those that may be forced into bloom through the winter. The best kinds
for this purpose are _L. Harrisii_ (Easter lily), _L. longiflorum_, and
_L. candidum_. Others may be forced with success, but these are the
ones most generally used. The winter culture for forcing is practically
the same as for hyacinths in pots.
Some of the best kinds of lilies are mentioned below:—
_L. candidum_ (Annunciation lily). White; 3 to 4 feet high; it makes an
autumn growth, and should, therefore, be planted in August; set the
bulbs from 4 to 6 inches deep.
_L. speciosum_ (_L. lancifolium_), var. _prœcox_. White, tinged with
pink; bears several flowers on a stem about 3 feet high.
_L. speciosum_, var. _rubrum_. Rose color, spotted with red.
_L. Brownii_. Flowers white inside, chocolate-colored outside; the
stems grow about 3 feet high, bearing from 2 to 4 tubular flowers; not
difficult to manage with good protection and drainage; the bulbs are
impatient of being kept long out of the ground; after planting, they
should not be disturbed as long as they flower well.
_L. maculatum (L. Hansoni)_. Dark yellow; stems 3-4 feet high, each
producing 6 to 12 flowers.
_L. testaceum (L. excelsum, L. Isabellinum)_. Rich buff color, with
delicate spots; plants about 3 to 5 feet high, with 3 to a dozen
flowers on a stem; plant the bulbs in September.
_L. longiflorum_. White; large tubular flowers, 2 to 8 on a stem;
height, about 2-1/2 feet.
_L. Batemanniae_ (a form of _L. elegans_). Apricot yellow; 6 to 12
flowers on stems 3 to 4 feet high.
_L. auratum_ (Japanese gold-banded lily). Immense white flowers banded
with yellow and dotted with red or purple, from 3 to 12 on a stem;
height, 3 to 4 feet; the bulbs need thorough protection, good drainage,
and should be planted 10 or 12 inches deep (Fig. 258).
_L. tigrinum_ (Tiger lily). An old favorite, with many drooping bright
red spotted flowers; var. _splendens_ is specially good; 3 to 5 ft.
_L. tenuifolium_. Rich scarlet flowers nodding in a raceme or panicle;
1-1/2 to 2 ft.
_L. Maximowiczii (L. Leichtlinii)_. Flowers clear yellow, with small,
dark spots, 10 to 12 on a stem; height, 4 feet.
_L. monadelphum_. Yellow tubular-shaped flowers in clusters of 6 to a
dozen or more; stems 2-1/2 feet tall.
_L. elegans (L. Thunbergianum_), var. _Alice Wilson_. Lemon-yellow;
stems 2 feet high, bearing 2 to 8 flowers.
_L. elegans_, var. _fulgens atrosanguineum_. Dark crimson; height, 1
foot.
Lily-of-the-valley.—A perfectly hardy little perennial, bearing racemes
of small, white, bell-shaped flowers in early spring; and also much
forced by florists.
For ordinary cultivation, sods or mats of roots may be dug from any
place in which the plant is colonized. Usually it thrives best in
partial shade; and the leaves make an attractive mat on the north side
of a building, or other shady place, in which grass will not grow. The
plants will take care of themselves year after year. Better results may
be expected from good commercial roots. The “pips” may be planted any
time from November on, from 3 to 6 inches apart.
For forcing indoors, imported roots or “pips” are used, as the plants
are grown for this particular purpose in parts of Europe. These roots
may be planted in pots, and treated as recommended for winter-flowering
bulbs. Florists force them in greater heat, however, often giving them
a bottom heat of 80° or 90°; but skill and experience are required in
order to attain uniformly good results in this case.
Mignonette.—Probably no flower is more generally grown for its
fragrance than the mignonette. It is a half-hardy annual, thriving
either in the open or under glass.
The mignonette needs a cool soil, only moderately rich, shade part of
the day, and careful attention to cutting the flower-stalks before the
seeds are ripe. If a sowing be made in late April, followed by a second
sowing in early July, the season may be extended until severe frosts.
There are few flowers that will prove as disappointing if the simple
treatment it needs is omitted. Height, 1 to 2 feet.
It may be sown in pots late in summer and be had in the house in
winter.
Moon-flowers are species of the morning-glory family that open their
flowers at night. A well-grown plant trained over a porch trellis, or
allowed to grow at random over a low tree or shrub, is a striking
object when in full flower at dusk or through a moonlit evening. In the
Southern states (where it is much grown) the moon-flower is a
perennial, but even when well protected does not survive the winters in
the North.
Cuttings usually give best results in the Northern states, as the
seasons are not long enough for seed plants to give good bloom.
Cuttings may be made before danger of frost and wintered in the house,
or the plants may be grown from seed sown in January or February. Seeds
should be scalded or filed just before sowing.
The true moon-flower is _Ipomœa Bona-Nox_ white-flowered; but there are
other kinds that go under this name. This grows 20 to 30 feet where the
seasons are long enough.
Narcissus (see _Bulbs_).—Daffodils, jonquils, and the poet’s narcissus
all belong to this group, and many of them are perfectly hardy. The
polyanthus section, which includes the Paper-white narcissus and sacred
lily or Chinese joss-flower, are not hardy except with unusually good
protection, and are, therefore, most suitable for growing indoors.
It is common to allow the hardy sorts to take care of themselves when
once planted. This they will do, but much more satisfactory results
will be had by lifting and dividing the clumps every three or four
years. A single bulb in a few years forms a large clump. In this
condition the bulbs are not properly nourished, and consequently do not
flower well. Lifting is preferably done in August or September, when
the foliage has died down and the bulbs are ripe.
The narcissi are well suited to partially shaded places, and will grow
and please wherever good taste may place them. They should be freely
used, as they are fragrant, bright of color, and easily managed—growing
among shrubbery, trees, and in places where other flowers would refuse
to grow. They should be planted in clumps or masses, in September or
October, setting the bulbs 5 to 8 inches apart, according to size, and
3 or 4 inches deep.
Several species and numberless varieties, both double and single, are
grown. A few good types only can be mentioned (Fig. 260):—
_Daffodils, or Trumpet narcissus (Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus_ and
derivatives).
_Single-flowered, Yellow_.—Golden Spur, Trumpet Major, Van Sion.
_White_.—Albicans.
_White and Yellow_.—Empress, Horsefieldi.
_Double-flowering, Yellow_.—Incomparable fl. pl., Van Sion.
_White_.—Alba plena odorata.
_Poet’s narcissus (N. poeticus_). Flowers white, with yellow cups edged
crimson. Very fragrant.
_Jonquils (N. Jonquilla_). These have very fragrant yellow flowers,
both double and single, and are old garden favorites.
