Page:The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory.djvu/108

100 .&mdash;A few years ago, Messrs. Backhouse introduced to English gardens the beautiful Cape Iris, Schizostylis coccinea, which has the twofold merit of being perfectly hardy and of flowering in the later months of the year, when there is nothing to compete with its brilliant scarlet flowers. The best way to grow this plant is to plant it in any sunny border in spring, carefully take it up and pot it at the end of September, and place it in the greenhouse, where it will flower during October and November, and, if the clumps are large and strong, until Christmas.

.&mdash;A pretty Irid, almost equal to the lovely Iris reticulata. The most useful is the little S. anceps, which you can plant in patches in front of rhododendron beds, and it will grow and flower freely. S. grandiflora has white flowers; S. Nuttali, blue; and S. striatum yellow. They are all hardy, and will grow well in sandy peat, or mellow sandy loam in which there is much vegetable fibre. A few of the early-flowering kinds are to be valued as pot plants in the greenhouse.

.&mdash;This is an interesting genus, and in high favour with exhibitors, because they offer a few difficulties, and none but the patient and painstaking ever succeed in obtaining fine specimens. The requirements of the plants are few enough, but they will not endure any kind of neglect, or any really bad management. They have tender roots, and if kept too wet or too dry, grow smaller instead of larger; and if not soon aided by remedial measures, die outright. We will suppose you have a plant or so of each of the sorts you wish to grow, including, of course, such as S. Holfordi, S. imbricata, and S. profusa. The first step is to obtain a few cuttings, and preparatory thereto the plants must be persuaded to make shoots for the purpose. The best course of procedure is to place the old plants in a warm house at the beginning of March. A safe temperature is one ranging from 50° to 60°, such, for instance, as is to be met with in a peach-house or vinery at work.

These plants, if carefully watered, will soon begin to push out side-shoots. When the young shoots have about five or six leaves they can be taken off. In taking them off with a knife let it have a thoroughly keen edge. There is a certain amount of nicety necessary to be observed in this operation, for