These are the finest of all summer flowering bulbs, throwing up strong flower stems in June and July, bearing from two to six magnificent lily-like blossoms. The varieties are numerous, but only a few sorts are found catalogued. Amaryllis Johnsonii is the finestof the commonly grown varieties. Its leaves are a dark rich green, two inches broad, and two feet long. The flowers which are five or six inches long, are crimson with a white stripe through the center of each petal, and are borne upon a stalk two feet high. They usually bloom twice a year, the flowers appearing just as the leaves begin to grow.
Amaryllis formosissima is of a very peculiar form. The flowers are scarlet-crimson, very velvety in appearance; there are six petals, three of them nearly erect, and three drooping very long. After being bedded out, it quickly throws up a flower stalk and blooms before the leaves appear. It is a superb flower, known sometimes by the name of Jacobean Lily. Amaryllis vittata is a splendid hybrid, red ground striped with white. Amaryllis Valotta purpurea is an evergreen variety, and should be kept growing the year round. In August it throws up a flower-stem from one foot to eighteen inches high, bearing a cluster of light scarlet flowers two or three inches in diameter. A light soil and small pot suits it best. Mr. John Lewis Child of Queens, N. Y., has a finer collection and more numerous varieties than are usually found named in the catalogues. Some of them we will specify. Johnsonii Grandiflora, an improvement on the well-known Johnsonii Harrisoni, large, pure white, with double crimson streaks running through each petal. It has a delicious, orange-blossom fragrance. Reticulata, a bright rose color, the foliage is very attractive—dark green with a white stripe running through the center of each leaf. Aulica Stenopelalon, a magnificent species, having large orange crimson flowers, beautifully veined with scarlet. "Equestre fl. pl. This grand novelty was discovered in 1877, in one of the West India Islands. The flowers are perfectly double, resembling those of a large Camellia. Its color is rich, fiery orange red. We believe we have the only stock of this beautiful flower in America."John L. Child.
This and Harrisoni, are priced at $4.50, so they must be veryrare and beautiful. Aspasie, white, tinted with yellow and red; large and perfect. Crinum Amænum, new and very beautiful, white-striped crimson. Lutea, a hardy variety, which blooms in the autumn; pure yellow. Calafornica, pure white.
The bulbs are of easy culture. After blooming, and the foliage fully grown, they should be allowed to rest for several months, then start into growth by watering sparingly until the flower stalks appear, when a more liberal supply should be given. Usually two successions of bloom can thus be obtained. The bulb should be planted so as to leave the upper portion uncovered.
This plant is a native of tropical Asia, where it is partially parasitical, its roots penetrating the bark of the trees which support it. It was introduced into England in 1802. There are several species, but only one is generally cultivated. Hoya Carnosa has thick waxy leaves, and bears umbels of beautiful flesh-colored flowers which are very wax-like in appearance. It is an excellent plant for house culture as it stands the extremes of heat and cold better than most plants, and is not easily injured by neglect. It can be trained to climb on trellis-work to almost any height, and when in bloom, which continues for half the year, it is a very interesting plant.
There are several varieties of Hoya, but one only is generally cultivated.Silver Variegated Foliageis said to be very handsome but is of slow growth and difficult to propagate.Imperialisis a new variety with beautiful foliage and scarlet flowers.Cunninghamhas light green leaves, deeper colored flowers than the Carnosa and is a rapid grower.
They succeed best in peat, with some fibrous soil and sand. They must have perfect drainage, and require a period of rest. Hoya Carnosa is easily propagated from cuttings. A very good method is to wrap a cutting in moss, keeping it moist until the roots are well started.
AAUGUST is the month when we rest from our labor in gardening, and abandon ourselves to the full enjoyment of the varied blossoms which so abundantly meet our eye. Now we can best determine what changes may be required in the arrangement of our plants next year, in order to give the most pleasing effect. A tall plant may have been inadvertently set out in the midst of those of low growth, and we see now how awkward it looks. Short-lived annuals may have occupied a conspicuous place, and on their departure left an unseemly vacancy. A bed may have been filled with a class of plants that are not free bloomers, and so there has been little beside leaves, while another bed has been brilliant during all the summer months with flowers. Annuals of a new kind, high-priced novelties, have been tested; are they any better than our old favorites? If we cannot indulge in many sorts, what do we find the most satisfactory? Twenty-five cents per packet seemed very expensive for Heddewigii Pinks, but Crimson Belle and Eastern Queen are of such superior size and rare beauty that the investment is not regretted, and then we know that they will bloom in greater perfection next year, and that the seed saved this autumn and sown in early spring, will increase the stock. Twenty-five cents for a paper of Candytuft seed looks extravagant, but no one who invests in Tom Thumb would regret it. It is so dwarf, so compact and bushy, such a long continued bloomer, so admirable for edging a bed, that it is really almost an essential. Then it will sow itself, and the seedlings will be up as soon as the frost is out of the ground, and plants from self-sown seed are so much more thrifty and early than those one sows in the spring, that this is a great gain.
