APRIL. 123 



pots repose on their sides where no moistui*e can come near them, not 

 too near the flues of your greenhouse, this would cause the bulbs to 

 wither ; and in the sprhig repot them, shaking carefully all mould from 

 the Gloxinia, and separating the other bulbs if you possess any rare 

 sorts — every scale of the Achimenes will grow. The best of the present 

 Achimenes are these — Sir Trehern Thomas, Gigantea (Van Houtte), 

 Cherita Mexicana, Gloxinifeflora, and picturata marganita. Gigantea, 

 which is most beautiful, produces bunches of flowers, and lasts in 

 flower during five months ; it was raised from seed by Mr. Van Houtte, 

 and partakes partly of the character of the Gesnera. The Gloxinia 

 may be seen in great beauty, at the gardens of Messrs. Veitch, Hen- 

 derson, and Turner, of Slough. Mr. Van Houtte, of Ghent, often 

 raises twenty thousand seedlings. E. T. 



"MY OWN GARDEN," BY MRS. LOUDON. 



This is a handsomely got-up foolscap octavo volume, intended as a 

 year book for amateurs and young gardeners. It contains an enumera- 

 tion of the operations to be performed during every month in the year, 

 together with lists of annuals and other plants suitable for small 

 gardens. In addition to some small woodcuts, it has four uncoloured 

 page plates, representing groups of the more popular flowers in bloom 

 in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each plate is accompanied 

 by descriptions of the flowers figured, and as those of spring are now 

 most seasonable, we select the following account of them, to show the 

 pleasant way in w^hich this part of the work is ^vritten : — 



1. Snowdrop. — The Snowdrop is one of the earhest and most 

 beautiful flowers of spring, and it has received its English name from 

 its frequently appearing rising above the snow when it begins to melt 

 in February. The common British Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is 

 found wild in many parts of Great Britain, but of course only in its 

 single state ; the double variety being confined to gardens. The botanic 

 name, Galanthus, signifies literally milk-flower. There are only two 

 species of Galanthus known ; the one figured in our plate, and the 

 Russian Snowdrop, which has smaller flowers and a folded leaf. They 

 are both bulbous plants, requiring a light rich soil, thriving under the 

 drip of trees, and increased by offsets, which form round the root- 

 plate of the parent bulb. 



2. The Winter Aconite. — This pretty little plant has bright 

 yellow flowers like the Buttercup and the Lesser Celandine, but it is 

 easily distinguished from these plants by a circle of green leaves which 

 grow close below the flower, and on which it appears to repose. It has 

 also the peculiarity of appearing to produce only one flower, with its 

 circle of leaves, from each plant ; as the stems producing the flowers 

 grow each separately out of the ground like distinct plants, though they 

 are, in fact, all shoots from a fleshy underground stem. Another pecu- 

 liarity is, that the flower appears yellow in the bud. The plant is a 

 native of Lombardy ; and though it flowers early in February, and 



