August 1, 1904 
_ THE GLOXINIA. (Sinningia speciosa.) 
Gloxinias are in nearly all colors, from 
_light rose to dark purple, and in the: better 
strains many of them are beautifully shaded 
and striped. As a house plant for summer 
blooming, or for greenhouse decoration, the’ 
Gloxinias have few if any superiors. They 
require little care, except in watering, and 
Mr. A. H. Evans, who has favored us with photographs of his Glo 
weeks in bloom, and are ‘greatly admired by all who see them. 
This coming season I hope to flower about 150 of them, 
seven miles south-east from Angaston. 
Glgxinias. 
part of well-rotted cow manure to which 
enough sand is added to open up the soil. 
Instead of the rotten sods, equal parts of 
garden loam and leaf mold may be used. 
Thorough drainage should be given by 
filling the pots two-thirds full of charcoal 
or broken crocks, covered with a layer of 
sphagnum. As soon as the leaves extend 
beyond the edges of the pots the plants 
should be shifted to the five or six-inch size, 
in which they can be flowered, or sold as. 
house plants. If designed for use as cut 
flowers, they can be planted out fiom the 
amall pots, or the boxes, in which they may 
bo started, either on benches in the green- 
house or in frames outside, where much less. 
care will be required. When thus grown. 
they should be mulched with sphagnum. 
During the season of growth every pre- 
eaution should be taken that they do not 
receive a check. While the atmosphere: 
should be kept moist by syringing the walks 
and benches, overhead watering or syring- 
ing of the plants should be avoided, as,. 
if drops of water remain on the leaves they 
will be spotted, and their beauty will be- 
marred, if they are not entirely destroyed. 
On warm, bright mornings a fine spray 
mpon the leaves will soon evaporate, and,. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
during the winter they ‘are dried off and 
| packed away. They are readily grown from 
seed or by means of leaf cuttings, bnt when 
only a few plants are required it will be as 
well, even for the florist, to buy one-year 
‘¢ dried roots.” These should be potted at 
_ the end of winter, in three or four-ineh pots, - 
_ according to their size, the top of the bulb 
_ being just level with the surface, and placed 
so rpcmneg mite moe 6 A at 
ms 
tee Aa 
xinia 
in the pictures are about four or five years-old, and were raised by me. 
-one plant had 40 blooms of fine, large, perfect flowers, and another 27. 
amateurs at growing plants, but do not experience any difficulty in starting Gloxinias. 
near the glass in a temperature of. 60°, 
where they will have a little bottom heat. 
Until the leaves start, very little water will 
be required, but from that time it should be 
gradually increased, giving the plants all 
they can use, as if at any time they are 
_allowed to wilt the flowers will be much in- 
jured. Gloxinias do well in a compost of 
_ two. parts of rotten pasture sod and one 
. 
“ee ‘ 
s, writes—‘‘ The larger plants 
When the photos were taken 
Both my man and self aro 
They last for 
I have no very special house for my 
‘Range View” is situated about 