Candytuft—white, pink, light purple, dark purple and crimson, I find it well worth while to culture for early and profuse flowers, and admirably adapted for bouquets. I always have large quantities of the white, to set off the brighter flowers, and by sowing seed in June and July, have a succession of blooming plants. Foxglove, both white and purple, with their thimble-shaped spotted blossoms profusely borne on tall spikes, with side branches loaded with bloom, has been one of the greatly admired flowers of my garden. Plumbago, with its clusters of tube flowers, of the palest of blue, is very beautiful. Godetia, "Lady Albemarle," I have found to be all that it is represented. For two months it has been in constant bloom, and it will continue to flower till frost. It is of a bushy, compact habit, about twelve inches high, the flowers are from three to four inches in diameter, and of a rosy-carmine color. Everybody who has seen it, has a word of praise for this most beautiful of all the Godetias.Albais a new variety, having pure white flowers;Insignisis pure white with a crimson blotch on each petal;Whitney'sis of dwarf habit, and has large flowers, blush-colored, marked about the center with a handsome crimson stain. The new French Marigolds "Cloth of Gold," and "Meteor" are just splendid with their large and beautifully striped imbricated leaves. One has gold bars evenly marked on the rich dark velvety petals, and the other has deep orange stripes on a pale straw-colored, almost white ground. "Meteor" is a perfect gem among the Calendulas.
Convolvulus minor—new crimson-violet with yellow eye encircled with a band of pure white; dark blue and light blue with yellow eye margined with white; pure white with yellow eye, and blue and white striped, are very pretty free-blooming dwarfs of this species.
My Stocks are very fine, from mixed seed of the German, new large flowering. They are mostly very double. The creamy white are especially beautiful. The bright crimson and canary yelloware handsome. There are many varieties of this species, but what are generally termed Ten-weeks Stock are best known. They are classed under five heads: Dwarf, Miniature, Large-flowered, Pyramidal and Wall-flower-leaved. Then there are the Intermediate Stocks, prized for their late autumn blooming, of which there are twelve or more varieties. The German Brompton Stocks are divided into two sections; Brompton and Hybrid, or Cocordean. The latter bloom with a single stem which forms a splendid pyramid of flowers, and is cultivated largely in pots. Seeds sown in early spring will bloom in autumn, and if carefully potted will flower during winter; if sown in July and August, and cultivated in pots will flower the following spring and summer. The Imperial or Emperor stocks, sometimes called Perpetual, are large flowering, and white, rose, crimson and blood-red in color.
"Hardy's All-the-Year-Round," is a perpetual bloomer. The plants grow about twelve inches high, and produce hundreds of bunches of double white flowers.
Let us linger a little while at this rose bed. Are not those Teas lovely? Look at Madame Lambard, one of the finest French roses imported recently from Paris. Is not the color exquisite—a beautiful shade of silver bronze, changing to salmon and fawn, delicately shaded with carmine rose. And so deliciously fragrant! That rose so large and full, with a rare shade of violet red, brightened with crimson maroon, is Aline Sisley. It is surprising how such a tiny plant could have produced such an immense flower! And this is Letty Coles, a new French rose, very handsome and sweet; color rosy-pink, deeply shaded with intense crimson. Perle des Jardins is magnificent with its rich golden yellow, and Bon Silene has long been a special favorite. Its buds are large and beautiful. That charming white so deliciously scented is Mademoiselle Rachel, and this one with pure deep green flowers is Verdiflora, or Green Rose, scentless, and of no value except as a curiosity.
This grand rose is Abel Carriere, a hybrid perpetual more beautiful I think than the popular Jacqueminot in the perfectness of its form, and richness of its color. The outer petals are bright glowing crimson-scarlet, while the center is a deep fiery red. But it will never do to linger longer among the sweet roses, for there are many other flowers to show you.
I think that Hydrangea, with its immense trusses of bloom, is just one of the most desirable shrubs we can have in the garden. I have had mine six or seven years, and it bore three clusters of flowers the first year, though a wee plant. It blooms from August till hard frost, and needs no protection in the winter, though I do sometimes put a mulching of straw or a bit of brush around the roots. A lady writing toVick's Magazinesays of this Hydrangea: "The first year I plantedHydrangea Grandiflorait produced three heads of flowers, the second, fifty-six, and the third year ninety-two. Thorough cultivation and a pail of liquid manure once a week, helped the plant to bear this enormous load of flowers."
HydrangeaAlaskais a more recent acquisition. Its flowers frequently measure twelve inches across, and are of a bright pink color, not hardy at the North.Hydrangea Thomas Hoggwould be a very unpoetical name did it not remind one of "The Ettrick Shepherd." This variety was sent to the United States from Japan, by that eminent botanist for whom it is named, and has become deservedly popular. It belongs to the Hortensia section of the family, but is a far more abundant bloomer than any other. The flowers are of the purest white, of very firm texture, and retain their beauty for a long time.
