Talks about Flowers Part 6

We have found the most effective method to be by placing the cuttings in a bottle of water, and keeping them in a sunny window, but the following method is said to be practiced by cottagers in the west of England: "In the autumn, after the frost has destroyed the foliage, the wood of the present season is cut off close to the ground and laid like a sheaf of corn in a trench a foot deep. The bundle is covered with a few inches of soil, and here it remains until spring, when a mult.i.tude of young shoots may be seen pushing their way through. The soil is then carefully moved, and with a sharp knife a cut is made each side of a joint, and the result is rooted plants enough for the parish. The old stool throws up more vigorously than before, to be served in the same way the following autumn."

A Talk About Coleuses.

BY ONE OF THEMSELVES.

Only a few years ago, not one of the Coleus family had a place in the gardens of Europe and America, and I have been told that in our absence gardeners depended chiefly upon plants with showy flowers for ornamenting their gardens and grounds. When some of my remote relatives were introduced, numerous were the surmisings as to what place they should occupy amongst cultivated plants. This was especially so in the case of Perilla Nankinensis, a plant of most sombre hue, but so striking withal as to attract general attention. Some looked upon it as the forerunner of a cla.s.s of plants destined to play an important part in the future, whilst others regarded it as a vile weed. Nevertheless, considerable attention was bestowed upon its cultivation for a time; but ultimately became so neglected as to be met with chiefly as a garden weed. This may have been owing in some measure to the introduction of Coleus Blumei, which species was regarded with greater favor, and at once took a place which it held fairly well for a time, or until he whose name I bear obtained from it varieties so novel and brilliant in color, as to ent.i.tle them to rank high amongst the time-honored favorites of the garden. From the most reliable information, I infer that this species at least is one of my immediate ancestors, and whether I owe as much of kinship to any other, has not been made known. But this I do know, from the day I was first introduced to the public, in my chocolate and violet colored suit until the present time, I have been praised as few plants have been. But being neither envious nor vain, I have desired the company of those whose colors are brighter than my own, as variety in harmony gives greater satisfaction than any one can singly bestow. Some of the older varieties are well fitted to produce this effect, and none more so, perhaps, than my old friends Aurea Marginata, and Golden Circle; but the majority of their cla.s.s either lack expression, or are so delicately const.i.tuted as to become perfect "frights" when planted out of doors.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DREER'S NEW HYBRID COLEUSES.]

During my time, many varieties with excellent characters when in my company, have performed their parts but poorly, whilst others have had enough to do to keep up a doubtful reputation. It was with pleasure, therefore, I hailed the arrival of a fresh set from England a short time ago, headed by George Bunyard, who, with his companions were so highly spoken of, that I hoped one or more of them would prove of service to me. But this hope has not been realized, and to-day, for all of them, I am as dest.i.tute of support as I was before their arrival. Poor George, after being much in his company for a season, it is only fair to say, he performed his part so poorly that I hope, for the credit of both, we shall never meet again under similar circ.u.mstances.

What the incoming season may bring forth, yet remains to be seen, but at present the prospects are good for a grand display, as a new order of aspirants are being marshaled for duty, whose merits, some say, are such as to eclipse the old members of our family, and even take from me the honors I have enjoyed so long. Should their claim be well founded, I shall surrender my right to the first place without regret, and be even glad to take any subordinate place I may be deemed competent to fill.

But should they fail to meet the expectations thus produced, it will be my duty to remain at my post until such time as new varieties are found, regarding whose merits there can be no doubt.

Be it understood that what has been said about my a.s.sociates has reference only to them as bedders; for it is well known, many varieties when grown under gla.s.s, and partially shaded from the glare of sunshine, possess greater brilliancy and beauty than I lay claim to. For this reason, I think those so const.i.tuted as to require the protection of a green-house, should be sparingly, if at all, planted out of doors, and the outside department exclusively occupied by such as attain their greatest perfection in free air and the full tide of sunlight.

Before closing this monologue, I am forced to say a word in behalf of a plant seemingly possessed of extraordinary capacity for the work in which I excel. I refer to Acalypha Macaffeana, the leaves of which are large and finely formed; color, reddish-brown, and irregularly blotched with bright shades of crimson. When fully exposed to sunlight, it looks as if "on fire through all its length," and being much more stately than myself, might form the central figure in a group of Coleus or other plants with the greatest acceptance.--VERSCHAFFELTII, in _Gardeners Monthly_.

We do not know who is the author of this very interesting autobiography of an old and popular Coleus. The florist for whom it was named, M.

