140 Subtropical Gardening. 



sents a disadvantage, the Fuchsia is very valuable ; but it 

 is when we use plants with rather tall stems or pyramids 

 that the full beauty of the Fuschia as a flower-garden plant 

 is seen. And the right way to manage them is to make 

 them as far as possible produce all their growth in the 

 open air. That is the secret : start them, nurture them, 

 and make them full of leaves and strong young growth in 

 the spring, so as to go out strong, and most likely you 

 will find them very disappointing indeed ; but keep them 

 back and do not let them burst forth into leaf until put 

 in the open air in May, and they will then go on and 

 retain all the strength they gather, suspending quantities 

 of graceful blossoms until the leaves have deserted the 

 trees, when they should be taken up and put in a dry 

 cave, cellar, or shed for the winter. In a cool position 

 of that kind it would not be difficult to " keep them 

 back " in spring. And supposing they seemed inclined 

 to push forth too much before the time had quite arrived 

 when it would be convenient or desirable to put them in 

 the flower-garden, there should be no difficulty in placing 

 them in some quiet, sheltered nook, where they might 

 receive more protection than in the flower-garden proper, 

 and yet have full opportunity to make growth in the open 

 air — the great point to be attained. The freest and 

 hardiest kinds should be chosen for this purpose. In 

 many places refuse plants may be turned to good account 

 in this way. Given a lot of specimen Fuchsias — arrived, 

 perhaps, at that stage when they must be parted with to 

 make way for younger plants and newer kinds — nothing 

 is simpler than to make of these standards for the flower- 

 garden, by cutting away the lower and middle side 



