394 MORE POT-POURRI 



is given in mid-winter. Early in March we place them 

 in seven- or eight-inch pots, and stand in the open or on 

 ashes to keep out the worms, potting in a good soil with 

 a little manure, but as firm as possible, and they then 

 flower the end of July or early in August. 



'The flowers are purer in colour if they are placed 

 under glass when opening. We do not grow any plants 

 over sixteen or seventeen months. I would advise sow- 

 ing in March for flowering in following August twelve- 

 month. Ours is a very fine strain the Syon House 

 variety and a compact grower. I do not plant out at 

 all for conservatory decoration. By planting out and 

 lifting in spring you would get larger plants.' 



I am quite sure these flowers can never be seen in any- 

 thing like perfection except grown under glass when the 

 flower is appearing. 



Not the least interesting sight was the variety in 

 shades of blue some very soft and delicate-looking, 

 almost gray ; some a good china-blue. There were many 

 more of the white ones, and I find them rather easier to 

 grow. 



Another way of growing the C. pyramidalis, especially 

 any good colour you want to preserve, is to cut up the 

 roots and re-pot small pieces. I do not think the plants 

 will be as strong as those grown from seed, but it is less 

 trouble. 



I was pleased the other day to read in the papers that 

 the old Chelsea Physic Garden has been saved from being 

 built over by the London Parochial Charities. The 

 garden was presented by Sir Hans Sloane to the Society 

 of Apothecaries, on condition that fifty new varieties of 

 plants should be grown in it and annually furnished to 

 the Eoyal Society till the number amounted to two 

 thousand. These gardens and the Botanic Gardens at 

 Oxford are the oldest of the kind in England. The land 