Nuytans Verschaffelt, was the adopted son of the late Jean Verschaffelt, of whose nursery near Ghent, he was the manager, and to which he succeeded on the death of the proprietor. M. Nuytans was a very distinguished and highly esteemed horticulturist; he was an active member of the Royal Agricultural and Botanical Society of Ghent and Chevalier of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous. He died June, 1880, in the forty-fourth year of his age.

There has been a remarkable progress in the development of the Coleus since the introduction of Blumei, but the two past years have been more distinguished than any previous ones by the originating of many new and beautiful hybrids. Pre-eminent among these are "Dreer's Set of Tri-colored Coleus," fifteen varieties; "Queensland Set," fifteen varieties, and "Queensland Set of Dwarfs," ten varieties. Mr. Henry A.

Dreer says of them: "These varieties which it is a pleasure to offer, have originated in our nursery grounds during the past summer, were selected from perhaps six thousand seedlings excelling in point of color, variety, habit and novelty, and we feel safe in predicting for them a future that leaves nothing wanting in this cla.s.s of plants."

Mr. Dreer is sustained in his statement by the verdict of many of the leading florists who visited them, and the committees of the Cincinnati, Philadelphia and New York Horticultural Societies, the summer and autumn before they were offered to the public.

In the February number of the _Gardeners Monthly_, a lady asks some of the correspondents who have tried the new Coleuses, to report thereon, whether as brilliant as their ill.u.s.trated types, and if they retain their colors in bedding out. We will give the replies from the March number.

J. R. H., Richmond, Va., says: "In response to the query of Mrs. R. B.

Edson about Dreer's New Hybrid Coleus, I take pleasure in giving my experience with regard to their hardiness in the summer sun. As the summers in our city are extremely dry and hot, I think it a very fair trial of them.

"When I received my box of Coleus from Mr. Dreer and opened it, the first thought was that I was swindled nicely, while I at once perceived that they were of an entirely new type of Coleus, but considered their colors very ugly indeed, and quite different from the colored sheet in his catalogue. However, I determined to give them a trial before expressing my opinion. I put them in the hottest place I could find, determined to get out of them all the 'come out,' should there be any, and to my utter surprise, their colors changed so rapidly and beautifully, that after a lapse of two weeks, I could scarcely believe they were the same plants. I so much liked them I determined they should have a prominent place in my garden, and accordingly planted them in my border where they did not miss the sun at all while it shone. They grew off at once with the old colors (as when received), which discouraged me again, when to my surprise, about the middle of June, they began to show their bright colors again, and in three weeks they were the brightest and prettiest Coleuses I have ever seen, and remained so with a continual growth until they were killed by the frost.

"I must confess I never saw plants resemble as much the colored plates of their likeness, as did my Coleus; just like the plate with the exception of the fine gloss, which of course I did not expect. It seemed that the hotter the atmosphere was the brighter they looked, and have stood the sun about twenty per cent better than the older varieties.

They have given me more pleasure than any set of new plants I have ever received. I consider them the greatest acquisition I have known in the soft-wooded cla.s.s of plants. While there is quite a similarity in the tri-colored set, it is not at all an objection. The only objections to any of them are that Amabilis and Mrs. E. B. Cooper, while very rank growers, are exceedingly ugly, and Superbissima entirely worthless. It will not grow, I don't care what I do with it. Some seedlings that I have raised from them are very richly colored, and I think them much prettier than their parents, though I have not had a chance to test their qualities in the summer."

We regret that the writer did not give the names of those Coleus he so much admired as well as those which are "exceedingly ugly" and "entirely worthless." We can report the same lack of success with Superbissima. It would not grow one bit, but remained stationary several months, and then died.

Mr. E. L. Koethens reports from a large collection: "For bedding these are the chosen ones, Gracilliana, Miss R. Kirkpatrick, Superbissima, and above all, Speciosa. But for inside culture, many of the new ones are unsurpa.s.sed for beauty in any cla.s.s of decorative plants. Here again Speciosa and Miss R. Kirkpatrick of Dreer's set, lay claims to attention, and his Amabilis is attractive for its free blooming properties. Fairy is also conspicuous, and Beacon takes the place of Superbissima indoors, but Zephyr, in my opinion crowns them all as a foliage plant for indoor culture; a single head often measuring ten inches across, with a rich bronzy-brown color. The above are all valuable acquisitions and should be in every collection."

Mrs. M. D. Wellcome thus writes: "Mrs. R. B. Edson in her charming 'Garden Notes and Gossip,' asks that some of the correspondents who have tried the new Coleus, Dreer's and Henderson's new sets, report thereon.

