408 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  12.  Ipy8 
DIPLADENIAS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
{Concluded  from  page  385.) 
Watering. 
Never  water  Dipladenias  until  the  soil  gets  somewhat  dry.  They 
do  not  need  heavy  supplies  at  any  time,  yet  when  growing  a  due 
amount  at  each  watering  to  moisten  the  soil  through  to  the  drainage. 
During  the  winter  they  must  be  kept  moderitely  dry  at  the  roots, 
but  the  “dry  as  dust”  system  hardly  answers.  Water  must  be 
given  very  carefully  at  starting,  root  action  only  needing  moderate 
moisture,  and  when  in  free  growth  afford  supplies  as  necessary, 
more  being  required  when  the  flowers  are  developing.  After  flower¬ 
ing,  or  during  the  latter  part  of  September  and  in  October,  merely 
afford  sufficient  to  keep  the  leaves  fresh,  and  gradually  reduce 
the  amount,  very  little  being  needed  after  that  month  and  up  to 
February. 
Temperature  and  Light. 
Dipladenias  are  hothouse  plants.  It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  grow 
them  in  an  intermediate  house  or  cool  stove.  Even  in  winter  they 
require  warmth — 60°  to  65°  at  night,  and  from  starting  in  the  early 
spring  70°  to  75°  should  be  the  minimum  by  night  and  in  the 
daytime  in  all  but  very  dull  weather  and  on  severe  frosty  nights 
llelatively  low  night  temperatures,  however,  do  no  harm,  provided  the 
days  are  bright  and  the  heat  mounts  up  to  85°  or  90°,  or  more. 
This  temperature  they  enjoy  from  sun  heat,  and  that  they  mostly  get 
in  stoves  from  April  to  September  inclusive. 
Eough  and  frosted  plate  glass  roofs  do  not  suit  Dipladenias,  and 
though  a  slight  “  summer  cloud  ”  shading  does  no  harm  after  flowering 
begins,  the  less  of  it  the  better,  aiming  more  at  a  diffusion  than 
obstruction  of  the  sun’s  rays.  They  must  have  light  to  flower  freely, 
making  stout,  short-jointed,  hard  wood.  After  August  the  more  glare 
of  sun  the  better,  for  the  main  growths  cannot  be  too  thoroughly 
ripened ;  even  trellis  plants  are  better  loosened  from  the  conical  or 
globular  shapes,  and  the  shoots  spread  out  to  the  late  summer  and 
autumn  sun.  It  enables  the  plants  to  store  matter  for  the  succeeding 
year’s  growth,  and  by  this  procedure  a  good  start  will  be  secured. 
Pruning. 
The  flowers  are  produced  on  the  young  wood  of  the  current  year, 
and  in  most  profusion  at  the  latter  part  of  the  summer.  Overcrowding 
is  a  great  evil,  therefore  train  so  that  every  shoot  has  its  fair  share  of 
light,  rubbing  off  weakly  growths,  for  they  do  nothing  but  rob  the 
vigorous  and  deprive  them  of  both  nourishment  and  light.  Stoppmg 
must  not  be  practised,  except  for  special  purposes,  but  keep  the  growths 
sturdy  by  plenty  of  space  and  full  exposure.  After  flowering,  thin  out 
the  wood  well,  cutting  away  nearly  all  that  of  the  current  year  to  let 
the  sun  into  the  plants.  In  the  late  winter  or  early  spring,  say 
February,  cut  back  the  main  shoots  to  a  few  buds,  spurring  them  in 
like  Vines,  always  making  a  reservation  of  main  shoots  required  for 
covering  the  trellis,  and  these  hard  and  ripe  in  the  wood. 
Starting. 
Let  the  plants  move  before  attempting  any  disturbance  of  the  roots, 
then  turn  them  out  of  the  pots,  remove  as  much  of  the  old  soil  as 
desirable,  reducing  the  ball  about  half,  and  repot,  pressing  the  soil 
moderately.  Water  very  carefully,  and  sprinkle  the  plants  occasionally. 
This  will  bring  them  on  better  than  waterings  at  the  roots,  but  when 
they  get  hold  of  the  new  soil  they  will  need  more  copious  supplies. 
