■IP ' ■ 
January 23, 1909. THE GARDENING WORLD. 41 
otting and Propagating 
fiippeastrams. 
pew bulbous plants can equal Hippe- 
, rums for the production of large, showy 
fwers, which are excellent for cutting 
j rposes, as they have long, stout stems 
id last in good condition for many days, 
vilst the numerous beautiful hybrids 
tit have been raised provide an endless 
1 defy of colour, ranging from white to 
t: richest crimson. 
dippeastrums, often called Amaryl¬ 
lis, may be propagated either from 
s d or offsets, the latter method being 
curable when dealing with named varie¬ 
ty. Seed may be sown from January to 
hrch— the earlier the better, provided 
temperature of not less than sixty de- 
ges can be maintained. Light, sandy 
; 1 is necessary, whilst the pan should 
eher be plunged in a propagating frame 
c be covered with a sheet of glass, as 
sjwn in Fig. 1. The soil should be kept 
i:ely moist, and in a few weeks the seed- 
lgs will make their appearance, after 
rich plenty of light must be allowed. 
1 soon as the seedlings are large 
tough to handle they should be potted 
s gly into three-inch pots, as shown in 
Ij. 2, or, if space is very limited, several 
j.nts may be placed in a five-inch pot, 
t in Fig. 3, compost consisting of equal 
j:rts loam, peat and leaf-soil, together 
vh plenty of coarse soil, sand being ne- 
c sary. 
\s a rule the seedlings do not flower 
ttil they are at least two years old, and 
cring this time the bulbs should not be 
rened or dried off, but be kept growing 
rd given just sufficient water during the 
titer months to keep the foliage green. 
Fe seedlings should be re-potted as soon 
1 the roots require more room, five or 
s inch pots usually being large enough 
if flowering bulbs. 
Offsets or bulblets are produced round 
t? sides of the old bulbs in the manner 
= >wn in Fig. 4, and should be removed 
t en the bulbs are re-potted or top- 
cissed, a few roots being included if pos- 
; le, as shown in Fig. 5. The offsets 
sbuld be potted up singly in small pots 
c compost, as before-described, and be 
t ated in a similar manner to seedlings. 
Flowering bulbs of Hippeastrums do 
Tt require re-potting every year, the best 
Jin being to re-pot one-half of the num- 
1: one year and the other half the foi¬ 
lring season. The bulbs that are not re¬ 
nted should be top-dressed with rich 
3 l, the old soil of course being removed 
fj far as the roots. Re-potting is best 
due when the bulbs show signs of fresh 
fpwth, and as much of the old soil as 
Jlssible should be shaken from the roots, 
v ilst all dead and withered roots must 
1 cut off. The pots must be well 
(lined, and after shaking out and disen- 
tigling the roots the bulb to be potted 
fmld be held in position noth one hand 
; shown in Fig. 6, and the soil be placed 
; «und it with the other hand, the pot 
1 ng shaken and tapped on the bench 
twork the soil well in between the roots. 
Propagating: and Potting 
Hippeastrums. 
When the base of the bulb is reached, the 
soil should be made firm, more soil after¬ 
wards being filled in to half cover the 
bulb in the manner indicated by the line 
A in Fig. 6. The wrong way to pot the 
bulbs is shown in Fig. 7, the roots being 
in a heap and the bulb too deeply covered 
with soil. Compost consisting of three 
parts fibrous loam, one part peat, one 
part leaf-soil, one part well-rotted man¬ 
ure, and a little sand and bone meal will 
be found excellent for re-potting Hippeas- 
trum bulbs. 
Whilst in flower, the plants should be 
removed to fairly cool quarters, say, a 
temperature of fifty degrees. A point to 
be remembered is that Amaryllises make 
the greater part of their foliage after 
flowering, during which time the embryo 
flowers for the following season are also 
formed, therefore generous feeding and 
watering, together with a genial tempera¬ 
ture is most essential from the time 
flowering ceases until growth is complete; 
afterwards the pots should be placed in 
a sunny position and be carefully watered. 
As soon as the leaves begin to turn yel¬ 
low water should be gradually withheld, 
and during the resftng period it is best to 
plunge the pots in coal ashes in a tem¬ 
perature not exceeding fifty degrees. 
ORTUS. 
Salvia patens. 
This old-fashioned plant is the finest 
blue flower we have in our gardens, yet 
how often can it be found' in small gar¬ 
dens. It is a plant that should be grown 
by all who are lovers of choice plants, 
being easy of culture. 
Few plants are finer for forming single 
speciments or for massing among her¬ 
baceous plants than this fine old Salvia. 
Here in a rich border it reaches a height 
of five feet and always takes the largest 
share of admiration with visitors when 
looking round the gardens. 
Salvia patens can be increased by sev¬ 
eral methods. Seeds can be sown in 
heat early in the spring and will make 
nice stuff for planting out in the border 
during May, though these are not so free 
flowering as older plants or cuttings. 
In the autumn the roots are taken up 
before they are liable to be damaged by 
frost, storing them away in sand or leaf- 
mould in a frost-proof quarter and re¬ 
placing them in gentle heat in spring. 
The crowns will break into strong shoots, 
which, when a few inches high, should 
be taken off at a joint, inserted in small 
pots, and placed in heat. Before many 
days these are rooted plants, ready for a 
larger size pot. 
The old roots will still continue to 
break into active growth again in a 
greater number, so a large stock can 
easily be raised from a few r old plants. 
The Tatter may also be cut into pieces 
and potted up! There is certainly no 
plant easier to work up a supply of than 
the above-named Salvia. It is also an 
excellent pot plant for the greenhouse or 
conservatory in the autumn, making a 
telling effect when arranged among the 
early white Chrysanthemums. 
Berks. 