A more recent novelty sent from Japan by Mr. Hogg, is the "New Climbing Hydrangea," which he describes as clinging to trees to the height of fifty feet, producing corymbs of white flowers of the size of ordinary Hydrangeas. It clings exactly like the Ivy,and must produce a striking effect when in full bloom. It is entirely hardy. Mr. Peter Henderson was the first to offer this novelty here and in Europe.Elegantissimais a novelty truly with its leaves flaked, bordered and striped with golden yellow. I do not know whether it blossoms or not, it is handsome enough without flowers.
The new HeliotropeLe Negreis the darkest of this genus, andSnow Wreaththe nearest approach to white we have yet had; truss very large, growth compact, and fragrance exquisite.Garibaldiis almost white;Mrs. Burgessis dark violet, andDuc de Lavenduryis a rich blue, dark eye.
Heliotrope
Sweet Alyssum is another of the essential flowers for the border, admirable for edgings, for its dwarf habit and continuity of bloom. The great novelty of last year was the new double variegated Sweet Alyssum—"The Gem." The flowers are very full, and the foliage broad with a mid-rib of light green, bordered on each side with pure white. It is a fine, compact grower, and far superior to anything of this species yet offered.
Lantanas, I think, add greatly to the attractions of the garden, so rich in color and profuse in blooming.Clotilda, pink with yellow center, andComtesse de Diencourt, flower bright rose and yellow center sulphur, are very desirable.Alba perfecta, pure white, is fine, so also isAlba lutea grandiflora, white with yellow center.Mine d'Oris a new variety, with bright orange and crimson flowers, and golden variegated foliage.M. Schmidtis a beautiful novelty. Flowers of a brilliant yellow, passing into purple vermilion; grows in the style of a Petunia.
NNEXT to Primroses, and by no means below them in value, we place the Cyclamen. The leaves, a deep green with white embroidery, are very ornamental, but when surmounted with a wealth of bloom, what can be more charming? Two of mine have begun to blossom—a white and a pink—and the buds are numerous. Others will bloom later. They continue in bloom for a long period, and are easy of culture, though where there is over-dryness of atmosphere, they are apt to be infested with the red spider. They need to be frequently sprayed and it is well to immerse occasionally the entire plant in water so as to wet the under surface of the leaves. The water ought to be tepid, and indeed for all plants in cold weather. To keep the dirt from falling out when the plant is plunged top downward, something can be wrapped around the pot. A mixture of turfy loam and sandy peat is best, but when not available, leaf mold or a rich mellow soil mixed with silver sand will do.
There are several varieties of Cyclamen, but the most common ispersicum, and many catalogues name no other. One of mine isgigantium, an improvement onpersicum, the flowers being much larger and finer in every respect. Among many catalogues I find this named in only one.Persicum, white and pink, is a sweet scented variety from Cyprus;Africanum, white and rose, from Africa;hederæfolium, from Britain. Other rare and expensive sorts areAtkinsii, white, crimson and rose colored;Europeum, red, andCoum, which in the early spring months bears above its very ornamental leaves "a profusion of small bright, rosy, crimson and snow-white turbinate blossoms of a roundish recurved outline, blotched with violet-crimson at the base, very beautiful."
The bulbs of all Cyclamens, exceptCoum, should be placed on the surface of the soil, covered half an inch, and water given moderately till the leaves are fully developed, and the flowers appear, when it may be applied more liberally. Do not make a mistake and plant your bulb upside down as did a lady I know of. "I have an idea that it is put in wrong, as the leaves seem to come from the under side," she writes. It is difficult to tell sometimes which is the right side to put down.
Persicum, with its dappled green and silvery gray, rounded, heart-shaped leaves, embroidered margins, is a fine ornament, but when these are surmounted with a profusion of pure silvery white oblong lanceolate petals, blotched with violet-crimson at their base, borne on slender flower-scopes, the plant is very beautiful. It varies in color from snow-white delicate peach and rosy crimson. Some are delightfully fragrant. During the growing and flowering season the plant should have a full exposure to the light, but not to the intense sunshine. After blooming, the bulbs may be allowed a time of rest, removing them to a cool and shady place in the border, if desired, watering rarely. In early autumn repot, and after a few weeks of growth, water more freely. It does not, however, injure the plant to keep it constantly growing, and the best florists have very generally abandoned their former method of letting them rest during the summer.Cyclamen autumnale flore alba, white, andrubra, red, blossom in the autumn.
The winter blooming varieties are admirably adapted for hanging-pots, and being cheap and very easy of cultivation, they ought to be in every dwelling. There are one hundred and fifty known varieties, though our catalogues rarely name half-a-dozen. Some are strictly winter bloomers, others flower only in summer, and some blossom the year round. Thefloribundavarieties belong to this class of perpetuals.Ortgiesialso, which is a wonderful bloomer,and on account of its erect growth, is admirably adapted for pot culture. It is a new and somewhat rare species from Brazil. It often grows eighteen inches high, and in good form. The upper side of the leaf is rich olive green, and the under side bright violet purple. The flowers are quite small, yellow, and borne in clusters. The special beauty is in the foliage.
