THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
79 
that the more common the plant, the more inquiries 
there are concerning it; the reason for this is simple 
enough, from the fact that many plants that thrive 
luxuriously in one place will not in another. This is 
particularly so with the Wistaria, a plant that is so 
hardy and so rampant a grower, that success seems 
assured by simply planting and leaving it to take care 
of itself. It will not, however, always do that. The 
writer once caused one to be planted on the east side of 
a city house, and at the same time one on the west side. 
Both plants were pot grown, and as nearly alike as two 
plants could well be; the same care was taken in pre¬ 
paring the soil, and in the planting, but the plant on 
the west side grew to the top of the house in three 
years, while the one on the east side had not grown 
three inches. The cause for this difference we could 
never ascertain. Our experience, we find, has been shared 
by many others; hence the inquiries in regard to cul¬ 
ture. We do not think a difference in soil has much to 
do with the growth of this plant. We have seen it in 
all soils, from the hardest clay to coarse sand, and have 
known it to grow rapidly in either, and have seen it re¬ 
fuse to grow in each; where anything will grow the 
Wisteria will. To train them in such a manner as to 
make them ornamental, and at the same time floriferous, 
requires so little art. 
The Wistaria can be trained into any desired shape; 
it can be made useful as a pillar plant: it is well adapted 
for covering trellisis or sides of buildings; it is admir¬ 
ably adapted for a standard plant on the lawn, and, in 
fact, it is so obliging that it can be made to assume any 
desired shape or form. When it is decided what form 
is wanted, the first step is to put up rods or other sup¬ 
ports on which to fasten the young growths. As it is a 
twiner in the strictest sense of the term, it is sure to 
follow an y lead or su pp ort f urnished. When sufficient 
leaders have commenced their growth, all others should 
be cut away as fast as they appear, in order that the 
whole strength may go wheie it is wanted, and to save 
cutting away after the stems have made a useless 
growth. In order to bring the plant into flower, syste¬ 
matic pruning will be necessary, and it must be done 
on the same principle that we trim our Apple-trees. 
Although the Wistaria is a climbing-plant like the 
Grapevine, it produces its flowers from old spurs, like 
the Apple, Peach or Pear trees. About the first of July, 
or at least during the month, all the laterals on the main 
or leading stems should be cut back within a few inches 
of the main stem, in order to check active growth. 
These shoots will again break into growth from the buds 
just behind where the shoot was cut off, and after having 
made a few inches growth they should also be stopped 
in the same way. The result will be the formation of 
flower spurs at the foot of the shoot first shortened. 
In the spring following these shoots are to be cut back 
to within five or six eyes of the main stem, and the 
young shoots from these eyes are then to be treated in the 
same way as those of the previous year—and so on 
year after year. By following this course of treatment 
ten continuous wreaths of flowers will be produced, 
and the too frequent complaint “that my Wistaria 
does not bloom,” will no longer be heard. 
The standard form for lawn decoration may be se¬ 
cured in the same manner. On Mr. Dana’s place at 
Dosoris, L. I., there are several of these forms, at a 
distance resembling some fine shade trees. Their 
trunks are about four inches in diameter and six feet 
high, bearing well-formed, massive heads about eight 
feet in diameter. We saw them last year in full bloom, 
and more beautiful plants, covered with their long 
panicles of flowers, it has never been our pleasure to 
see. When grown in bush form, for single plants on 
the lawn, having several stems, with heads united, 
they are equally beautiful objects. 
THE OLEANDER. 
This beautiful shrub belongs to the Dog-bane family, 
and is poisonous. It is found in the Levant, and some 
parts of Palestine. In Florida it is so common as to be 
little esteemed. It grows in hedges and groves, and 
often attains a height of twenty-five and thirty feet. 
Galveston is called the Oleander City because it grows 
there so abundantly. They are planted in rows on the 
outer edge of the sidewalk, and just inside of the fence 
of many residences, so that they form a perfect arch, 
and are laden with bloom for several months. The red 
is the most common variety, and is the hardiest, though 
the white is by no means rare. Galveston, Texas, is 
situated on an island of the same name. The soil is 
sand, with a mixture of decayed vegetable matter. 
In starting Oleanders, after they have attained a 
height of eight or ten inches, it is best to pinch off the 
stalk above the second or third joint, and this will 
force it to branch; after these shoots are sufficiently 
grown, pinch them back, and thus a thick bushy plant 
will result, and blossoms be much more abundant. 
Probably had I headed this article Nerium, mauy of 
my readers would not have known to what I had refer¬ 
ence, but Oleanders are sometimes classed under that 
head. They are in some places called the South Sea 
Rose. Here at the North we rarely find other than the 
red or rose color, but there are numerous beautiful va¬ 
rieties ; of a few of these we will give the names. At- 
ropurpurea plenum is a double flower, of a rich, dark- 
purple color ; Cardinale, rich double vermilion, beauti¬ 
fully shaded ; Gloriosum, large double flow'ers of a 
brilliant cherry crimson; Prof. Durand, pale yellow, 
semi-double; Flavum duplex, semi-double, pale sul¬ 
phur ; Lilian Henderson, the most prolific bloomer 
and finest of the white-flowered varieties: the flowers 
are double, full-petaled, rose-like in form, deliciously 
fragrant. 
On small plants the double varieties frequently 
produce semi-double flowers, so one must not think 
they have been deceived, should this be their ex¬ 
perience. 
Oleanders require much moisture; that probably is 
why they are botanieally termed Nerium, from the 
Greek neros, humid. I bed mine out in the summer, 
and think it is better than to keep them in pots. I find 
they root readily from cuttings placed in a bottle of 
salt water, and kept in a sunny window. All of the 
leaves excepting two or three at the tip of the slip, 
should be removed. Mrs. M. D. Wellcome. 
