AUGUST 403 



than frost, and very little water is given in midwinter. 

 Early in March we place them in seven- or eight-inch 

 pots, and stand in the open or on ashes to keep out the 

 worms, potting in a good soil with a little manure, but 

 as firm as possible, and they then flower the end of 

 July or early in August. 



' The flowers are purer in colour if they are placed 

 under glass when opening. We do not grow any plants 

 over sixteen or seventeen months. I would advise sow- 

 ing in March for flowering in following August twelve- 

 month. Ours is a very fine strain — the Syon House 

 variety — and a compact grower. I do not plant out at 

 all for conservatory decoration. By planting out and 

 lifting in spring, you would get larger plants.' 



I am quite sure these flowers can never be seen in 

 anything like perfection except grown under glass when 

 the flower is appearing. 



Not the least interesting sight was the variety in 

 shades of blue — some very soft and delicate -looking, 

 almost gray ; some a good china -blue. There were 

 many more of the white ones, and I find them rather 

 easier to grow. 



Another way of growing the G. pyramidalis, espe- 

 cially any good colour you want to preserve, is to cut 

 up the roots and repot small pieces. I do not think 

 the plants will be as strong as those grown from seed, 

 but it is less trouble. 



I was pleased the other day to read in the papers 

 that the old Chelsea Physic Garden has been saved 

 from being built over by the London Parochial Chari- 

 ties. The garden was presented by Sir Hans Sloane to 

 the Society of Apothecaries, on condition that fifty 

 new varieties of plants should be grown in it and 

 annually furnished to the Royal Society till the number 

 amounted to two thousand. These gardens and the 