Floribunda albaandroseahave tuberous roots. The foliage is very strong, and the clusters of bloom are borne on long foot-stalks starting directly from the tuber. A single small tuber will often have a hundred open flowers at a time. They are from one-half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter. This variety can be obtained and planted at any time of the year. It is admirably adapted for baskets or a hanging-pot.
Oxalis acetocellais the true shamrock of Ireland. Flowers are white, borne on stalks two to four inches high.Versicoloris a winter bloomer; color white, with bright pink margins to the petals; requires sunshine; the flowers will not expand in cloudy weather.Floribundahas no such freaks, but smiles in the storm, as well as the sunshine. A lady writing to Mr. Vick becomes enthusiastic over her Oxalis. She says: "The sixth of last October I planted a bulb ofOxalis versicolor, and it is just beginning to bloom. And oh! what lovely flowers; delicate and perfect in form, pure white, with just the faintest tinge of yellow in the center, and beautiful crimson stripes on the outside. The plant also is of a very graceful habit, bearing its tuft of small leaves, and clusters of flowers on the top of a short, slender stem. It seems strange that so small a bulb can produce such beautiful flowers."
OfBowiishe thus writes: "A year ago last October I planted a bulb ofOxalis Bowiiin a small bed. The bulb was so very small that I did not believe the flowers could amount to much, but was soon most agreeably disappointed. Such a mass of flowers on one small plant I had never seen before, and such large, bright-coloredflowers! Many stopped to admire it, and ask its name. It continued to produce a mass of flowers the entire winter and part of the spring, until the sun became very hot. From this one bulb I obtained eight, which I wrapped in paper and kept in a dry place. About the first of August they commenced growing, and so I planted them, and the first of September they were in full bloom, though the flower grew large as the days became less hot, until they were nearly as large as Petunias. The soil in which they grew was mostly sand and rich surface earth from the woods, and I sometimes watered them with weak soap-suds."
Mr. Vick, to whom we are indebted for the most of our information on this subject, says that this variety has large, thick, fleshy leaves, and large, bright, rose-colored flowers, the largest, indeed, of any of the cultivated kinds.
In his illustrated article he gives an engraving of one namedCernuus plena, the flowers of which resemble double Portulacas; erect, borne in clusters. We regret that he gives no reference to this variety whatever. It must be a rare sort, probably not in the market here.
TTHUS spake one wiser than Solomon, even He whose hand created and beautified the Lilies with a glory surpassing that of the greatest of Israel's kings.
This department of the Floral kingdom is too vast for us to explore; we can only make a selection of a few of the numerous varieties for consideration, gathering our information from the various sources at hand, and adapting it to our present use.
The Lily is the rival of the Rose, and by many is considered far superior. They certainly are far more easily cultivated. They are hardy, elegant, gorgeous sometimes, and sometimes of snowy purity. Many of them are of exquisite fragrance. There are early and late bloomers, and one can have these desirable flowers in succession for several months, by a right selection. The earliest bloomers are thePomponiums, natives of Siberia, and are perfectly hardy. TheLancifoliumorSpeciosumis the autumn blooming Lily, native of Japan.Lancifolium Album, a fine sort, with pure white petals and a pea-green stripe, very fragrant.Lancifolium Rubrum, andRoseum, though catalogued separately, are the same with different shadings. Some purplish crimson, others a faint blush of rose. Some have a red stripe, others a dark dull green, but all are specially recommended.Lancifolium Punctatum verumis a late bloomer; color, clear white with soft rose spots and green stripes. Finest of the species,Lancifolium Praecox;flowers white with a purplish-blush at the tips.Lancifolium MonstrosumorCorymbiflorum rubrum, bears its crimson flowers in large clusters. Grows to a great size.
The Lancifolium Lilies are of special value for their hardinessand varied beauty, and their cheapness places them within general reach. They are classed under the head ofMartagons, orTurks Cap.
Lily
Auratum Imperialis the Golden-banded-Lily of Japan which has become so extensively known and popular since its introduction from Japan by Mr. Gordon Dexter. It was first exhibited in July 1862, at the Massachusetts Horticultural Exhibition. It first bloomed in England same year. It was for sometime considered too tender for the Canadas and New England states, but it proved to be hardy. We have had ours twelve years, and give it only a slight protection. The petals of the Auratum are snowy white with a golden band running down the center of each, and freely spotted on the sides with deep carmine red. They are very fragrant. Being of somewhat slender growth, they need support. It does best in a warm sandy soil that has been well manured and dug deeply. It is easily propagated from the scales of the bulbs, each scale producing a small bulbet. They should be planted in a box about a foot deep, in good friable soil about three inches deep, and one inch apart. Sink the box in some out of the way place in the garden, and water frequently. In a short time small bulbs will be found forming on the base, which rapidly grow, and must be transplanted out the second year in the bed; the third or fourth year it will bloom. The little bulbets which form on the mother bulb blossom a year earlier. They should be renewed in the fall, after the foliage is dead. Plant in a bed about four inches deep, and let them remain undisturbed for two years; then they are large enough to bloom and should be transplanted into a permanent bed, if required.
