456 



JOUBNA.L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ Jane 5, 1873. 



depth. The front line might be broken at convenient place."; 

 by a recess for the reception of a good specimen in a pot, or 

 by projections in the curved form at other places, so as to 

 break up the formal appearance of a straight line. In this bed 

 on each side of the entrance, also at each corner of the house, 

 as well as two or three intermediate spaces, I should plant 

 specimens for permanent effect, and partition-off a place for 

 each plant by 4J-inch brickwork (half a brick wide). This 

 would prevent the intrusion of the roots of other plants into 

 the border, and they could then have water apphed according 

 to their particular requirements. 



The border proper I would give up entirely to a selection of 

 climbers. In a lofty building a lot of healthy, free-growing, 

 climbing plants rambling over the roof are a great ornament, 

 but they will not thrive satisfactorily in cramped-up spaces : 

 hence my reason for assigning them the remainder of the 

 border. This done, the rest of the arrangement can be com- 

 pleted by the introduction of pot plants, placing the tallest at 

 the back or near the glass, and the dwarfer ones iu the front, 

 facing them all to the path. 



Assuming the dimensions of the building given above to be 

 outside measure, and deducting 2 feet on each side and each 

 end for thickness of brickwork, it leaves the interior 41 feet 

 by 24 in the clear ; and taking off a width of 7 feet all round 

 for border, it gives a space 27 feet long by 10 feet wide for 

 promenade. This, then, affords room for a small circular bed 

 in the centre of the house for growing a handsome specimen 

 tree Fern, Palm, or a standard Orange tree. Then, if the sur- 

 face of the bed be covered with Selaginella denticulata, it will 

 give it an attractive appearance. Whatever plant be placed 

 in the centre, it should have a stem tall enough for visitors to 

 walk under its branches, otherwise the space will be inconve- 

 niently taken up. 



The next thing to be considered is a choice of plants to be 

 grown, and 1 will begin with the climbers. Tacsonia Van- 

 Volxemi, Passiflora quadrangularis, Ehynchospermum jasmin- 

 oides, MandevLlla suaveolens, Biguonia Chrere, Coba;a scandens 

 variegata, Habrothamnus elegans, Kennedya Marryattas.Lapa- 

 geria rosea, Heliotropium peruvianum, Jasminum odoratum, 

 and light and dark coarse-growing Fuchsias. The above have 

 good growing qualities and bloom freely ; they also include 

 variety of colour of flower and foliage, and wUl all grow with 

 greenhouse treatment, and are all evergreen. 



Taking next the plants for permanent effect, I would place 

 on each side of the doorway a nice plant of Draea;na austraUs 

 or indivisa ; they are tall-growing handsome plants with grace- 

 fully drooping foliage. In other places I would plant white 

 Camellias ; Fimbriata, a fine white, and Imbricata, a deep rose, 

 both of which are good standard sorts. Then there is Jubilee, 

 delicate pink and a tine flower, plant strong-growing ; Bealii, 

 bright crimson ; and Marchioness of Exeter, fine rose. Others 

 might be added, but the above wiU not disappoint. There 

 ought to be included a couple of plants of LucuUa gratissima, 

 than which there is no better plant for a conservatory. After 

 these come standard or bush-grown Orange trees, which ought 

 to be included in the building, as well as Acacia grandis and 

 Brugmansia sanguinea, Kuightii, and arborea, and Aralia Sie- 

 boldi or japonica, which latter is the jiroper specific name. I 

 would not omit a couple of plants of Pittosporum Tobira, and 

 a standard plant of scarlet Rhododendron and one of Gibsoni. 



