216 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  16.  1899. 
GREENHOUSE  CLIMBERS. 
Xo  greenhouse  or  conservatory  of  any  pretensions  whatever  can  he 
said  to  be  complete  unless  it  is  furnished  with  a  good  selection  of 
climbers.  To  lofty  structures  especially  they  add  a  grace  and  elegance 
which  is  very  pleasing  where  the  selection  has  been  made  judiciously, 
only  using  such  as  are  best  adapted  to  the  construction  of  the  house. 
For  instance,  a  plant  of  Tacsonia  Van  Volxemi  or  Clematis  indivisa 
lobata  would  be  entirely  out  of  place  in  a  low  structure,  but  would 
be  seen  to  advantage  in  a  lofty  house.  In  the  following  notes  our 
aim  is  to  help  such  as  may  be  contemplating  planting  a  few  climbers, 
and  who  have  a  difficulty  in  deciding  what  to  plant. 
Sometimes  it  is  desirable  to  cover  the  back  wall  of  a  greenhouse. 
We  will  therefore  endeavour  in  the  first  place  to  mention  one  or  two 
climbers  which  we  have  found  answer  this  purpose  admirably.  But 
before  enumerating  varieties  we  would  mention  that  in  all  cases  where 
it  is  at  all  possible  the  best  plan  is  to  have  prepared  borders  in  which 
to  insert  the  plants.  hey  succeed  so  much  better  under  this  system 
and  require  a  minimum  of  attention. 
For  a  moderately  high  wall  the  Silver  Wattle,  Acacia  dealbata, 
makes  a  beautiful  covering,  d’he  foliage  is  neat  and  pretty,  silvery 
grey  in  colour,  and  the  bright  yellow  flowers  are  produced  in  profusion 
early  in  the  spring.  A  light  rich  compost  of  fibrous  loam,  leaf  mould, 
and  sand  made  rather  firm  suits  this  Australian  plant,  which  also 
delights  in  abundance  of  water  at  the  roots.  Pruning  should  be  done 
immediately  after  flowering,  and  consists  in  cutting  back  long  shoots 
and  thinning  out  where  crowded. 
Then  the  Cherry  Pie  (Heliotropium  peruvianum)  succeeds  on  the 
back  wall  of  the  greenhou.se  where  a  maximum  of  light  is  obtained. 
In  this  position  it  will  bloom  perpetually,  and  there  are  few  flowers 
which  are  more  appreciated,  especially  by  ladies,  on  account  of  the 
delicious  perfume.  The  plants  must  annually  be  pruned  in  the  month 
of  February,  cutting  the  preceding  season’s  growths  back  to  within  one 
or  two  eyes  of  the  main  stem  in  the  same  manner  in  which  (loose- 
berries  are  pruned.  They  will  soon  produce  fresh  growth,  and  in  a 
short  time  completely  cover  the  wall.  The  Heliotrope  is  not  very 
]iaiticular  as  to  soil;  any  fairly  good  light  loam  will  suit  it  capitally. 
We  have  known  baskets  of  flowers  gathered  throughout  the  summer 
and  autumn  from  a  single  plant,  and  even  in  the  dull  winter  months 
a  fair  amount  have  been  got. 
Oestrum  elegans  is  another  plant  which  is  splendidly  suited  for 
back  walls  or  pillars  in  the  greenhouse.  Although  it  is  a  native  of 
Mexico  it  succeeds  very  well  in  a  greenhouse  temperature,  and  is  one 
of  those  plants  upon  which  at  all  seasons  one  can  depend  on  finding  at 
least  a  few  flowers.  The  flowering  season,  however,  is  during 
summer,  when  it  produces  abundance  of  large  cymes  or  clusters  of 
reddish  flowers,  which  hang  like  great  pendants  amidst  the  bright 
green  foliage.  This  plant  requires  liberal  treatment,  a  rich  soil,  and 
abundant  supplies  of  liquid  manure  during  its  season  of  growth. 
Prune  early  in  the  year,  cutting  away  all  weak  growth  and  shortening 
back  others  in  such  a  way  that  the  plant  will  be  well  furnished  to 
the  base  with  flower-producing  growths.  Habrothamnus  elegans  is 
another  name  by  which  it  is  known. 