Longiflorum Lily
These trumpet-shaped Lilies are charming in appearance, quite hardy and fragrant. They bloom in July or August, and continue in beauty for a long time.
LongiflorumJaponicumblooms in July, and is a fine dwarf bedder; color pure white, with occasionally a greenish tinge outside. Increases rapidly.Eximiumbears a longer flower, from six to nine inches in length, and is more open at the mouth than the common Longiflorum. Pure white and very fragrant.Browniiis a native of Japan, and is a grand Lily of rare beauty. It resembles Longiflorum in shape, but is larger and more expanding; color white inside, exterior brownish-purple; stamens rich chocolate, which forms a distinctive feature in this species. It has been frequently confounded withJaponicum, but the difference is very marked in the illustrations of the two, and are thus noted in Messrs. Hallock & Thorp's "Catalogue of Lilies."
"Japonicum(Odorum, Japonicum Colchesterii). One of the most beautiful and rarest Lilies in cultivation. It differs from Brownii and all the forms of Longiflorum in many respects. Note the following marked differences: Its broader, fewer and more spreading leaves, the shape of the entire flower and broader claw of its divisions, its shorter anthers with pollen tinged with red. The flower is solitary and large, interior pure white, exterior of a pinkish-brown color, tubular, bell-shaped, with spreading revolute tips; thebud shows a rich golden tint. Bulb white, or whitish-yellow, never red or brown, broad at the base, the scales which are somewhat narrow and acute at the tip, the outer ones terminate at about two-thirds of the height of the inner scales, whereas in Brownii the scales are broad, and all pass up, overlapping, and terminate together at the apex of the bulb, thus making the base much narrower than the apex."
It is a native of Japan, and is so exceedingly rare that it is priced at $7.00, more than double the cost of any other in the list. Brownii was priced, when a novelty at $4.00, but is now offered for $1.75.
Easter Lily
Candidum, sometimes called Easter Lily, is one of the best known and commonly grown of all the Lilies. It has been in cultivation for about three hundred years. Bears a profusion of pure white fragrant flowers in a compact head.
The doubleTiger Lilyis a very great improvement on the old single variety. It is very double, and very showy.Wallaceiis a new Japanese variety, said to be magnificent; color, buff, spotted with black.
ChalcedonicumorScarlet Martagonis supposed to be the "Lily of the field" mentioned in the Gospel. "It is magnificent, and its intense scarlet is one of the finest shades in the whole vegetable kingdom. A full bed is a most magnificent sight, and if suddenly looked at on a bright day, has nearly the same effect for a moment as if looking at the sun. It is much scarcer than it should be, and requires careful culture, to be planted about six or eight inches deep, and watered in the summer time. It pleases every one who is capable of being pleased."
Lilies, as well as many other bloomers, are greatly improved bythinning out the overplus, thus concentrating the sap to fewer blossoms, which being thus liberally nourished, greatly increase in size, and amply repay, by their superiority, for the loss in numbers. Although this is a demonstrated fact, yet few have the courage to prune where flowers are not very abundant, and many will not when they are.
Those who have limited space are loth to devote much room to Lilies, preferring plants that bloom continually throughout the season, or that make more show. But it is not essential that the bed should be devoted exclusively to lilies. For early spring blooming there can be the Crocuses, Snowdrops, Hyacinths, Tulips, all of which will bloom before the lilies, and after flowering can be taken up, i.e., the Tulips and Hyacinths, and low bedding plants take their places. Portulaca, Pansy, Ageratum, Mignonnette, Nemophila, Sweet Alyssum, are all suitable for this purpose, and will not only make the bed beautiful all the season with their blossoms, but will also be of real benefit to the Lilies by shading their roots somewhat, and keeping the soil more cool and moist.
Lilies must never be crowded; a foot or twenty inches is about right. The soil should be dug deep and mixed with old rotted manure and sand liberally, unless the soil is naturally sandy; if heavy, clayey soil, it ought to have in addition to sharp sand, leaf mold and bog muck. Plant the bulbs from six to eight inches deep, according to the size. Last autumn, in planting my Lily, Tulip, Hyacinth, and other bulbs, I made a little bed for each of pure sand, and then covered well with soil, over which was put a blanket of old dressing, then, before snow, a covering of boughs. The bulbs never came up so grandly, nor grew so rapidly before. October is the best month for bedding out, later will do, and many do not plant their Lilies till the frost is out in the spring.
The two leading Lily growers of this country are John L. Child and V. H. Hallock & Thorp, of Queens, N. Y.
