January 22, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
331 
approaching maturity. A simple wash, which I have 
found to answer better, is one made of Portland cement, 
with water added to the consistency of thin paint; 
this, when dry, is a pleasing shade of colour, and does 
not wash off when syringing. Por the inside walls of 
potting sheds and out-houses, which are often bare 
rubble, lime is, perhaps, preferable, and a little copperas, 
more or less according to the shade of colour required, 
should be dissolved and added to it. It makes the 
wash more adhesive and gives a nicer appearance.-— 
Alex. Laing, The Gardens, Salisbury Green, Edinburgh. 
Butchers’ Broom Fruiting. —A fruiting spray 
of this curious shrubby lilaceous plant has been sent us 
from Vinter’s Park, Maidstone, bearing berries of an 
unusual size. Some of the largest resemble small Morello 
Cherries, but are very much flattened instead of round, 
so that their diameter is considerable. Mr. McLean 
says that the bushes have fruited regularly in the 
woods there for the past nine years. The past summer 
would seem to have been favourable to the fruiting of 
this, the only British shrubby Monocotyledon, as we 
have seen it fruiting freely elsewhere, although the 
berries were not equal in size to those sent us. 
Senecio Gh.ie3bregh.tii. —Although this is 
merely a Ragwort, it may be described as a giant 
amongst its kind, and never presents a weedy appear¬ 
ance like what we are accustomed to see and expect in 
the genus. It branches very sparingly, and is usually 
confined to a single stem, furnished in the upper part—- 
if of any considerable height—with large, oblong, very 
shallowy cut leaves, so that the whole plant is not very 
suggestive of a Ragwort, as the name affirms it to be. 
The size of the foliage, when liberally treated, makes 
it a useful subject for the sub-tropical garden during 
the summer months; and it so readily submits to lift¬ 
ing, that at the end of the season it may be transferred 
to pots, and placed in a greenhouse or conservatory 
where a sufficiently high temperature is maintained for 
winter-flowering plants. Under these conditions it 
will generally throw up an immense umbel of flower- 
heads, 'which, in the aggregate, are very attractive 
amongst other more familiar subjects. Coloured and 
uncoloured illustrations of the species are given in 
Regel’s Gartenflora, 9,296. 
Ruellia Herbstii. —As a winter-flowering subject, 
this Acanthaceous plant possesses great merit; but, not¬ 
withstanding its good qualities in this respect, it is a 
much neglected plant. It first flowered at Kew in 
1859, and was introduced to that establishment from 
Brazil. It has also been flowering for some weeks 
past in the Begonia stove there, and may be described 
as a showy or highly attractive plant when in 
flower. The corolla has a long, slender, pinkish 
tube, abruptly bent and widened near the apex, where 
it is purple with a small spreading white limb. Flowers 
are freely produced in the axils of the upper leaves, 
when the plant appears quite gay. It should fre¬ 
quently be renewed by propagation from cuttings, and 
grown on freely in order to obtain bushy plants well 
furnished with leaves at the bottom. There is a figure 
of the plant in the Botanical Magazine, t. 5156, under 
the name of Dipteraeanthus Herbstii. 
Olivia Gardeni. —Although the flowers of this 
species cannot compare in brilliancy with those of 
C. miniata, especially those of the recently distributed 
and much improved forms, they nevertheless possess 
an attraction of their own, and form a striking contrast 
to those of their more intensely-coloured relative. 
Some owners of gardens who take a special delight in 
the occupants of their greenhouses would doubtless 
prefer the more sober tints of C. Gardeni to the deeper 
shade of C. miniata. Another recommendation of this 
plant is that it will succeed perfectly in either a stove 
or greenhouse where a temperature is maintained for 
flowering plants of that class generally. When the 
drooping umbel first peers above the foliage, the flowers 
are of a pale yellow tinged more or less with crimson ; 
but as they become fully developed, they assume a 
more decided crimson hue, with a green tip. The 
perianth is narrow and tubular, owing to the segments 
never becoming expanded as they do in 0. miniata. 
