THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 115 



resources, througk the misfortunes and calamities that befall gardeners in 

 common with the rest of mankind. 



Tropical GiROEXs were the subject of numerous suggestions and re- 

 marks last spring, but in these pages not a word appeared in praise or 

 condemnatioa of the idea, and some of our readers expressed surprise that 

 what was agitating other minds was allowed by us to remain in abey- 

 ance. Perhaps those who complained Avill now admit that our silence had 

 a meaning, for what sort of a season was 1860 for stove plants out of 

 doors ? I*[ot that we had any prescience of the weather ; no : we were 

 putting out numerous subjects of a tropical character in the hope that 

 summer would come at last ; but we deemed it prudent to wait for a fair 

 promise of sunshine before stirring up amongst our readers a desire after 

 an object that possibly was not to be attained. It was well we did so : 

 and those who dilated with so much warmth on the gorgeous eifects of 

 begonias, caladiums, and cannas in the open ground, would have done better 

 by their readers to have said nothing at all, for people were thereby urged 

 to expend money in the purchase of plants doomed to sodden in the wet, 

 and pass away at last without giving their possessors any remunerative 

 pleasure. But the season has opened so gloriously, that we are fiiin to 

 believe that we shall have our averages of sunshine and ground-heat 

 during the remainder of this year, and therefore we address ourselves to 

 the subject of tropical gardens as seasonable and interesting. 



The idea of planting out store plants i^ bssed upon the very simple 

 fact that many of the most effective of them grow with great vigour in 

 the open ground from June to the end of September. In many places, 

 begonias and caladiums accumulate and attain to such a size as to be 

 regarded almost as rubbish ; but instead of consigning them to the muck- 

 heap, it is much better economy to plant them out in beds, let them grow 

 in all their proper grandeur throughout the summer, and allow the winter 

 to make an end of them, unless wanted for similar planting the next 

 season. In 1859 there were several very successful examples of bedded 

 begonias- at the great nureeriss and private gardens of note, but last year 

 they were a downright failure through the frequent drizzle and the cold- 

 ness of the ground. Begonia Rex must have the first place in the lists 

 of kinds suitable to turn out, and there is nothing finer in the class when 

 it grows with vigour. JSTebulosa, Grandis, E-ollinsonii, and Griffithii are 

 also suitable, and their foliage effects distinct and beautiful. There is, 

 perhaps, not a single caladium in the lists but would grow well and keep 

 true to character in every moderately sheltered garden this side of the 

 Tweed, from June to the end of the season, and we can imagine nothing 

 finer than Caladium Chantini, and metallica, side by side, the one with 

 its fiery ribs, and the other rich violet bronze ; to these might be added 

 Belleymei for its snow-white leaf, ribbed with vivid green. From these 

 two soiu'ces, then, we may draw materials for beds and masses of quite a 

 tropical character to add to the interests of the summer garden. But we 

 have at our command hundreds of such things. There are the cannas, 

 unique and beautiful from the first day they emerge out of the seed-leaf; 

 easily raised with a moderate bottom-heat, easily kept and truly superb 

 in their tropical effect out of doors all the summer. There are at least a 



