The Greenhouse and Conservatory in Summer. 265 



grandiflora, rosea, hirsuta, coccinea, pedunculata, oblonga, 

 (Niphoe^a oblonga,) picta, and patens, the last one yet very- 

 rare : picta is, perhaps, the most attractive of the whole, as its 

 flowers are not only very splendid, but the leaves are of a 

 very velvety texture, and richly marked with dark-colored 

 bands, presenting a fine contrast with the yellow and scarlet 

 spotted flowers. They commence flowering in April, and con- 

 tinue till October ; of the easiest cultivation in very light soil, 

 composed of leaf mould and heath soil. Three or more plants, 

 placed in a small pan ten or twelve inches wide, make a fine 

 show when in full bloom. 



GLOXINIAS. 



"One of the principal ornaments of our greenhouses," says 

 a Belgian writer, in describing a new variety of this tribe, 

 '•during the summer season, is the gloxinia in all its delight- 

 ful species and hybrid varieties, whose brilliant flowers are 

 admired for a long space of time, and among which are 

 blue, violet, white, and rose, with their rich and velvety 

 tints, and shining with a lustre inimitable. What would 

 be our greenhouses without this plant? Grouped together 

 in quantities, and in company with their allies, the achi- 

 menes, gesneras, &c., what a variety of form and colors ! 

 What flowers ! What a splendid sight !" To any one who 

 has seen a good collection, well grown, this apparently imag- 

 inative statement does not convey the reality. We may in- 

 deed exclaim. What colors ! — What brilliancy and beauty ! 

 We write after just having seen some magnificent specimens 

 which are already covered with flowers. 



Since the process of hybridization has been applied to this 

 tribe, some remarkably elegant varieties have been produced, 

 the handsomest of which in our collection is the Cartoni, a per- 

 fect gem. In Belgium, some still more striking varieties have 

 been produced, one of which is a deep red with distinct stripes 

 of blue, — a combination of colors rarely seen in flowers. Of 

 the many kinds already introduced, the following are the 

 best: — Rubra, speciosa, alba maxima, macrophy'lla varieg^ta, 

 insignis, bicolor, Cartoni, and Celestial. 



Their cultivation is very simple. The bulbs should be 



VOL. XIII. — NO. VL 25 