The plant is not bulbous, but has thick fleshy roots 
supporting a large quantity of leathery deep green 
foliage, and being evergreen, should never be allowed 
to suffer from an insufficiency of water. It flowers 
freely at this season of the year, and requires no special 
treatment beyond being potted in a good rich fibrous 
loam, and freely supplied with water when the foliage 
is making its growth.— F. J. 
Libonia floribunda. — Possibly, the greatest 
fault of this plant is its liability to lose the greater 
part of its leaves if subjected to some sudden check, 
such as an insufficiency of water, or too low a tempera¬ 
ture. This is a fault common to many species of Acan¬ 
thaceous subjects, and the best way of getting over the 
difficulty is to grow on a fresh stock of plants annually 
from cuttings. These may be struck in March in a 
temperature of 60° Falir., and, after they are sufficiently 
rooted, may be potted singly, and grown on uninter¬ 
ruptedly with liberal treatment, such as is accorded to 
other members of this large family that are sufficiently 
ornamental to merit cultivation in our hothouses. 
Happily, these are receiving more attention now than 
formerly for winter-flowering purposes; 6-in. or 7-in. 
pots will be large enough in which to flower them. 
Keep the plants close to the glass while growing, and, 
in autumn, transfer them to a warm greenhouse, where 
they will keep up a display for several months.— F. 
Echeveria retusa. —Comparatively few succu¬ 
lent plants can lay claim to the serious attention of 
horticulturists as winter-flowering subjects, but this 
Echeveria may be cultivated in considerable quantity, 
and will amply repay the little attention it requires 
in the way of cultural matters. Old plants of this 
species may be grown on from year to year, but 
it is much more advantageous to propagate it from 
cuttings annually. These, if grown on and treated 
somewhat liberally in the summer time when growth is 
taking place rapidly, will form nice plants by autumn 
well furnished with leaves to the base. They will also- 
by this time be furnished with several flowering stems, 
varying from 12 ins. to 15 ins. in length, bearing ter¬ 
minal panicles of crimson and yellow flowers that last 
a long time in perfection. At this season the plants 
will enjoy a moderately high temperature, and must 
not be kept too wet at the roots, owing to their suc¬ 
culent nature. This species is a native of Mexico, 
flowers in this country from November to April, and is 
figured in the Botanical Register, 33, 57. 
Coccocypselum discolor (G. repens). —The 
long creeping shoots of this plant render it a suitable 
subject for basket culture. Although a member of the 
same family as Ixoras, Gardenias and other shrubby 
plants of that class, there is a vast difference in its 
habit from that of its allies. The slender shoots are 
perfectly herbaceous and well furnished with foliage, 
which, when the plant has been well grown and properly 
exposed to the light, takes on a fine violet tint on the 
under surface ; this, together with the green upper 
surface, is suggestive of the specific name. The plant 
would be more valuable for decorative purposes were 
the colour on the upper surface. The small pale 
violet flowers are altogether inconspicuous and worthless, 
but are succeeded by oblong berries about the size of 
Peas, and these assume a fine deep blue as they approach 
maturity. They are borne in axillary clusters all 
along the stems, and under good treatment create a 
fine display at several periods of the year, but par¬ 
ticularly in autumn and winter. The stems attain a 
length of 12 ins. or more, and hang over the edges of 
the basket in an elegant manner. It is a native of 
Brazil, and requires stove treatment. 
Magnolia fuscata. —Many of the Magnolias 
have large and magnificent flowers, but the plants as a 
rule attain the dimensions of large shrubs or trees, so 
that their cultivation indoors is impracticable or 
undesirable when they are sufficiently hardy to resist 
the severity of our winters in the open, or with the pro¬ 
tection of a wall. M. fuscata, when planted out, will 
grow to the height of 6 ft. or more, but may readily be 
cultivated in pots, and will flower sufficiently freely to 
deserve what little attention they require. The habit 
is close and bushy, and the branches well furnished 
with moderate-sized evergreen leaves, while flowers will 
be freely developed on plants not exceeding 1 ft. or 
2 ft. in height if raised from cuttings. The flowers are 
small, brownish in colour, and individually insignificant, 
but disseminate such a delicious odour amongst a col¬ 
lection of greenhouse or conservatory plants, that this 
species deserves the best attention on that account 
alone. It comes from China, and succeeds perfectly in 
a cool house. In large houses it may be planted out 
with advantage. Young plants are easily propagated 
from cuttings of half-ripened wood, put in small pots 
of sandy soil and placed in a cool structure till callused, 
when they may be introduced into a temperature of 
50° Fahr., where they will root in the course of the 
winter. 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
Fuchsias. —Now will be a good time to look over 
and finally prune back the whole stock of Fuchsias. 