Amongst  those  which  are  adapted  to  training  on  the  roof  of  the 
conservatory,  perhafis  Lapagerias  stand  unrivalled.  The  Lapageria  is 
a  native  of  Chili,  whence  it  was  introduced  in  the  year  1847,  and  was 
named  after  a  French  Empress,  Josephine  Lapagerie.  Perhaps  few 
flowers  are  TOore  admired  than  this,  especially  the  white  variety, 
which  looks  extremely  chaste  hanging  amidst  the  dark  green,  leathery 
foliage.  It  should  be  accorded  a  slight  shade  during  bright  sunny 
weather,  as  the  young  leaves  are  liable  to  be  burnt  when  fully  exposed. 
After  flowering,  all  exhausted  growths  should  be  removed  to  make 
room  for  the  young  shoots;  but  further  than  this,  little  pruning  is 
needful.  Equal  parts  of  good  fibrous  peat  and  fibrous  loam,  with  a 
free  admixture  of  sharp  sand  and  a  quantity  of  broken  bricks  and 
charcoal,  will  be  found  a  good  rooting  medium  for  this  beautiful 
climber. 
During  the  growing  season  water  must  be  given  unstintingljq  and 
at  no  season  should  the  soil  be  allowed  to  get  dry,  consequently  the 
borders  must  be  carefully  and  amply  drained.  When  young  snoots 
are  pushing  up  from  the  base  a  constant  watch  must  be  kept,  as 
snails  are  particularly  fond  of  the  tender  points.  The  blooms  last  a 
long  time  in  perfection,  and  the  flowering  period  extends  over  months. 
The  red  and  white  varieties  when  allowed  to  intermix  look  very 
beautilul,  the  two  colours  making  a  chaste  combination. 
Tacsonia  Van  A^olxemi  is  a  very  pretty  and  characteristic  plant  for 
draping  the  roofs  of  lofty  houses.  Its  beautiful  scarlet  flowers  have 
a  graceful  and  refined  appearance,  hanging  by  the  long  slender  foot¬ 
stalks.  It  is  a  rapid  grower,  and  covers  a  large  space  m  a  very  short 
time.  The  flowers  are  produced  plentifully  in  the  late  summer  and 
autumn.  Then  there  is  the  Bougainvillea,  another  pretty  green¬ 
house  climber,  which  should  find  a  place  even  in  a  small  collection. 
The  bracts  are  the  principal  feature,  and  these  are  very  beautiful 
indeed,  deep  heliotrope  or  lilac  in  colour,  and  produced  in  lavish 
abundance.  No  attempt  must  be  made  to  train  the  Bougainvillea  in 
any  hard  and  fast  way,  but  allow  it  to  ramble  freely,  as  under  this 
style  it  produces  its  flowers  more  freely,  and  is  also  seen  to  greater 
advantage.  Good  turfy  loam,  with  a  little  leaf  mould  and  sand 
added,  makes  an  excellent  compost  in  which  to  plant  it.  Abundance 
of  water,  with  frequent  applications  of  manure  during  summer,  tend 
to  produce  the  best  results.  Keep  drier  during  winter,  and  induce 
the  plant  to  rest.  In  February  prune  hard  in  cutting  away  all  weak 
growths  and  spurring  others  close  in  like  Gooseberries. 
Another  very  fine  climber  is'Clematis  indivisa  lobata,  a  native  of 
the  Antipodes,  which  yields  a  profusion  of  starry  snow-white  flowers 
early  in  the  spring.  It  is  a  rapid  grower,  and  requires  ample  space  to 
ramble.  The  flowers  are  considerably  smaller  than  those  of  the  well- 
known  hardy  varieties,  but  the  immense  quantities  produced  make  up 
for  any  lack  in  size  of  the  individual  blossoms. 
The  foregoing  do  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  list  of  greenhouse 
climbers,  but  in  selecting  them  we  have  endeavoured  to  have  as 
varied  and  as  representative  a  choice,  both  in  form  and  in  colour,  as 
we  could. — Aleyn. 
THUNBERGIA  HARRISI. 
