290 Notes on Gardens and Nurseries. 



color a common red ; Queen Victoria, (Fielder's,) also highly- 

 recommended, is but an indifferent flower, — red, with a vein- 

 ing of white, having the appearance — from the indistinctness 

 of the latter color — of being a faded flower. 



In the Propagating House, we found a good stock of plants 

 coming on, and, among the novelties here, two seedling aza- 

 leas ; one very similar to Gledstanesii, with scarcely as much 

 red in the petals, and more regularly distributed; it will be a 

 good acquisition. The other seedling was a white, of the 

 habit of variegata. 



Passing to the long range of glass on the other side of the 

 garden, divided into many compartments, we noticed Mr. 

 Buist had a good stock of Tom Thumb geranium, as also 

 another new and fine, the Brighton Hero. Azalea Wil- 

 liamsu was here in flower, brilliant from the fine violet pur- 

 ple tinge in the petals, but of a stragghng habit, and indif- 

 ferent foliage, which will prevent its being a very popular 

 variety. Mr. Buist must try to produce the same tint on a 

 plant having the habit of the variegata. The azalea is sus- 

 ceptible of great improvement, both in the foliage and flow- 

 ers : the former may be much broader and richer, or more 

 delicate and less deciduous, than some of the varieties ; and 

 the flowers may be brought to a better and rounder outline. 

 A few years since, it was thought the pelargonium could 

 never be made a round flower; but, by patience and perse- 

 verance, Mr. Beck has attained this great object, and, if ac- 

 quired in one tribe, it can be in another. Mr. Mackenzie, 

 whose place we shall notice, has, in this respect, achieved 

 wonders. Centradenia rosea, a plant of no great beauty, 

 was blooming profusely ; Brugmansia Knightii, with its 

 double trumpet-shaped flowers, was in fine bloom. A quan- 

 tity of seedling amaryllises, all from the same seed-pod, were 

 quite different, and all exceedingly pretty : somewhat in the 

 way of vittata, but better. Acacia spectabilis, nitida, and 

 some other species, were making fine specimens for another 

 season : out of flower or in flower, they are always objects of 

 beauty. One end of this range was filled with a lot of seed- 

 ling and worked camellias ; among the latter, C. Alexina, but 

 so much like americana, that few could detect the difference. 

 A new seedling of immense size, but ordinary in other re- 



