^dO 
THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 
comparatively large, aiKl of a pleasing 
shade of light blue. 
Crossandra iinduliaefolia, which not long 
since was given an Award of Merit by the 
Royal Horticultural Society, has very 
pretty orange-salmon flowers. Though it 
usually flowers in tlie spring, blossoms may 
be liad in the autumn. Dsedalacantlius 
nervosus is our old friend Eranthemiim ner¬ 
vosum, which is a general favourite, as 
it produces its beautiful metallic blue 
flowers in the depth of winter. An allied 
kind, Dsedalacanthus Watti, also known as 
D. parvus, flowers in the autumn. It is a 
plant of shorter grow-th, with deep bluish- 
purple flowers. 
The genus Eranthemum is an extensive 
one, and while the flowers are borne in 
terminal spikes or heads, as in most acan- 
thads, in a few they are scattered along 
the shoots. Among the best are E. An- 
dersoni, white, spotted red; E. albiflorum, 
pure Vhite, like singl© lilac; E. gracil- 
liflorum, lavender; E. seticalyx, reddish- 
yellow ; and E. tuberculatum, pure white. 
As a class the jaoobinias are among the 
most popular of the acanthads, and several 
of them are extensively grown in gardens. 
All of them may be had in bloom in win¬ 
ter. A selection of the best would include 
J. ohrysostepliana, above alluded to- J. 
coocinea, scarlet; J. Ghiesbreghtiana (syn. 
Sen cograph is Ghiesbreghtian a), scarlet; J. 
magnifica, whose varieties vary from rose 
to de^ reddish-rose; J. pauciflora (syn. 
Libonia floribunda), red and yellow, a well- 
known plant; and J. penrhosiensis, crimson 
and gold. Peristrophe speciosa is a well- 
known weed in the Tropics, and much 
grown here for winter blooming, the 
magenta-coloured flowers being borne in 
great profusion. 
The ruellias are a numerous class, and 
some of them are very showy, especiallv 
K. acutangula, scarlet; R. amoena, crim*^- 
®on; K. macrantha, much grovm in many 
gardens and, I believe, one of the largest- 
flowered of acanthads, flowers purplish- 
r^e, with dark veins; and R. rosea, with 
blossoms of a pleasing shade of bright rose 
Schaiieria calycotricha (Justicia calvco- 
tricha) has curious fluffy heads of yellow 
flowers and ,s well worth growing the 
sake of ranety as well as for its free- 
IrTIn^tl?^''*'^- best 
early m the new year. 
Owing to the fact’that many of them 
are of a climbing nature, the different 
thunbergias stand ont distinct from most 
^anthac^ns plants. Th« large-“rowi^ 
T. grandiflora, with light hlne flowers, and 
tensor in^ tb’^' often bloom 
well on into the autumn, but, as a rule 
most of the others flower at different seal 
menti '‘‘^t a«inthad to 
mention is one of the most popular, namelv. 
rhyrMcanthiis nit i la ns, usually in better 
condition before Christmas than after. It 
IS a plant of tall grondb, with long pendn- 
tnhnir''t’"^'’i crimson^loiirerl 
tubular-shaped flowers. 'Vy y 
SOME BEAUTIFUL TENDER 
BULBOUS PLANTS. • 
Over the greater portion of the British 
Isles the subjects of this no'te can only 
be grown under glass protection, but are 
well worthy of being employed for coiiserva. 
tory decoration, owing to their beauty when 
in flower. In warm, wall-backed borders 
in the south-west, however, all can be suc¬ 
cessfully cultivated in the open air and all 
have flowered here. 
17, 1913 • 
growth than. Z. Candida. Both 1,, * 
green foliage. Two other 
grown here are Z. Andefsoni and^/ ^ 
flora, but neither have as yet flol’eM"'^*' 
Kingswear, S. DeiC” 
Ceanothuses under Glass.— 
«brubs that 
are forced prematurelv into bloom for de¬ 
corative purposes in the spring are ffrea“lv 
on the increase. The ceanothuses a 
tw considered in this way, though 
they form a very pleasing variety to 
whites and yellows which. a% a rulf Ix^omr 
Date in the early groups of force/eh rub- 
nndcr gla^ only, those kinds 
t^t bloom early m the year should he 
chosen, as the members of the summer-flower 
mg race are qui^e unfitted for the purpoee 
Among the most desarable species ^aie C* 
dentatus C. ngidus, and C. Veitchianus In 
aU of these the leaves are small, dark 
gr^n, and the flowers of some shade of blue 
Bessera eleg^ans. 
This is a native of Mexico, bearing on 
slender stems, I8in. to 2ft. in height, from 
six to twelve drooping, scarlet flowers, 
aibout l|^in. acrotss. The leaves are very 
narrow, and aJbout the same length as the 
flower-stalks. The stamens are violet- 
purple with green tips. There is a variety 
having the inner surface of the petals white 
with a margin and central band of scarlet. 
Both forms have appeared here. 
Cypella Herbert!. 