Avoid,  however,  making  the  soil  wet,  either  by  sprinkling  or  watering 
too  much.  Young  plants  may  be  given  a  shift  in  the  early  summer, 
but  avoid  overpotting  at  any  time,  though  a  rather  large  size  of  pot 
will  be  required  for  large  trellis  plants.  In  repotting  these  be  careful 
to  remove  the  loose  soil  only,  as  the  plants  are  rather  impatient  of 
much  root  interference,  yet  give  some  soil  annually,  and  always  see 
that  the  drainage  is  perfect. 
The  plants  appreciate  frequent  syringings,  provided  they  are  given 
in  the  early  part  of  fine  afternoons,  never  excessively,  and  not  so  that 
the  water  will  hang  on  the  foliage  for  a  considerable  time.  The 
syringing  must  not  be  practised  over  the  flowers,  but  damping  in 
the  morning  and  early  afternoon  proves  advantageous.  In  the  early 
spring  and  summer  months  a  brisk  moist  heat  is  necessary  to  bring 
the  plants  along ;  they  enjoy  moisture  better  wffien  arising  from  a 
large  extent  of  damped  surface  than  a  deluging  of  the  growth. 
Dipladenias  require  a  fair  share  of  air,  not  a  great  amount  at  one 
time  and  none  at  another,  but  some  each  day  of  their  growth,  to 
insure  a  change  of  atmosphere.  The  early  opening  and  the  early 
closing  system  suits  Dipladenias  to  perfection,  the  bottled  up  sun  heat 
doing  much  more  good  than  the  stuffy  heat  from  hot-water  pipes. 
Pests. 
Mealy  bug  likes  Dipladenias,  but  there  is  no  need  to  have  it  if 
the  house  be  vapourised  with  nicotine.  This  also  acts  well  against 
scale,  as  the  young  are  just  as  easily  killed  as  green  fly.  Thrips  and 
red  spider  also  like  these  plants;  but  they  cannot  make  great  headway 
where  due  attention  is  paid  to  adequate  supplies  of  moisture  and 
judicious  syringings.  Vapourisation  with  nicotine  kills  thrips,  only 
practise  it  often  enough,  and  red  spider  does  not  like  it.  By  those 
means  the  pests  can  be  kept  under,  and  they  must,  for  unless  the 
plants  are  kept  clean  and  healthy  they  cannot  be  expected  to  thrive. 
Winter  dressings  are  useful,  and  touching  up  parts  infested  with 
mealy  bug  and  scale  with  methylated  spirit,  applying  by  means  of  a 
small  brush,  are  not  overwhelming  processes,  and  these  little  timely 
attentions  give  plants  much  of  their  after  beauty,  as  they  flow’er  in 
measure  of  their  cleanliness,  and  are  appreciated  accordingly. 
Species  or  Varieties. 
D.  amahilis. — Leaves  oblong-acute,  shortly  stalked.  Flowers  rosy 
or  purplish  crimson,  4  to  5  inches  in  diameter ;  petals  round  and  stiff, 
borne  in  clusters  from  May  to  October.  A  hybrid  between  D.  crassi- 
node  and  D,  splendens. 
D.  amoemi'. — Leaves  oblong-acuminate.  Flowers  pink,  suffused 
yvith  rose ;  petals  round,  stiff,  and  not  reflexed.  Free  blooming,  and 
better  than  D.  splendens,  which  it  somewhat  resembles,  occasionally 
being  as  pale  in  colour.  A  garden  hybrid,  with  exceptionally  good 
foliage. 
D.  holiviensis. — Leaves  oblong-acuminate.  Flowers  white,  with 
a  golden  yellow  throat,  about  2  inches  across,  borne  in  sub-terminal 
or  axillary  racemes  of  three  or  four  ;  stems  slender.  A  pretty,  small- 
growing  species.  Bolivia,  1866. 
D.  Brearleyana.  —  Leaves  opposite,  oblong,  acute,  dark  green. 
Flowers  (opening  pink)  rich  crimson,  very  large,  freely  produced  from 
May  to  October,  and  borne  well  above  the  foliage.  One  of  the  finest 
varieties.  Garden  hybrid. 
