THE ESCALL0N1A MACRANTHA. 113 



Some put this plant down as growing two feet or 

 so ; but I have found it difficult to keep it so dwarfed. 

 Even in a pot it will grow three feet easily ; but if it 

 is planted in a compost of equal parts of maiden loam 

 and good peat, at the foot of a pillar or the conserva- 

 tory wall, it may be trained to almost any reasonable 

 height by degrees, by growing it freely and inducing 

 it to give laterals, which will produce the flowers. 



It is a woody-growing plant, and if well managed 

 by shortening the laterals moderately after the flower- 

 ing is over, it will continue for years as a good orna- 

 ment for a conservatory, making a fine display of its 

 beautiful light blue heads of flower, which will con- 

 tinue for a long time. It is the best of this genus, 

 and is not difficult to grow. 



The Ipomcea Leae.ii, Etc. 



I. Learn, reddish purple ; I. Horsfallice, rosy purple ; 

 both of which are rapid-growing climbers fit for the 

 roofs of conservatories. They are generally classed as 

 stove plants, but I have grown Learii in a common 

 greenhouse. They should be trained a foot or more 

 from the glass, where they will make a most splendid 

 display. It is necessary to keep them constantly cut 

 back, as they run to growth towards the extremities. 



The Escallonia Macrantha. 



This is not really a climber, but a fast-growing 

 plant that may be advantageously utilised as one. 

 I have written on this in another part of this work, 

 treating it as a shrub ; but as a beautiful evergreen 

 flowering plant for nailing on walls or training on 

 trellis- work it has no equal. 



It is necessary to train out the leaders first, and then 

 to lay in the laterals, filling up the spaces between 

 them so as to completely cover the wall or trellis, 

 which it is easy to do. It will be necessary in the 

 spring of every year, in the month of March or April, 



