364 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  2,  1901. 
Greenhouse  Hardwooded  Plants. 
{Continued  from  page  340.) 
Ericas. 
With  the  softer  wooded  sorts  the  knife  may  be  freely  used  to 
prune  them  hard  back  after  flowering,  when  they  should  be  kept  close 
and  be  frequently  dewed  over  with  the  syringe,  under  which  treatment 
they  will  soon  break  into  fresh  growth,  when,  if  they  require  it,  they 
should  be  repotted.  With  the  hardwooded  sorts  the  knife  should 
seldom  or  never  be  used,  the  training  and  regulation  of  the  branches 
being  effected  by  pinching.  They  must  at  all  times  have  plenty  of  air, 
and  no  more  fire  heat  than  what  is  necessary  to  exclude  frost ;  in  fact 
excess  of  fire  heat  during  winter,  and  bad  watering,  account  for  more 
failures  among  this  class  of  plants  than  any  other  causes. 
After  having  completed  their  growth,  towards  the  end  of  summer 
they  should  be  placed  outside  on  a  bed  of  ashes.  Thus  by  exposure  to 
sun  and  air  the  wood  will  get  properly  ripened  and  matured,  and  a 
good  display  of  flowers  will  be  assured.  This  applies  more  especially 
to  the  softwooded  section.  I,  myself,  have  seen  the  hardwooded  ones 
kept  inside  all  the  season,  and,  where  space  will  admit  of  it,  this  is 
probably  the  practice  to  follow.  It  may  be  thought  that  I  have  gone 
rather  fully  into  details,  but  to  do  them  justice  one  would  require  even 
more  space.  In  the  mam  the  above  ireatment  will  answer  for  the 
general  run  of  hardwooded  plants.  Heaths  and  several  other  hard¬ 
wooded  plants,  during  winter  and  dull  weather,  are  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  mildew,  which  should  be  got  rid  of  by  the  use  of  flowers 
of  sulphur. 
As  regards  sorts,  the  most  useful  are  Erica  ampullacea  and  vars. 
rubra,  mammosa,  affinis  (flowers  pale  yellow,  this  is  a  species) ; 
Cavendishiana  (bright  yellow,  not  unlike  affinis,  but  as  I  already 
stated,  is  a  garden  hybrid);  E.  colorans,  gracilis,  hyemalis,  persoluta, 
melanthera,  Wilmoreana,  ventricosa  and  vars.  As  many  of  these  as 
possible  should  find  a  place  in  every  collection. 
Epacrls. 
In  point  of  numbers  the  beautiful  genus  of  Epacris  falls  far  short 
of  the  Ericas,  tnere  being  only  six  species,  ^nd,  with  the  exception  of 
E.  racemosa  from  New  Zealand,  they  are  all  natives  of  Australia.  At 
the  present  day  they  a're  perhaps  more  popular  than  the  Ericas,  and 
they  most  certainly  have  the  advantage  of  being  better  subjects  for  a 
supply  of  cut  flowers.  The  plants  may  be  readily  propagated  as 
recommended  for  Heaths,  and  like  them  they  should  be  potted  firmly 
in  a  mixture  of  peat  and  sand,  taking  care  to  give  them  perfect 
drainage,  as  during  their  growing  season  they  require  a  plentiful 
supply  of  water.  Here,  again,  as  in  the  case  of  Heaths,  one  must  be 
content  to  wait  a  few  years  and  form  a  good  foundation  for  our  future 
plant,  which  can  only  be  attained  by  judicious  stopping  in  their 
earlier  stages.  However,  if  one  wishes  to  go  no  further  than  small 
plants  for  decorative  purposes,  one  may  attain  that  end  in  the  course 
of  two  years. 
