358 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



■will be a valuable acquisition to the ranks of Lardy herbaceous plante. But even 

 if it do not prove capable of enduring our winters out of doors, all the protection 

 it will require will be a cold frame, or similar treatmeut to Pentstemons and Cal- 

 ceolarias. As a pot-plant for the decoration of the greenhouse and conservatory 

 in spring, it is likely to prove useful. Our plant was received in April, and was 

 put in a cool propagating-house, and it commenced immediately to throw up a 

 flower-stem. The flowers lasted from tlic; end of April to the first week of June, 

 when they were cut away, and the plant was turned out into the herbaceous border, 

 where it is now throwing up a second i>;inicle. Mr Thompson in his catalogue 

 says it flowers in August and September, but it appears to be easily had in flower 

 at any time in pots. 



Calceolaria plantaginea — Flantain-lcavcd Calceolaria. — This is an undoubted- 

 ly hardy species. It has now lived over two winters, the one just past and the 

 previous one, without any protection in the garden here ; and I am aware of its 

 having been in the garden of a cottager in a similarly cold locality for many 

 years. It was introduced from Chili upwards of forty years ago, and appears to 

 have a very extensive geographic range extending down to the Straits of Magellan, 

 a fact that will account for its extreme hardiness. It forms low tufted rosettes 

 of broadly-ovate or rhomboid leaves coarsely toothed, but perfectly smooth and 

 shining, though deeply veined on the upper side. From the axils of the leaves 

 spring numerous naked scapelike flower-stalks to the height of 9 inches or a foot, 

 quite erect, and supporting six or eight bright yellow flowers. On the under 

 side of the corolla there are usually a number of minute dots of crimson, but 

 they do not form any striking feature of the flower when casually examined. It 

 is a very free-flowering plant, and early, having begun throwing up its scapes in 

 the middle of May ; and if kept growing, will continue to do so till growth is 

 stopped by the progress of the season. It does not appear to be attacked with 

 the canker that cuts off so many of the shrubby Calceolarias, but my experience 

 of it is wholly confined to our own deep cool loam, in which Calceolarias generally 

 sufi'er little from that disorder : it delights in abundant moisture and rich loamy 

 soil. 



Orcliis maculata, var. superba. — This is a remarkably luxuriant and beauti- 

 ful variety of the well-known Spotted Orchis. The leaves are very dark green, 

 and the black spots are intense. The flower-spike is about 8 inches long, dense 

 and compact, and the colour is deep purple. The flowers last from the middle 

 of May to the middle of July. It is a first-class hardy border flower. 



Wm. Sutherland. 

 MiNTO Gardens. 



HIITTS FOR AMATEURS.— AUGUST. 



Whatever may be the diversity of opinion among cultivators in 

 regard to the summer management of fruit-trees, the practice of divest- 

 ing them of all useless growths when active growth has ceased is gen- 

 erally recognised as being essential to ripening of fruit and wood, thus 

 keeping the tree under control ; and where there is a tendency to over- 

 luxuriant growth, by the roots growing down into a bad subsoil, &c., 

 the neglect of summer and autumn pruning or stopping increases the 

 evil. Retain enough wood for next season ; but crowding it only gives 



