POTENTILLA. 



249 



POTTING. 



PoiiADE'REis. — Rhamnacece. — 

 Australian shrubs with cymes of 

 yellow flowers and generally of 

 woolly leaves, nearly allied to Cea- 

 nothus. They are very nearly 

 hardy, and may be grown in the 

 open air with a little protection 

 during winter. They should be 

 grown in sandy peat, or in a mix- 

 ture of peat and loam ; and they 

 are propagated by cuttings. 



PoMEGRxVXATE. — See Pu'nica. 



Poxtede'ria. — Pontedei-acece. — 

 Stove aquatics, that should be 

 planted in rich loamy soil, and the 

 cistern filled up with water. They 

 are increased by dividing the roots. 



Poppy.— See Papa'vepv. 



Porcupine Cactus.' — See Echi- 

 noca'ctus. 



Portugal Laurel. — Cerasus 

 lusitdnica. — A handsome evergreen 

 shrub, which thrives best in moist 

 shady situations, and which some- 

 times attains the size of a tree. In 

 Ireland, Portugal Laurels attain an 

 enormous size, the moisture of the 

 climate suiting them admirably. 



Portula^ca. — Portulacece. — 

 Splendid annual plants with suc- 

 culent stems, fleshy leaves, and bril- 

 liantly-coloured flowers. They are 

 natives of South America, and re- 

 quire to be raised on a hotbed. 



Potenti'lla. — Rosacece. — A ge- 

 nus of herbaceous plants and one or 

 two shrubs, the greater pai-t of 

 which are ornamental, and some 

 eminently so. They all thrive in 

 any common soil, and are readily 

 increased by division of the plants, 

 or by seeds, v>'hich most of them 

 produce in abimdance. They also 

 hybridise freely, from which new 

 kinds are frequently raised by 

 florists. The principal shrubby spe- 

 cies is Potentilla fntticosa, which 

 forms a hardy bush, commonly be- 

 tween two feet and three feet high, 

 and produces abundance of yellow 



flowers in July. The most orna- 

 mental herbaceous species is P. 

 Russelliana, with rich dark scarlet 

 flowers. All the herbaceous species 

 are low, few of them exceediag one 

 foot in height, and the greater 

 part not being above six inches. 

 They are delightful plants for pots 

 or for rockwork, and the whole are 

 so hardy and of such easy culture, 

 that they will bear neglect better 

 than most other inhabitants of the 

 border or the flower-garden. 



PoTTiXG. — The subject of potting 

 plants may be considered in two 

 ways ; first, with reference to the 

 advantages of that mode of growing 

 plants as compared ^ith growing 

 them in the free soil ; and secondly, 

 with reference to the performance 

 of the operation of potting. Plants 

 growing in pots are placed in very 

 unnatural circumstances, from the 

 limit given to the extension of their 

 roots by the small quantity of soil 

 and the confined space of the pot ; 

 and by the circumstance of the out- 

 side of the pot being constantly 

 exposed to the action of the air on 

 every side. In consequence of these 

 conditions, the roots of plants in 

 pots are alternately scorched and 

 cooled, and dried by the action of 

 the atmosphere ; and, as, to keep 

 the plants alive, they require to be 

 frequently watered, the soil soon 

 becomes soddened, or soured as it 

 is called by gardeners, and the 

 plant is either checked in its growth, 

 or becomes diseased. Nevertheless, 

 by well-considered treatment, plants 

 may be gro'«ii in pots to a high de- 

 gree of perfection, and some kinds 

 better than in the free soil. For 

 this purpose, two things are more 

 especially requisite ; the first is to 

 provide sufficient drainage for the 

 escape of superfluous matter ; and 

 the second is to cover the sides of 

 the pot by some medium which 



