THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



167 



me ; M. Campbell grows strongly and li:is 

 given a few good blooms; B. ApoUiiie, 

 fairly, a large standard, but sadly cut about 

 the last frost ; Ardoise de Lyon at present 

 very badly. I must not omit H. P. Prince 

 Leon, wliich is excellent ; Mrs. Bosanquet 

 is also good, but does not stand the winter 

 out of doors. 



I have some few teas. Devoniensis 

 does well ; the others are growing freely. 

 I have not their names, but must try to 

 discover them. One is a rich cream 

 colour, the edge of every petal deeply mar- 

 gined with a colour like a red currant 

 'Stain. N. Ophirie has not yet bloomed, 

 but grows freely. I'rom a neighbour's 

 garden I am enabled to state II. P. M. de 

 Montigny is first rate, and also Bourbon 

 Queen. My Triomphe des Beaux Arts, own 

 roots, pi-omises to be a good suburban rose. 

 H. P. L'Eufant du Mont Carmel is not 

 good ; a fine rose, it does not open freely. 



but splits. M. ue Trotter is a good rose, 

 but (00 small. I obtained some of ray best 

 p'ants from Messrs. Fraser, Lea Bridge 

 Koad, who have a clever rose grower, and 

 from Mr. J. Fry, of Homerton, whose large 

 fuchsias, by the way, are well worthy of 

 inspection. I mention these two names, 

 that amateurs in our neighbourhood may 

 know where they can make sure of being 

 zvell sei'ved, I myself, in my days of in- 

 experience, having been taken in and done 

 for by professedly respectable dealers. 



That I have had several blooms, four 

 and a half to five inches across, some of 

 which were fit to show, to the admiration 

 of my friends and gratification of myself, 

 must be attributed to the Flobal World, 

 and kindled works. Accordingly I must 

 beg you to believe me your sincere well- 

 wislier and obedient servant, Prior. 

 Homtrton, July 15, 1861, 



CULTUEE OF THE OLEANDEE. 



Neeium oleandek is a very old green- 

 house favourite, one of tlie best in cultiva- 

 tion, but, judging from my own experience, 

 one that is much neglected. "VVe seldom or 

 never see it at liorticultural shows, nor 

 liear of one of the great guns in floriculture 

 taking it under his especial care and pro- 

 tection, and why not ? If any greenhouse 

 shrub will reward the cultivator with 

 handsome foliage and beautil'ul flowers, 

 Nerium oleander will do so. I have never 

 been on the Continent, but a geutleman 

 who has tells me, not that they manage 

 this plant better in France, but that there 

 it receives that consideration to which its 

 extreme beauty entitles it, and that it 

 gi'ows and blows there in a manner truly 

 gratifying, and why it cannot be so here is 

 inexplicable, unless the clear sky of sunny 

 France is an advantage wanting, which 

 renders the fiowering of this plant more 

 difficult. However this may be, my own 

 experience proves that it is not more difB- 

 cult than the flowering most other green- 

 house shrubs, and as it is possible that 

 among the readers of the Floral World, 

 there may be some wlio still have a tender 

 regard for this plant, and would like to 

 hear something of an old friend, I freely 

 tender my experience of it. We have at 

 this moment a very fair specimen of it in 

 full flower, not as I have usually seen it 

 flowered, with a few bunches of flowers 

 midway, with strong slioots towering above 

 them, but a compact bush, surmounted hy 



many bunches of beautiful semi-double- 

 pink flowers and buds. This plant was 

 raised from a cutting in the year 1856, 

 was shifted from a sixty into a thirty-two 

 pot, and stopped in 1857 ; was shifted 

 into a twenty-four pot in 1858, when it 

 flowered, with three other plants, each 

 lai-ger than itself. It was then gradually 

 dried, and cut down to the stout wood. 

 It started again into vigorous growth, was 

 shifted into a twelve pot the following 

 winter. In 1859 it made an abortive 

 attempt at flowering, but it stood out of 

 doors, and the buds dropped off. It then 

 took its chance till October following, 

 when it was placed in a cold house for the 

 winter, where it was kept pretty dry . In the 

 March following it was stopped regularly, 

 and as it broke freely and regularly it was 

 potted on into a number six, and as it 

 made a nice growth it was again shifted 

 into a number two pot in the autumn. In 

 that pot it is now flowering. As a proof 

 that it is by no means tender, it withstood 

 six degrees of frost on the night of Decem- 

 ber 24, last winter. It will perhaps be 

 noticed that this plant grew two years 

 without producing a single flower, but 

 this was merely accidental. In 1859 it 

 would have flowered had it been kept 

 under cover, and last year was a bad 

 season for flowering any plant, but this 

 year it makes up for all ; besides, the same 

 conditions apply to this plant as to the 

 Kalosanthes or Crassula, as formerly 