_Polyanthus narcissus (N. Tazetta_). These include paper-white, Chinese
sacred lily (var. _orientalis_), and others.
_Primrose Peerless (N. biflorus_).
Narcissi may be forced into flower through the winter, as described on
p. 345. A popular kind for winter bloom is the so-called Chinese sacred
lily. This grows in water without any soil whatever. Secure a bowl or
glass dish, about three times the size of the bulb; put some pretty
stones in the bottom; set in the bulb and build up around it with
stones so as to hold it stiff when the leaves have grown; tuck two or
three small pieces of charcoal among the stones to keep the water
sweet, then fill up the dish with water and add a little every few
days, as it evaporates. Set the dish in a warm, light place. In about
six weeks the fragrant, fine white flowers will fill the room with
perfume. The Paper-white, closely allied to this, is also forced, and
is one of the few good bulbs that may be bloomed before Christmas. The
Van Sions, single and double (a form of daffodil), are also much
forced.
Oleander.—An old favorite shrub for the window-garden, and much planted
in the open far South.
While there are many named varieties of the oleander, but two are often
seen in general cultivation. These are the common red and white
varieties. Both these, as well as the named varieties, are of easy
management and well adapted to home culture, growing in pots or tubs
for several years without special care. Well-grown specimens are very
effective as porch or lawn plants, or may be used to good advantage in
mixed beds of tall-growing plants, plunging the pot or tub to the rim
in the soil. The plants should be cut back after flowering. They should
be rested in any out-of-the-way place through the winter. When brought
out in the spring, they should be given sun and air in order to make a
sturdy growth.
Propagation is effected by using well-ripened wood for cuttings, placed
in a close frame; or the slips may be rooted in a bottle or can of
water, care being taken to supply water as evaporation takes place.
After being rooted, they may be potted, using soil with a large
proportion of sand. Well-established plants may be repotted in good
loam and well-rotted manure. They should bloom the second year.
Oxalis.—A number of hardy species of oxalis are excellent plants for
rock-work and edging. The greenhouse species are very showy, growing
without extra care, and blooming freely through the late winter and
spring months and some of them make excellent window-gardening
subjects.
The house species are mostly increased by bulbs, a few by division of
the root. _O. violacea_ is, one of the commonest of house-plants. Give
a sunny window, for the flowers open only in sun or very bright light.
The bulbous (tuberous) kinds are treated much as recommended for
_Bulbs_, except that the bulbs must not freeze. The tubers are started
in August or September for winter bloom. It is best to use deep pots,
or the tubers will throw themselves out. The crown should be near the
surface. After flowering, the bulbs are dried off and kept until new
bloom is wanted.
The “Bermuda buttercup” is _O. lutea_ and _O. flava_ of gardens
(properly _O. cernua_); it is a Cape of Good Hope species. Its culture
is not peculiar.
Palms.—No more graceful plants for room decoration can be found than
well-grown specimens of some species of palms. Most florists’ palms are
well adapted for this purpose when small, and as the growth is usually
very slow, a plant may be used for many years.
Palm plants thrive best in partial shade. One of the frequent causes of
failure in the culture of the palm is the overpotting and subsequent
overwatering. A palm should not be repotted until the mass of roots
fills the soil and preferably when it is active; then a pot only a size
larger should be used. Use ample drainage in the bottom to carry off
excess of water. Although the plants need a moist soil, water standing
at the roots proves injurious. Withhold free use of water when the
plants are partially dormant.
A soil composed of well-rotted sod, leafmold, and a little sand will
meet the requirements.
Under ordinary living-room conditions, palms are subject to much abuse.
Water is allowed to stand in the jardinière, the plant is kept in dark
corners and hallways, the air is dry, and scale is allowed to infest
the leaves. If the plant begins to fail, the housewife is likely to
repot it or to give it more water, both of which may be wrong. The
addition of bone-meal or other fertilizer may be better than repotting.
Keep the plant in good light (but not in direct sunlight) as much as
possible. Sponge the leaves to remove dust and scale, using soapsuds.
When a new leaf begins to appear, add bone-meal to make it grow
vigorously.
Among the best palms for house culture are arecas, _Cocos Weddelliana,_
latania, kentia, howea, caryota, chamærops, and phœnix. Cycas may also
be regarded as a palm.
The date palm may be grown from seed of the common commercial date.
Seed of the other varieties may be purchased from leading seedsmen;
but, as the seed germinates only under favorable conditions, and the
palm is a very slow-growing plant while young, the best plan is to
purchase the plants from a dealer when wanted. When the plants become
weak or diseased, take them to a florist for treatment and
recuperation, or purchase new ones. Sometimes the florist places two or
three small palms in one pot, making a very satisfactory table piece
for two or three years.
It is well to set the palms out of doors in the summer, plunging the
pots nearly or quite to the rim. Turn or lift the pots occasionally so
that the roots will not strike through into the earth. Choose a
partially shaded place, where the hot sun will not strike them directly
and where the wind will not injure them.
Pandanus, or screw pine.—The screw pines are stiff-leaved saw-edged
plants often grown in window-gardens and used for porch decoration.
The _Pandanus utilis_ and _P. Veitchii_ (the latter striped-leaved or
white-leaved) are exceedingly ornamental, and are well adapted to house
culture. The singular habit of growth, bright glossy leaves, and the
ability to withstand the dust and shade of a dwelling room, make them a
desirable addition to the house collection.
They are propagated by the offsets or young plants that grow around the
base of the trunk; or they may be increased by seed. If by the former
method, the offsets should be cut off and set in sand, at a temperature
of 65° or 70°. The cuttings root slowly and the plants for a time make
very slow growth. The general cultural treatment is that of palms. Give
abundance of water in summer.
Pansy (Fig. 244) is without doubt the most popular hardy spring flower
in cultivation. The strains of seed are many, each containing great
possibilities.
The culture is simple and the results are sure. Seed sown in August or
September, in boxes or a frame, will make plants large enough to reset
in November (three or four inches apart) and bloom the following March;
or they may be left until March in open seed-beds before setting out.
Also, if they are sown very thinly in the frames, they may remain
undisturbed through the winter, blooming very early the following
spring. The frames should be protected by mats, boards, or other
covering through the severe cold, and as the sun gains strength, care
should be taken to keep them from heaving by alternate thawing and
freezing. Seed sown in boxes in January or February will make fine
blooming plants by April, taking the place of those blooming earlier.
