SUBTROPICAL PLANTS POR THE FLOWER GARDEN. 195 



The Dkacjenas. — Long as this noble family has been 

 known in our gardens, we have yet to learn a great deal 

 about its use and beauty. Hitherto only allowed to grace 

 a stove or conservatory now and then, Dracaenas in future 

 will be among the most indispensable ornaments of eveiy 

 garden where grace or variety is sought. They are among 

 the very best of those subjects which may be brought from 

 the conservatory or greenhouses in early summer, and placed 

 in the flower garden till it is time to take them in again to 

 the houses, where we protect them through the winter. 

 And if it were not necessary to protect them through the 

 winter it would be almost worth our while to bring them 

 indoors at that season, so graceful are they, and so useful 

 for adding the highest character to our conservatories. One 

 well filled with such plants presents a very different ap- 

 pearance to most English plant-houses in winter. The 

 hardier and most coriaceous kinds, like indivisa and Draco, 

 may be placed out with impunity very far north. The 

 brightly coloured kinds, like terminalis, have been tried in 

 the open air at Battersea, but not with success. It would 

 be dangerous to try them in the open air much farther 

 north, except in very favourable spots. The better kinds 

 are indicated in the select list of subtropical plants. I 

 have seen D. indivisa grow well in the open air in the south 

 of England. It has been many years out at Bicton. 



Echeveria metallica. — This is scarcely elevated enough 

 to be suitable for association with such plants as the fore- 

 going, but it is so very distinct in aspect, and has been 

 proved to grow so well in the open air during several 

 unfavourable seasons, that we must not pass it by. I pur- 

 posely exclude from this selection many things sometimes 

 included in lists of " subtropical " plants, but which may 

 be classed most properly with bedding subjects. But this, 

 although not very large, forms an agreeable and distinct 

 object, and is very well calculated for producing a striking 

 effect among dwarf bedding and edging plants. It should, 

 however, be placed singly, and among very dwarf things, 

 such as Sedum, Sempervivum, and its dwarf relative 

 E. secunda. It may be propagated by the leaves or by 



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