All danger of damping is now past, so that the pruning 
may conduce to the generally-adopted pyramidal form 
of growing. Unless required for early flowering, water 
must still be withheld, or they will start into growth, 
which is undesirable. The varieties adapted for early 
work must, of course, be previously noted ; placing in 
heat at random will surely result in failure. So far, 
we know of nothing to equal, for very early work, the 
old and, I may say, now despised Venus de Medici, 
which, under pressure, we have flowered and staged 
three times in one season. Souvenir de Chiswick and 
Rose of Castile are likewise admirably suited for early 
flowering. 
In starting the old plants, water must be withheld 
from the roots until growth has fairly commenced, 
when the ball may receive a good soaking preparatory 
to being turned out and re-potted. The general culture 
is so well known that I will not dilate upon it, but 
simply advise that the compost used for the early- 
flowering plants be even lighter than generally used.' 
For house decoration, Fuchsias are almost useless unless 
specially placed ; but for conservatory work, in vases 
or grown as standards, they are almost indispensable, 
and have a pretty effect. 
Allamanda nep.iifolia.— Another valuable old 
plant for early decorative work is Allamanda neriifolia, 
which may readily be had in bloom by the middle of 
February. "When used as a single specimen, it is much 
admired, its deep yellow flowers contrasting conspicu¬ 
ously with its bright foliage. It is most amenable to 
treatment, forming dense bushes, w r hich may be kept 
at any desired size ; at the same time it is advisable to 
strike a few cuttings annually to take the place of some 
of the older stock, which, from the continual pruning 
back, become somewhat unsightly. It delights in a 
strong compost, consisting principally of loam and leaf- 
soil ; and requires to be potted rather firmly, so as 
to conduce to a sturdy growth, because, being of shrubby 
growth, compactness is desirable. 
The Forcing House.— "VVe have to-day removed 
some Azaleas, Deutzias, Lilacs, &c., from the forcing 
pit to the stages in the intermediate house, where they 
will keep in flower much better than if placed in a 
cooler temperature, such as the greenhouse, where, 
probably, many Heaths, Epacris and other plants re¬ 
quiring a low temperature are staged. Make the main 
sowing of Cyclamen without delay ; and should the 
stock of Gloxinia bulbs be small, a pan of seed may be 
placed in heat, the most forward plants from which 
will be found most useful later on. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Early Figs. —Where early Figs are required for 
dessert, it will be necessary to make a start. Generally 
speaking, plants in pots are preferable for first early 
work, and greater success can be relied upon with 
them, as bottom heat can be given at will. In any 
case the plants must be placed where they are to remain 
until the fruiting season with them is over. 
It will also be advisable to stand the pots on a bed 
of prepared soil, so that they may root through into 
it, this will be found to greatly assist the fruit in swel¬ 
ling ; the manure round the pots will very greatly 
assist in preventing evaporation, and as the Fig is so 
very impatient of drought when growing, this is a 
consideration. At all times the syringe should be freely 
used upon the plants, except when the fruit is ripening, 
when if used cracking will ensue. A temperature of 
50° by night, with a rise of 10° by day, will quickly 
start them into new growth, and will be sufficient for 
some time to come. 
Strawberries. —Take care that sufficient and fre¬ 
quent batches of Strawberries are introduced both on 
the shelves in the Peach houses and the vineries where 
available, removing as growth proceeds into suitable 
positions for procuring a “ set” ; it is only by carefully 
regulating the plants that a full supply can be main¬ 
tained unless (as ought always to be the case) separate 
houses are devoted to the culture of this fruit. We 
have lifted and placed in the Mushroom house a dozen 
more stools of Rhubarb, and we hope within a few days 
to make up another Mushroom bed ; the one spawned 
