106 THE FLORIST AND POJIOLOGIST. [May, 



The Claimant, both bearing large, handsome, well-shaped, finely-coloured fruit. 

 The crop certainly far surpassed all I had previously witnessed. — James Baenes, 

 Exmouth. 



LITHOSPERMUM FKUTICOSUM. 



jHE hardy herbaceous or so-called shrubby Lithospermuin fritticosum is a 

 plant possessing such a neat recumbent habit, and is, moreover, so 

 constant an evergreen, and bears its minute blooms, of so rich and rare 

 a coerulean tint, so abundantly and at so many seasons, that I do not hesi- 

 tate to recommend it strongly, as a rock or edging plant, to all who delight in 

 plants for their simple grace, rather than for a gaudy display of bloom. Yet an 

 edging of even this pretty plant some yards in length could not fail to afford a 

 picture which would deliglit the eyes of a true artist. It is, however, as a rock- 

 plant that it is likely to be most sought after, as it possesses all the most desirable 

 attributes for such a position. — William Eaeley, Valentines. 



SUCCESSIONAL CAMELLIAS IN COOL HOUSES. 



; HE very suggestive hints put fortli by Mr. Fish at p. 83 will be found 

 exceedingly useful to all who have heat at command. Doubtless, however, 

 there are many to whom a long succession of Camellias would be a desidera- 

 tum, who have only a cool greenhouse, requiring only sufficient heat to keep 

 out frost, and these may find in some of the old sorts ample gratification, and a 

 long season of bloom. Some of these sorts may not possess that symmetry of 

 sliape which is the heaii ideal of modern florists, but they are vigorous in growth, 

 have hardy constitutions, and are most profuse bloomers. The most economical 

 mode of culture, and the one which interferes least with the room required by 

 the other plants, is to form some good borders at the back, and plant the 

 Camellias out therein, and train them up the back wall on a trellis. These 

 borders should be well drained, because Camellias require a great abundance of 

 water, which, however, must percolate away freely without stagnating in the 

 soil. The compost may be formed of very fibry turfy loam and fibry peat, very 

 roughly chopped up. In such a soil as this the roots will revel, and the produce 

 of flowers will bo infinitely greater than can be obtained from pot-culture, 

 besides occupying so much less of the space than would be required by large 

 plants in pots. I write from experience in this matter, as from trees so treated, 

 and most of which have been in their present positions upwards of twenty-five 

 years, we anmially gather from two thousand to three thousand blooms, besides 

 having double that number through the season to keep up the show. It would 

 not injure them to cut every one ; on the contrary, with well-established trees I 

 consider it highly beneficial, and as contributing to a free development of 

 successional bloom. 



Our season extends from about the middle of November to the third week in 

 April. We commence with the Old Double Striped, which after a wook or two 