The pansy is generally mentioned with plants suitable for partial
shade, but it also thrives in other localities, especially where the
sun is not very hot nor the weather very dry. The requisites for
satisfactory pansy culture are fertile, moist, cool soil, protection
from the noonday sun, and attention to keeping plants from going to
seed. As the ground becomes warm, a mulch of leafmold or other light
material should be spread over the bed to retain moisture and exclude
heat. Spring and fall give the best bloom. In hot summer weather the
flowers become small.
Pelargonium.—To this genus belong the plants known as geraniums—the
most satisfactory of house-plants, and extensively used as bedding
plants. No plants will give better returns in leaf and flower; and
these features, added to the ease of propagation, make them general
favorites. The common geranium is one of the few plants that can be
bloomed at any time of the year.
There are several main groups of pelargoniums, as the common “fish
geraniums” (from the odor of the foliage), the “show” or Lady
Washington pelargoniums, the ivy geraniums, the thin-leaved bedders (as
Madame Salleroi), and the “rose” geraniums.
Cuttings of partially ripened wood of all pelargoniums root very
easily, grow to blooming size in a short time, and, either planted out
or grown in a pot, make fine decorations. The common or fish geraniums
are much more satisfactory when not more than a year old. Take cuttings
from the old plants at least once a year. In four or five months the
young plants begin to bloom. Plants may be taken up from the garden and
potted, but they rarely give as much satisfaction as young, vigorous
subjects; new plants should be grown every year. Repot frequently until
they are in 4-to 5-inch pots; then let them bloom.
The show pelargoniums have but one period of bloom, usually in April,
but they make up in size and coloring. This section is more difficult
to manage as house-plants than the common geranium, needing more direct
light to keep it stocky, and being troubled by insects. Still, all the
trouble taken to grow the plants will be well repaid by the handsome
blossoms. Take cuttings in late spring, after flowering, and blooming
plants may be had the following year. Good results are sometimes
secured by keeping these plants two or three years. Cut back after each
blooming season.
For house culture the geraniums need a fertile, fibrous loam, with the
addition of a little sand; good drainage is also an essential.
Peony.—The herbaceous peony has long had a place in the garden; it has
now been much improved and constitutes one of the very best plants
known to cultivation. It is perfectly hardy, and free from the many
diseases and insects that attack so many plants. It continues to bloom
year after year without renewal, if the soil is well prepared and
fertile. Fig. 250.
Inasmuch as the peony is such a strong grower and produces so many
enormous flowers, it must have a soil that can supply abundant
plant-food and moisture. The old-fashioned single and semi-double
comparatively small-flowered kinds will give good results in any
ordinary ground, but the newer highly improved sorts must be given
better treatment. This is one of the plants that profit by a very rich
soil. The place should be very deeply plowed or else trenched; and if
the land is in sod or is not in good heart, the preparation should
begin the season before the peonies are planted. A deep moist loam
suits them best; and as the plants grow and bloom, add bone meal and
top-dress with manure. When making their growth and when in bloom, they
should not be allowed to want for water.
In purchasing peony roots, be careful to secure only well-grown and
selected stock. Cheap stock, job lots, and odds and ends are likely to
be very disappointing.
The plants may be set in fall or spring, the latter being preferable in
the North. Cover the crown bud 2 or 3 inches, being careful not to
injure it. If the best blooms are desired, give plenty of room, as much
as 3 x 4 feet. Peonies grow 2 to 3 feet or even more in height. Strong
roots of some varieties will give bloom the first year; considerable
bloom will come the second year; but the full bloom on most varieties
should not be expected before the third year. The flowers may be
brightened and their duration prolonged by partial shade while in
bloom.
If old plants become weak, or if they drop their buds, dig them up and
see whether the roots are not more or less dead and decayed; divide to
fresh parts and replant in well-enriched ground; or purchase new
plants.
Peonies are propagated by division of the roots in early fall, one good
strong eye being left to each piece.
The peony has merit for its foliage as well as for its bloom,
particularly when the soil is rich and the growth luxuriant. This value
of the plant is commonly overlooked. The peony deserves its popularity.
Phlox.—Garden phloxes are of two kinds, the annual and perennial. Both
are most valuable.
Excepting the petunia, no plant will give the profusion of bloom with
as little care as the annual phlox _(Phlox Drummondii_). For clear and
brilliant colors, the many varieties of this are certainly unrivaled.
The dwarf kinds are the more desirable for ribbon-beds, as they are not
so “leggy.” There are whites, pinks, reds, and variegated of the most
dazzling brilliancy. The dwarfs grow ten inches high, and bloom
continuously. Set them 8 inches apart in good soil. Seed may be sown in
the open ground in May, or for early plants, in the hotbed in March.
They may be sown close in the fall if sown very late, so that the seeds
will not start till spring.
The perennial phlox of the gardens has been developed from the native
species, _Phlox paniculata_ and P. _maculata_. The garden forms are
often collectively known under the name of _P. decussata_. In recent
years the perennial phlox has been much improved, and it now
constitutes one of the best of all flower-garden subjects. It grows
three feet tall, and bears a profusion of fine flowers in heavy trusses
in mid-summer to fall. Figs. 246, 248.
Perennial phlox is of easy culture. The important point is that the
plants begin to fail of best bloom about the third year, and they are
likely to become diseased; and new plantings should be made if the
strongest flowers are desired. The plants may be taken up in fall, the
roots divided and cleaned of dead and weak parts, and the pieces
replanted. Usually, however, the beginner will secure more satisfaction
in purchasing new cutting-grown plants. This phlox propagates readily
by seed, and if one does not care to perpetuate the particular variety,
he will find much satisfaction in raising seedlings. Some varieties
“come true” from seed with fair regularity. Seedlings should bloom the
second year.
Fertile garden soil of any kind should raise good perennial phlox. See
that the plants do not want for water or plant-food at blooming time.
Liquid manure will often help to keep them going. If they are likely to
suffer for water when in bloom, wet the ground well every evening.
If the leading shoots are pinched off early in the season, and again in
midsummer, the bloom will be later, perhaps in September rather than in
July.
Primulas, or primroses, are of various kinds, some being border plants,
but mostly known in this country as greenhouse and window-garden
subjects. One of them is the auricula. The true or English cowslip is
one of the hardy border plants; also the plants commonly known as
polyanthus.
Common hardy primulas (or polyanthus and related forms) grow 6 to 10
inches high, sending up trusses of yellow and red flowers in early
spring. Propagated by division, or by seed sown a year before the
plants are wanted. Give them rather moist soil.
The primula of the winter-garden is mostly the _P. Sinensis_ (Chinese
Primrose), grown very extensively by florists as a Christmas plant.
With the exception of the full double varieties, it is usually grown
from seed. There is a popular single form known as _P. stellata_. The
seed of Chinese primulas sown in March or April will make large
flowering plants by November or December, if the young plants are
shifted to larger pots as needed. The seed should be sown on the flat
surface of the soil, composed of equal parts loam, leafmold, and sand.
