72 



THE GARDENER. 



[jAN. 



which excites to vegetation, ought at that time to be 

 diminished, for though vegetation will go on at night 

 under the influence of warm moisture, plants thus 

 growing do not acquire any actual increase of sub- 

 stance, but are drawn out like a thread of metal to 

 more tenuity at the loss of strength and body.* 



Greenhouse^ Pits^ and Frames, — The temperature 

 of these should be about 45^, and in order to maintain 

 this, matting must be occasionally laid over the frames. 

 The Camellia, Epacris, and some of the Ericas, are 

 among the most striking flowers at this season. The 

 former will grow and flower in a mild part of our coun- 

 try, in the open air, if protected by a screen of matting 

 during frost ; its flowers, however, do not open well 

 if they appear before the beginning of April in the open 

 garden, and they are liable to injury from frost. The 

 Camellia is so fine a flower, and so precious from flow- 

 ering at this season, that it well deserves the best 

 place in the greenhouse and your attention to keep up 

 successions for spring bloom, which you can do by 

 gradually changing the plants from colder to v/armer 

 temperatures. 



It may be necessary to shift the plants that have 

 done flowering, if the roots have grown so freely as to 

 require more room ; but as changing them disturbs the 

 functions of the roots, the true season for doing this is 

 in August, when the Camellia closes its period of ve- 

 getation. If the shifting be postponed until October, 

 the roots will then be in activity. 



You may now have in bloom some of the Rose tribe, 

 the Euphorbia splendens, Eranthemum, Fuchsia, that 

 brilliant beauty the Euphorbia Jacquiniflora, and many 

 of the tropical Orchidaceous plants, of which there is 

 such a number of varieties. These indeed require, if 



* Bear in mind, that all greenhouse plants, properly so called, 

 may be kept equally well und©v the common garden frames. 



