J^otes on Gardens and JVurseries. 1 1 1 



be expanded by the time this notice sees the Hght, forming one 

 of the most magnificent objects. The plant stands in a pot not 

 more than a foot across, and, from the cramping of its roots, 

 Mr. Mason attributes its piofuse flowering: the fohage of the 

 plant, however, shows the effect of their confinement in so small 

 a space. It has been, and still is, a question, upon which culti- 

 vators are divided, whether rhododendrons should be planted in 

 large pots, and allowed a vigorous growth, or whether they should 

 be kept in small ones, to make them produce their flowers. We 

 can hardly say that we are ready to give our opinion. We have 

 seen them managed in both ways, and with good success; with 

 the Nepaul species we do believe that the plants should be al- 

 lowed an abundance of pot room; but with the hybrid varieties 

 between that and the maximum and catawbiense, we are inclined 

 to think that it is in accordance with their natural habits to con- 

 fine the roots. We have seen the R. maximum growing on the 

 pine barrens in New Jersey, where it would seem that its roots 

 could not procure the least nourishment whatever; still the plants 

 were from six to ten feet high, and every branch terminated 

 with a bud: thus it would appear that they require less nourish- 

 ment for their roots than some would suppose. Whatever may 

 ultimately be found the most successful mode of growing rhodo- 

 dendrons in pots, we must own that we have never seen a plant, 

 of twMce the size of Mr. Mason's, which exhibited such a quan- 

 tity of flowers. 



Among the plants in flower we noticed J5Jrica baccans, arbo- 

 rea and mediterranea. t^cacia longifolia, azaleas. Calceolaria 

 pallida, Jl/imulus Smithw, &c. Virgih'a lutea had been beau- 

 tiful with several racemes of its elegant yellow flowers. Messrs. 

 Mason have a good stock of purple and white azaleas, roses, in- 

 cluding the Lamarque and other fine ones, and an abundance of 

 the more common plants. The house is kept rather cool, so as 

 not to excite the vines, which are of more importance than the 

 plants. The wood is large and well ripened, and a fine crop is 

 anticipated. In the peach-house, in the rear of the green-house, 

 the trees began to swell their buds during the warm weather of 

 January. 



Hawthorn Grove, Mr. Wilder^ s. — Since the fall of 1836 we 

 have not had an opportunity of visiting the fine collection of 

 plants here but once; this was in the succeeding spring, but we 

 had no time to enumerate any thing except the camellias which 

 would then bloom, and of which a list was given in vol. Ill, 

 p. 68. 



Since our last visit ^Iv. Wilder has made some alteration in 

 the internal arrangement of the house. In the camellia compart- 

 ment, between the stove and green-house, the back stage has 

 been entirely removed, and a border substituted, on which the 



