114 POT-POURRI FROM A SURREY GARDEN 



satisfactory than the old-fashioned Calceolaria amplexi- 

 camlis. It does not grow to any perfection in the beds, 

 the soil being too dry ; but, potted, it makes a splendid 

 show through the late suramer and autumn months. A 

 red-brown kind, little grown now, which I brought from 

 Ireland, and which I cannot name, also succeeds very 

 well. They both want potting-up in good soU in April. 

 The shrubby Veronicas {Speciosa rubra, Invperialis, and 

 the variegated Andersoni) I grow in pots because they 

 flower beautifully in the autumn ; and the drowsy bumble- 

 bees love to lie on them, in the sunshine, when the 

 Sedum spectabile is passing away. They are not quite 

 hardy with us, as they cannot withstand the long, dry, cold 

 springs. This in itself justifies the grovdng them in 

 pots ; in mild, damp districts they are large shrubs. The 

 small bushy Michaelmas Daisies we put into pots at the 

 end of July, and they fiU up blank spaces on the wall 

 late in the year. 



The blue Cape Agapanthus everybody grows in tubs. 

 They have to be rather pot-bound and kept dry in the 

 winter, to flower well ; as the flower-buds form, they want 

 to be weU watered and a weekly dose of liquid manure. 

 Hydrangeas I find difficult to grow when planted out. 

 The common kinds do exceedingly well in tubs, in half- 

 shady places, if they get a good deal of water. A varie- 

 gated half-hardy shrub called Procosma variegata makes 

 a showy and yet restrained pot-plant. Large standard 

 Myrtles I have had covered with blooms in August in 

 tubs. My large old plant, which I had had many years, 

 was killed this spring by being turned out of the room it 

 had wintered in too early, because we came from London 

 sooner than usual. The great difficulty in small places 

 is housing these large plants in winter. They do not 

 want much protection, but they must have some ; and the 

 death of large old plants is grievous. We have just built 



