THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 233 



plants that will compensate for their general leanness of appear- 

 ance. In about four weeks after the flowering is over, put them in 

 a sunny frame or greeuhouse, and give no n.ore water ; that is to 

 say, compel them to ripen and rest. Shake them out as soon as the 

 leaves begin to turn yellow, and t^pread them on boards or cloths in 

 the full sun in a greenhouse for a few weeks, and the bulbs will 

 become hard and ripe, and well prepared to flower freely the next 

 seasou. We have given up grewiug gladioli for plunging, but we 

 gave them a fair trial, and took in hand a very large proportion of 

 all the varieties in cultivation. 



IxiAS AND TaiTONiAS ar8 not to be thought of for this purpose, 

 as a rule. I'or three years we grew a large collection, and most 

 beautiful they were, yet not at all good plauts for plunging. But 

 here is something worth telling: Last winter we potted, as usual, 

 the collection. All were protected from frost, but very enrly — 

 middle of March, or thereabouts — all were put out to rough it. 

 Tritonia aurea and Tritonia crocata, the two most beautiful of all, were 

 found amongst them, rich with flowers, in the first week in June, 

 and were made use of. It was observed that they were very short 

 in growth, very showy in colour, better every way than we have 

 been accustomed to obtain them by ordinary greenhouse or frame 

 cultivation. I do not strongly recommend them for plunging, but 

 they are interesting and beautiful, and very well adapted for the 

 purpose. 



Tansy. — Common tansy is too coarse a plant for our purpose ; 

 but there is a variety of it, called Tanacetum crispum, which Mr. 

 Salter has true, which we have found to be of great service. Some 

 years ago, a bit of this plant was put in a border, and it spread fast 

 and far, and became somewhat of a nuisance. In the spring of the 

 present year, when I saw it coming up, it struck me that its exqui- 

 sitely-rich green leaves, almost equal ui beauty to that most beauti- 

 ful of all ferns, Todea superba, might be of some value for plunging, 

 so I had a lot of it potted in 60 size, and very soon afterwards they 

 were appropriated for an outside edge to a group in the jardinet, 

 and had a most welcome and relreshing appearance. As an edging 

 to a bed of Mrs. Pollock, or any other strong coloured leaf plant, 

 this beautiful tansy would be, perhaps, the best plant that could be 

 found. 



Variegated "Willow Heeb. — This is a strange plant for such 

 artistic work as ours, but now we have adopted it, we shall not be 

 able to do without it — its beauty is so peculiar and seasonably useful. 

 Some years ago, I had from Mr. Salter what I think he called 

 Bpilobium hirsutum, a variegated form. It was planted with 

 other such things on a rockery, and in due time formed a most 

 elegant patch, and proved to be Epilohium paroijlorum. In the 

 spring of the present season, when our old clump began to push, I 

 had a lot of rooted pieces potted in small pots, and phtced on a bed 

 of coal-ashes. They soon began to grow, and were very green, so 

 much so, that I thougHt I had made a mistake. Eut by and by 

 the variegation broke out beautifully, and they are now in -iS size, 

 neatly tied to slender stakes, and are exquisitely delicate and 



