236 Select Suburban Residences. 



winter, and, though very near the glass, it was not in the least 

 hurt by the frost. Beaumontm grandiflora, treated in this way 

 at Kingsbury, looks now as well as if it were in the hottest 

 stove ; and Mr. Beaton thinks this long rest may induce it to 

 flower next summer. It is well known to be one of the most 

 difficult plants to flower. If this experiment does not succeed, 

 Mr. Beaton intends to take it back to the stove for the growing 

 season the following summer, and, after making its growth, he 

 will introduce it again to the conservatory to winter. If this 

 should fail, he will cut it away altogether. Mr. Beaton thinks 

 all the stove passion-flowers might be flowered in the conserva- 

 tory or green-house on the same principle ; but the beautiful 

 P. kermesina, for this purpose, and indeed for all purposes, 

 ought to be inarched on some of the stronger-growing kinds. 

 It would even be worth while to inarch it on any hardy passion- 

 flower already in the conservatory, the head being introduced 

 into the stove for the winter. A plant of this species grafted iu 

 one of the stoves on the P. alata covers many square yards, and 

 has not been without blossoms for the last eighteen months ; 

 and in summer this plant is covered with hundreds of blooms at 

 a time. Mr. Beaton thinks Bignon/a venusta would do admir- 

 ably treated in this manner ; and regrets that this, and such 

 plants as Allamand« cathartica, the petreas, Co'mbretum pur- 

 pureum, and such like old substantial good climbers, should be 

 so much neglected, to make room for others which have only 

 novelty to recommend them. He also regrets the present rage 

 for collections, when selections would answer all the purposes of 

 private collectors so much better. But to return to climbers : 

 the half-hard}', or conservatory, climbers are here treated on the 

 same principle as the stove ones. These are planted out, as all 

 climbers ought to be, in the front border of the conservatory ; 

 and, about the end of May, ai'e taken outside through a pane of 

 glass in the bottom of the roof- sashes, and trained outside for 

 four or five months, to make room for the introduction of the 

 stove climbers. They are close pruned in October or Novem- 

 ber, and taken back to the conservatory for wintering. Tacsbnia 

 pinnatistipula, one of the very best conservatory climbers, treated 

 in this manner, covers a great space in a short time, flowers 

 abundantly in the open air from July till Christmas, and stands 

 ten degrees of frost without any injury. Mr. Beaton calls this 

 plant one of Sweet's fanciful genera, which, he says, are only 

 genera by name, not by nature. 



" If Mr. Beaton were compelled to grow only three kinds of 

 conservatory climbers, the Tacsbnia would be the first he would 

 choose ; and yet it is hardly to be seen anywhere. 



"The new Wistarm from Moreton Bay, of which Mr. Beaton 

 gave an account in the preceding Volume (p. 400.), is growing 



