234 Influence of the Winter of 1837-8 at Glazenisoood. 



other grounds in the neighbourhood of London ; for, whilst I 

 have only to complain of losing such plants as Araucaria brasili- 

 £nsis, 9 ft. high, established several years, and many doubtful 

 kinds of Eucalypti, Metrosideros, Leptospermum, Bae'ckza, &c, 

 still I did not suffer in many things which, in the neighbourhood 

 of London, were either totally killed or cut down to the surface 

 of the ground. With me, not only the ^Trbutus was uninjured, 

 but the fruit is now (January 10. 1839) red on the trees; sweet 

 bays, almost uninjured in their foliage ; camellias, quite uninjured, 

 as are the Thea viridis and the Arbutus ^ndrachne. Of the 

 latter, a large bush, 8 ft. high, in a very exposed place, suffered 

 very little indeed. But I was more surprised at finding the 

 hardiness of the Azalea Zedifolia and A. phcenicea, also of the 

 pale purple kinds, all of which stood well ; and the white one 

 was covered with blossom, although unprotected, and was much 

 finer than those I wintered in the green-house. I am delighted 

 with these plants, and will cultivate them extensively. I did not 

 happen to have the Azalea sinense exposed ; but, under a hard- 

 frozen frame, it was uninjured. You seem, in your general 

 summary (Vol. XIV. p. 54?5.), to speak of injury to the Rhodo- 

 dendron p6nticum. I cannot trace a leaf that has suffered of 

 that, or of R. maximum, R. catawbiense, or R. caucasicum : but 

 R. arboreum suffered much ; and the hybridised varieties have 

 also suffered in their foliage and blossom buds, although they 

 did not in their wood. I consider R. arboreum a conservatory 

 plant, quite as much so as the camellia, and it will seldom be 

 seen to flower well in the open ground ; for, if the leaves are not 

 much injured, the flower-buds get killed. Z/igustrum lucidum 

 was killed down to the ground, but has shot up vigorously again. 

 The Laurustinus was scarcely injured. Cunningham/a lanceo- 

 lata was rendered rather rusty in its branches; but its head, 8 ft. 

 high and unprotected, is uninjured. Amongst roses there was 

 much mischief done, principally amongst the thes or odoratas, 

 grevilleas, banksias, and some of the varieties of Rosa indica. I 

 never had Rosa. Banks?^ killed before ; but I had last winter one 

 killed as thick in its stem as my arm, and 30 ft. high ; but, perhaps, 

 that was partly owing to its extended growth, as I have plants 

 of both the white and yellow as thick in their stems, and more 

 than 20 ft. high, very healthy. Amongst standard roses, I observe 

 that a great many which were moved in the months of Octo- 

 ber and November survived ; whilst those unmoved, of the same 

 kinds, perished, from the fulness of their sap vessels, I suspect : 

 but the death of the rose stocks to so great an extent I cannot 

 account for. I lost some thousands, and I suspect many of the 

 heads that died arose from this cause. My son, who saw the 

 nurseries in Germany, told me there was a great loss of stocks 

 and roses from the same cause there. 



