THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE, 9 



to take the Floeal "Would, and in their turn recommend it 

 again ; and so on, and so on, until all mankind is made appreci- 

 atively convinced of its usefulness and beauty, and its necessary 

 connection with the sum total of human happiness. Anything less 

 than this vpe could not say at such a juncture; we are eight years 

 older than when we begun, but the employment has been so 

 delightful, that we are eight years younger in spirit, and hope, and 

 strength, and so, ladies and gentlemen, you may reasonably expect 



" Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme." 



A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE FUCHSIA. 



ONSIDERING its adaptability to so many different soils 

 and circumstances, its easy m.auagement, and its in- 

 trinsic elegance and beauty, it is surprising the fuchsia 

 does not occupy a more prominent position than at pre- 

 sent, as a decorative object in our gardens. jS^o flower 

 of similar pretensions is preserved or propagated with so little trouble, 

 even by the veriest beginners in the gardening art, yet we seldom see 

 it used except as a greenhouse or conservatory plant, or now and 

 then, perhaps, as an isolated and neglected bush, in old-fashioned 

 borders. As a bedder it has been a failure, not because of any natural 

 uusuitability for the purpose, but because it has been injudiciously 

 employed. Those, however, wbo wish for a new and brilliant sen- 

 sation in floricultural achievements, should seek fresh applications of 

 this favourite flower, perhaps only second to the rose in natural 

 beauties, and possessing even an advantage over that in greater insen- 

 sibility to the eft'ects of smoke. 



Let us suppose, for instance, that we have a long border of grass, 

 with pincushion beds at intervals, what could form more appropriate 

 and elegant centre plants to them, than standard fuchsias, judiciously 

 contrasted in colours ? or, if planted alternately in rows with standard 

 roses, how charming and unique would be the effect while the roses 

 were in bloom, and how would the dreary aspect of their mop-like 

 heads be relieved during the intervals of flowering bythe continuous 

 blossoms of the fuchsias, which seldom cease from early July to 

 autumn, in the open ground! These specimen standards might be 

 plunged in pots ; and any one possessing a greenhouse or similar 

 structure would have no difficulty in preserving them from year to 

 year. There are certain kinds, again, which succeed admirably when 

 trained against a wall. One of the most exquisite objects I ever 

 beheld in any garden, was a plant of " Banks' (ilory," trained in that 

 manner to cover a space of six or seven feet each way. For some 

 months every year, it was literally a blaze of scarlet flowers, and was 

 the admiration of all who saw it. I may add here, that this old 

 favourite is still among the best for almost all purposes, and, like 

 " Jacqueminot " among the roses, has been the parent of several of 

 the choicest varieties that have since been raised. 



A huge pyramid of fuchsias would form a most delightful feature 