The seed should be pressed down lightly and the soil watered carefully
to prevent the seed from being washed into the soil. Very fine sphagnum
moss may be sifted over the seed, or the box set in a moist place,
where the soil will remain wet until the seeds germinate. When the
plants are large enough, they should be potted separately or pricked
out into shallow boxes. Frequent pottings or transplantings should be
given until September, when they should be in the pots in which they
are to bloom. The two essentials to successful growth through the hot
summer are shade and moisture. Height, 6 to 8 inches. Bloom in winter
and spring.
At present the “baby Primrose” (_Primula Forbesi_) is popular. It is
treated in essentially the same way as the Sinensis. The obconica (_P.
obconica_) in several forms is a popular florist’s plant, but is not
much used in window-gardens. The hairs poison the hands of some
persons. Culture practically as for _P. Sinensis_.
All primulas are impatient of a dry atmosphere and fluctuating
conditions.
Rhododendrons are broad-leaved evergreen shrubs that are admirably
adapted to producing strong planting effects. Some of them are hardy in
the Northern states.
Rhododendrons require a fibrous or peaty soil and protection from bleak
winds and bright suns in summer and winter. A northern or somewhat
shady exposure, to break the force of the midday sun, is advisable; but
they should not be planted where large trees will sap the fertility and
moisture from the ground. They protect each other if grown in masses,
and also produce better planting effects.
XIX. Pyracantha in fruit. One of the best ornamental-fruited plants for
the middle and milder latitudes. XIX. Pyracantha in fruit. One of the
best ornamental-fruited plants for the middle and milder latitudes.
They require a deep, fibrous earth, and it is supposed that they do not
thrive in limestone soils or where wood ashes are freely used. While
rhododendrons will sometimes succeed without any special preparation of
the ground, it is advisable to take particular pains in this regard. It
is well to dig a hole 2 or 3 feet deep, and fill it with earth
compounded of leafmold, well-rotted sod, and peat. The moisture supply
should be never failing, for they suffer from drought. They should be
mulched summer and winter. Plant in spring.
The hardy garden forms are derivatives of _Rhododendron Catawbiense_,
of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The Pontica and other forms are
not hardy in the North.
The “great laurel” of the northern United States is _Rhododendron
maximum_. This has been extensively colonized in large grounds by being
removed from the wild in carload lots. When the native conditions are
imitated, it makes unusually good mass planting. Like all rhododendrons
it is impatient of drought, hard soil, and full exposure to midday sun.
This species is valued for its foliage and habit more than for its
bloom. The wild form of _R. Catawbiense_ is also transferred to grounds
in large quantities.
Rose.—No home property is complete without roses. There are so many
kinds and classes that varieties may be found for almost any purpose,
from climbing or pillar subjects to highly fragrant teas, great hybrid
perpetuals, free-blooming bedders, and good foliage subjects for the
shrubbery. There is no flower in the growing of which one so quickly
develops the temper and taste of the connoisseur.
Roses are essentially flower-garden subjects rather than lawn subjects,
since flowers are their chief beauty. Yet the foliage of many of the
highly developed roses is good and attractive when the plants are well
grown. To secure the best results with roses, they should be placed in
a bed by themselves, where they can be tilled and pruned and well taken
care of, as other flower-garden plants are. The ordinary garden roses
should rarely be grown in mixed borders of shrubbery. It is usually
most satisfactory also to make beds of one variety rather than to mix
them with several varieties.
If it is desired to have roses in mixed shrubbery borders, then the
single and informal types should be chosen. The best of all these is
_Rosa rugosa_. This has not only attractive flowers through the greater
part of the season, but it also has very interesting foliage and a
striking habit. The great profusion of bristles and spines gives it an
individual and strong character. Even without the flowers, it is
valuable to add character and cast to a foliage mass. The foliage is
not attacked by insects or fungi, but remains green and glossy
throughout the year. The fruit is also very large and showy, and
persists on bushes well through the winter. Some of the wild roses are
also very excellent for mixing into foliage masses, but, as a rule,
their foliage characteristics are rather weak, and they are liable to
be attacked by thrips.
There are so many classes of roses that the intending planter is likely
to be confused unless he knows what they are. Different classes require
different treatment. Some of them, as the teas and hybrid perpetuals
(the latter also known as remontants), bloom from new canes; while the
rugosa, the Austrian, Harrison’s yellow, sweet briers, and some others
are bushes and do not renew themselves each year from the crown or
bases of the canes.
The outdoor roses may be divided into two great groups so far as their
blooming habit is involved:
(1) The continuous or intermittent bloomers, as the hybrid perpetuals
(blooming chiefly in June), bourbons, tea, rugosa, the teas and hybrid
teas being the most continuous in bloom;
(2)those that bloom once only, in summer, as Austrian, Ayrshire, sweet
briers, prairie, Cherokee, Banksian, provence, most moss roses, damask,
multiflora, polyantha, and memorial _(Wichuraiana)._ “Perpetual” or
recurrent-blooming races have been developed in the Ayrshire, moss,
polyantha, and others.
While roses delight in a sunny exposure, nevertheless our dry
atmosphere and hot summers are sometimes trying on the flowers, as are
severe wintry winds on the plants. While, therefore, it is never
advisable to plant roses near large trees, or where they will be
overshadowed by buildings or surrounding shrubbery, some shade during
the heat of the day will be a benefit. The best position is an eastern
or northern slope, and where fences or other objects will break the
force of strong winds, in those sections where such prevail.
Roses should be carefully taken up every four or five years, tops and
roots cut in, and then reset, either in a new place or in the old,
after enriching the soil with a fresh supply of manure, and deeply
spading it over. In Holland, roses are allowed to stand about eight
years. They are then taken out and their places filled with young
plants.
_Soil and planting for roses_.
The best soil for roses is a deep and rich clay loam. If it is more or
less of a fibrous character from the presence of grass roots, as is the
case with newly plowed sod ground, so much the better. While such is
desirable, any ordinary soil will answer, provided it is well manured.
Cow manure is strong and lasting, and has no heating effect. It will
cause no damage, even if not rotted. Horse manure, however, should be
well rotted before mixing it with the soil. The manure may be mixed in
the soil at the rate of one part in four. If well rotted, however, more
will not do any damage, as the soil can scarcely be made too rich,
especially for the everblooming (hybrid tea) roses. Care should be
taken to mix the manure thoroughly with the earth, and not to plant the
roses against the manure.
