September 19, 1872, ] 



JOUENAL OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



23,1 



raven being repeated, shields of different shapes hearing the 

 family arms are used. This wing was completed under Hard- 

 wick of London. The rest of the building was chiefly designed 

 by the late Mr. Pugin. 



The hall door is a massive piece of work in a recessed porch, 

 with groined roof, the ribs springing from shields showing the 



alliances of the last four generations of the Quins and the 

 Wyndhams. Over the hall door is the large bay window of 

 the west end of the picture gallery. This window and the arch 

 of the entrance door is between two octagon towers with 

 battlements. The stone in these towers is prettily contrasted ; 

 the quoins are of grey, and the centres of black stones. 



BROMELIACEOUS PLANTS.— No. 3. 



iECHMEAS. 



This genus contains some very beautiful stove ornaments, 

 which deserve to be more grown than they are. One of the 

 causes which have brought them into bad repute with many 

 may be non-suita- 

 bility for exhibition. 

 Although no one can 

 be fonder than my- 

 self of growing spe- 

 cimen plants, or of 

 seeing grand plants 

 staged at a public 

 exhibition, I should 

 consider it one of the 

 greatest mistakes for 

 anyone to grow no- 

 thing else but a few 

 large plants for that 

 purpose alone — it 

 certainly is not the 

 way to enjoy a gar- 

 den, or the number- 

 less beautiful forms 

 to be found in the 

 vegetable kingdom. 



jEcHMEA MaRXZE- 



Eegin;e. — The plant 

 to which I now de- 

 sire to call attention 

 is one of the very 

 finest, if not really 

 the finest member of 

 the order which has 

 yet been introduced 

 to Europe, and is 

 a native of Costa 

 Eica, whence it was 

 brought by my es- 

 teemed friend Mr. 

 H. Wendland. It 

 has only flowered 

 once in this country, 

 and that was in the 

 establishment of Mr. 

 B. S. Williams, of 

 the Victoria Nursery, 

 Upper Holloway, to 

 whose courtesy your 

 readers are indebted 

 for the illustration 

 given, but which is 

 necessarily much re- 

 duced in size. The 

 plant is of robust 

 habit, and when well 

 grown is very orna- 

 mental, even when 

 not in flower. The 

 leaves are arranged 

 in a vase-like man- 

 ner, recurved to- 

 wards the upper part, and measure from 12 to 18 inches in 

 length ; they are armed at the edges with sharp teeth-like 

 spines ; in colour they are dark green on the upper side, but 

 somewhat paler below. The flower-spike rises erect from the 

 centre of the vase-like plant, and is about the same length 

 as the leaves, the lower portion being clothed with large, 



iEcbjnea Marke-Regime 



ever, of only secondary importance, but which, nevertheless, 

 afford a nice contrast to the bracts. They are tipped with 

 blue in the young state, but change to pale rose withjage. 



The cultivation of 

 this plant, like that 

 of the majority of its 

 race, is extremely 

 simple, the first and 

 most essential point 

 in its culture being 

 the keeping of the 

 crown well supplied 

 with water, for in 

 this lie the life and 

 vigour of the plant. 

 The pots should be 

 well drained, for in 

 a state of nature the 

 plants are epiphytal, 

 growing in the forks, 

 and upon the branch- 

 es of trees in the so- 

 ciety of Orchids and 

 simDar plants. The 

 soil should be a mix- 

 ture of about two 

 parts peat, one of leaf 

 mould, and one of 

 loam, with the addi- 

 tion of a little sand. 

 In watering, I al- 

 ways pour the water 

 into the crown of 

 the plant, allowing 

 it to trickle between 

 the leaves into the 

 pot, and it should be 

 grown in a good 

 stove heat. 



iEcHMEA. DISCOLOR. 



— This is a fine old 

 species, although not 

 so robust or showy 

 as that previously 

 described ; yet it is 

 well deserving of ge- 

 neral culture on ac- 

 count of its brilliant 

 flowers, which are 

 produced during July 

 and August, and re- 

 tain their full beauty 

 for a considerable 

 time. The leaves are 

 broad, recurved to- 

 wards the ends, de- 

 stitute of spines at 

 the edges, dark green 

 on the upper side, 

 and stained with red- 

 dish purple below. The panicle is branched, 'longer than 

 the leaves, and coral red; the flowers, which are naked, are 

 deep bright red tipped with blue, affording an elegant and 

 pleasing contrast. It is a most desirable plant, and of the 

 most easy culture to those having a stove. 



.ZEchmea Weilbachii. — Leaves broad, strap-shaped, like the 



rest of the species sheathing at the base. The panicles are of 



as the leaves and branched, clothed 



oblong, boat-shaped bracts, of a most pleasing rich magenta 



shaded with rose (a colour so charming and so rare amongst i about the same length 



flowers and plants), and which retain their full beauty for fully j with bright scarlet bracts, whilst the flowers are deep blue and 



two months. The upper portion of the scape, as the illus- \ pink. It is a very handsome plant, a native of Brazil. 



tration shows, is densely clothed with flowers, which are, how- j iEcHMEA dist'chantha. — This is another superb plant from 



