362 THE FLORAL WOULD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



exposed to air as circumstances will admit, while those that are 

 movable may be removed to a cooler house for a month or so. They 

 should be removed to a light, airy part of the stove for blooming, and 

 when the racemes begin to appear thickly, manure water may be 

 given once or twice a week with advantage. See that the foliage is 

 quite clear of red spider before blooming commences, as heavy 

 syringing after that time would be apt to spoil and break off the 

 flowers. I have no doubt that where it is desirable to have this 

 plant in bloom late in spring, that it may be wintered in a house 

 where the temperature is just high enough to save the foliage 

 (58° by fire-heat will be quite sufficient for this) and roots from 

 injury, and will bloom splendidly when placed in a moderate heat in 

 spring, but it is perhaps most valuable for winter use. If young 

 plants are provided to succeed those that have bloomed, the old 

 plants may be thrown away as soon as their beauty is faded, b'jt if 

 they are to be retained for further use, they should be well rested be- 

 fore starting them into growth a second time, and the shoots severally 

 thinned out, reducing the ball sufficiently, so as to allow of giving 

 them a good shift in the same sized pot. About equal parts of turfy- 

 loam, leaf-soil, and fibry peat, with a fair proportion of sharp sand, 

 may be used for potting, but any rich, light soil will answer, for it 

 does not appear to be particular in this respect. 



PENTSTEMON SPECIOSUM. 



j OTHING can be more charming in the flower garden 

 than a bed filled with this plant, properly treated and in 

 full bloom ; but this beautiful Pentstemon is seldom to 

 be seen in cultivation under any circumstances, and the 

 reason always assigned is that it is difficult to manage. 

 This, however, is not the case ; on the contrary, if properly treated, 

 few plants are more easily cultivated. I will therefore point out 

 how it should be treated, for the guidance of those who may be 

 desirous of cultivating one of the handsomest hardy herbaceous 

 plants our gardens possess. The Pentstemon was first introduced 

 by Douglas, from the north-west coast of North America, where 

 apparently it is very abundant. It is, however, very variable both 

 in colour of flowers, size, and shape of the leaves, and also in 

 stature, some plants attaining four feet, others not more than two 

 feet in height ; in some plants the foliage is broad and nearly round 

 or spathulate, particularly the lower leaves ; while on other plants it 

 is long and narrow, and most frequently lanceolate, even the radical 

 leaves j some plants, again, have no leaves upon their stems, beyond 

 the first whorl of flowers, while others have leaves, intermixed with 

 the flowers to near the top. The flowers, as I have stated, also vary 

 much both in shape and colour ; some are short, inflated, and very 

 ringent ; others (on separate plants) are more tubular, larger, and 

 much less ringent. They also vary greatly in colour ; some being 



