1884 .] 
THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 
127 
THE OOBAT. PLANT. 
Erythvina. 
These showy shrubs, altliough imtivee of 
warmer olimates than ours, will bloom well 
if planted outdoors in rich, sunny borders 
in early summer, but not before all danger 
of frost is over. 
E. Crista-gam., indigenous to Brazil, is the 
best known and most beautiful species, and 
as a spoeimon plant in a llowor-bod or singly 
for the lawn, it can hardly bo excelled. Vi^y 
this superb plant should not bo seen more 
frequently in private gardens can hardly bo 
accounted for, except that it is an old plant, 
out of date, one which 
in the race for novel¬ 
ties has been left be¬ 
hind and forgotten. 
Its appear,anee is very 
distinct, the large 
coral-red, peculiarly 
shaped flowers, con¬ 
trasting sharply with 
the handsome, glossy 
leaves, in the axils 
of which they are 
produced in great 
abundance. A large, 
well-grown specimen 
is a sight to be re¬ 
membered. 
In our Southern 
States the plant may ^ 
be left outdoors dm-- 
ing winter, and will 
not suflier, if light 
protection is given; 
but it is very impor- ^ 
tant that the bed 
should be well drained 
if the ground is at all 
of a retentive nature. 
The soil should be 
moderately rich and 
light, although the 
plant is not very par¬ 
tial to any special 
soil, provided it is 
well supplied with 
water during its sea¬ 
son of growth and 
blossoming. Before 
sharp frosts occur the 
entire clump has to 
be lifted, cut back, 
and planted in a box 
or pot large enough 
not to unduly crowd 
the roots. They may 
be wintered with 
safety in a frost-proof 
cellar or moderately 
warm room and come 
out all right in spring, _ 
but care must be taken to keep em ^ 
moist enough to prevent them rom ® 
eUng. The roots, after having been taken 
up, may also be preserved by , 
with di'y sand, similar to keeping ^ 
E. Eendersonii is a variety of recen i - 
troduetion, which, although its 
•little smaller than those of E. 
blooms more profusely, and has 
tional merit of flowering much ^ 
continuing in bloom for a longer , . 
seeds freely, and seed sown in 
the season will produce flowering P 
same year, so that it may be gro 
annual plant. 
flEOWING BEAUTIPUL PANSIES. 
Much as has been written lately about “how 
to laise Pansies,” but little information is 
given as to how the very finest flowers and 
most beautiful colors may be produced. 
Having had unusually good success with ray 
Pansies, my method may interest some of 
the readers of Tirn American Garden. 
I plant the seedlings in ridges about eight 
inches apart and fill up the trenches with 
cow manure, made thin enough to run. As 
soon as the plants commence to make a good 
growth I construct my watering apparatus. 
This consists of an old barrel with a f.ilse 
\t 
. THE CORAL PLANT. 
bottom, through which several holes have 
been bored, nailed about half-way down. 
At the bottom of the barrel is fastened a 
short piece of an old bamboo flshing-rod, to 
which a rubber pipe of the necessai*y length 
is attached. The end of this pipe is con¬ 
nected with another and longer piece of 
flshing-rod, through which holes have been 
bored so that the liquid drips evenly between 
the rows of plants. This di-ipping piece or 
pipe is placed on two forked sticks and moved 
from time to time so as to keep up a uniform 
moisture in the bed. When all is ready, cow 
manure is placed in the upper part of the 
barrel, and aU filled up with water, pouring 
on more water as the liquid manure is drawn 
off from below- The cask is placed behind a 
fence, where it is hidden by shrubbery so 
as to bo in nowise unsightly or objectionable. 
When the apparatus is once constructed, 
there is hardly any labor in its use; it takes 
care of itself, and to convince any one of its 
efficiency it only needs a trial. I have no 
doubt that larger and better Pansies can be 
raised in this way tliaji in any other, and I 
certainly led our city in beautifid Pansies, 
raised from The American Garden Premium 
seed. Samuel Denny. 
VERBENAS. 
For low beds on the 
lawn in front of the 
sitting-room win¬ 
dows, or near the 
paths, the Verbena 
is ray favorite flower 
on account of its pro¬ 
fuse blossomuig and 
its brilliance of color. 
A good bed of Ver¬ 
benas is a sight worth 
seeing any time, and 
has some points of 
merit superior to a 
bed of Geraniums. 
Like the Phlox, the 
Verbena succeeds 
better with me in a 
moderatelj’ rich soil 
than in a very rich 
one. The former 
seems to be produc¬ 
tive of more flowers, 
the latter of ranker 
growth. 
Verbenas may eas¬ 
ily be raised from 
seed, but for some 
reason I have not suc¬ 
ceeded in raising fine 
ones from seed. Most 
of my seedlings pro¬ 
duce mauve and pink 
flowers, and have a 
coarse appearance. I 
prefer to buy my 
\ plants of the florist. 
I set out the plants 
in the beds as soon 
as the weather be¬ 
comes really warm, 
not before, and peg 
the branches down 
by bending little 
twigs into the shape 
of a hair-pin, and in¬ 
serting the ends iu 
the earth over the 
branch. At each point 
\ 
./ 
I I'oots will soon bo found, and new plants 
can be raised in large quantities by this 
process. 
The new plants ■will soon begin to bloom, 
and a plant is never without flowers through 
the season, if seed is not allowed to form. 
For every branch cut off, two will start from 
the axils of the leaves below, and these will 
soon produce flowers. It is very easy, there¬ 
fore, to increase the blossoming surface, by 
cutting the plant in well, from time to time. 
Removing fading flowers regularly .'will pro¬ 
duce this result, and will also extend its 
blossoming season far beyond its usual limit. 
E. B. Eexfoed. 