In planting, care must be taken to avoid exposing the roots to the
drying of sun and air. If dormant field-grown plants have been
purchased, all broken and bruised roots will need to be cut off
smoothly and squarely. The tops also will need cutting back. The cut
should always be made just above a bud, preferably on the outer side of
the cane. Strong-growing sorts may be cut back one-fourth or one-half,
according as they have good or bad roots. Weaker-growing kinds, as most
of the everblooming roses, should be cut back-most severely. In both
cases it is well to remove the weak growth first. Plants set out from
pots will usually not need cutting back.
Hardy roses, especially the strong field-grown plants, should be set in
the early fall if practicable. It is desirable to get them out just as
soon as they have shed their foliage. If not then, they may be planted
in the early spring. At that season it is advisable to plant them as
early as the ground is dry enough, and before the buds have started to
grow. Dormant pot-plants may also be set out early, but they should be
perfectly inactive. Setting them out early in this condition is
preferable to waiting till they are in foliage and full bloom, as is so
often required by buyers. Growing pot-plants may be planted any time in
spring after danger of frost is past, or even during the summer, if
they are watered and shaded for a few days.
Open-ground plants should be set about as deep as they stood
previously, excepting budded or grafted plants, which should be set so
that the union of the stock and graft will be 2 to 4 inches below the
surface of the ground. Plants from pots may also be set an inch deeper
than they stood in the pots. The soil should be in a friable condition.
Roses should have the soil compact immediately about their roots; but
we should distinguish between planting roses and setting fence posts.
The dryer the soil the more firmly it may be pressed.
As a general statement, it may be said that roses on their own roots
will prove more satisfactory for the general run of planters than
budded stock. On own-rooted stock, the suckers or shoots from below the
surface of the soil will be of the same kind, whereas with budded roses
there is danger of the stock (usually Manetti or dog rose) starting
into growth and, not being discovered, outgrowing the bud, taking
possession, and finally killing out the weaker growth. Still, if the
plants are set deep enough to prevent adventitious buds of the stock
from starting and the grower is alert, this difficulty is reduced to a
minimum. There is no question but that finer roses may be grown than
from plants on their own roots, withstanding the heat of the American
summer, if the grower takes the proper precautions.
_Pruning roses_.
In pruning roses, determine whether they bloom on canes arising each
year from the ground or near the ground, or whether they make perennial
tops; also form a clear idea whether an abundance of flowers is wanted
for garden effects, or whether large specimen blooms are desired.
If one is pruning the hybrid perpetual or remontant roses (which are
now the common garden roses), he cuts back all very vigorous canes
perhaps one-half their length immediately after the June bloom is past
in order to produce new, strong shoots for fall flowering, and also to
make good bottoms for the next year’s bloom. Very severe summer
pruning, however, is likely to produce too much leafy growth. In the
fall, all canes may be shortened to 3 feet, four or five of the best
canes being left to each plant. In spring, these canes are again cut
back to fresh wood, leaving perhaps four or five good buds on each
cane; from these buds the flowering canes of the year are to come. If
it is desired to secure fewer blooms, but of the best size and quality,
fewer canes may be left and only two or three new shoots be allowed to
spring from each one the next spring.
The rule in trimming all cane-bearing roses is, _cut back weak growing
kinds severely; strong growers moderately_.
Climbing and pillar roses need only the weak branches and the tips
shortened in. Other hardy kinds will usually need cutting back about
one-fourth or one-third, according to the vigor of the branches, either
in the spring or fall.
The everblooming or hybrid tea roses will need to have all dead wood
removed at the time of uncovering them in spring. Some pruning during
the summer is also useful in encouraging growth and flowers. The
stronger branches that have flowered may be cut back one-half or more.
The sweet briers, Austrian and rugosas may be kept in bush form; but
the trunks may be cut out at the ground every two or three years, new
shoots having been allowed to come up in the meantime. All rampant
growths should be cut back or taken out.
_Insects and diseases of roses_.
Most of the summer insects that trouble the rose are best treated by a
forceful spray of clear water. This should be done early in the day and
again at evening. Those having city water or good spray pumps will find
this an easy method of keeping rose pests in check. Those without these
facilities may use whale-oil soap, fir-tree oil, good soap suds, the
tobacco preparations, or Persian insect powder.
The rose-bug or chafer should be hand-picked or knocked off early in
the morning into a pan of coal oil. The leaf-roller must be crushed.
The mildews are controlled by the various sulfur sprays.
_Winter protection of roses_.
All garden roses should be well mulched with leaves or coarse manure in
the fall. Mounding earth about the root also affords excellent
protection. Bending over the tops and covering with grass or evergreen
boughs is also to be recommended for such kinds as are suspected to be
injured by winter; the boughs are preferable because they do not
attract mice.
North of the Ohio River all the everblooming roses, even if they will
endure the winter unprotected, will be better for protection. This may
be slight southward, but should be thorough northward. The soil,
location, and surroundings often determine the extent of protection. If
the situation is not so favorable, more protection will be necessary.
Along the Ohio, a heap of stable manure, or light soil that does not
become packed and water-logged, placed about the base of the plants,
will carry over many of the tea roses. The tops are killed back; but
the plants sprout from the base of the old branches in the spring. Bon
Silene, Etoile de Lyon, Perle des Jardins, Mme. Camille, and others are
readily wintered there in this way.
About Chicago (_American Florist_, x., No. 358, p. 929, 1895) beds have
been successfully protected by bending down the tops, fastening them,
and then placing over and among the plants a layer of dead leaves to
the depth of a foot. The leaves must be dry, and the soil also, before
applying them; this is very essential. After the leaves, a layer of
lawn-clippings, highest at the middle, and 4 or 5 inches thick, placed
over the leaves, holds them in place and sheds water. This protection
carries over the hardiest sorts of everblooming roses, including the
teas. The tops are killed back when not bent down, but this protection
saves the roots and crowns; when bent down, the tops went through
without damage. Even the climbing rose Gloire de Dijon was carried
through the winter of 1894-1895 at Chicago without the slightest injury
to the branches.
Strong plants of the everblooming or hybrid tea roses can now be had at
very reasonable rates, and rather than go to the trouble of protecting
them in the fall, many persons buy such as they need for bedding
purposes each spring. If the soil of the beds is well enriched, the
plants make a rapid and luxuriant growth, blooming freely throughout
the summer.
If one desires to go to the trouble, he may protect these and also the
tea roses even in the northern states by mounding earth about the
plants and then building a little shed or house about them (or
inverting a large box over them) and packing about the plants with
leaves or straw. Some persons make boxes that can be knocked down in
the spring and stored. The roof should shed water. This method is
better than tying the plants up in straw and burlaps. Some of the
hybrid teas do not need so much protection as this, even in central New
York.
_Varieties of roses_.