In  Epacris  we  get  two  distinct  classes  of  plants,  one  of  a  stiff, 
erect  habit  of  growth  ;  the  other,  of  the  miniata  type  (or  longiflora  as 
it  is  now  called),  are  of  a  more  loose  and  straggling  habit,  and  usually 
flower  later  than  the  erect  growing  ones.  Soon  after  flowering  the 
erect  growing  ones  should  be  cut  back  to  within  an  inch  or  two  of 
the  previous  year’s  growth,  and  placed  iu  a  frame  or  pit,  where  they 
can  be  given  a  closer  atmosphere  and  higher  temperature,  in  which, 
aided  by  frequent  dewing  with  the  syringe,  they  will  soon  break  into 
fresh  growths.  If  they  require  repotting  it  should  be  done  when 
they  have  made  about  an  inch  of  growth,  and  after  their  roots  have 
got  a  hold  of  the  fresh  soil  they  should  be  given  more  air.  To  get 
well  furnished  specimens  it  is  advisable  to  stop  them  at  once,  this 
berng  done  when  they  have  made  about  4  inches  of  fresh  growth. 
Later  on,  place  them  outside  on  a  bed  of  ashes,  taking  care  that  the 
pots  are  not  too  much  exposed  to  the  hot  sun,  as,  in  common  with  all 
hardwooded  plants,  they  have  very  fine  roots  which  are  very  apt  to 
suffer  if  allowed  to  get  at  all  dry.  The  miniata  type  does  not  require 
to  be  pruned  so  hard  as  the  stiff,  erect  growing  sorts,  but  as  they 
are  later  in  flowering  it  should  be  done  so  soon  as  the  flowers 
fade,  thus  allowing  them  plenty  of  time  to  finish  their  growth  before 
placing  them  outside.  Plants  of  the  miniata  type  may  in  time  be 
grown  into  huge  specimens.  I,  myself,  have  seen  large  plants  trained 
on  balloons,  seme  4  feet  in  height,  and  in  late  winter  and  early 
spring  I  know  of  no  more  beautiful  and  lasting  subject  for  the 
furnishing  of  the  conservatory  and  greenhouse — this  apart  from  their 
usefulness  as  regards  a  supply  of  cut  flowers.  There  are  now  many 
garden  varieties  of  the  erect  growing  sorts,  their  colour  varying  from 
j  ure  white  and  pink  through  all  the  shades  of  red  and  crimson. — 
J.  COUTTS. 
Points  in  Ifalnjaison  Gnltnre. 
There  are  a  few  points  that  it  is  essential  to  observe  in  order  to 
succeed  with  this  most  popular  flower.  At  the  stage  we  have  reached, 
shading  from  sunshine  is  most  important.  It  at  once  preserves  the 
foliage  in  a  healthy  green,  and  lessens  the  amount  of  water  necessary 
to  preserve  the  roots  in  working  condition.  The  application  of  water 
forms  a  most  vital  part  of  their  treatment.  At  no  time  should  the  soil 
be  soaked ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  while  the  plants  are  in  vigorous 
growth,  it  must  not  be  allowed  to  become  so  dry  as  to  cause  the  root- 
hairs,  which  are  now  freely  produced,  to  shrivel  and  die.  Once  the 
flowers  have  been  cut,  then  the  supply  of  water  should  be  lessened,  by 
which  means  the  youog  growths  will  be  ripened  and  produce  better 
plants  when  layered,  while  those  kept  on  for  winter  or  spring  blooming 
will  more  certainly  set  a  crop  of  buds,  and  the  foliage  will  be  firmer 
and  in  better  condition  to  stand  the  treatment  necessary  to  induce  the 
flowers  to  op.n  in  a  kindly  manner.  With  regard  to  manure,  I  more 
and  more  regard  its  application  with  suspicion;  none  is  supplied  to 
the  plants  in  the  soil,  nor  any  until  the  colour  of  the  foliage  shows  that 
an  exhaustion  of  material  has  supervened,  then  a  slight  surfacing  of 
superphosphate  is  applied.  At  the  most,  two  applications  I  find  to  be 
sufficient  to  carry  the  plant  safely  past  the  blooming  period.  To  be 
more  definite,  as  much  material  as  can  be  placed  on  a  shilling  is  ample 
for  one  dressing.  Permitting  aphis  to  gain  a  footing,  no  matter  how 
slight  it  may  be,  is  invariably  succeeded  by  an  enfeebling  effect.  If 
not  sharply  dealt  with,  the  plant  is  shortly  ruined  in  appearance,  and 
if  allowed  to  extend  to  the  buds  the  flowers  are  spoilt.  Provided  the 
plants  can  be  cultivated  under  the  conditions  they  like,  aphis,  as  in 
the  case  of  Cinerarias  grown  under  sympathetic  treatment,  seldom 
appears,  but  as  a  rule  it  may  be  expected  ;  hence  it  is  safe  and  judicious 
to  fumigate  the  plants  at  intervals  in  order  to  make  sure  that  no 
pioneer  of  the  tribe  has  made  a  settlement  unseen. 
