166 VILLA GARDENING pakt ii 



or planted out independently in the borders, so arranging the plants 

 that their brilliant colours are well balanced. In the conservatory 

 they may be used to form backgrounds or centres ; but the Camellia 

 is impatient of much fire heat, and is very apt to cast its flower 

 buds if the night temperature in winter is much over 40° to 45°. 



If early flowers are required, the only safe plan to adopt is to 

 force the young wood and get it ripened early. By this means I 

 have been able to cut white Camellia flowers in September, To 

 do this the plants must be in pots or tubs, and be moved, after they 

 have done flowering, to a forcing house. The same care in cooling 

 down and ripening as is given to forced plants generally will be 

 requisite. Some good cultivators object to place their plants out 

 of doors at all, but if a nice sheltered position can be found, a 

 month or six weeks in the open air after the middle of July will 

 be beneficial. They must never be allowed to suffer from want 

 of water, and should not be exposed to gales of wind. 



Soil and Potting. — Various composts are used by diff'erent 

 cultivators ; the Belgians grow the young plants, of which so many 

 thousands are annually brought to this country, in leaf-mould, re- 

 duced completely, by frequent turnings, mixings, and exposure, to 

 a fine black mould. Many of oiu- nurserymen use peat and sand 

 only ; and though both these systems result in producing plants of 

 a salable size ciuickly, yet for specimen plants for home use, which 

 are expected to have a long vigorous existence, there is nothing 

 superior to good sound turfy loam, cut about 3 inches thick, from 

 the top of a pasture, and laid up just long enough to kill the Grass. 

 Heavy loam may be lightened with coarse sand, or in some cases a 

 little peat or leaf-mould may be added. The most important items 

 in their culture in pots are turfy soil well rammed in, clean pots, 

 good drainage, and abundant supplies of water when really required. 

 The plants do better placed upon a cool bed of ashes where a cer- 

 tain amount of dampness exists than on a dry, exposed stage. The 

 best time to repot is early in August ; the roots being then in an 

 active state, will take hold of the soil quickly, and be ready t(j 

 supply the increasing necessities of the advancing buds and the 

 future crop of flowers. 



Pruning. — If any pruning be needed to keep the plants shapely, 

 it should be done when the flowering is over — in spring, just as the 

 plants are breaking into growth. If at any time, through bad 

 treatment, a plant has become leggy and naked at the bottom, 

 and the roots are healthy, it may be headed back into the old 

 wood in spring ; if placed in a warm genial temperature, latent 

 buds will push from the old stems, and in course of time well- 

 furnished plants will be obtained in place of the ungainly naked 