The selection of kinds should be made in reference to the locality and
purpose for which the roses are wanted. For bedding roses, those that
are of free-blooming habit, even though the individual flowers are not
large, are the ones that should be chosen. For permanent beds, the
so-called hybrid perpetual or remontant roses, blooming principally in
June, will be found to be hardy at the North.—But if one can give them
proper protection during the winter, then the Bengal, tea, bourbon, and
hybrid teas or everblooming roses, may be selected.
In sections where the temperature does not fall below 20° above zero,
any of the monthly roses will live without protection. At the South the
remontants and other deciduous roses do not do as well as farther
North. The tender climbers—Noisettes, climbing teas, bengals, and
others—are excellent for pillars, arbors, and verandas at the South,
but are fit only for the conservatory in those parts of the country
where there is severe freezing. For the open air at the North we have
to depend for climbing roses mainly on the prairie climbers, and the
ramblers (polyanthas), with their recent pink and white varieties. The
trailing _Rosa Wichuraiana_ is also a useful addition as an excellent
hardy rose for banks.
For the northern states a choice small list is as follows: hybrid
perpetuals, Mrs. John Laing, Wilder, Ulrich Brunner, Frau Karl
Druschki, Paul Neyron; dwarf polyanthas, Clothilde Soupert, Madame
Norbert Levavasseur (Baby Rambler), Mlle. Cecile Brunner; hybrid teas,
Grus an Teplitz, La France, Caroline Testout, Kaiserin Victoria,
Killarney; teas, Pink Maman Cochet, White Maman Cochet.
The following classified lists embrace some of the varieties of
recognized merit for various purposes. There are many others, but it is
desirable to limit the list to a few good kinds. The intending planter
should consult recent catalogues.
_Free-blooming monthly roses for bedding_.—These are recommended not
for the individual beauty of the flower—although some are very fine—but
because of their suitability for the purpose indicated. If to be
carried over winter in the open ground, they need to be protected north
of Washington. In beds, pegging down the branches will be found
desirable. Those marked (A) have proved hardy in southern Indiana
without protection, although they are more satisfactory with it. (The
name of the class to which the variety belongs is indicated by the
initial letter or letters of the class name: C., China; T., Tea; H.T.,
Hybrid Tea; B., Bourbon; Pol., Polyantha; N., Noisette; H.P., Hybrid
Perpetual; Pr., Prairie Climber):—
_Red_—Sanguinea, C.
Agrippina, C.
Marion Dingee, T.
(A)Meteor, H.T.
_Pink_—(A)Hermosa, B.
Souvenir d’un Ami, T.
Pink Soupert, Pol.
(A)Gen. Tartas, T.
_Blush_—(A)Cels, C.
Mme. Joseph Schwartz, T.
(A)Souvenir de la Malmaison, B.
Mignonette, Pol.
_White_—(A)Clothilde Soupert, Pol.
(A)Sombreuil, B.
Snowflake, T.
Pacquerette, Pol.
_Yellow_—(A)Isabella Sprunt, T.
Mosella (Yellow Soupert), Pol.
La Pactole, T.
Marie van Houtte, T.
_Free-blooming monthly roses for summer cutting and beds_.—These are
somewhat less desirable for purely bedding purposes than the preceding;
but they afford finer flowers and are useful for their fine buds. Those
marked (A) are hardy in southern Indiana without protection:—
_Red_—(A)Meteor.
(A)Dinsmore, H.P.
(A)Pierre Guillot, H.T.
Papa Gontier, T.
_Light Pink_—(A)La France, H.T.
Countess de Labarthe, T.
(A)Appoline, B.
_White_—The Bride, T.
Senator McNaughton, T.
(A)Marie Guillot, T.
(A)Mme. Bavay, T.
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, H.T.
_Dark Pink_—(A)American Beauty, H.T.
(A)Duchess of Albany, H.T.
Mme. C. Testout, H.T.
Adam, T.
(A)Marie Ducher, T.
_Yellow_—Perle des Jardins, T.
Mme. Welch, T.
Sunset, T.
Marie van Houtte, T.
_Hybrid perpetual, or remontant, roses_,—These do not flower as freely
as the groups previously mentioned; but the individual flowers are very
large and unequaled by any other roses. They flower chiefly in June.
Those named are among the finest sorts, and some of them flower more or
less continuously:—
_Red_—Alfred Colomb.
Earl of Dufferin.
Glorie de Margottin.
Anna de Diesbach.
Ulrich Brunner.
_Pink_—Mrs. John Laing.
Paul Neyron.
Queen of Queens.
Magna Charta.
Baroness Rothschild.
_White_—Margaret Dickson.
Merveille de Lyon.
_Hardy climbing, or pillar roses_.—These bloom but once during the
season. They come after the June roses, however,—a good season—and at
that time are masses of flowers. They require only slight pruning.
_White_—Baltimore Belle, Pr.
Washington, N.
Rosa Wichuraiana (trailing).
_Pink_—Queen of the Prairies, Pr.
Tennessee Belle, Pr.
Climbing Jules Margotten, H.P.
_Crimson_—Crimson Rambler, Pol.
_Yellow_—Yellow Rambler, Pol.
_Tender climbing, or pillar roses. For conservatories, and the South as
far north as Tennessee_.—Those marked with (A)are half-hardy north of
the Ohio River, or about as hardy as the hybrid teas. These need no
pruning except a slight shortening-in of the shoots and a thinning out
of the weak growth.
_Yellow_—Maréchal Niel, N.
Solfaterre, N.
(A)Gloire de Dijon, T.
Yellow Banksia (Banksiana).
_White_—(A)Aimée Vibert, N.
Bennett’s Seedling (Ayrshire). White
Banksia (Banksiana).
_Red_—(A)Reine Marie Henriette, T.
James Sprunt, C.
_Roses in winter_ (by C.E. Hunn).
Although the growing of roses under glass must be left chiefly to
florists, advice may be useful to those who have conservatories:—
When growing forcing roses for winter flowers, florists usually provide
raised beds, in the best-lighted houses they have. The bottom of the
bed or bench is left with cracks between the boards for drainage; the
cracks are covered with inverted strips of sod, and the bench is then
covered with 4 or 5 inches of fresh, fibrous loam. This is made from
rotted sods, with decayed manure incorporated at the rate of about one
part in four. Sod from any drained pasture-land makes good soil. The
plants are set on the bed in the spring or early summer, from 12 to 18
inches apart, and are grown there all summer.
During the winter they are kept at a temperature of 58° to 60° at
night, and from 5° to 10° warmer during the day. The heating pipes are
often run under the benches, not because the rose likes bottom heat,
but to economize space and to assist in drying out the beds in case of
their becoming too wet. The greatest care is required in watering, in
guarding the temperature, and in ventilation. Draughts result in checks
to the growth and in mildewed foliage.
