GREENHOUSE PLANTS. 261 



shade that I am now unable to cultivate them. Wherever full sun- 

 light can be given, these charming plants should be grown. I know 

 nothing more delightful than a greenhouse or stove pond, where 

 we can be gratified by the observation of many of these aquatic 

 beauties. 



At the end of the orchard-house there is a simple glass shed, where 

 there is abundance of air, and where our conservatory plants blossom 

 in great magnificence. There are no means of warming the structure, 

 but from March till October there is always abundance of blossom. 

 Here the azaleas bloom in all their glory, and very much finer than 

 they do out of doors in Italy. Here, too, the camellias flower, and 

 afterwards the pelargoniums, lilies, and fuchsias. Here, in early 

 spring, a few pot tea-roses gladden us with their welcome blossoms ; 

 we have at most times a blaze of the finest flowers at the minimum 

 of cost, and the flowers are set off with hardy ferns growing in the 

 greatest luxuriance. 



STOVE PLANTS. 



We have not a stove, yet we manage to grow one or two species 

 in the cucumber-house or in the fernery. Torenia asiatica (fig. 534) is 

 a favourite flower of mine. It requires careful treatment, especially 

 in winter, when it likes 

 light and dryness, but 

 when growing it requires 

 more moisture. It has 

 several times died out 

 with me, but as it grows 

 freely from cuttings, I 



have SOOn replaced it by FIG. 534. Torenia asiatica. FIG. 535. Tradescantia discolor. 



others received from a friend. 



Tradescantia discolor (fig. 535) is a common plant, growing as freely 

 as a weed. It, however, has one of the most beautiful of all leaves, 

 glistening like glass. It flourishes in the fernery, and is perhaps second 



