Talks about Flowers Part 12

Lantanas, I think, add greatly to the attractions of the garden, so rich in color and profuse in blooming. _Clotilda_, pink with yellow center, and _Comtesse de Diencourt_, flower bright rose and yellow center sulphur, are very desirable. _Alba perfecta_, pure white, is fine, so also is _Alba lutea grandiflora_, white with yellow center. _Mine d'Or_ is a new variety, with bright orange and crimson flowers, and golden variegated foliage. _M. Schmidt_ is a beautiful novelty. Flowers of a brilliant yellow, pa.s.sing into purple vermilion; grows in the style of a Petunia.

A Talk About Cyclamens and Oxalis.

Next 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 is _persic.u.m_, and many catalogues name no other. One of mine is _gigantium_, an improvement on _persic.u.m_, the flowers being much larger and finer in every respect. Among many catalogues I find this named in only one. _Persic.u.m_, white and pink, is a sweet scented variety from Cyprus; _Africanum_, white and rose, from Africa; _hederaefolium_, from Britain. Other rare and expensive sorts are _Atkinsii_, white, crimson and rose colored; _Europeum_, red, and _Coum_, 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, except _Coum_, 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.

_Persic.u.m_, 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 suns.h.i.+ne. 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, and _rubra_, red, blossom in the autumn.

OXALIS.

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. The _floribunda_ varieties belong to this cla.s.s of perpetuals. _Ortgiesi_ also, 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 cl.u.s.ters. The special beauty is in the foliage.

_Floribunda alba_ and _rosea_ have tuberous roots. The foliage is very strong, and the cl.u.s.ters 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 acetocella_ is the true shamrock of Ireland. Flowers are white, borne on stalks two to four inches high. _Versicolor_ is a winter bloomer; color white, with bright pink margins to the petals; requires suns.h.i.+ne; the flowers will not expand in cloudy weather. _Floribunda_ has no such freaks, but smiles in the storm, as well as the suns.h.i.+ne. A lady writing to Mr. Vick becomes enthusiastic over her Oxalis. She says: "The sixth of last October I planted a bulb of _Oxalis 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 cl.u.s.ters of flowers on the top of a short, slender stem. It seems strange that so small a bulb can produce such beautiful flowers."

Of _Bowii_ she thus writes: "A year ago last October I planted a bulb of _Oxalis Bowii_ in 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 ma.s.s of flowers on one small plant I had never seen before, and such large, bright-colored flowers! Many stopped to admire it, and ask its name. It continued to produce a ma.s.s 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 ill.u.s.trated article he gives an engraving of one named _Cernuus plena_, the flowers of which resemble double Portulacas; erect, borne in cl.u.s.ters. We regret that he gives no reference to this variety whatever.

It must be a rare sort, probably not in the market here.

A Talk About Lilies.

"CONSIDER THE LILIES."

Thus spake one wiser than Solomon, even He whose hand created and beautified the Lilies with a glory surpa.s.sing 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 the _Pomponiums_, natives of Siberia, and are perfectly hardy. The _Lancifolium_ or _Speciosum_ is the autumn blooming Lily, native of j.a.pan. _Lancifolium Alb.u.m_, a fine sort, with pure white petals and a pea-green stripe, very fragrant.

_Lancifolium Rubrum_, and _Roseum_, 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 verum_ is a late bloomer; color, clear white with soft rose spots and green stripes.

Finest of the species, _Lancifolium Praec.o.x_; flowers white with a purplish-blush at the tips. _Lancifolium Monstrosum_ or _Corymbiflorum rubrum_, bears its crimson flowers in large cl.u.s.ters. Grows to a great size.

The Lancifolium Lilies are of special value for their hardiness and varied beauty, and their cheapness places them within general reach.

They are cla.s.sed under the head of MARTAGONS, or TURKS CAP.

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_Auratum Imperial_ is the Golden-banded-Lily of j.a.pan which has become so extensively known and popular since its introduction from j.a.pan by Mr. Gordon Dexter. It was first exhibited in July 1862, at the Ma.s.sachusetts 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 LILIES.

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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.

Longiflorum _j.a.ponic.u.m_ blooms in July, and is a fine dwarf bedder; color pure white, with occasionally a greenish tinge outside. Increases rapidly. _Eximium_ bears 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. _Brownii_ is a native of j.a.pan, 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 with _j.a.ponic.u.m_, but the difference is very marked in the ill.u.s.trations of the two, and are thus noted in Messrs. Hallock & Thorp's "Catalogue of Lilies."

"j.a.pONIc.u.m (_Odorum, j.a.ponic.u.m 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; the bud 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 pa.s.s 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 j.a.pan, 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.

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_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 double _Tiger Lily_ is a very great improvement on the old single variety. It is very double, and very showy. _Wallacei_ is a new j.a.panese variety, said to be magnificent; color, buff, spotted with black.

_Chalcedonic.u.m_ or _Scarlet Martagon_ is 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 by thinning 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 s.p.a.ce 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.

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DOUBLE WHITE BOUVARDIA, "ALFRED NEUNER."

This is indeed a novelty among this cla.s.s 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 the _Gardeners'

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 cl.u.s.ters are on side-shoots. The very fine ill.u.s.tration 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 b.u.t.ton-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 refres.h.i.+ng, 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."