LECTURE ON SPRING FLOWERS. 341 



open ground, receiving as protection in winter nothing but 

 a slight thatch of reeds. I have seen it in this country 

 thriving well trained against a wall, but it is more satis- 

 factory to grow it under glass in the temperature of a cool 

 greenhouse. It may be planted out there or grown in 

 pots. The soil should be composed of equal portions of 

 rich loam and sandy peat. Weak liquid manure is an 

 excellent stimulus during the season of growth and flower- 

 ing, enriching the colour of the leaves, and increasing the 

 size and beauty of the flowers. Whether planted out or 

 grown in pots, a little warmth, a moist atmosphere, and 

 plenty of moisture at the root are desirable during the 

 season of growth. This period over, abundance of air 

 should be given, or better, the plants if in pots should be 

 re-potted and placed out-of-doors on the north side of a 

 hedge or wall where the morning sun only can reach them. 

 On the approach of autumn (September) the plants should 

 be reconveyed to the greenhouse. The most vigorous and 

 healthful Camellias I ever saw were in the gardens of 

 Oulton Park, when under the care of the late Mr 

 Errington, who informed me that he watered the plants 

 half the year with guano water. The flowers and leaves 

 were of prodigious size and substance, and the latter as 

 dark in colour as those of the Portugal Laurel. 



I shall never forget the impressions I received from a 

 visit to the Messrs Loddiges' Camellias at Hackney some 

 twenty years ago. I am almost afraid to say what I 

 believe, that some of the plants were 30 or 40 feet high, 

 the branches thickly interwoven and bending beneath the 

 weight of thousands of gorgeous blossoms. The ground 

 beneath was thickly strewed with the fallen flowers, pro- 

 ducing a complete carpet of richly variegated colours. 

 Blackbirds, thrushes, and other song birds built their nests 

 among the branches, flitting hither and thither, delighting 

 the ear with their varied melodies, the scene reminding 

 one of the grandeur and beauty of a tropical forest. 



The Indian Azalea is another spring-flowering plant of 



