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Gardening for Amateurs 



winter. In spring bring the plants in the 

 greenhouse and prune back the small shoots 

 to within a couple of buds of the old stem. 

 The plants may remain in the baskets for 

 several years if given an annual top-dressing 

 of rich soil in spring, and fed later with 

 liquid manure. The varieties are so numer- 

 ous and good that it is difficult to give a 

 limited selection without leaving out some 

 really good sorts. Single varieties to be 

 recommended are : Charming, an old red 

 variety of considerable value for baskets ; 

 Amy Lye, General Roberts, Lady Heytes- 

 bury, Mrs. Rundell, Rose of Castile Improved, 

 Scarcity, Mrs. H. Roberts. Double varieties 



worth naming are : Ballet Girl, Mrs. E. G. 

 Hill, Phenomenal, Rose Phenomenal, and 

 General Sassier. 



Hedera (Ivy). Everyone is. of course, 

 familiar with the Ivy, and a very short 

 description of the best sorts for hanging 

 baskets will suffice. As this is such a good- 

 natured hardy plant, the baskets may be 

 hung in the most exposed and darkest 

 positions of the veranda, porch, or bal- 

 cony. A few of the best small-leaved sorts 

 are : Atropurpurea, dark purplish green ; 

 digitata, finely lobed leaves, green ; emer- 

 ald green, shining green ; nigra, dark green ; 

 argentea marginata, green with silver mar- 



White Begonia Turnford Hall, splendid for cultivation in baskets. 



