Kingsbuty, near Edgeiioare. 235 



lection of this popular shrub, many are annually to be found 

 with few or no blossom buds, especially when young, and in a 

 vigorous state of health. These are selected here, and put in 

 among the stove plants early in March : their new growth is 

 finished in six weeks ; and, by the end of May, they have set 

 their blossom buds. These plants are kept in doors all the 

 sunnner, and come into flower in October and November ; thus 

 keeping up a constant bloom for six months. They are found 

 to be as accommodating in the stove as ferns, living and thriving 

 well under the shade of other plants ; and, like the vine, and 

 some other excitable plants, they are found to vegetate early 

 next season. 



" The old white camellia, the fimbriata. Lady Hume's, and 

 imbricata, are well known to be the finest-shaped flowers in this 

 genus, which is now composed of nearly 400 varieties and 

 species. Of all the new varieties. Mi'. Beaton thinks the im- 

 bricata alba is the most perfect flower ; he even says that it is 

 often more perfect than the double white, with occasional broad 

 stripes of red in some of the petals, like a fine carnation. The 

 King is a variety much praised lately ; it is in the shape of 

 pseonice/tbra alba, and mottled like Gray's Invincible ; and, in 

 the opinion of Mr. Beaton, only a third-rate flower. Trium- 

 phans is a noble flower, bursting out in the centre like the old 

 cabbage rose, and something near the same colour, with pure 

 white blotches. This variety, like WoodszV and a few others, 

 requires more heat to expand its blossoms than is usually safe 

 for the others ; and it ought to be kept in the warmest end 

 of the house. Donklaer? and tricolor are great favourites 

 here : several plants of each of them are now finely in bloom, 

 with many others of the newer sorts. 



" The corraeas, which are great favourites with Mr. Harris, 

 are in bloom from September to June, by being forced at dif- 

 ferent times to make their young growth in the same way as the 

 camellias; and the Chinese azaleas are just ready to expand their 

 flowers under similar treatment. 



"One feature in the management of the climbers for the con- 

 servatory deserves particular notice. The orchidaceous house is 

 at the back of the conservatory. The Combretum purpureum, 

 one of the very finest of stove climbers, and others, are planted 

 out in the borders of the orchidaceous house, and in the summer 

 time their shoots are introduced into the conservatory through 

 holes in the top of the back wall, and trained over the rafters, 

 where they flower all the summer, and are pruned close and 

 taken back into the orchidaceous house for the winter. Mr. 

 Herbert wrote to Mr. Beaton lately, to say that he adopted 

 this system at SpofForth with complete success, and that he kept 

 the top of the Combretum purpureum in the conservatory last 



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