130 THE FORCING GARDEN. 
then give tepid water so as to wet the soil fairly through, 
and shade them (especially the Gesneras and Achimenes) 
from the sun; for if the sun’s rays fall upon the foliage 
it will be discoloured and the plants spoilt as regards 
their beauty for the season. As soon as these have made 
say two inches of young growth, pot them off into five- 
inch pots, placing three roots ineach pot. The Gesnera 
zebrina and this class should have a six-inch pot for 
three roots, using a little stronger compost; 7.e. one 
having more loam in it. 
The Plectopomas and Achimenes may be made into 
exquisite ornaments for the conservatory by bedding 
them in moss and fine sifted leaf-mould, and filling 
globular wire baskets with handles, by which they may 
be suspended by means of a wire from the roof of a 
lofty house. This is especially the case with the free- 
flowering and clear-coloured Achimenes, such as old 
iongiflora (blue) and longiflora alba, two remarkable 
and showy sorts; these will appear almost of celestial 
beauty for many weeks. To meet the object in view 
perfectly, each basket must be well filled or there will 
be a defect in the display. The plants should be 
bedded in with the moss in layers with their points 
showing out all round, but not more than three inches 
apart. A single basket of the ordinary size will take 
perhaps fifty, sixty, or eighty plants; but as the 
Achimenes are multiplied so fast and so easily, it does 
not take much to fill a dozen or two of such baskets. 
It is quite astonishing what a number of fine bulbs 
one of these baskets will turn out in one season. The 
moss and leaf-mould together seem exactly the thing for 
them; the rhizomes run into it, forming bulbs in abund- 
ance which I find are larger and much healthier than 
