CINERARIA part 2

Seed sown in spring, as described, should produce plants which have been potted into their final pots by mid-summer and these will bloom from the beginning of autumn onw-ards. Plants from the same sowing do not all bloom at the same time, and if you grow, say, a dozen plants from a spring sowing, they will probably cover a period of about three months, i.e. from the end of the summer until early winter. Seed can be sown any time between mid-spring and early summer inclusive; consequently, by sowing at different times, plants can be had in flower throughout the autumn and winter months.

Cinerarias can be grown in soilless compost, but in my experience they grow better in compost E6. Having large leaves, they require frequent watering in hot sunny weather and should always be shaded from direct sunlight. Even so, the leaves will nearly always flag during the heat of the day despite the compost being well watered, but in the cool of the evening they will recover and will be none the worse. It is, however, better to grow the plants outside in the summer, as soon as all danger of frost has passed. Any situation where the light is good, but out of the direct rays of the sun, is suitable. Before the end of the summer the plants should be taken indoors or preferably into a greenhouse.

As the plants make considerable growth in their growing period, feeding should commence after the plants have been in their final pots for some four or five weeks.

Cinerarias tend to attract greenfly and whitefiy in the summer months so, from time to time, inspect the undersides of the leaves and spray with a suitable insecticide if it is necessary. After the plants have finished flowering they should be discarded as they do not make satisfactory flowering plants in the second year.

CINERARIA

Cinerarias have been very popular plants since early Victorian times and during the latter part of the nineteenth century, when many professional gardeners were engaged in raising new and improved cultivars or hybrids, there were many named varieties offered by nurserymen. It is not surprising that they have always been popular plants because not only are they attractive and colourful flowering plants, but with careful planning they can be flowered from autumn to spring; also, in a cool atmosphere of say 45 - 55 ° F ( 7 - 13°C), some varieties will remain in flower for six to eight weeks.

Although they are perennials, cinerarias are usually treated as annuals and are grown from seed each year, the plants being discarded after flowering. Most seed growers or merchants offer their own strains, which are usually mixed colours, and these vary from dwarf plants, about 10 in (25 cm) in height, to large plants, 18 in (45 cm) tall. It is, however, not so much the height as the width which makes the plant large, because the taller varieties have large leaves and well-grown plants measure about 2 ft (60 cm) in diameter, taking up a considerable amount of room on the greenhouse bench. Unless you have a lot. of room to spare it is better to grow the largeflowered dwarf varieties, which are in any case more useful for house decoration.

Sow the seed in either a soilless compost or in seed compost covering lightly with a fine layer of the compost or fine sand. Cover the seed pan with a sheet of glass or enclose it in a plastic bag. Seed sown in mid-spring should be kept in a temperature of about 60-65°F (15 - 18 °C) and germination should take about seven days, in which case a fortnight after sowing the seedlings should be ready for pricking out into trays using compost E6.

In a further three to four weeks the seedlings should be ready for potting into 3-in (7.5-cm) pots and when these are well rooted in mid-summer pot on into АЧг or 5-in (11.5 or 13-cm) pots, depending on the size of the plant.

CINERARIA - FAMILY COMPOSITAE

Although most gardeners refer to these plants as cinerarias their correct name is Senecio. The species Senecio cruetuus comes from the Canary Islands where it grows as a perennial. It was introduced into England about 200 years ago and is the main parent from which today's cineraria hybrids have been raised.

Owing to the fact that cinerarias bloom in the winter and spring months, they have always been very popular plants. An enormous number of hybrids have been raised, which offer such variety in both size of plant and shape of flower that plants are available to meet any grower's requirements. Cinerarias tend to have very large leaves, and if the larger varieties are grown the plants take up far too much room in the frame and greenhouse. For house decoration it is better to grow the dwarf or compact plants.

In appearance a cineraria in flower looks rather like a bouquet of daisy-type flowers surrounded by bright green leaves. The colour range of the flowers is enormous and includes many different shades of reds, pinks, maroons, blues, orange and white in selfcolours and bi-colours. There is also a variety with star-like flowers.