Bouvardia
TTHIS is indeed a novelty among this class of valuable plants, being the first double ever known. It is said to be equal if not superior, in profuse blooming quality, and vigorous, healthy growth, to the single white variety,Davidsonii, of which it is a sport. The flowers are rather larger than those of the single flowering, and composed of three perfect rows of petals, of the purest waxy white color, each floweret resembling a miniature Tuberose. The trusses are large and perfect, and are freely and without interruption produced, even on the small side shoots, which generally make no flowers on the single one. It is highly praised by Mr. Thomas Meehan, florist and editor of theGardeners' Monthly, and by Mr. Henry A. Dreer, florist, of Philadelphia."A grand thing," says Mr. Meehan. "Gives great satisfaction. It has excelled our expectation," says Mr. Dreer.
My own specimen, about four inches in height, has twelve buds; two small clusters are on side-shoots. The very fine illustration of this Bouvardia we give our readers, has been kindly loaned by the Ellis Brothers, Keene, N. H., who have a fine stock which they are offering to the public.
Mr. Henry Cannell says, "Of all plants the Bouvardia, in our opinion, excels for cut flowers, no matter either for button-hole bouquets or table decoration; a spray of it is sure to be most prominent and pleasing, and the odor of several kinds is deliciously refreshing, and if well-grown they will more or less continue flowering nine months out of the year. Strange to say, they need only the ordinary course of cultivation of the winter-flowering Zonal Pelargonium; hitherto they have been treated as a stove plant, whereas they only need a temperature not higher than 50° to 60°, and in the summer to have every attention, like a specimen Chrysanthemum, and on the first appearance of frost to be taken into the house, and when growing and flowering, to be supplied with liquid manure occasionally."
Our only experience with this genus has been withBouvardia Humboldtii Corymbiflora, and it has proved to be a very valuable plant. Its pure white flowers are produced in large trusses; their tubes are three inches in length, and very fragrant. It blooms very freely and for a long period. This variety andVreelandiiare the best single white.
Lianthais a dazzling scarlet, and a very profuse bloomer.Elegans, salmon-scarlet; large and fine.Lady Hyslop, a light rose.Canspicuais of a blood-red color, with whitish tube.Bicolor, a summer-flowering variety. Flower tube purple, with tint of blue and delicately mottled flesh, tipped with white. These last we find, only in Cannell'sFloral Guide.
I have no difficulty in keeping my Bouvardia in the cellar, the leaves drop off, but they come out anew in the spring.
This is a very popular genus on account of their rich dark-green leaves, and beautiful rose-like flowers. They are hardy greenhouse plants, and thrive best in light loam mixed with sand and peat, but will do well in light soil without the peat. It will not flourish in a limestone soil. Mr. Vick gives the following in his Magazine:
"The Camellia Japonica was sent to England in 1739 by Father Kamel, a missionary, for whom it was named. As a house-plant the Camellia requires considerable care, on account of the tendency of the flower buds to drop off. A northern exposure is best, and a temperature of from forty to fifty degrees. When the buds are swelling, water plentifully with warm water, but allow none to stand in the saucer. Sponge the leaves once a week. In the spring put the plant out in a shady place on the north side of a house or fence, not under the drip of trees, and water it every day. Set the pots on a hard bottom, so that no worms can get into them. They form their flower beds during the summer, and at this time a good growth of wood must be encouraged.
"In the Southern States the Camellia can be raised with not more than ordinary care; at the North it must be considered entirely a green-house plant, and as such will always be highly prized. We are often asked how it should be cared for as a house-plant, and to all such, in the northern part of the country, where it is necessary to maintain good fires in warm houses for several months of the year, we have no hesitation in saying, let it alone, do not expend care and labor where there is so little prospect of reward."
Camellias are of many hues, and some are beautifully striped.Gen. Lafayette, bright rose, striped with white, imbricated.Bell Romann, imbricated, large flower and petals, rose striated with bright crimson.Matteo Molfino, petals cerise, with pure whiteband down center.Mrs. Lurmann, crimson, spotted, very beautiful. Pure colors of white, red, crimson, rose and carmine, can be obtained.
Azalea.—Shrubby green-house plants of easy cultivation. Very showy and hardy. Like the Camellia, they are found in all the leading colors, and also striped, blotched and spotted. They are both single and double.
Alexander II, is white, striped with vermilion; edges of petals fringed.Aurelia, white, striped with rosy orange, amaranth spots.Flag of Truce, is a pure double white, very fine.Her Majesty, is rosy-lilac, edged with white.Alice, rose, blotched with vermilion; double.
Mr. Vick gives the following directions: "Azaleas need a light soil of sandy loam, to which should be added one-half leaf mold. Repotting should be done in May, trimming the tops to bring them into shape. Then plunge in some sheltered spot in the garden. In September the plants should be brought in under cover, or into a cool room. They do best when the temperature ranges from forty degrees at night to sixty-five or seventy by day. The foliage should be showered once a week, but care must be taken that the roots are not over-watered, as they rot easily. Small plants bloom well, but their beauty increases as they get age and size. The flowers appear on the terminal shoots, and are from one inch to two and a half inches in diameter.
