BEDDING- PLANTS. 103 



commences in the spring, about two inches long, close 

 to the old wood. They grow in fibry peat and loam, 

 flower in summer, and keep in flower many months. If 

 they are grown from seed, the plants must be raised in a 

 hot-bed. 



The Leptosiphon is a very pretty hardy annual, easy of 

 cultivation, growing in any good garden soil. The 

 different sorts are from half a foot to a foot high, and 

 keep in flower from June to October. The seed maybe 

 sown out of doors in March. Leptosiphon demiflorus 

 albus is valuable from the purity of its white, producing 

 masses of bloom that are very telling in a bed. There 

 are other varieties with lilac, orange, purple, and yellow 

 flowers. 



The pretty little Memophila is very nice for borders, 

 from its low bushy growth and abundance of bloom, 

 keeping in flower from June for many months. It will 

 grow very readily from seed, in any garden soil It is 

 in almost all colours. 



Portulacas are beautiful, free-blooming, half-hardy 

 annuals of almost all bright colours, of a low habit of 

 growth, arid keeping in flower from Midsummer to 

 Michaelmas. The seed should be sown in a compost of 

 sandy peat, leaf-mould, and burnt earth. When the 

 plants are pricked out, which may be in June, an inch 

 or two of lirne rubbish, burnt earth, and sand should be 

 spread on the ground, to prevent the plants damping 

 off. They require scarcely any water. 



Pentstemons are tolerably hardy, tall perennials, pro- 

 ducing handsome flowers of various colours in the 

 autumn. P. Murray anus is a brilliant scarlet. P. Hart* 

 ivegi and its varieties, and P. pulchellus and its varieties, 

 are very free blooming kinds. To get them to flower 

 early in autumn, sow seed early in March in a hot-bed, 

 and plant out in May. If sown out of doors in spring 

 they must have protection. They may be increased also 

 by division of the plants in spring, or by cuttings of the 

 young shoots in spring, summer, or autumn, under a 

 glass, in sandy loam and leaf-mouid. Gentianoides and 

 \ts varieties require a little protection in winter, unless 



