Violets. 155 



was introduced half a century ago, but has recently been prominently 

 brought into notice. 



T. coccinea, sometimes called Hexacentris, is a greenhouse-climber with 

 elegant scarlet flowers, but is very difficult to bloom. If planted out, it 

 would cover a large greenhouse, and never give a flower; but, if root-bound 

 in a pot, it will sometimes well repay cultivation. 



T. grandiflora is an elegant species, with very large lovely blue flowers. 

 It requires the same treatment as 2\ coccinea. 



There are other species, of which we may mention T. cordata with white, 

 and T. chrysops with violet-blue flowers, requiring similar treatment. 



These last-mentioned species are by no means as liable to attacks of red 

 spider as the varieties of T. alata. 



There is a fine stove evergreen climber, Hexacentris Mysorensis, a native 

 of Mysore, nearly allied to Thunbergia. It is easily grown in peaty loam 

 ill moist stove-temperature : the flowers are yellow in pendulous racemes ; 

 and there is a variety with crimson border. This plant is figured in Hook- 

 er's "Exotic Flora," t. 195. 



While we advise all our readers to grow Thimbergia alata and its varie- 

 ties as garden annuals during the next season, we trust amateurs may be 

 led to grow in their hot-houses the rarer and more beautiful species which 

 will well reward any requisite care. 



Seeds of T. alata may be purchased of any seedsman. 



Glen Ridge, August, 1867. -^- •->• -t^-i jU^. 



VIOLETS. 



To sing the praises of the violets worthily, one must be sure that there 

 are ears to hear. To read all the pleasant things that have been said of 

 them, one might think they had been beloved from the beginning, so thickly 

 with " pale violets," " meek violets," " violets pied and purple and blue," 

 the fields of literature are strewn. No cottage-garden is complete without 

 its clump of heart's-ease by the door-step ; and who so hard-hearted as not 

 to return the pansy's innocent look of satisfaction ? Like the faces of little 



