Bouvardias in Autumn.

Otago Witness, Issue 1893, 2 March 1888, Page 9

Bouvardias in Autumn.

Bouvardias are amongst the choicest of flowers. For buttonholes and bouquet making they have few equals, and all who grow them will find them of the highest value, more especially in the autumn and winter. Where there is a batch of them coming into flower now, they will be found most useful for the next four or five months. In some cases they are planted out in summer, and lifted and repotted in autumn. When they are planted out it is a great advantage to lift and pot them early, as, if left in the open until April, they will not recover the lifting and potting for a considerable time, and tho winter will be well over before they are iv a free flowering condition. It is therefore important that they be lifted and potted in good time, say the early part of this month. If lifted now they will soon root into the new soil and grow freely before the winter. If the plants have been growing in good soil the roots will have extended far beyond the limits of an ordinary pot, and it will be necessary tc cut some of them back that they may go easily into the pot. Be careful to lift the plants with a ball of soil. The potting mixture should consist of fibrous loam, a good dash of sand, and a little manure. After potting water well, and place them in rather a close, warm atmosphere, and shade from bright sunshine for a few days ; syringe freely daily, and as soon as the plant* begin to make new growths admit air freely and encourage them to grow, as it is these growths, as well as those already formed, that will bloom during the winter. They are not stove plants, and. need not be treated like exotics so long as the weather is genial ; but in cold weather they should be grown in an intermediate temperature. Plants which have buen growing in pots all the season will now be nice bushy specimens. They should still be exposed to the sun and air. When all are not required to bloom together, let the oldest plants bloom first, and keep the young and vigorous ones until midwinter, or until they are required. When the flowers are cut off in April fresh shoots will push forth, aud these will bloom again in a few weeks. Bouvardias are somewhat subject to attacks of insects, and the syringe should be used freely on them so long as any remain ; but by a timely use of it they may easily be prevented from doing any harm.