Calls at Gardens and J^urseries. 103 



■which existed in the collection previously, though but small specimens, 

 have now acquired sufficient strength and size to bloom finely. We 

 are glad to hear from Mr. Haggerston that Mr. Gushing is continu- 

 ally adding new things to both the stove and green-house collections, and 

 also to the garden department generally. Some fine new French roses have 

 just been received, and they came in excellent order; these, together 

 with a considerable number of fruit trees of various sorts, were laid in in 

 one of the graperies, there to remain until the planting season. 



In the green-house and stoves every thing, as usual, denoted care, 

 attention and cleanliness; the plants were in most vigorous health, and 

 looked better than we have ever seen them. In the green-house the 

 geraniums are pushing forward their buds very rapidly, and, in the 

 course of three or four weeks, will be one blaze of bloom; among them 

 are some very excellent varieties. This tribe of plants is getting to be 

 better appreciated than heretofore, and the new sorts are quite eagerly 

 sought after; indeed, we should not be much surprised if they were to 

 become quite the rage with amateurs. Already in New York, where 

 the collection of Mr. Hogg is annually seen in bloom, the new varieties 

 command a good price, and are sold in great numbers; many of the 

 newly originated varieties are exceedingly splendid. No plants have a 

 more elegant appearance in the green-house at this season than the 

 white azaleas, the A. Zedifolia: there was in bloom here two plants, 

 which were one mass of charming snowy flowers. A. punicea (?) and 

 phcBuicea were also extremely showy, particularly the former, which 

 appears to us to be synonymous with the hybrida of other collections. 

 These plants are highly valuable for parlor cultivation, producing their 

 flowers as freely, and nearly as finely, as they do in the green-house. 



There are several excellent species and varieties of £rica here, 

 among which one called ardens was most conspicuous. Certainly there 

 is no tribe of green-house plants, not even the camellia, which will ex- 

 cel this exquisitely beautiful genus; and we are glad to notice that they 

 are becoming more generally grown. The only obstacle to their exten- 

 sive cultivation is the greatdifficulty with which the plants are imported 

 — it being almost impossible to get them alive; consequently, the only 

 way to procure the plants is to raise them from seeds, which are some- 

 times received from the Cape of Good Hope. E'pacris paludosa and 

 grandiflora were both in bloom. A species of Spirse^a, received from 

 China, was very beautiful, with numerous axillary corymbs of white 

 flowers. Mr. Haggerston thinks it may prove hardy, and will probably 

 try it out another winter, when he has duplicate plants; if so, it will be 

 a very valuable addition to our hardy shrubs, and, being of the same 

 habit as the S. bella, which should be in every garden, may be planted 

 out with the latter. Two plants of J?hododendron hybridum, one of 

 which had expanded four of its surpassingly magnificent umbels of flow- 

 ei's, were conspicuous objects. 



We noticed several pots of the lily of the valley which had been 

 slightly forced; they were in full bloom, and we would recommend 

 them to be grown both from the ease of cultivation, the certainty with 

 which they produce their flowers, and also for their exquisite odor. 

 To a small bouquet, a spike of its drooping and delicate flowers imparts 

 a most agreeable fragrance. Lachenah'a pendula was pretty with its 

 drooping yellow blossoms. This is a class of plants which we rarely 

 see in collections; but they deserve to be generally grown. Numerous 

 pots of oxalises, primroses, stocks, mignonette, &c. were displaying 

 abundance of bloom. 



Passing into the stove, through what will be a kind of conservatory, 

 we noticed a plant of Solandra grandiflora, with twelve or more of its 

 large showy blossoms expanded, and with upwards of twenty buds yet 



