, 1881-10-30
FANCIFUL FOLIAGE.

/ 0tA4us Gftilchs $4..W4o.M-
| FANCIFUL FOLIAGE.
| The varle$ated Leaves Which Florist.
| Prize Most Highly.
Nttu l6rk Mail.
The fn0st decided advance In horticulture
| Of late Years has been the cultivation Of GER
| tain plants simply for the beauty of their
leaves, without regard to the shape or color
| Of their flowers. Tie colells family was
among the first to be utilized in this way, and
| the striking contrast OF colors produced by
lllassing its intinit varieties lend Il new charm
| to landscape gardening. In the meantime,
! many plants possessing yariegated leaves OF
even greater beauty have been introduced,
as no enthusiast has more eager desire for
| novelty than the true florist, whether amateur
| Or professional. ;
| The newest addition to the list Of purely
| ornamental plants is the croton family, one
member OF which produces the croton oil Of
commerce. Two Or three years ago but very.
| few varieties of crotors were known to our
greenhouses, and those were of rather Or
] binary and nnntercstlng appearance, tile
leaves being of adult green hue, slightly mot
! at the present writinga portion OF :,icar1y al
| tirst-class conseryatories fairly blt,zes with
crotons bearing leaves Of all the eplors Of the
rainbow, a1'd completely eclipsins @ IN ter ~
! with which this culorins is displayed
is the first thing to attract attcn-
! tion. The leaves On one plant. may
! ,luel tints: while its nciEhbor, almost ex-
actly the same in general characteristics,
may be all aglow with purple, scarlet, and
yellow, apparently laid OIL III blotches, CIV
pigments upon a pallet. Others show Ill
! equal contrast in the colorng ot the OLD and
| new leaves Of the same plant. No two leaves
upon any plant are varlrgatct alike. and
UPON certain species OF Grotons every lear Is
OF distinct color or shade Of color.
| The typical croton may pe unconventio!l-
ally described as rough, knotty shrub,
tlrusting out at the hight Of TWO feet troln
the ground two or three Straight, stitf. -awk-
| ward branches, bare OF leaves to the end, at
| which long, lanceolate leaves cluster in
] great luxuriance. Solne Of the leaves re-
se.nble laurels III forn; some arc, pike
shaped, from an inch or TWO i'll length
up to two feet. while others are like all
OF ali ancient halberd. The leaves are hard
and dry, like those Of the s,llnac, whose
warm tiuts Of rcd are well counterteited In
one or two varieties Of crotOns. The Hover
is nearly the SAINT i'll all. 1t is single spike
Of minute. cllaracteress blossoms, like the
mignonet, only OF less decided color.
The effect Of Il fine collection OF erotonS.
! like that owned hy Hennctt, OF Flatbusl, is
perfectly aaZZilnE. lneIe Is one IONS house
crowded with all the different vaflcIles, ar
ranged i'll Such manner as to give the laost
vivid contrasts. Down the nslattle Or Ilc
muse is broad belt of the splendid eucharist
lily, its huge masses Of green leaves anu
waXy white clusters OF flowers forming an
admirable foil to the Oriental panoply Of
the rows of crotons OIL each side, bordered all
around by a zone OF palms. Standing at one
end Of the house aiid looking down rs lcnEtl
vista or more than tropical warmth anu luA-
uriance is presented. One can Amos! il,las
inc it 4 tri1lnlphal procession III tne Easl, III
all its gaudy trappings ot gold. crilnsoif, anu
Of purple. Some OF the long tronas are
like fantastic banners; others wave III Tie
air like glittcrins plsanage upon the tufbali
Of il ciieftaln; others are Dafoarlc Spears
and jayelfls tipped with blood; IN lhe
foreground is II miniature jungle, III lhe
shades of which can pc seen tail'tly Tue DARK
brown u1gain!y stalks, upho1dsng masses OF
dark purple leaves, uEder WHICH husc
sprawllng green and yellow ll2aruS seem 10
he reposing. Another plant has y long mar
row leaf, nlottled in the counterfeit present
lnent Of the scales OF the beautiful b1tt dead
~ cobra lie capello. The next, perhaps, has
dark. green foliage, like the laurel; OIL each
leaf is relieved by Irregular D!otchcs ot uafk..
deep crimson, rs il the shrub llia Just Deen
sprinkled with tho blood OF the victim siam
by the eonQncrlnE spears in the V;t1,-
All these glowing eui0Ts. Tue reds, LIE puI,
pies, the vlUletS, green's. ana Fc!lo"5 ~ al
their CtlnfErcslDIa anu tllltl1ntA- l1i!E s"ES'