22 THE FLORIST. 



on standards, after which, when in full bloom, the appearance 

 would be very curious and beautiful. R. Wighti is a very handsome 

 variety, having large heads of primrose-coloured flowers, with crimson 

 spots in the bottom of them; scented, like Hawthorn. 



Having described a number of good hybrids, and how they were 

 produced, in a former paper, with a list of the best Indian ones, I shall 

 now give a short paper on the cultivation of what are called American 

 plants, viz., Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Azaleas, &c. The two most 

 essential things in their cultivation are vegetable soil and plenty of 

 moisture. As I have said many years since, they may be culti- 

 vated in any part of Great Britain, no matter what the soil may be, as 

 an artificial one may be easily made. When I state that they live on 

 vegetable mould and moisture, the soil must not be sour, nor the water 

 stagnant. The soil that suits them best, and in which they grow naturally, 

 is decomposed Moss, Sphagnum, Fern, Heath-leaves, Grass, rotten 

 wood, &c. ; but it is not at all essential that it should be this soil, as 

 they will grow well in any other decayed vegetable matter, such as 

 Grass, Hay, straw, chaff, no matter what, provided it be vegetable. 

 One of my customers writes to me from Scotland, that he has taken 

 from a mill stream decayed mould, made from oat husks, which when 

 mixed with sand, suits them first-rate. I have seen as fine Rhodo- 

 dendrons as I could wish to see grown in cow-dung and sand, that had 

 been put together twelve months before using, and turned over 

 several times. If the vegetable mould is pure, it will require quite half 

 sand to form drainage, and nothing can be better for renovating old 

 beds, where the vegetable soil is nearly exhausted. One thing to guard 

 against is lime, of which there should not he a particle, as they will 

 not grow where there is any in the soil. The next thing requisite for 

 growing them is moisture. In the north of England, the west coast of 

 Scotland and Wales, and various other places on or near the western 

 coast, where there is so much moisture and not much heat, it does 

 not much matter how the beds are made, whether concave or convex, 

 provided they are drained. But with us in the South, it is quite another 

 thing, especially after such dry seasons as we have had these last two 

 years. I have formerly stated that the best site for an American 

 garden is in a bog, or where there is plenty of moisture in the subsoil, 

 in the absence of which, the next best plan is to throw up a bank all 

 round the American garden, which acts as a shelter, and form the beds 

 and walks in the interior, so that all superabundant water might run 

 into the beds ; but what would be best of all, if water could be had, 

 would be to form the necessary walks in the garden quite level, with 

 Grass verges to them and sunk Grass banks, the beds rising from the 

 botttom of them, from 1 to 1J foot above the level of the walks, 

 forming a moat round each bed, with power to flood every bed. When 

 the plants are coming into bloom, or after a continuance of dry weather, 

 it is of great benefit to the plants to give them occasionally a good 

 soaking. Such a garden would be independent of the weather, and the 

 plants would luxuriate in an extraordinary manner on sand or gravelly 

 soils. Not only would this be a good plan for American plants, but 

 it would suit Roses equally well. Lately, I have seen a Rose garden 