No,  “L.  Row,”  Thunbergia  Harrisi  is  not  by  any  means  of  recent 
introduction,  and  it  is  probable  that  you  have  occasionally  seen  the 
plant  not  in  flower,  and  consequently  have  not  had  your  attention  par¬ 
ticularly  drawn  to  it.  It  was  introduced  from  the  East  Indies  about 
forty-five  years  ago,  and  was  some  years  ago  accorded  a  first-class 
certificate  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  when  exhibited  from  the 
gardens  of  Lady  Theodora  Guest  at  Henstridge.  The  flowers 
(fig.  5.5)  are  large  and  very  showy,  being  purplish  blue  with  a  pale 
yellow  suflfusion  in  the  throat.  They  are  freely  produced  in  racemes, 
and  are  sufficiently  beautiful  to  warrant  the  inclusion  of  at  least  one 
plant  in  every  stove.  It  requires  precisely  similar  treatment  to  other 
stove  Thunbergias,  and  if  well  grown  and  kept  free  from  insect  pests, 
it  will  flower  in  the  late  summer  and  be  sure  of  considerable  admiration. 
NOBLE-FOLIAGED  PLANTS. 
Apart  from  Palms,  with  all  the  diversification  of  grace,  elegance, 
or  majesty  characterising  the  great  family,  there  are  certain  distinguished 
members  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  which,  by  their  power  of  imparting 
a  tropical  tone  to  our  conservatories,  hold  a  unique  position  among 
cultivated  plants.  Much  depends,  however,  upon  the  adaptation  of 
natural  freedom  to  them  in  their  artificial  surroundings,  for  without 
such  consideration  it  is  possible  to  tame  them  into  comparative  in¬ 
significance.  The  conservatory  as  a  show  house — viz.,  a  general 
repository  absorbing  such  things  from  the  glass  department  as  lend  to 
keep  it  gay — does  not,  in  the  formal  arrangement  of  an  heterogeneous 
gathering,  lend  itself  to  the  effective  display  of  our  noble-foliaged 
plants.  Their  disposal  for  the  best  effect  requires  that  more  subtle 
and  harmonious  scheme  in  which  no  arrangement  is  apparent — in 
short,  the  reproduction  in  miniature  of  the  handiwork  of  Nature  in 
her  happiest  moods.  In  illustration,  the  thought  arises,  when  viewing 
a  photograph  or  picture  of  some  pretty  peep  in  sunnier  lands,  that 
could  our  conservatory  be  lifted,  as  one  lifts  a  cap-glass,  and  popped 
down  upon  a  bit  of  the  best  of  what  is  felt  to  be  so  good,  the  ideal 
in  this  direciion  would  be  captured.  There  is  something  peculiarly 
graceful  and  fascinating  in  these  choice  bits  of  Nature  when  introduced 
to  the  homelier  surroundings  of  a  cooler  clime,  but  it  requires  the 
co-operation  of  an  artistic  eye,  with  the  gardening  hand,  to  do  them 
justice,  to  which  pots  and  primness  are  fatal. 
In  brief,  however,  it  is  chiefly  to  the  plants  our  subject  pertains, 
although  the  development,  rather  than*  the  curtailment,  of  their 
natural  charms  seems  inseparably  connected  with  conservatory  culture. 
Musa  ensete,  if  not  strictly  a  tropical  plant,  holds  a  prominent  place 
from  its  beauty  of  foliage,  dignified  habit,  and  amenity  to  culture. 
Unlike  its  first  cousin,  M.  Cavendishi,  the  Chinese  Banana,  it  does  not 
produce  suckers,  hence  this  necessitates  its  reproduction  by  seeds.  At 
first  sight  some  little  difficulty  may  appear  to  attend  this  method  of 
propagation,  for  it  is  not  easy  to  obtain  the  seeds,  and  when  to  hand 
they  look  more  like  freaks  of  Nature  than  the  dormant  germs  of  this 
noble  foliaged  plant.  Late  in  the  autumn  of  1897  I  was  able  to 
procure,  through  one  of  our  home  seed  merchants,  from  the  house  of 
Vilmorin,  of  Paris,  100  seeds,  which  were  at  once  put  into  a  tin  dish 
of  well  saturated  Jadoo  fibre,  and  placed  direct  on  ihe  hot  water 
pipes  of  a  stove-house.  In  some  six  weeks  vegetation  commenced, 
and  as  the  plants  appeared  they  were  transferred  to  thumb  pots, 
the  Jadoo  fibre,  enlivened  by  some  sharp  silver  sand,  still  being  used 
and  repeated  in  succeeding  shifts  until  8-inch  pots  were  necessary. 
Thirty  healthy  plants  in  all  were  raised  from  the  100  seeds,  and 
possibly  a  higher  percentage  would  have  shown  had  we  persevered 
