THE GROWING OF THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
INSTRUCTIONS ON PARTICULAR KINDS - Continued
Camellias are half-hardy woody plants, blooming in late winter and
spring. Years ago camellias were very popular, but they have been
crowded out by the informal flowers of recent times. Their time will
come again.
During the blooming season keep them cool--say not over 50° at night and
a little higher by day. When blooming is done they begin to grow; then
give them more heat and plenty of water. See that they are well ripened
by winter with large plump flower-buds. If they are neglected or kept
too dry during their growing season (in summer) they will drop their
buds in fall. The soil for camellias should be fibrous and fertile,
compounded of rotted sod, leafmold, old cow manure, and sufficient sand
for good drainage. Always screen them from direct sunlight. Do not try
to force them in early winter, after the growth has ceased. Their summer
quarters may be in a protected place in the open air.
Camellias are propagated by cuttings in winter, which should give
blooming plants in two years.
Cannas are among the most ornamental and important plants used in
decorative gardening. They make fine herbaceous hedges, groups, masses,
and--when desirable--good center plants for beds. They are much used for
subtropical effects (see Plate V).
Cannas grow 3 to 10 feet or more high. Formerly they were valued chiefly
for their foliage, but since the introduction, in 1884, of the Crozy
Dwarf French type with its showy flowers, cannas are grown as much for
their bloom as for their foliage effects. The flowers of these new kinds
are as large as those of gladioli, and are of various shades of yellow
and red, with banded and spotted forms. These flowering kinds grow about
3 feet high. The older forms are taller. In both sections there are
green-leaved and dark coppery-red-leaved varieties.
The canna may be grown from seed and had in bloom the first year by
sowing in February or March, in boxes or pots placed in hotbeds or a
warm house, first soaking the seeds in warm water for a short time or
filing a small notch through the coat of each seed (avoiding the round
germinating point). It requires two years to raise strong plants of the
old-fashioned tall cannas from seed. Sow in light, sandy soil, where the
earth may be kept at 70° till after germination. After the plants have
got well up, transplant them to about 3 or 4 inches apart, or place in
pots 3 inches wide, in good rich soil. They may now be kept at 60°.
The majority of cannas, however, are grown from pieces of the roots
(rhizomes), each piece having a bud. The roots may be divided at any
time in the winter, and if early flowers and foliage are wanted, the
pieces may be planted in a hotbed or warmhouse in early April, started
into growth, and planted out where wanted as soon as the ground has
warmed and all danger of frost is over. A hardening of the plants, by
leaving the sash off the hotbeds, or setting the plants in shallow boxes
and placing the boxes in a sheltered position through May, not
forgetting a liberal supply of water, will fit the plants to take kindly
to the final planting out.
Plant out roots or started plants when there is no longer danger of
frost. For mass effects, the plants may stand twelve to eighteen inches
apart; for individual bloom twenty to twenty-four inches or more. Some
gardeners plant them not closer than twenty to twenty-four inches for
mass beds, if the soil is good and the plants strong. Give them a warm
sunny place.
The old (foliage) sorts may be left out late to ripen up the fleshy
root-stocks. Cut the tops off immediately after frost. The roots are
safe in the ground as long as it does not freeze. Dig, and dry or "cure"
for a few days, then winter them like potatoes in the cellar. It is a
common mistake to dig canna roots too early.
The French sorts are commonly thought to keep best if kept growing
somewhat during the winter; but if managed right, they may be carried
over like the others. Immediately after frost, cut off the tops next the
ground. Cover the stumps with a little soil and leave the roots in the
ground till well ripened. Clean them after digging, and cure or dry them
for a week or more in the open air and sun, taking them indoors at
night. Then place them away from frost in a cool, dry place.
Carnations are now among the most popular florists' flowers; but it
is not generally known that they be easily grown in the outdoor garden.
They are of two types, the outdoor or garden varieties, and the indoor
or forcing kinds. Normally, the carnation is a hardy perennial, but the
garden kinds, or marguerites, are usually treated as annuals. The
forcing kinds are flowered but once, new plants being grown each year
from cuttings.
Marguerite carnations bloom the year the seed is sown, and with a slight
protection will bloom freely the second year. They make attractive house
plants if potted in the fall. The seeds of these carnations should be
sown in boxes in March and the young plants set out as early as
possible, pinching out the center of the plant to make them branch
freely. Give the same space as for garden pinks.
The winter-flowering carnations have become prime favorites with all
flower lovers, and a collection of winter house-plants seems incomplete
without them.
Carnations grow readily from cuttings made of the suckers that form
around the base of the stem, the side shoots of the flowering stem, or
the main shoots before they show flower-buds. The cuttings from the base
make the best plants in most cases. These cuttings may be taken from a
plant at any time through the fall or winter, rooted in sand and potted
up, to be held in pots until the planting out time in the spring,
usually in April, or any time when the ground is ready to handle. Care
should be taken to pinch out the tops of the young plants while growing
in the pot, and later while in the ground, causing them to grow stocky
and send out new growths along the stem. The young plants should be
grown cool, a temperature of 45° suiting them well. Attention should be
given to spraying the cuttings each day while in the house to keep down
the red spider, which is very partial to the carnation.
In the summer, the plants are grown in the field, and not in pots, being
transplanted from the cutting-box. The soil in which they are to be
planted should be moderately rich and loose. Clean cultivation should be
given throughout the summer. Frequently pinch out the tops.
The plants are taken up in September and potted firmly, and well
watered; then set in a cool, partially shaded situation until root
growth has started, and watering the plant as it shows need of water.
The usual living-room conditions as to moisture and heat are not such as
the carnation demands, and care must be taken to overcome the dryness by
spraying the foliage and setting the plant in a position not exposed to
the direct heat of a stove or the sun. In commercial houses, it is not
often necessary to spray established plants. Pick off most or all of the
side buds, in order to add to the size of the leading flowers. After all
is said, it is probably advisable in most cases to purchase the plants
when in bloom from a florist, and after blooming either throw them away
or store them for planting out in the spring, when they will bloom
throughout the summer.
If conditions are right, the rust should not be very troublesome, if the
start was made with clean stock. Keep all rusted leaves picked off.
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