always found to be defective root action. Drainage must be perfect, the soil must be kept moist but not wet, and the red spider must be kept from working on the plant. The Cyclamen The Cyclamen is a good plant for culture in the sitting room window. Its foliage is very pretty, that of most varieties being blotched and marbled with light green on a darker surface, with reddish veins running through it. The flowers are mostly of shades of pink and mauve, passing into white toward the extremity of the petals, which are sharply reflexed. A well-grown plant will seldom be without flowers from January to April. The bulbs should be pressed down on top of the soil to about half their depth. They like a rich soil, with plenty of sand in it. They do not require much water, but they must not be allowed. to get dry during their season of flowering. A weekly application of liquid manure helps to increase the size and quantity of the flowers. In summer the bulbs should be dried off gradually, and the pots containing them put out of doors in some shady place where they will get plenty of air. Give just enough water to keep them from drying up. Repot in September, using the same size of pot they have been growing in. Do not be alarmed if the bulbs lose their foliage in summer. As long as the bulbs remain plump and hard they are all right. Old bulbs, however, are not so desirable as young ones, and I would advise the purchase of young plants each season in preference to keeping over plants which have done duty in the house for a season. The Cyclamen is generally classed among the bulbs. It is not a bulb, however, strictly speaking. A well-grown plant of Cyclamen Persicum is seen in Fig 14. The Jasmines Under the name of Jasmine or Jessamine several different kinds of plants are popular with most amateur floriculturists, because of the ease with which they can be grown. Give them soil of ordinary richness, sunshine, and keep them free from insects, and they are pretty sure to do well in the sitting room or in the greenhouse. One of the most popular kinds of these plants is the Cestrum, commonly known as Jasmine. C. Parqui is a species with greenish-yellow, tubular flowers, borne in racemes on the ends of the branches. These open at night and emit a heavy, rich fragrance which will pervade the air to a great distance. One cluster will fill a large room with its perfume. It grows very rapidly, becoming a strong shrub in a few months. It has large and handsome foliage, and produces a fine effect when given a pot large enough to allow free development of its roots. It is excellent for use as the center of a group in a bay window. It can be wintered in the cellar. Cestrum aurantiacum resembles C. Parqui very much in foliage and habit of growth, but its flowers are a pale yellow. They are produced in great profusion during the latter part of summer. This plant is best taken care of over winter by putting in the cellar. It forms a charming shrub, or can be trained as a standard. Gardenia florida is known as the Cape Jasmine. It has rich, shining foliage of a dark green. Its flowers are white, thick and waxy in texture, and possess an odor similar to that of the Tuberose. It is a summer bloomer, and should be wintered in the cellar. It is not a rank grower, seldom getting to be more than a small shrub outside of a greenhouse at the North. Shower well often, to keep down red spider, and see that the scale does not get on it. Give a sandy soil, moderate amount of water, and a sunny place. Jasminum grandiflorum, a true Jasmine, is a favorite old plant. It is a climber. It grows quite rapidly, and will clamber all about the window in one season. It has fine foliage, and bears star-shaped, pure white flowers in great profusion. These are delightfully sweet. Its season of flowering is from November till May. Jasminum revolutum is a kind of half-shrubby, half-climbing species, with thick evergreen foliage. Its flowers are a rich yellow, and fragrant. Give a sandy soil, made rich with rotten manure. Drain well, and apply water daily to the foliage. Cut back from time to time to induce constant development of new branches. Give a good amount of sunshine, and a warm place to grow in. |