aSSi.] NOTES. 297 



not these two lovely white-tlowered plants in their collection should 

 make a note of their names now, and secure roots for next autumn 

 planting season. 



Of dwarf wall-shrubs, a note should be made of Veronica Hulkei, 

 a lovely little bush, now bearing panicles of delicate lilac flowers in 

 the open air. It is also useful and effective as a greenhouse shrub, in 

 pots, being quite distinct from the better -known kinds of the V. 

 Andersoni section. 



A good climbing shrub for a cool greenhouse is the lovely white- 

 -flowered Jasminum jasminioides, now in bloom. Its dark-green pinnate 

 leaves set off its clusters of white flowers and pearly buds to perfection. 

 Planted out, it makes rapid growth, and blooms most profusely for 

 -several months. 



Kooted cuttings of the white and sulphur-coloured Paris Daisies or 

 Marguerites may now be planted out in the open air, and if pinched 

 judiciously, and the flowers picked off carefully, they will form 

 handsome little bushes for lifting and repotting next September for 

 conservatory or greenhouse decoration. They yield cut -flowers in 

 quantity all through the winter months. These plants are all varieties 

 of Chrysanthemum f rutescens ; but a still better winter - blooming 

 Daisy bush is C. tanacetifolia, an old plant, with bright-green leaves, 

 and snow-white yellow-eyed flowers. 



Anent sales of imported Orchids I hear many eomplaints. A friend 

 of mine who paid rather a long price for Lselia anceps alba found out 

 when they bloomed that they were of the old type. He was further 

 taken in some time back by buying what he took to be large " masses " 

 of Odontoglossum Alexandras. On more closely examining these pre- 

 paratory to starting them, however, he found out to his great disgust 

 that they were little pieces, and odd eyeless pseudo-bulbs, sewn or 

 tied together with soft twine in such a way as to deceive even the 

 wary in such matters. So it has come to this, — a state of things sure 

 to meet with its just reward. 



If one could always attend these sales in person there would be less 

 risk, but in commissioning auctioneers they themselves are not unfre- 

 quently deceived. Of course they would soon put a stop to manipu- 

 lative trickery, or the selling of ordinary kinds under high-sounding 

 or erroneous names, if they once detected the thing. 



Nevertheless the main facts remain unaltered, that if due caution be 

 exercised, Orchids, Lily bulbs, and many other plants may be obtained 

 of as good quality and at a cheaper rate from these sales than else- 

 where. Now and then one is lucky enough to get a good thing unex- 

 pected, and that takes the rough edge off previous disappointments. 



