BEDDING PLANTS. 



335 



hot weather. They are not only sen3itive to frost but to cool 

 weather, requiring considerable heat to keep them in a vigorous 

 growth. Hence they are not easily wintered in the dwelling- 

 house, where there ia a great yariation between the night and 

 day temperature, nor even in a cool green-house ; the propagating- 

 room or the stove is the best place for them. 



The best and most showy bedding variety is Verschaffeltii ; 

 besides this, Qtieen Victoria, Albert Victor, Her Majesty, and 

 Princess Beatrice, are beautiful plants. There are many other 

 varieties, but the foregoing are quite sufficient for all our pur- 

 poses. 



The Bouvardia. — But little has been done among us with this 

 most lovely flower as a bedding plant, yet it is one of the most free 

 flowering and beauti- 

 ful plants we have, 

 blooming when not 

 more than three 

 inches in height and 

 naturally forming a 

 nice bushy plant, 

 which is covered all 

 the season with blos- 

 soms. It is not easy 

 to account for this 

 want of attention, for 

 among the beautiful 

 things of the garden ^- ^' 



there is scarce anything more beautiful than a fine bed of the 

 Bouvardia. 



We have grown it in rich sandy loam, and know that it thrives 

 well in such soil. We cannot say how well it will adapt itself 

 to heavier soils, but those who desire to make the experiment 

 must take care that the bed be perfectly underdrained, so that 

 there shall be no excess of wet to render the soil cold and sour. 

 Plants that have been shifted from "thumbs" into four inch pots. 