I have not tried Henderson's, and only six of Dreer's, so I am not prepared to report very fully. But I wish to make special mention of Miss Ritta Kirkpatrick, which looks like the picture only it is handsomer. It is the one represented by a large leaf, creamy white center, broad, green lobed margin. It was a wee plant when it came to me in early spring, but it very rapidly outgrew the other five, branching out finely, so that I began in June to take slips from it, and have continued to do this each month to the present time. I should think I had rooted full thirty cuttings, and the original plant, which has been beheaded on three of its branches, has now twenty-eight that would I think all make very nice plants, if treated as were the others. I rooted them all in sand, kept constantly wet, and exposed nearly all day to the rays of the sun. I never saw anything so quickly take root and so rapidly grow as did those cuttings. At one time I kept half a dozen about two months in the pure sand, till they were fine large plants, with a great ma.s.s of roots. They can be removed from the sand to pots of earth without r.e.t.a.r.ding their growth. I always allow the particles which adhere to remain in transplanting. This Coleus is a special favorite with me. Fairy, foliage yellow and green, blotched with crimson-scarlet, and Charm, yellow, tinged with bronzy scarlet, stained with dark brown; green deeply serrated margin, were very beautiful in the open ground, and from these I rooted also in sand several very fine cuttings. But the original plants did not grow rapidly. I think the Coleus adds much to the attraction of the border, but it is for the winter window-garden they are specially valuable."

These new Hybrids have stood the test of a year's trial, and three varieties exhibited at the June meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, London, carried off the highest prize for this cla.s.s of plants, and received very flattering newspaper notices. In Mr. Dreer's catalogue for 1881, he has selected twenty-four which he calls the cream of those New Hybrids. Superbissima is included, while Zephyr is omitted.

Kirkpatrick is among them, we are happy to say. So superb are some of the recent Coleuses, Verschaffeltii, we fear, will have to retire still further into private life. Being quite advanced in years, we presume he will not regret this. We are sure that he will always be treated with that respect which is due to honorable old age.

Ornamental Foliage Plants.

How much one who gives attention may learn in the vast field of Nature!

How varied are its attractions, how wonderful its work, how indescribable its beauties! There is a fascination in these studies, whatever may be the department to which they are directed, and the more one learns the more sensible they become of the limitations of their knowledge. I have already told you I had within a year or two been awaking to a realization of the value of ornamental foliage plants in giving an abiding brightness and beauty to the window-garden and open border. As humanity is ever p.r.o.ne to extremes I may become too enthusiastic in this direction. I thought there was some danger of it as I surveyed my array of pots filled with fine specimens of various sorts.

I will take them for my subject to-day, giving whatever facts of interest I have been enabled to gather from various sources.

CROTONS.

Everybody has heard of croton oil, but only a few of that same everybody know anything about Crotons. The number of species known is enormous, and they are found in many parts of the world, but chiefly at the South Sea Islands. Some kinds are native to our own country, mainly in the South and Southwest, but these are not characterized by the brilliant markings of the foreign varieties. Their leaves are often thick and large, but usually they are very long and narrow and ribbed, veined, spotted and blotched with crimson, scarlet and gold. They are a very interesting cla.s.s of ornamental plants, and their low price, twenty-five to fifty cents, except for novelties, places them within reach of the common people. They do best in a rich soil, with a little peat and sand; also an abundance of water.

The specimens I have are these: _Aucubae Folium_--leaves large, dark green, blotched with golden yellow. _Interruptum_, very long leaves, mid-rib bright scarlet, shading to gold--very graceful. _Irregulare_, so named because of the irregularity of its leaves in shape and color--two precisely alike being rare.

The handsomest however of my collection, is Croton _Weismanni_. The ground color is a shining bright green, striped and mottled with golden yellow. The leaves grow to a foot in length and three-fourths of an inch wide. Among the more recent and high priced novelties are Croton _Evansia.n.u.s_ and _Princess of Wales_. The former is "distinguished by the peculiar form of its trilobate leaves and the depth of coloring pervading the whole plant. The newest formed leaves are light olive green with mid-ribs and veins of golden yellow, and the inters.p.a.ces spotted with the same color. As the leaves become older, the green deepens and changes to a bright bronzy crimson, and the golden yellow of the mid-ribs, veins and spots becomes a rich orange scarlet." _Princess of Wales_ is one of the long-leaved drooping forms of Croton, and is very distinct in character. The leaves are from one and one-half to two feet in length. The ground color is green, and the variegations creamy-yellow, very variable in color. The markings are of the maculate style, with here and there large blotches of clear cream-yellow, and and in other parts clouded markings of smaller confluent blotches and spots.