D.  crassinode. — Leaves  oblong  lanceolate.  Flowers  rose  coloured, 
unapproached  for  loveliness  of  shade,  but  superseded  by  the  hybrids. 
Kio  Janeiro. 
D.  hyhrida.— Leaves  large,  stout,  bright  green.  Flowers  flaming 
crimson  red,  freely  produced ;  very  beautiful.  Garden  hybrid. 
D.  insignis. — Leaves  or  foliage  very  strong  and  growth  stout. 
Flowers  rosy  purple,  striking.  Garden  hybrid. 
D.  Lady  Louisa  Egerton. — Leaves  long  and  lanceolate,  rough  and 
leathery.  Flowers  white,  suffused  with  pink,  eye  rayed  with  a  deeper 
shade,  round,  of  great  substance,  and  6  inches  or  more  in  diameter. 
Garden  hybrid. 
D.  nobilis. — Free  growing.  Flowers  orange  red  to  rosy  purple, 
large,  handsome.  Garden  variety. 
D.  Regina. — Growth  neat,  early  flowering.  Flowers  blush  at  first 
changing  to  flesh  colour,  with  rose  suffused  on  throat.  Garden 
hybrid. 
D.  rosacea. — Flowers  rosy  pink,  suffused  and  bordered  with  a 
deeper  shade ;  throat  yellow,  with  a  rose  ring  at  the  mouth.  Garden 
variety. 
D.  (Echites)  splendens.  —  Flowers  white,  suffused  with  pink, 
produced  on  spikes  successionally  for  months.  Foliage  broad,  and 
shoots  stout.  Organ  Mountains. 
D.  s.  profusa.  —  Leaves  oblong  -  acuminate.  Flowers  (fig.  77} 
carmine,  5  inches  in  diameter,  and  borne  in  bunches  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves.  Garden  hybrid. 
D.  s.  Williamsi. — Flowers  similar  to  the  species,  but  with  a  deep 
pink  throat;  free  flowering  and  a  great  improvement  on  the  species. 
Garden  variety. 
D.  Thomas  Speed. — Flowers  large ;  petals  broad,  round  and  of  great 
substance,  rich  rosy  crimson,  rayed  blush  white,  with  a  golden  eye 
flaked  with  red.  Growth  free  and  floriferous. — G.  Abbey. 
VEGETABLES  FOR  HOME  AND  EXHIBITION. 
Seakale. 
A  GARDEN  without  Seakale  would  be  deficient  in  a  most  important 
crop.  Important  in  many  ways — the  chief  one  being  that  it  is  a 
vegetable  that  supplies  a  welcome  and  radical  change  to  the  menu.  It 
is  the  forerunner  of  a  new  order  of  things,  and  the  advent  of  Seakale  in 
the  kitchen  paves  the  way  for  a  line  of  varied  produce  continuing 
through  the  summer,  and  none  is  more  appreciated  than  the  first  dish 
of  tender  forced  Seakale.  The  date  of  this  depends  largely  on  the  facili¬ 
ties  for  forcing,  and  the  supply  of  roots  suitable  for  the  purpose.  The 
demand  for  forced  Seakale  varies  likewise.  This  winter  there  has  been 
no  lack  of  vegetables,  for  which  the  mildness  of  the  season  is  account¬ 
able.  During  severe  winters,  however,  the  demand  for  Seakale  exceeds 
the  supply. 
There  are  various  ways  adopted  for  forcing  this  useful  product;  but, 
in  the  first  place,  let  us  glance  at  the  culture  of  it.  Average  garden 
soil  is  .suitable  for  Seakale,  and  good  manure  from  the  farmyard  suits 
it  admirably.  Frequently  one  sees  the  Kale  bed  in  an  out-of-the-way 
shaded  corner  of  the  garden,  so  placed  that  it  ipay  be  easily  protected 
prior  to  forcing;  but  it  is  far  better  to  grow  it  fully  exposed  to  the 
sunshine.  A  commencement  must  be  made  either  by  propagating. 
