86 THE UNHEATED GREENHOUSE 



large basket hanging in the Himalayan House at Kew attracts 

 much attention as well as admiration during its season. 

 Success depends upon the grafting of the delicate C. Dampieri 

 upon a more robust stock, either C. puniceus or, preferably, 

 upon the nearly allied Colutea arborescens, a perfectly hardy 

 shrub, more common abroad than in English gardens. The 

 result of this grafting is to change the intractable C. Dampieri 

 into a sturdy and easily managed plant, peculiarly well suited 

 to the unheated greenhouse, as in a cool temperature it flowers 

 for a length of time during the early months of the year. An 

 account of a most resourceful method, adopted in some Conti- 

 nental gardens, has been published, and deserves to be quoted. 



Seed of both stock and scion are sown in February ; when 

 the cotyledons of the young plants are sufficiently developed 

 to handle, the terminal bud of the stock is removed, and that 

 of C. Dampieri the scion is inserted instead. The union 

 is not hard to effect under a bell-glass, but it is, necessarily, a 

 delicate operation. The after-culture is similar to that of other 

 plants of like nature. The pot or basket in which this fine 

 species is grown must be well drained, however, and more 

 than usual care is needed in watering, as it is stated that the 

 foliage must not be wetted. Probably, also, as in the case of 

 C. puniceus, the less the knife is used the better. This plan 

 of growing C. Dampieri is worth attention, and I give it here, 

 though I have not yet had an opportunity of testing it myself, 

 as any gardener, amateur or otherwise, might be proud of 

 rearing and flowering a good specimen of so grand a plant. 

 It is not impossible that many cases of failure may have been 

 due to over-kindness in the way of coddling, as the other species 

 does so well in the open air in a genial climate. 



To come to hard-wooded plants, more strictly speaking, 

 some of the Heaths, such as Erica hyemalis, the later-flowering 

 but fine and distinct E. propendens, and others, Correa 

 bicolor and C. cardinalis, Bauera rubioides, Epacris miniata 



