92 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 4. 1905. 
into small pots. Pots should be clean, and crocked well to 
ensure good drainage. The corffiost should not be put through 
any sieve, but broken into small pieces, which enables one to 
use it rough. Potting should be done moderately firm, taking 
care not to buiy the tubers too deeply. 
The best place for these now is a stage over the hot-water 
pipes, and if before placing these a. layer of moss be put on, 
the plants will greatly benefit by it. This is found to main¬ 
tain a more humid atmosphere than the ordinary stage, which 
is so unsuited to the wellbeing of the plant. The moss can 
easily be kept moist with the syringe about twice a day. The 
temperature of about 65 deg. by night and a rise of 10 deg. 
to 15 deg. by day should suit them admirably. 
This plant undoubtedly is a great lover of shade, and on 
no account should the sun be permitted to shine upon them. 
If it does, the plants will soon get a nasty brown appearance, 
which is not desirable. 
As the leaves expand the plants will require more space, 
which should be freely given, and at all times must the plants’ 
surroundings be kept moist, otherwise, if neglected and 
allowed to remain dry for some time, red spider and rust will 
make their appearance and thrive under such conditions. 
As these plants come into flower they should occupy less 
temperature and a dry atmosphere, also a deep shade, which 
will help to keep their flowers erect. Arrange' with Maiden¬ 
hair Fem, where, within a few weeks, a most beautiful display 
will be at command. A. E. Middleton. 
The Gardens, Coombe Lodge, Croydon. 
Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima). 
This fine autumn and winter-flowering plant, when well 
grown, will have bracts from 7 in. to 10 in. across, lasting a 
long time in bloom. As a winter plant for a warm conser¬ 
vatory it has few equals; or it is well adapted for cutting, 
and will last well in water. The highly coloured bracts look 
well through the winter months. 
Poinsettias are readily increased from cuttings taken off 
with a heel when the shoots are about 3 in. in length, inserted 
singly in thumb pots and placed in the propagating pit in a 
brisk heat. When they are well rooted they should be placed 
in 60-size pots in a mixture of loam, a little leaf-mould and 
silver sand, with a small portion of crushed charcoal. They 
should be kept in a temperature of from 55 deg. to 60 deg. near 
the glass. They should be syringed on bright days. When 
they are ready for potting again they should be put in a similar 
compost as before, using 6-in. pots. Towards the end of 
August, when they have become well rooted, they may be 
inured to more air, removed to a cold house, where they 
can have air night and day while the weather is warn. 
But before the cold nights approach they should be put in a 
warm house at about' 50 deg. in October. Some of them may 
be put in a warmer house to' insure getting a few out earlier. 
When plants are wanted dwarf about the beginning of 
August, cut the shoots about, half-way through 6 in. or 7 in. 
from the top, and leave them in this state for ten days until 
the cut portion has become callused. Then completely sever 
them, place them in small 60’s in a good sandy compost, 
and put them in a cold frame. Shade on bright days till 
rooted. Admit air as they become rooted, and when they are 
fit they should be put into 5-in. pots in the same compost as 
hereto. When all plants have done flowering they should be 
placed under a stages and kept in a temperature of 50 deg. ; 
and there let them remain till the end of March or April, 
when they should be cut half-way back and put in a tempera¬ 
ture of from 65 deg. to 70 deg. and kept syringed to induce 
them to break. They will soon have cuttings fit for taking 
off. The old plants may be grown for several years ; cut them 
back to about two or three eyes, and when they have grown 
about 2 in. long they may be shaken out and repotted agam. 
A. J, 
Belamcanda Punctata. 
This plant, with its Iris-like rhizomes and foliage, sur¬ 
mounted by umbels of small Lily-like flowers, is sufficiently 
distinct and interesting to attract the lover of herbaceous 
flowers. The colour of the flowers is a peculiar combination 
of red and bronze, speckled with numerous spots of tawny 
yellow and brown. It appears to enjoy a cool sub-soil, but is 
impatient of stagnant surface moisture, so that deeply dug 
land is an absolute necessity to its well being, and on any but 
very light soils a liberal dressing of burnt ash or sharp sand 
around the roots and crowns will be much appreciated. Being 
an autumn-flowering plant, it is best transplanted in spring, 
but once established should be left undisturbed for some few 
years. The individual blooms remain open but a single day, 
after the fashion of Hemcrocallis, but as fairly large umbels 
are borne by healthy plants, the display is well maintained for 
several weeks. 
As am exhibition flower it is novel and telling, for if cut the 
previous evening and relieved of open and faded blooms a 
goodly number of fresh blooms will open early on the exhibition 
morning. It belongs to the Iris family, and is often grown 
under the name of Pardanthus sinensis. 
Heather Bell. 
Schizostylis coccinea. 
It is in such fine seasons as the present when this is seen at 
its best, and few autumn bLooming plants are more useful. It 
thrives best in a light sandy soil, and being a native of the 
Cape and slightly tender, that is, to do its best it. needs grow¬ 
ing in a. somewhat sheltered spot; for although it does not 
get killed by frost, it is weakened so much as "to bloom very 
poorly. 
Another error many fall into with it is by allowing it to 
remain too long in the; same position undisturbed. When 
living at Tyneham House, Isle of Purbeck, we used to make a 
feature of it, consequently gave it good culture, and never 
have I seen it thrive as it did there in the' open. 
My method was to lift it every two years, select the 
strongest crowns early in spring, and plant them back in good 
fresh soil. Another very good way to treat them in exposed 
positions in autumn when gone out of bloom is to select the 
strongest, potting them from six to twelve in 5-in. or 7-in. pots 
in good soil, wintering them in a cold frame. In April- they 
may be planted out where they are intended to bloom. By 
this time they are well rooted. 
In our garden we- have had some blooming well in light soil 
near the front of a glasshouse, and, as a companion we had in 
line bloom Belladonna. Lilies during the last half of Octol er 
and well into November blooming together. The contrast was 
beautiful, giving me the idea to try them another year on a 
more extensive scale in the same way; for nothing can give 
a finer display in autumn at a small cost. I have had potted 
up strong roots of Schizostylis to -lant beside them per¬ 
manently. I see no reason why these two fine bulbs should not 
grow satisfactorily. . One advantage in growing the Schizos¬ 
tylis beside the Belladonna Lilies is that the foliage of the 
former would aid the attraction of the latter. Nothing could 
be more' lovely than this Lily in this Purbeck Isle garden grow¬ 
ing at the foot of a south wall in company with the roots of 
some fine Peach trees. 
Another purpose this Schizostylis can be used for with the 
best results is for growing in pots, and when in good form they 
are excellent, either for house furnishing or decoration of any 
sort. To those who may have unheated structures to keep gay 
in autumn or porches and kindred places, this can be highly 
recommended, and when associated with silver-leaved Veron¬ 
icas, Chrysanthemums, etc., they make a fine feature. One 
drawback to it is that when used in- a very dark, sunless posi¬ 
tion, the blooms only partially open. 
Good sandy soil suits it best, and grown from six to twelve 
plants in a pot, it needs plenty of water both in pots and in 
the open, and should be fed when coming into bloom in pots. 
J. C. F. A. 