"Azaleas if left to themselves will develop long shoots, that after a time become naked below and are furnished with leaves only at their extremities. Flower stems are formed on the new wood of each summer's growth, consequently the amount of bloom, other things being equal, depends upon the amount of new wood annually produced. In order to have plants of good shape when they become large, it is necessary to give attention to pinching and training them from the first. The pyramid form, or more properly that of a cone, and rounded at the top, is considered the best for theplant, as it allows the greatest exposure of leaf-surface. Two principal methods are adopted to regulate the growth and bring plants into shape: one is by successive pinchings as the growth proceeds, the other by allowing long shoots to grow and then bending and training them down, thus causing many of the dormant buds along their whole length to break and develop into shoots. A skillful combination of the two methods is probably better than either exclusively."
Mr. John Dick, Philadelphia, has the largest stock of Camellias and Azaleas, it is stated, in the United States. Their catalogue list of these plants embraces more than a hundred varieties, to which we refer our readers.
WWE have come to see your garden, said a gentleman with a lady in company. They were from a neighboring town. This two weeks after the heavy frost!
I told them my garden was in the stable, and thither I piloted them. It was not a very small garden if it was in a stable. A hundred or more plants had been hurriedly removed from the beds the day before that freezing night! There they were, in the soiled pots just as taken from the ground, or packed closely in boxes. Not very attractive looking, in one sense, yet in another they were, for they were bright, healthy appearing plants—leaves as fresh as when in the open air, pretty Geraniums in bloom, a mass of Lobelia, attractive with their tiny blue flowers, Coleus of varied hues, and even a few Roses struggling into bloom.
Then we strolled among the despoiled beds, and the Pansies, so large and pert, elicited admiration, and the Sweet Peas, just as fragrant as though blight were not all around them, while dear little Mignonnette seemed to have taken a new lease of life.
Yesterday I arranged in a shallow glass dish as handsome a bouquet as I have had for the season. Sweet Clover sprays, Mignonnette and fragrant Geranium leaves for the foundation all around the dish, a few bunches of the little white wax balls, with their glossy leaves, Geranium blossoms, and lots of Sweet Peas, from the most delicate shades to the deepest, and bunches of splendid Pansies, Sweet Alyssum, a bit of purple Verbena here and there, and white-eyed Phlox. It was just lovely.
When the evidence was sure that frost was surely coming, and a great many plants must be taken up in a few hours' time, I was so glad that full half of them were in pots. I could never have potted a third of them in the time. The great object was to get them sheltered, and the repotting could be done at my leisure.
But I almost changed my mind the other day after toiling several hours at the business. So many pots to wash! then fill with fresh earth, and set the plant. O dear, wasn't I tired! But then the wide door was open, the day was lovely, and I rather think potting plants in a stable is better than potting out of doors on a cold day, and when one is in a great hurry. Plants that are in pots plunged in the ground do not grow so many roots, and that is another advantage.
Perhaps I may as well tell you about my most important window box. I had it made last autumn, and I was greatly pleased with it. It is made of zinc, size one yard long, fourteen inches broad, seven inches in depth. To give it strength it is framed at the top with wood. You can have this of black walnut, or stained in imitation. You can have the box painted any color you wish, or leave it unpainted. In the center is Croton "Weismanni," on one side of it a fine Eranthemum pictum; its green leaves look as though they were painted with white streaks; on the other side, Acalypha "Macafeeana." These are the largest plants in my box,and they do not exceed ten inches in height. There are sixty plants in all, mostly averaging six inches in height, but a few are quite small. They consist of very choice Geraniums—some of them handsome-leaved—variegated Abutilons, Lemon Verbena, two bright Achyranthes, six very beautiful Coleuses, and four fine Begonias. There are others I cannot stop to specify. You will see that I have filled my box with what are, in themselves, beautiful without the aid of flowers, though I expect to have a few of these by-and-by. I am perfectly satisfied with it, however, just as it is. I had a large German Ivy growing out of doors, which consisted of several long vines. This I planted in one corner of the box, and then drooped and twined it on the outside. The change to indoor life caused the large green leaves to fall off, but already new ones have put forth, and the vines are rapidly growing. Everything else had been previously prepared so that there was no change in their leafage after being put in the box. It is a great addition to the beauty of the box to have vines of pretty foliage drape the sides. This autumn I have had it placed on a small, low table with castors, so I can change the plants every week, and thus avoid that turning toward the window which they always assume if kept in one position.
I first put in drainage, and then filled the box with rich, mellow earth in which was a mixture of one-third sand. I have been thus particular in my description, for many, no doubt, who, like myself, have to make the most of limited space, will be glad to know just how to keep the greatest number of plants to the best advantage. Not only is there a saving of room, but of labor, and it is more cleanly.