Dryness of the air, especially from fire heat, is followed by the
appearance of the minute red spider on the leaves. The aphis, or green
plant louse, appears under all conditions, and must be kept down by the
use of some of the tobacco preparations (several of which are on the
market).
For the red spider, the chief means of control is syringing with either
clear or soapy water. If the plants are intelligently ventilated and
given, at all times, as much fresh air as possible, the red spider is
less likely to appear. For mildew, which is easily recognized by its
white, powdery appearance on the foliage, accompanied with more or less
distortion of the leaves, the remedy is sulfur in some form or other.
The flowers of sulfur may be dusted thinly over the foliage; enough
merely slightly to whiten the foliage is sufficient. It may be dusted
on from the hand in a broadcast way, or applied with a powder-bellows,
which is a better and less wasteful method. Again, a paint composed of
sulfur and linseed oil may be applied to a part of one of the steam or
hot-water heating pipes. The fumes arising from this are not agreeable
to breathe, but fatal to mildew. Again, a little sulfur may be
sprinkled here and there on the cooler parts of the greenhouse flue.
Under no circumstances, however, ignite any sulfur in a greenhouse. The
vapor of burning sulfur is death to plants.
_Propagation of house roses_.—The writer has known women who could root
roses with the greatest ease. They would simply break off a branch of
the rose, insert it in the flower-bed, cover it with a bell-jar, and in
a few weeks they would have a strong plant. Again they would resort to
layering; in which case a branch, notched halfway through on the lower
side, was bent to the ground and pegged down so that the notched part
was covered with a few inches of soil. The layered spot was watered
from time to time. After three or four weeks roots were sent forth from
the notch and the branch or buds began to grow, when it was known that
the layer had formed roots.
Several years ago a friend took a cheese-box, filled it with sharp sand
to the brim, supported it in a tub of water so that the lower half-inch
of the box was immersed. The sand was packed down, sprinkled, and
single-joint rose cuttings, with a bud and a leaf near the top, were
inserted almost their whole length in the sand. This was in July, a hot
month, when it is usually difficult to root any kind of cutting;
moreover, the box stood on a southern slope, facing the hot sun,
without a particle of shade. The only attention given the box was to
keep the water high enough in the tub to touch the bottom of the
cheese-box. In about three weeks he took out three or four dozen of as
nicely rooted cuttings as could have been grown in a greenhouse.
The “saucer system,” in which cuttings are inserted in wet sand
contained in a saucer an inch or two deep, to be exposed at all times
to the full sunshine, is of a similar nature. The essentials are, to
give the cuttings the “full sun” and to keep the sand saturated with
water.
Whatever method is used, if cuttings are to be transplanted after
rooting, it is important to pot them off in small pots as soon as they
have a cluster of roots one-half inch or an inch long. Leaving them too
long in the sand weakens the cutting.
Smilax of the florists is closely allied to asparagus (it is _Asparagus
medeoloides_ of the botanists). While it cannot be recommended for
house culture, the ease with which it may be grown and the uses to
which the festoons of leaves may be put entitle it to a place in the
conservatory or greenhouse.
Seed sown in pots or boxes in January or February, the plants shifted
as needed until planted on the bench in August, will grow fine strings
of green by the holidays. The temperature should be rather high. The
plants should be set on low benches, giving as much room as possible
overhead. Green-colored strings should be used for the vines to climb
on, the vines frequently syringed to keep down the red spider, which is
very destructive to this plant, and liquid manure given as the vines
grow. The soil should contain a good proportion of sand and be enriched
with well-rotted manure.
After the first strings are cut, a second growth fully as good as the
first may be had by cleaning up the plants and top-dressing the soil
with rotted manure. Sometimes the old roots are kept three or four
years. Slightly shading the house through August will add to the color
of the leaves. The odor from a vine of smilax thickly covered with the
small flowers is very agreeable.
Stocks.—The Ten-weeks and the biennial or Brompton stocks (species of
_Matthiola_) are found in nearly all old-fashioned gardens. Most
gardens are thought to be incomplete without them, and the use of the
biennial flowering species as house-plants is increasing.
The Ten-weeks stock is usually grown from seed sown in hotbeds or boxes
in March. The seedlings are transplanted several times previous to
being planted out in early May. At each transplanting the soil should
be made a little richer. The double flowers will be more numerous when
the soil is rich.
The biennial species (or Brompton stocks) should be sown the season
previous to that in which flowers are wanted, the plants wintered over
in a cool house, and grown in the following spring. They may be planted
out through the summer and lifted into pots in August or September for
winter flowering. These may be increased by cuttings taken from the
side shoots; but the sowing of seed is a surer method, and unless an
extra fine variety is to be saved, it would be the best one to pursue.
Height, 10 to 15 inches.
Sweet pea.—A hardy, tendril-climbing annual, universally prized as an
outdoor garden plant; also forced to some extent by florists. On any
occasion the sweet pea is in place. A bouquet of shaded colors, with a
few sprays of galium or the perennial gypsophila, makes one of the
choicest of table decorations.
Deep, mellow soil, early planting, and heavy mulching suit them
admirably. It is easy to make soils too rich in nitrogen for sweet
peas; in such case, they will run to vine at the expense of flowers.
Sow the seeds as soon as the ground is fit to work in the spring,
making a drill 5 inches deep. Sow thickly and cover with 2 inches of
earth. When the plants have made 2 or 3 inches’ growth above the earth,
fill the drill nearly full, leaving a slight depression in which water
may be caught. After the soil is thoroughly soaked with water, a good
mulch will hold the moisture. To have the ground ready in early spring,
it is a good plan to trench the ground in the fall. The top of the soil
then dries out very quickly in spring and is left in good physical
condition.
In the middle and southern states the seed may be planted in fall,
particularly in lighter soils.
Frequent syringing with clear water will keep off the red spider that
often destroys the foliage, and attention to picking the seed pods will
lengthen the season of bloom. If the finest flowers are wanted, do not
let the plants stand less than 8 to 12 inches apart.
A succession of sowings may be made at intervals through May and June,
and a fair fall crop secured if care is taken to water and mulch; but
the best results will be secured with the very early planting. When the
plants are watered, apply enough to soak the soil, and do not water
frequently.