CYCLAMEN

Family Primulaceae

The greenhouse cyclamen of today is descended from the species Cyclamen persicum (syn. C. latifolium) which is found growing wild in Greece, Turkey, Syria, the Aegean Isles, Crete and Cyprus. The species has attractive heart-shaped marbled leaves and fragrant flowers which are small, the petals being narrow and twisted on quite long stems. The colour range is usually white, rose pink and various shades of lilac. There are no bright reds and crimsons. The species exhibits considerable variation in its foliage. It was not until early in the nineteenth century that the cyclamen became popular as a pot plant in this country, but at this time the plants offered by nurserymen had flowers only slightly larger than the wild species.

During the first half of the nineteenth century new plants were brought into Great Britain in everincreasing numbers and nurserymen and amateur growers were constantly striving to improve the species by cross-breeding and improving the growing conditions. It is not uncommon for cultivated plants which are constantly being interbred to develop new characteristics, and in 1870 a new race of cyclamen appeared which had large flowers. There does not seem to be any evidence that this change came about as a result of a breeding programme, and it has been suggested that intense cultivation, using the most suitable composts and ideal growing conditions, may have some bearing in the matter. A change of this kind is usually due to a mutation in the cell by an increase in the number of chromosomes or a change in the gene structure. Well-known examples of this are the Russell lupin and the Spencer sweet pea, and the results are, of course, very much improved forms almost overnight, as it were. This new development naturally stimulated the breeders and by 1875 plants had been produced which could be said to be the forerunners of the modern hybrids. At first only white and crimson shades were available but later a rose pink was raised.

In 1894 the nursery firm of Suttons introduced a salmon pink shade called 'Salmon Queen' and by crossing this with purple shades the brilliant crimsons were produced, but the flowers were rather small compared with today's plants.

CUPHEA

Commonly known as the Mexican cigar flower, Cuphea ignea is an unusual plant which has a delicate charm. It flowers for a long period of time during the summer months, producing a continuous succession of flowers which are tubular, orange-scarlet in colour, about 1 in (2.5 cm) long, with ash-grey tips; the whole appearance is reminiscent of a miniature cigar. The plant will grow bushy if any straggly growth is checked, by pinching out the growing points, and, fully grown, is about 9-12 in (23 - 30 cm) high. Cupheas can be grown from seed sown in spring, at a temperature of 65-70°F (18-21°C) , when germination should take about 14 to 21 days. Alternatively, unless you are requiring a lot of plants, it is easier to purchase a well-grown plant and propagate as many plants as you require, the following spring.

COLEUS

These plants are cultivated for the beauty of their leaves which occur in many different colours in considerable variety. The strains offered are all varieties of the parent species Coleus blumei which originates in Java. Coleus are perennials but are best treated as annuals, unless you wish to specialise in these plants and grow named varieties which can only be propagated by means of cuttings. They are difficult plants to overwinter because they are sensitive to cold and need a minimum temperature of 55°F (13°C). Cuttings root quite readily and are taken in the usual way from the ends of growing stems and inserted in any suitable cutting compost. It is, however, the plants grown from seed with which we are concerned, and these are offered by seedsmen in several different mixtures or strains. Each strain has its own characteristic which may be shape of leaf, or predominance of colour, such as emphasis on yellow and green shades. A good mixture to start with is one which offers a wide range of colours, sometimes aptly described as a rainbow mixture.

CICONIUM

It is from this sub-genus that the zonal pelargoniums, commonly called geraniums, are derived. As with many plants which have been raised from a number of different species by cross-breeding over a long period of time, it is impossible to be sure of the parents, w h i c h have been used to produce the many hybrids now in existence. Systematic breeding is a development of the twentieth century and few hybridists kept detailed records in earlier times; but it is traditionally thought that the main parent species used in developing the zonal hybrids were Pelargonium inquinans (introduced in 1714) and Pelargonium zonale (introduced in 1710), but it is more than likely that other species such as P. scandens, P. frutetorum and P. hybridum were also involved.

CAMELLIA

Family Theaceae

Camellias are flowering shrubs of which there are numerous cultivars and hybrids. These have been raised from the many different species introduced to Europe from China and Japan. Of the many different types available Camellia japonica hybrids are the plants usually grown for pot culture. They were very popular in Victorian times and many large estate

owners devoted a whole greenhouse to their cultivation. Some magnificent specimens, bearing hundreds of flowers, were grown. Actually Camellia japonica, and its hybrids, is quite hardy and can be grown outside with success in milder climates.