I might go on enumerating plants till one would be puzzled 

 as to which to choose. All the above are well-tried plants for 

 such a purpose, and would be sure to please. My aim would 

 be to grow these plants into large specimens, but more for 

 height than breadth, so that their branches would be clear of 

 the dwarfer plants to be arranged under them, and give a more 

 natural effect to the interior of the building. The above num- 

 ber would be quite as many as it would be advisable to plant- 

 out, depending upon pot plants to complete the decoration, 

 and of these a goodly number may be easily grown in the 

 house all the year round, and at the same time add to the va- 

 riety and distinctness of fohage to be distributed amongst 

 other plants of a conirasting habit. These may include Sea- 

 lorthia elegans, .\reca sapida and rubra, Chamierops excelsa 

 and humilis, and Latania biSrbonica, all Palms of a more or 

 less elegant appearance. After these I should rely upon 

 several varieties of Ferns to improve the general appearance, 

 such as Blechnum coreovadeuse, Dicksonia antarctica (small 

 plants), Lomaria gibba, Nephrodium moUe, Nephrolepis exal- 

 tita, Woodwardia radicans, I'teris serrulata, serrulata cristata, 

 aad longitolia, as well as Adiatum formoaum, cuneatum, and 

 Cipillus-Veneris. i 



Considering the above to be the permanent occnpants of the 

 conservatory, the decoration will not be complete without 

 a liberal addition of flowering plants from time to time. I 

 think I may reasonably assume that whoever spent £700 in 

 building such a conservatory as shown in the engraving would 

 not be unwilhng to build a plant house from which to draw 

 plants for its decoration. One portion of this house should 

 be for forcing plants into flower, and the other as a green- 

 house ; therefore in winter I should endeavour to have iu 

 bloom Lilacs, Ribes, Deutzia gracilis, Roses of sorts, Spira?a 

 japonica and Reevesii, Lily of the Valley, Azaleas of sorts. 

 Hyacinths, and Tulips, as well as several other things. In 

 the spring and summer months will be coming iu such plants 

 as Cinerarias, Primulas (also iu winter), Cytisns racemosus, 

 Coronilla glauca, CamelUas, Azaleas, Fuchsias, Geraniums, 

 Heaths, and a variety of other useful decorative plants com- 

 monly met with in a plant house. These, added to what have 

 been mentioned, will make up a very pretty and interesting 

 display, and, it tastefully arranged, ought to please the most 

 fastidious. 



I have found from experience that the mixing of colours in 

 conservatory arrangement is generally the most pleasing, and 

 have, therefore, followed it up iu the present instance. I should, 

 however, consider there was little or no difficulty in varying 

 my arrangements so as to produce a change of effect in a 

 building of this description, and any colour that would be more 

 pleasing in a mass, or a plant or plants that would be desirable 

 to show off conspicuously, could be done. 



I am an advocate for any design in the interior of a conser- 

 vatory which does not crowd plants, but allows for plenty of 

 root-growth as well as development of branch. Many dis- 

 appointments have arisen through the builder having the 

 allotment of spaces for plant-growing instead of the gardener ; 

 the consequence is that many times plants have to grow, or 

 strive to grow, iu cramped-up places, and are seldom for any 

 length of time fit subjects to adorn the places to which they 

 have been consigned. — Thomas Eecokd. 



PKIMULA SIEBOLDI var. LILACINA. 



This Primula is a native of .Japan, and was introduced into 

 Europe in 18(52. Since then it has been shown at some of the 

 spring exhibitions, as well as at the florists', where this charm- 

 ing plant is always admired for the freshness of its green, its 

 graceful habit, and its large, open, soft Ulac flowers. It re- 

 sembles the Chinese Primula which everyone knows, and 

 which is such an adornment to the conservatory and drawhig- 

 room, but is more graceful in habit and more delicate in the 

 colour of its blossoms. 



In his beautiful " Flora," M. H. Witte states that the type 

 of this Primrose with rosy-purple flowers was introduced in 

 1862 by Von Siebold, of Leyden, from whom it passed to 

 Messrs. Veitch. The first flowers of Messrs. Veitch's plants 

 were submitted to Dr. Lindley, who assigned them to Primula 

 cortusoides, distinguishing two varieties, amo'na and striata ; 

 and at the present day, by most botanists, and among horti- 

 culturists generally, these Primulas are considered to be va- 

 rieties of P. cortusoides. 



Primula cortusoides was found in Siberia by Gmeliu ; it is a 

 weak-growing little plant, pretty, but very delicate, and of 

 small proportions. Linua>us took it for a hybrid between 

 Primula integrifolia and Cortusa Matthioli, regarding it as 

 having the leaves of the former and the flowers of the latter. 

 It was figured in 1797 iu the " Botanical Magazine," with a 

 rosy purple corolla having five acute, entire segments. It is a 

 scarce and deUcate plant, requiring to be wintered in a green- 

 house or frame, and flowering iu June or July. It loses its 

 leaves at the end of autumn, and remains dormant till spring. 

 N. J. Jacijuin, in describing in 1798 the rare plants in the 

 Imperial Garden at Schonbrunn, Vienna, noticed one in- 

 teresting variety in which the flower-scape produced several 

 whorls of flowers — precisely the character of Primula japonica — 

 but the rosy violet flowers were insigniflcant. Lehmann, 

 " Monographie des Primevcres," pubUshedin 1817, mentions a 

 white-flowered variety of Primula cortusoides, and according to 

 Thunberg there is another kind not only to be found in 

 Siberia, but in the wooded mountains of Japan. Duby, in 1844, 

 extends the range of the plant to the Ural. In an article in 

 tlie " Revue Horticole," by M. Grffiuland in 1859, it is stated 

 that the flowers open in spring and again in autumn, that the 

 plant is herbaceous, and flourishes in light soil in a somewhat 

 shady situation. Dr. Lindley records it not only in Dahuria 