Occasionally these conditions are reversed.

The Croton _Fenzii_, recently offered in commerce by M. SOLVIATI, of Florence, is described as a jewel among the Crotons. It is the result of a cross effected in the green-houses of Sesto, between _C. Veitchii_ and _C. Weismanni_, and has moderate sized oval ac.u.minate leaves, richly veined with golden yellow, the princ.i.p.al nerves being purplish-red, which color extends to the stem and the petiole. The habit is so dwarf and compact that plants only a foot high are often seen with all their splendor, the yellow streaking then extending to almost the whole surface of the leaf, and the red nerves shining on the yellow ground. It is a variety especially fitted for the decoration of small green-houses, as it requires very little room to be able to develop all its charms.

This variety has been dedicated to the Chevalier E. O. FENZI, President of the Royal Horticultural Society of Tuscany.--_London Florist._

FANCY CALADIUMS.

Of these the varieties are numerous, and the foliage very ornamental.

Those I have are _Dr. Hondley_; green ground, blotched with rose, crimson center; _Madame Houllette_,--blush cl.u.s.ters and white spots on green ground; _Sagittaefolium pictum_,--arrow-shaped leaves prettily spotted with white; _Madame Alfred Bleu_,--the ground color of the leaves is silvery white, which is blotched with green, in some leaves very sparingly, in others, nearly half the surface; the veins are prominent and of rich rosy crimson, bordered by narrow bands of a lighter shade. _Alfred Mame_,--beautiful deep carmine, richly marked with rosy spots and white leaf margin. _La Perle de Brazil_,--ground color, green, reticulated all over with pure white, like fine lace.

These last three are from the collection of Mr. John Saul of Washington, and are new.

Fancy Caladiums do best in somewhat shaded positions, in well enriched soil, composed of finely decomposed manure, leaf mold and sand, and a moist, warm temperature. Great care must be had in their earliest stage of growth, to prevent decay of the tubers by over-watering. They can be preserved in sand during the winter, in a room sufficiently warm to prevent danger from frost.

CALADIUM ESCULENTUM,

Is the most striking and grand of the Ornamental Foliage Plants for the lawn or flower garden. It will grow in any good soil, and is very easy of cultivation. When of full size it stands about five feet high, and its immense leaves often measure four feet in length by two and a half in breadth; very smooth, of a light green color, beautifully veined and variegated with dark green. When killed down by frost in the autumn, the bulbs must be taken up and stored in the cellar. The Caladium belongs to the family of "Jack in the Pulpit," or Indian Turnip, and the Ethiopian or Egyptian Calla. They rarely bloom in our Northern States. The flowers resemble in shape the Calla Lily, only are much larger and narrower, are of a rich cream color, very fragrant at first, but soon lose their odor, which resembles the Magnolia.

ERANTHEMUMS.

These comprise a large genus valuable for their foliage and also winter flowers, yet not very generally cultivated. Mine are labeled _Andersonii_, "a handsome orchid-like flower, white, spotted with red."

_Pictum_, foliage prettily streaked with white, a strong, vigorous grower; _Tricolor_, leaves prettily marked with pink and green; _Cooperi_, has flowers white, prettily streaked with purple; _El Dorado_, light green foliage, with golden veinings.

MARANTAS.

These are considered by florists as among the most elegant of tropical plants, but like the Eranthemums, are not generally known. They are all natives of tropical America, and require strong heat with plenty of moisture. They are low-priced, and ought to be more extensively cultivated. I think mine are very beautiful. _Eximia_, upper surface of leaves striped with grayish-white; under, purplish-violet. _Leopordina_, pale green with oblong blotches of deep green. _Mikans_, shining green with a white feathery stripe. _Van den Heckii_, dark glossy leaves, mid-rib silvery white. _Makayana_, a very ornamental dwarf species; leaf-stalks slender reddish-purple, blade of the leaf ovate, ground color, olive green, beautifully and regularly blotched with creamy yellow of a transparent character; on each side the mid-rib are oblong dark green blotches, while the under side is rosy red. _Tubispatha_ is an elegant and very attractive species of erect habit of growth; leaves some nine or ten inches long, light green, ornamented on each side the mid-rib with oblong blotches of cinnamon brown. _Veitchii_, "The leaves of this grand plant are upward of twelve inches in length; the under surface of a rich purplish-wine color, the upper of a deep shining green, blotched with conspicuous patches along each side, of a yellowish-green, almost verging on gray. The contrast is very marked, and the whole plant very beautiful."