24 the floral woeld and garden guide. 



culatus, Tacsonias, Solhjas, Mandevilla, Myrtle, and Glianthus 

 puniceics. 



In protecting these, and indeed all other plants, it must he borne 

 in mind that, in many cases, it is not so much a low temperature 

 that is to he dreaded, as its association with sodden soil and un- 

 ripened tissues ; could these last conditions be guarded against, the 

 protection of many plants would be comparatively an easy task ; our 

 endeavours must, therefore, be directed to preserving the soil around 

 their roots in as dry a condition as possible. 



The Tacsonia manicata, appears likely to fulfil our anticipations 

 of its comparative hardiness. A specimen of ours, planted against a 

 wall, lias covered a considerable space. We intend to place over its 

 roots a semicircle of wood, eighteen inches wide, and au inch thick, 

 the straight edge of the board to be placed against the wall, and a 

 small notch cut out for the stem of the plant. The board will be 

 raised above the soil, by two or three cube-like feet, and the space 

 between it and the ground stuffed with some dry materials, hay or 

 fern. The stems themselves will be left exposed as long as the 

 weather is mild ; on the first approach of frost they will be cut down 

 to within four or five feet from the ground, and the whole be gathered 

 into a bundle, around which will be wrapped one or two thicknesses 

 of bast matting ; this, however, being so liable to become soaked by 

 heavy rains, in which state it would be worse than useless, will be 

 covered with a piece of waterproof calico, or oil cloth, the top or end 

 of the bundle being also tied over with this material. Thus, the 

 bast will act as a non-conducting medium, and the waterproof calico 

 will preserve the whole in a dry state. With these precautions we 

 fully believe that the Tacsonia will take no harm, even with the 

 thermometer as low as 18° or 20 Q Fahr. ; such of the surface roots 

 as extend beyond the wooden semicircle may perhaps be killed, but 

 the plant itself will not suffer. The Mandevilla may be treated in 

 a similar way, and all other deciduous climbers requiring protection. 



The Habrothamnus will need little more than the covering of the 

 roots we have recommended for the Tacsonia ; on a west wall, where 

 its shoots will receive but little excitement from the sun's rays, this 

 beautiful shrub will bear some degree of frost uninjured without 

 any protection, especially in dry soils ; some provision should be 

 made, however, for covering it in severe weather, as the flowers are 

 produced at the ends of the branches, and these are precisely the 

 portions of the plant which would first suffer. We know of no 

 better plan of affording this temporary shelter than by placing in 

 front of the plant a frame covered with matting, or old carpeting, 

 and sufficiently large to extend some inches beyond the plant on all 

 sides. 



Such a frame may be made in any style, and with any materials, 

 from smooth deal splines put together, secundem artem, to rough 

 poles cut from a coppice, and tied at the corners with a strong cord. 



These last may be made to answer every purpose, and need not 

 be more than one inch in diameter, except for large frames. The 

 size of the frame will, of course, vary with that of the plant to be 

 sheltered ; it will be a good plan to prepare several of them differing 



