130 FLOWEES A^D THE FLO^E GAEDE^'. 



plant, fit to grow in pots, or on rockwork. Clieirantlius 

 rnutahilis requires a hot-house. Wallflowers grow veiy 

 readily from seed. 



The Cistus. or EockEose, is very pretty, grows freely 

 in a mixture of loam and peat, and is easy to increase 

 by cuttings, under a hand glass, by layers, or from seed. 

 Many kinds, of low gi'owth, do nicely for rockwork, but 

 these are only half hardy, and will requne a little pro- 

 tection during severe winters. In case some may die it 

 is a good plan to take some cuttings of these, and keep 

 them in a cold pit. The Gum Cistus grows four feet 

 high, and produces its pretty white or spotted flowers 

 in June. The purple flowered is another pretty kind, 

 of medium height. 



The Hydrangea is a handsome plant, from its bold 

 foliage, bushy growth, and large balls of delicate coloured 

 flowers of the palest tint of pink or blue. The blue 

 flowers are a sport, and when a plant bearing them is 

 moved to a new locality it will often fly back to pink. 

 Hydrangeas are very handsome and ornamental in pots, 

 and out of doors they will stand om- winters in very 

 w^arm sheltered spots : but when less favourably placed 

 they must be protected. They like moist sheltered 

 places, and do not mind the dvip of trees if the situaiion 

 be warm. If the roots be protected with manm-e, the 

 plants may be cut back to them, and will shoot out 

 again and bloom late. They may be propagated at 

 almost any time by cuttings of the young side shoots 

 two or three inches long, in sandy earth with a Httle 

 heat. The old stems strike anywhere, but take more 

 time. It is said the loam of Kenwood, Hamp stead 

 Heath, Stanmore Heath, the peat of Wimbledon, and 

 from some of the bogs near Edinburgh, produce the 

 beautiful tender blue flowers, and I have known them 

 do well in earth almost entirely composed of leaf-mould. 

 Watering with water impregnated with alum, steel- 

 filings, sheep-manure, wood-ashes, peat-ashes, nitre, cai'- 

 bonate of soda, common salt, and tan, have all been tried 

 with more or less success. The plants should be cut 

 back when they have done flowering. 



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