Swainsona.—This plant has been called the winter sweet pea, but the
flowers are not fragrant. It makes a very desirable house plant,
blooming through the late winter and early spring months. The blossoms,
which resemble those of the pea, are borne in long racemes. The foliage
is finely cut, resembling small locust leaves, and adds to the beauty
of the plant, the whole effect being exceedingly graceful. Swainsona
may be grown from seed or cuttings. Cuttings taken in late winter
should make blooming plants in summer; these plants may be used for
winter bloom, but it is better to raise new plants. Some gardeners cut
back old plants to secure new blooming wood; this is desirable if the
plants grow more or less permanently in the greenhouse border, but for
pots new plants should be grown.
The common swainsona is white-flowered; but there is a good
rose-colored variety.
Tuberose (properly _tuber-ose,_ not _tube-rose,_ from its specific
name, _Polianthes tuberosa_).—This plant, with its tall spikes of waxen
and fragrant white flowers, is well known in the middle latitudes, but
usually requires more heat and a longer season than are commonly
present in the most northern states.
The tuberose is a strong feeder, and loves warmth, plenty of water
while growing, and a deep, rich, and well-drained soil. The bulbs may
be set in the garden or border the last of May or in June, covering
them about 1 inch deep. Preparatory to planting, the old dead roots at
the base of the bulb should be cut away and the pips or young bulbs
about the sides removed. After keeping them till their scars are dried
over, these pips may be planted 5 or 6 inches apart in drills, and with
good soil and cultivation they will make blooming bulbs for the
following year.
Before planting the large bulbs, it may be well to examine the points,
to determine whether they are likely to bloom. The tuberose blooms but
once. If there is a hard, woody piece of old stem in the midst of the
dry scales at the apex of the bulb, it has bloomed, and is of no value
except for producing pips. Likewise if, instead of a solid core, there
is a brownish, dry cavity extending from the tip down into the middle
of the bulb, the heart has rotted or dried up, and the bulb is
worthless as far as blooming is concerned.
Bulbs of blooming size set in the border in June flower toward the
close of September. They may be made to flower three or four weeks
sooner by starting them early in some warm place, where they may be
given a temperature of about 60° to 70°. Prepare the bulbs as above,
and place them with their tips just above the surface in about 3-or
4-inch pots, in light sandy soil. Water them thoroughly, afterwards
sparingly, till the leaves have made considerable growth. These plants
may be turned out into the open ground the last of May or in June, and
will probably flower in early September.
XX. A simple but effective window-box, containing geraniums, petunias,
verbenas, heliotrope, and vines. XX. A simple but effective window-box,
containing geraniums, petunias, verbenas, heliotrope, and vines.
In the northern states, if planted in the border they will not start
into growth until the ground has become thoroughly warm,—usually after
the middle of June,—making the season before frost too short for their
perfect growth and flower. If any danger of fall frost is feared, they
may be lifted into pots or boxes and taken into the house, when they
will bloom without a check. As with other bulbs, a sandy soil will
suit.
Just before frost dig up the bulbs, cut off the tops to within 2 inches
of the apex of the bulb. They may then be placed in shallow boxes and
left out in the sun and air for a week or more, to cure. Each evening,
if the nights are cold, they should be removed to some room where the
temperature will not fall below 40°. When the outer scales have become
dry, the remaining soil may be shaken off and the bulbs stored away in
shallow boxes for the winter. They keep best in a temperature of 45° to
50°. It should never fall below 40°.
The Dwarf Pearl, originating in 1870, has long been popular, and is
still so with many. But others have come to prefer the old, tall kind,
the flowers of which, even if not so large, are perfect in form and
seem to open better.
Tulips are undoubtedly the most prized of all early spring bulbs. They
are hardy and easy to grow. They also bloom well in winter in a sunny
climate. The garden bed will last several years if well cared for, but
most satisfactory bloom is secured if the old bulbs are taken up every
two or three years and replanted, all the inferior ones being cast
aside. When the stock begins to run out, buy anew. The old stock, if
not entirely spent, may be planted in the shrubbery or perennial
borders.
September is the best time for planting tulips, but as the beds are
usually occupied at this time, planting is commonly postponed till
October of November. For garden culture the single early tulips are the
best. There are excellent early double-flowered varieties. Some prefer
the double, as their flowers last longer. Late tulips are gorgeous, but
occupy the beds too long in the spring. While tulips are hardy, they
are benefited by a winter mulch.
In working out design patterns, the utmost care should be used to have
the lines and curves uniform, which is only to be secured by marking
out the design, and careful planting. Formal planting is, however, by
no means necessary for pleasing effects. Borders, lines, and masses of
single colors, or groups of mixed colors which harmonize, are always in
order and pleasing. Clear colors are preferable to neutral tints. As
varieties vary in height and season of blooming, only named varieties
should be ordered if uniform bedding effects are desired. See pp. 286
and 345; Fig. 255.
Violet.—While the culture of violets as house-plants rarely proves
successful, there is no reason why a good supply may not be had
elsewhere through the greater part of the winter and the spring months.
A sheltered location being selected, young plants from runners may be
set in August or September. Have the ground fertile and well drained.
These plants will make fine crowns by December, and often will bloom
before weather sufficiently cold to freeze them.
To have flowers through the winter, it will be necessary to afford some
protection. This may best be accomplished by building a frame of boards
large enough to cover the plants, making the frame in the same way as
for a hotbed, 4 to 6 inches higher at the back than the front. Cover
the frame with sash or boards, and as the weather becomes severe, mats
or straw should be placed over and around the frame to protect the
plants from freezing. Whenever the weather will permit, the covering
should be removed and air admitted, but no harm will come if the frames
are not disturbed for several weeks. Much sunlight and a high
temperature through the middle of winter are to be avoided, for if the
plants are stimulated, a shorter period of bloom will result. In April
the frame may be removed, the plants yielding the later part of the
crop without protection.
Violets belong with the “cool” plants of florists. When well hardened
off, considerable frost does not harm them. They should always be kept
stocky. Start a new lot from runner-plants each year. They thrive in a
temperature of 55° to 65°. Pages 190, 206.
Wax-plant.—The wax-plant, or hoya, is one of the commonest of
window-garden plants, and yet it is one that house-gardeners usually
have difficulty in flowering. However, it is one of the easiest plants
to manage if a person understands its nature.
It is naturally a summer-blooming plant, and should rest in winter. In
the winter, keep it just alive in a cool and rather dry place. If the
temperature does not go above 50° Fahr., so much the better; neither
should it go much lower. In late winter or spring, the plant is brought
out to warm temperature, given water, and started into growth. The old
flower-stems should not be cut off, since new flowers come from them as
well as from the new wood. When it is brought out to be started into
growth, it may be repotted, sometimes into a size larger pot, but
always with more or less fresh earth. The plant should increase in
value each year. In conservatories, it is sometimes planted out in the
ground and allowed to run over a wall, in which case it will reach a
height of many feet.