Domestic Notices : — England. 347 



the gulf between the squire and the labourer is as that between Dives and 

 Lazarus. "We wish we could see every country gentleman holding the plough, 

 sowing his own grass seeds, and pruning his own trees. We are convinced 

 that this would add much to his health, happiness, and usefulness. 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Domestic Notices. 



ENGLAND. 



Dl' PL ACUS puniceus (Boi. Mag. 3655.) and Petrea volubilis (JBot. Mag. 628.). 

 — Both these plants are now finely in flower here. Petrera volubilis is an old 

 stove plant, the racemes of which are exquisitely beautiful. Indeed, I do not 

 know a more gracefid stove climber than this. It is not so gaudy as Ipomoe x a 

 Horsfallra?, but fully as desirable. The clusters of flowers are in the way of 

 those of Wistaria sinensis, and something of that colour, but the flowers are 

 didynamous ( Ferbenaceae). The starry calyx of each floret is longer than the 

 petals ; they are of a beautiful light or greyish blue, while the petals in the 

 centre are of the most intense blue, with a small delicate white blotch at the 

 base of the lower petal. They are produced on spurs of last season's growth, 

 and the plant ought to be pruned like a grape-vine, in order to get these spurs 

 distributed all over the plant. This delightful climber ought to be refigured in 

 our modern works, in order to bring such a floral treat more prominently 

 before the public. Compared with it, Wistaria sinensis is absolutely coarse. 



The Diplacus puniceus Mill prove a " nice morceau" to afford a contrast 

 by the deep scarlet tint of its blossoms. From the contrast these afford to 

 the orange tint of Diplacus glutinosus (formerly .Mimulus glutinosus), the 

 hybrids raised from these plants may reasonably be expected to partake of the 

 glowing tints of their parents, and to emulate in beauty those which have 

 already been obtained between Azalea coccinea and A. pontica, which are of the 

 same colours. Besides, the poor old .Mimulus glutinosus has been almost 

 neglected, because it refused to mix with its congeners, the herbaceous mimu- 

 luses ; yet, when well grown, it is a very desirable plant, and I hope more 

 attention will be paid to it, now that we have procured, through the exertions 

 of our spirited nurseryman, a fit partner to it ; and that the shrubby mimuluses 

 will soon be as fashionable as the herbaceous ones. How far botanists are 

 consistent in naming these species of -Mimulus a separate genus is not for me 

 to sajr, seeing that the genus is as good as many genera that we already pos- 

 sess ; and it is of little use to trouble our heads with such nice distinctions, 

 provided we get really good flowering plants, like the one now under consider- 

 ation. I ought to add that Mr. Low's collectors procured twenty-five fine 

 plants of the Diplacus puniceus in North America, but on the arrival of the 

 box in November, 1837, it was found that every one of them had died on the 

 passage. Mr. Low, however, succeeded in introducing it last season, and from 

 him I obtained my plants. I believe it is in some other nurseries by this time ; 

 at any rate it must find its way soon into every nursery and garden. — D. Beaton. 

 Kingsbury Gardens, May 13. 1839. 



We observed at Mr. Low's nursery, on the 5th inst., one of the imported 

 plants of Diplacus puniceus forming a very handsome shrub upwards of 4> ft. 

 in height. — Cond. 



Kew Gardens, May 3. — We scarcely ever recollect to have seen these gar- 

 dens in better order, chiefly owing to the backwardness of the spring, and the 

 dryness of the weather, which allowed the work of stirring and dressing the 

 surface to be brought forward, while the growth of the plants and weeds was 

 comparatively stationary. Though a great number of the half-hardy articles 

 trained against the walls have been killed, yet the vacant spaces have been 

 replanted, partly last year and partly during the present season, with other half- 



