourites, and preserve their fragile colours from fading 
too soon; our amateur friends will do well to imitate 
his doings, his foresight, and caution. Tulips will also 
require protection from cold winds and heavy rains. 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Globe Artichokes. —This excellent vegetable may 
be made productive throughout the greater number of 
the summer months. The old plants that have stood 
over from last season should have had their final thin¬ 
ning ere this; and also as many suckers planted out in 
succession as may be required for the new plantations. 
The strongest suckers left on the old plants, will, some 
of them, now be shewing their edible heads; and if 
these are well encouraged by the surface soil being kept 
well open, by slight forkings and hand scarifyings, with 
liberal soakings of manure water, an abundant succes¬ 
sion of good, tender, well shaped and well coloured arti¬ 
chokes will be the result. The heads should be cut in 
good season, whether required or not; as, by allowing 
them to grow to a useless size, not only is the succes- 
sional crop, which would be found so useful through the 
hot summer months, prevented coming to perfection, 
but the whole plant is exhausted for the future ; whereas 
if they are cut when about the size of a small tea-cup, 
and well encouraged as above directed, a long succession 
may bo expected; for generally, by good management, 
the artichoke will shew a number of heads in succession 
on the same stem. The earliest and strongest planted 
of this season’s suckers, if managed as we recommend, 
will produco a succession for the autumn months. It is 
quite as essential to look forward and provide for the 
long days of summer, when heat and drought may bo 
expected to prevail, as it is to provide for the short, 
dark, and frosty days of winter; for heat and drought 
may bo observed, in some localities, at times very mate¬ 
rially to limit the supply of good vegetables; and this, 
too, in places where, if a little forethought had been 
exercised, abundance would most probably have been 
the result. 