Plants  are  also  enfeebled,  and  very  commonly  so,  from  neglecting 
to  thin  both  the  shoots  and  the  buds.  It  is  quite  a  common  occurrence 
to  have  strong  plants  pushing  from  eight  to  a  dozen  growths,  and 
these,  if  allowed  to  remain  unthinned,  seriously  weaken  the  plant 
and  lower  the  quality  of  the  blcom.  In  practice,  I  find  from  four  to 
six  growths  the  right  number  to  leave,  when  they  develop  into  strong 
vigorous  shoots,  and  produce  grand  material  for  layering  later  on.  As 
to  disbudding,  if  long  stems  are  as  important  as  fine  blooms,  the  buds 
must  be  reduced  to  a  single  one  on  each  stem,  but  for  ordinary 
purposes,  and  with  vigorous  plants,  four  or  five  may  be  left.  With 
regard  to  ventilation,  so  long  as  a  draught  is  prevented,  I  have  never 
known  a  free  circulation  of  air  to  be  other  than  beneficial.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  modify  what  one  knows  to  be 
best  in  order  to  secure  some  particular  end  ;  as,  for  instance,  to  hasten 
the  period  of  blooming,  and  if  care  is  exercised  not  to  shut  up  the 
plants  in  a  moist  atmosphere,  which  in  all  circumstances  is  only 
pernicious,  no  harm  will  follow  limiting  the  amount  of  ventilation. 
It  is,  indeed,  often  necessary  during  warm  muggy  weather,  when  the 
flowers  are  expanding,  to  shut  out  the  damp-laden  atmosphere, 
and  on  occasion,  even  in  the  midst  of  summer,  I  have  found  it 
needful  to  apply  a  little  artificial  heat  to  preserve  the  blooms  from 
damping. 
Another  matter  demanding  consideration  is  whether  plants  wanted 
to  flower  during  the  dull  months  of  the  year  should  be  allowed  to 
flower  previous  to  repotting,  or  be  potted  on  in  spring  as  soon  as  the 
soil  has  been  nicely  filled  with  roots.  The  latter  is  the  way  I  preler, 
much  stronger  plants  being  the  result,  and  no  check  occurring,  as 
it  frequently  does  when  the  plants  are  not  potted  till  they  are 
partly  exhausted  after  flowering.  There  is  just  one  other  point  I 
desire  to  touch  od,  that  of  propagation.  The  fact  must  have  struck 
everyone  who  has  cultivated  MalmaiBons  intelligently,  how  susceptible 
they  are  to  any  check  of  growth,  and  how  easily  disease  is  induced 
through  checks.  Not  infrequently  I  have  noticed  bad  results  follow 
after  lifting  layers  rooted  in  beds  of  soil  and  potting  them  up.  On 
that  account,  though  more  troublesome,  and  involving  a  much  greater 
expenditure  of  time  and  labour,  I  have  for  some  time  practised  laying 
the  shoots  into  small  pots,  afterwards  potting  them  on  into  32’s,  with 
the  result  that  such  plants  grow  from  the  very  beginning  straight  on, 
and  are  scarcely  susceptible  to  disease.  Layering  should  on  no 
account  be  long  delayed  after  the  plants  have  been  bloomed  out.  If,, 
however,  the  growths  are  soft,  by  keeping  the  plants  somewhat  dry  at 
root,  and  at  the  same  time  freely  exposed  to  ventilation,  they  will  be 
in  prime  condition  in  a  very  few  days.  Hard  shoots  do  not  make 
good  layers,  nor  grow  so  freely  after  they  are  rooted.  In  cases  where 
disease  or  rust  has  got  a  grip  of  the  stock  it  will  be  best  kept  in  check 
by  laying  very  short  points,  or  as  much  of  the  end  of  the  growth  as 
may  have  escaped  attack. — B. 
