262 BRIEF REMARKS. 



them. In these cases the rocks should be more artistically and taste- 

 fully arranged. It should be clearly shown, by their arrangement and 

 accompaniments, that no attempt is made to imitate Nature, but rather 

 a proper place for displaying and cultivating the plants that are grown 

 upon them. 



Rockeries of this kind depend for their interest and beauty more on 

 the disposition of the plants than on any influence possessed by them- 

 selves ; and therefore they should never be allowed to become bare, 

 otherwise they dwindle down to meaningless conceits. They ought 

 also to be formed of choice materials, as specimens of rare minerals, 

 metallic ores, rich conglomerates, stalagmites, fossils, scoria, fine speci- 

 mens of crystallography and vitrification, forming a kind of cabinet, 

 which excites the attention of the spectator, and affords interest and 

 gratification to the more curious examiner, and tending also to divest 

 the rockery of any incongruity which might arise from its being out of 

 place. 



It may likewise be observed, that rockeries should always be in 

 detached groups, and, whether large or small, should never present 

 straight lines or flat surfaces. The more irregular the arrangement, 

 the more striking the effect produced. It should also be so situated as 

 to be partly shaded and overhung by pendulous trees, to screen it from 

 the glare of sunshine ; it should always be rather cool, and, if possible, 

 shut in by itself by shrubbery, and, if possible also, should be accom- 

 panied by a, jet d'eau or basin of water, or both. 



To attempt giving rules for the arrangement of rockeries is useless, 

 as their forms entirely depend upon the taste of the builder ; and in 

 this kind of work, more than any other branch of ornamental garden- 

 ing, will the taste of the builder be brought out ; and here also will be 

 perceived the difference between those who have studied from nature, 

 and those who have no vivid conceptions of natural beauty. It may 

 here be observed, however, that the whole design should be diversified 

 in its outline*, in its heights, and in its general forms. No two parts 

 should bear the slightest resemblance to each other, and the greater the 

 irregularity, the more interesting the effect. — Dotvoling's American 

 Horticulturist. 



Leonotis leontjrus (Lion's Tail). — This is one of t\ie finest green- 

 house plants groivn, and deserves to be in every one. I have had a 

 plant in bloom the past summer for several months, which, with its 

 noble spikes of splendid orange-scarlet flowers, formed a brilliant object. 

 I had it in my collection since 1836 ; but with the usual treatment of 

 greenhouse plants I could not bloom it. I resolved to adopt another 

 method, and I therefore had a one-year old plant shifted into a pot a 

 foot in diameter, in a rich loamy soil, not sifted, well drained ; I 

 placed it in a forcing pot heated by hot water, and having a brisk and 

 moist temperature it grew rapidly ; and having a free supply of water, 

 absorbing much, it produced fifteen vigorous spikes of bloom, and when 

 just expanding I had it removed to the greenhouse, where it continued 

 to bloom till November. The plant can be procured at the nurseries 

 for a trifling sum, and it deserves a place in every greenhouse collection. 



