t-ebmary  27,  1896.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
GROWING  ALLAMANDAS. 
No  other  inhabitant  of  our  plant  house*  furnishes  us  with 
such  a  grand  display  of  bright  yellow  flowers  as  this  family  of 
Apocynaceous  plants.  They  are  all  evergreen  climbers,  and  all 
produce  yellow  flowers  except  A.  violacea,  which  alone  should 
secure  them  a  place  in  every  collection  of  stove  plants.  When 
once  well  established  they  will  live  for  a  great  number  of  years, 
and  continue  to  give  a  gorgeous  display  of  their  freely  produced 
blossoms  for  at  least  six  or  seven  months  of  the  year,  from  early 
summer  until  far  into  the  winter  months.  This  is  a  great  boon  to 
those  who  have  to  supply  a  large  number  of  cut  flowers,  as  the 
blooms  can  be  used  in  many  different  ways  for  room  or  dinner-table 
decoration. 
The  Allamanda  is  a  most  valuable  plant  for  exhibition  purposes. 
Few  plants  are  more  easily  trained  into  perfect  specimens,  and  no 
other  species  furnishes  the  exhibitor  with  such  a  mass  of  yellow 
flowers,  which,  when  seen  resting  on  the  glossy  green  foliage,  have 
a  most  imposing  appearance.  Although  plants  trained  in  this 
187 
returning  them  to  the  propagating  frame.  Do  not  plunge  them 
as  before,  but  stand  them  on  the  plunging  material.  In  a  few 
days  they  will  have  taken  well  hold  of  their  fresh  compost,  and 
can  gradually  be  inured  to  the  general  temperature  of  the  house. 
As  soon  as  the  roots  have  filled  the  pots  the  plants  should  be 
placed  in  6-inch  pots,  and  at  this  and  ail  future  pottings  peat  must 
be  wholly  dispensed  with  ;  a  compost  I  have  found  to  answer  well 
being  three  parts  good  loam  to  one  of  cow  manure,  with  a  liberal 
addition  of  charcoal. 
Being  water-loving  plants  when  growing  freely,  a  thoroughly 
good  and  lasting  drainage  must  at  all  times  be  given  them.  At 
this  period  of  their  growth  it  must  be  determined  what  position 
and  shape  they  are  finally  to  take  ;  if  for  training  on  the  roof  as 
before  described  they  will  at  present  need  no  stopping,  but  grown 
on  with  single  stem  until  they  reach  the  desired  height  where  to  be 
trained  horizontally  under  the  roof,  when  their  points  may  be 
pinched  out.  As  soon  as  they  have  started  into  fresh  growth 
after  being  stopped,  they  should  be  planted  in  their  permanent 
quarters,  making  a  good  drainage,  and  employing  as  a  compost  three 
Fig.  27.— LIL1UMS  AND  RHODODENDRONS. 
manner  lose  much  of  their  natural  beauty,  yet  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  like  many  others  of  our  handsome  flowering  stove  plants,  such 
as  the  Dipladenia,  Bougainvillea,  Clerodendron  Balfourianum,  and 
Stephanotis,  they  would  never  reach  the  exhibition  tent  in  the 
perfect  condition  we  so  often  see  them  during  the  summer  and 
autumn  months. 
To  see  the  Allamanda  in  its  most  natural  manner  of  growth  it 
should  be  permanently  planted  out  where  the  temperature  is 
never  allowed  to  fall  below  55°,  and  trained  on  wires  placed 
horizontally  along  the  roof  of  the  house  at  a  distance  of  9  inches 
or  a  foot  from  the  glass.  When  well  established  and  covering  a 
good  space  of  the  structure,  the  shoots  being  well  regulated  to  show 
off  the  blooms  to  the  best  advantage,  it  is  a  sight  not  easily  forgotten 
by  all  lovers  of  flowers. 
Allamandas  can  be  easily  propagated  by  cuttings,  which  will  root 
freely  at  almost  any  season  of  the  year,  either  in  a  propagating 
frame  or  under  a  bell-glass  where  a  bottom  heat  of  70°  to  80°  can 
be  obtained.  The  early  spring,  as  soon  as  the  shoots  are  from 
2  to  3  inches  in  length  and  can  be  taken  off  with  a  heel,  is  the 
best  time  to  accomplish  this  work.  Insert  them  singly  in  thumb 
pots,  in  a  compost  of  peat  and  sand,  pressed  firmly,  well  watered, 
and  plunged  in  the  propagating  frame,  shading  from  bright  sunshine 
being  necessary.  In  about  a  month  they  will  have  filled  their  small 
pots  with  roots,  and  should  be  transferred  into  3-inch  pots, 
adding  to  the  peat  and  land  one  part  good  fibrous  loam  again 
parts  good  fibrous  loam  to  one  of  cow  manure.  Do  not  give  them 
too  much  soil  at  first,  but  occasional  top-dressings  as  often  as  the 
roots  come  to  the  surface  will  be  found  more  beneficial  to  them, 
as  the  whole  mass  given  at  one  time  would  get  into  a  sour 
unhealthy  state  ere  the  young  roots  had  fully  taken  possession  of  it. 
On  the  other  hand,  should  the  young  plants  be  required  for 
trained  specimens,  they  will  need  stopping  twice  or  three  times 
the  first  season  to  insure  a  thorough  foundation  to  work  on. 
At  each  potting  process  the  soil  must  be  thoroughly  and  firmly 
worked  between  the  ball  and  the  sides  of  the  pot,  using  the  same 
compost  as  before  described,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  charcoal. 
By  the  end  of  the  season  they  should  have  filled  pots  10  inches 
in  diameter,  with  good  active  healthy  roots,  which  will  be  found 
large  enough  to  winter  them  in,  as  they  will  make  but  little 
progress  from  October  until  the  end  of  January,  during  which 
time  but  little  water  should  be  given — just  sufficient  to  keep 
their  wood  plump  and  to  keep  some  of  their  foliage  in  a  healthy 
state. 
By  the  end  of  January  each  of  the  growths  should  be  lightly 
pruned  to  encourage  fresh  breaks  from  the  best  ripened  wood. 
As  soon  as  they  are  well  started  into  growth,  the  breaks  being 
about  an  inch  in  length,  place  the  plants  in  their  flowering  pots 
about  16  inches  in  diameter,  which  will  be  ample  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  a  good-sized  specimen.  As  soon  as  potted  the  trellis  or 
training  sticks  should  be  added,  that  of  a  balloon  shape  being 