A native of Buenos Ayres, bearing tigri- 
diadike flowers of apricot-yellow colour, 
3in. in diameter, on stems about 18in. in 
height. The blossoms are very pretty, and 
have a black line down the centre of each 
of the three petals. Several flowers follow, 
ing one another are often produced on the 
same stem. 
Cypella plumbea. 
This is a native of Mexico, and is a 
far stronger grower, reaching a height of 
from 3ft. to 4ft. Its flowers are 4in. across, 
and are generally of a dull lilac-blue’ 
though there is a form in which the blos¬ 
soms are of a brighter colour. 
IVIIIIa bl'flora. 
This is a native of Mexico, bearing 
generally two, but sometimes three, 
sweetly-perfumed flowers of dazzling white, 
ness alwut 3in. across. The reverse of the 
petals is lined with green. The foliage is 
rush-like, and the flower stems average 1ft. 
in height. A group of plants in full bloom 
is an exquisite sight. 
Nerine Fotherg'llll ma.jor. 
The Guernsey lilies are from the Cape of 
Goc^ Hope, and this is the handsomest 
variety. The large flower-heads, composed of 
twenty or more individual blossoms, about 
3in. in diameter, are of bright scarlet, the 
petals in the sunshine having the appear¬ 
ance of being powdered with gold dust. The 
flower-stems are over 20in. in height, and 
the strap-shaped leaves attain a length of 
about Din. by the hime the flower-truss is 
at its best. 
Nerine Bowdenl. 
This is of recent introduction, and its 
flowers are considerably larger than those 
of any other species. The blossoms are 
pale rose in colour, with a central line of 
deeper hue. It flowers freely in the open 
air here. 
Zephyranthes Candida. 
"^is is a native of Peru^ and bears pure 
white flowers about the size of a crocus on 
stems about Din. in height. It flowers in 
the autumn, and is a good companion to 
the belladonna lilies. 
Zephyranthes atamasco. 
This is said to be a native of Carolina 
but, in spite of its more nor¬ 
thern habitat, it has proved harder to es¬ 
tablish in the open than Z. Candida. How. 
over, here both are doing excellently and 
flower profusely. It is a white-flowere<l 
species, bearing blossoms from 3in. to 4in. 
m diameter, and is generally stronger in 
ANCHUSA ITALICA. 
DROPMORE Variety 
This is one of the best, if not the b«t’ 
of the hardy plants of recent introductZ 
It has attained a wide vogue in a nhen 
time, and bids fair to becoL 
versa! in gardens of any size before lone 
though Its uncertain perennial character 
111 many soils tell against it with kiUi,, 
faire gardeners. In wet soils it will rareW' 
flower a second year while in light soiU 
It is a true perennial, though not a lone- 
lived one, and in some, especially if 
are rich in lime (the Borage family gener- 
ally are partial to chalk) it sows itself 
freely, and comes to he regarded almost 
a weed. 
Whep there is a diflBculty in keeping it, 
and this seems to be the more general ex¬ 
perience, we are recommended to propa¬ 
gate it in late summer by cutting up the 
roots after the manner of sea-kale: that h. 
cutting up the thick fleshy root—about the 
size of a large office ruler—into pieces two 
or three inches long, and planting them 
in a reserve piece of ground The amateur 
does not always succeed with this, and. if 
the soil is a wet one, more generally fails. 
The latter has been my expeidence, and I 
adopt the plan of raising see<llings evert 
spring, as with some other doubtful peren. 
nials. The seedlings vary a good deal, but 
they are nearly all good, the differenct‘> 
being mainly in the colour and size of the 
flowers. 
The important thing is to raise tiie seed¬ 
lings as early in the year as possible, m) 
that large plants may be obtained. The 
best w ay of all, perhaps, is to sow the seeds 
in groups of half a dozen where the plants 
are w anted to flower, and then pull out all 
the resulting seedlings but one, and that 
the strongest. Positions are not always 
ready for tliem in Fe^bruary or March, or 
the ground is not in good order for sowing- 
In such circumstances seeds may be sown 
in pots in February, say, half a dozen in a 
five or six-inch pot, and the latter se^ 
a frame; if w arm, all the better. The 
seedlings will remain in the seed-leaf, or 
incipient third-leaf, stage for weeks, and 
appear to be doing no good, but, on turn¬ 
ing out the pot, it will be seen that they 
have not been idle. I have measured the 
roots of seedlings scarcely more than 
showing the third leaf, and found w 
longest roots seventeen or eighteen inches 
in length. . 
In planting out, the holes should 
made deep enough for the roots to ? 
straight dowm their full length, a f 
being used for the purpose, or a small o 
dug and a dibber used at the bottom o 
If the ground is in fairly good heart, 
plants should be making leaves a foo * 
a-half in length by August, and 
ing spring or early summer u 
-should make a bush three feet 
and as much through. Alger P 
Strobllanthes Dyerlanu®- ^ 
warm-house acanthaceous plant is g ipoves. 
grown for the sake of its handsome 
which, especially when young. 
fully shaded with pink, while fh^J' lowers, 
dition, a violet metallic lust^- Tnc 
however, are well worth consideratio , ^ 
as in most of its relatives, borne i ‘ 
minal spike. They are lilac, marKea 
purple.— K. 
