THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 107 



at any of the seed shops. If plants are bought at the nurseries, 

 those one year old at least should be procured ; though, if the seed- 

 lings are raised early in the season, they will flower the first 

 summer. 



Cobcea stipularis has yellow blossoms. Both species require more 

 protection than the Eccremocarpus, but will sometimes survive a 

 moderate winter. 



Next on the list stand the Lophospermums, of most restricted 

 growth, but abundant flowers. There are several varieties, though 

 we have not yet seen any improvement on the old L. scandens, 

 which has dark rose-coloured blossoms, greatly resembling those of 

 the Foxglove. The Rhodochiton volubile, sometimes termed Lopho- 

 spermum rhodochiton, with pendulous flowers of a very dark purple, 

 also well merits a place upon a west wall, where it will suffer less 

 from the red spider, to which it is rather subject, than in southerly 

 aspects. Both these plants and their varieties are easily propagated by 

 cutting3 in summer, as well as by seeds. They are, however, too 

 succulent to bear exposure throughout the year. 



The beautiful Maurandya barclayana, with rich violet blossoms, 

 is considerably hardier than the Lophospermums. We have known 

 it to remain fresh and green throughout the winter, upon a dry sub- 

 soil, though it must be admitted that, in general, it will not survive 

 unless matted up. The rose-coloured varieties of this plant pro- 

 duce a good effect grown in contrast with it. All are propagated 

 by seeds or cuttings. In height they rarely exceed four or five 

 feet. 



The old Solhjii heterophylla, and the more recently introduced 



5. linearis, are both very pretty evergreen half-hardy climbers. In 

 the south of England and south of Ireland, the 8. heterophylla is 

 sufficiently hardy to bear exposure against a wall, with a slight pro- 

 tection in very severe winters. 



The Sollya heterophylla reaches the height of five or six feet ; 



6. linearis about four or five feet. Both have bright blue flowers, 

 those of the latter species being much the largest. Propagated both 

 by seeds and cuttings. 



To the foregoing, we may add the Solarium jasminoides, an ever- 

 green of rapid growth, with pink flowers very freely produced. It 

 is usually treated as a greenhouse plant, but appears to be quite 

 hardy on a wall. At Kew, several plants have been exposed in 

 winter, with scarcely any protection. And we think that if the 

 stems were well matted up, and the roots carefully screened from 

 excess of moisture in autumn, that it would pass unscathed through 

 our moderate winters, in the midland and eastern counties. 



Among the convolvulus tribe are several very showy, almost 

 hardy plants, the most generally useful of which is, perhaps, the 

 Oalystegia pubescens, remarkable for producing the only double 

 flowers of the order. We find this plant to be quite hardy in ordi- 

 nary winters. Lt dies down annually, and succeeds best in a good 

 rich loam, in which its growth is very luxuriant. The flowers are 

 Urge, and compensate for every imperfection of form by their great 

 abundance. 



April. 



