204 THE GARDENER. [May 



section gives us many more varieties, and, as a general rule, they 

 have better constitutions, and can stand exposure better, than the 

 white Miss Murphy. Of these the best are Beauty of llavensbourne, 

 pinkish lilac, bright and effective — a capital edging-plant ; Distinction, 

 rosy red, with large white centre, very pretty and good ; and Fairy, 

 having pretty pale pinkish-white flowers, spotted with lilac. For cul- 

 ture in pots for house decoration, this is well worthy attention. 



Then there are dark and light blue Lobelias, and also some that 

 may be termed edged flowers, of which L. erinus Paxtoniana is a very 

 good type. Of the dark -blue flowers the best are L. speciosa var. 

 Drummondii, rich deep blue, a fine and effective hue of colour, compact 

 in growth, very free, and stands well ; Trentham Blue, with large deep 

 blue flowers, a fine and showy bedding kind ; Blue Bonnet, dark blue ; 

 Painter, rich deep blue, mottled with white, a thoroughly good and 

 effective variety, novel and distinct ; and Blue King, a deep shade of 

 bright blue, dwarf in growth, very free and good. Of light -blue 

 flowers, the best belong to some dwarf -growing compact kinds — such as 

 Blue Tom Thumb, lively pale blue, with white centre, habit very dwarf 

 and compact, a free and continuous bloomer ; Lee's dwarf Blue, azure 

 blue, with small white centre, habit very dwarf and dense, and a 

 thoroughly free-blooming variety ; and Pumila elegans, deep azure blue, 

 with very small white centre, very free and good — a capital edging plant. 



The best of the edged flowers I have found to be Little Gem, the 

 flowers white, broadly edged with blue, habit dwarf and compact — an 

 excellent bedder ; and Serena, white, with very slight edging of blue. 



There are many others ; but of these I can speak with confidence, 

 having tried them. I have not seen Tyninghame Blue, but from its 

 published description I should take it to be a good thing. 



I saw not long since what I thought a capital mode of propagating 

 Lobelias. I was visiting a gentleman in my neighbourhood, and saw 

 on a shelf in his greenhouse a number of Lobelias in 60-pots, 

 that had made growth which hung down round the pots, and young 

 rootlets were starting from the -base of each shoot, owing, no doubt, to 

 the prevailing moisture. I was informed that pieces of young growth 

 are plucked from the Lobelias in August and September, placed singly 

 in 60-pots, and put on the shelf of the greenhouse ; here they remain 

 all the winter, and become dense masses, which throw out roots as de- 

 scribed. In the spring the plants are pulled to pieces ; and as each 

 shoot has rootlets attaching to it, a large number of plants is 

 obtained from the division of one of them. This process certainly 

 saves the trouble of striking cuttings ; also the somewhat uncertain 

 task of successfully wintering old plants for stock purposes. 



Observer. 