Among the essentials for winter flowers are the bulbs. Of these the hyacinth takes the lead. They are so easily grown; so lovely and so fragrant that they are worthy of a place in every collection.They should be planted so that the upper surface of the bulb is visible. Water liberally and then put away in a cool dark place for several weeks, six weeks is none too long, and some I allow to remain a longer time, bringing them to the light at intervals so as to have a succession of flowers. They are very effective planted in a group. They are very pretty in hyacinth glasses, but this method ruins the bulbs for future use. Planted out they will sometimes flower. The best time to plant them in the border is in October, but the first of November will do. It is a good plan to make a little bed of sand for the bulb, and then cover with light porous soil. Hyacinths are classed as tall and dwarf, single and double. The Roman Hyacinth is the earliest bloomer, coming into flower about the holidays if started in season. The spikes are small and flowers rather scattering. As soon as the blooms fade, the stalk should be removed, and when the leaves turn yellow, they can be cut off, and the bulb dried and packed in paper bags and kept till time for autumn planting.
Hyacinth bulbs come from Holland. About Haarlem the rubbish heaps are hyacinths, and the air is oppressive with their perfume.
In California there grows what is called the Twining Hyacinth. It grows in the mountains, and twines about the bushes, sometimes going up eight and ten feet. After it gets to the top of the bush and rests awhile, it lets go of the earth and goes on blooming for months, regardless of the burning sun. The flower stem breaks off near the ground, and the flowers are kept swinging in the air supported only by the bush about which it twines. The color is deep rose, and it is said to be very pretty. The picture of it certainly looks attractive. It is a large cluster composed of dozens of blossoms.
For flowering in the house the Polyanthus Narcissus are very desirable. They can be put into glasses as well as the Hyacinth,but the most natural method is in a pot of earth, and the bulb is in a better condition for after use. The Jonquils are also pretty. Snowdrops, Scillas and the Crocus are cheap bulbs, and planted in the autumn will show their bright, sweet faces soon after the snow is gone. They are also very fine for house culture. Should be planted in groups.
Tulips ought to have a place in every garden. They make a brilliant show in the Spring, when the beds are bare of other flowers, and afford bloom for a long time, if a good assortment is selected. The pretty little dwarf Duc Van Thols are early bloomers and very gay. They are admirable also for the house, and by planting in September, will come into flower in December. There are early single and double Tulips, and also late bloomers, so that by having a variety, the border may look gay for a long time. The Parrot Tulips are large and very brilliant in color, and picturesque in appearance. All of these varieties succeed in ordinary garden soil. They ought to be planted in October or November, about four to six inches apart, and about four inches under the surface. Before severe frost they need to be protected by branches of evergreen, straw or leaves. After blooming, and the leaves have died down, they can be taken up, dried and stored till autumn, if the bed is needed for other flowers.
The Bulb catalogues issued by leading florists in the autumn, and sent free to all applicants, will enable you to select just what you want.
In a work of this character it seems needful to treat more fully of those pests which prove so destructive to plant life, than we have in our brief references.
TheAphisor green louse is the one that most frequently infests our plants, and the rapidity with which it multiplies, is astonishing.Reaumerhas proved that in five generations one aphis may be the progenitor of six thousand millions, and there may be ten generations in a year!
The method most generally adopted for their destruction is fumigation with tobacco. As this is attended with considerable difficulty, a weak solution may be used quite as effectively. We have had no experiencewith either method, having used another with good success for several years. This is white hellebore which we usually apply in the powder when the Rose-bushes are wet with dew or rain, bending the branches over, so that the application can be made chiefly on the under side of the leaves, where the pests are found. Two or three times proves sufficient. For our house plants we usually make a solution, by putting half an ounce of the hellebore into pretty warm water, and letting it stand for several hours, stirring it up however, before spraying the leaves. Afterward, the plants need to be washed.
For theScalea strong solution of soap-suds applied with a sponge or a small stiff brush. A tooth brush is very suitable for this purpose.
ForMealy Bug, a mixture of one part alcohol and three parts water, applying with a feather, or what is better, a camel hair brush. Another method is to use kerosene in the same way. A florist who has practiced this for eight years, says it is sure death to the insect. The feather should be brushed all over the mealy-looking substances found usually in the axils of the leaves.
Worms in Pots.Lime water is a safe and effectual remedy for the little white worms often found in the soil. Slake the lime in water and after it has settled, pour off the clear water and drench the earth.
Ants.Various remedies have proved effective. One is to take a vial or a cup nearly filled with sweet oil, and sink it in the ground where the ants resort, so that the rim is on a level with the surface. The ants are very fond of it, but it is sure death to them.
A German writer says that carbolic acid and water will drive ants away from any grounds—one hundred parts of water to one of the acid. Mix in a tub and stir repeatedly for twenty-four hours, taking off the scum that rises to the top.
Kerosene or coal-oil mixed with water has proved very successful in the destruction of noxious insects and grubs. A tablespoonful of the oil to two gallons of water is the rule for tender plants; for hardy ones it will be necessary probably to have it of greater strength. As the compound does not mix readily, it needs to be thoroughly stirred, and then quickly applied. The best way is to draw it back and forth a few times in a syringe, and then apply.
Water tainted with coal-oil, poured into little holes made in mole tracks, will, it is said, drive them effectually away.
For the convenience of our readers who may wish to procure varieties of plants of which we have treated in this work, we give the address of reliable florists who make a specialty of those connected with their address. All of them will furnish their catalogues free when requested.