GREEN-HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. 



991 



give a denser and more natural appearance to the whole ; and, 

 in addition, exotic herbaceous plants, ferns, and bulbs, may 

 be planted, which, with the occasional addition of a little 

 moss, will hide one of the greatest deformities in our conser- 

 vatories as they are at present planted, namely, the naked 

 borders, which, in however good condition they may be kept, 

 have always an unnatural appearance. A few plants of Lyco- 

 podium deiiticulatum will soon run over a considerably-sized 

 border, and may, with very little trouble, be kept healthy and 

 green. Other species, natives of our own woods, will prosper 

 equally well ; of these, the beautiful Hypnum Proliferum and 

 Splendens may be named, intermixed with Cenomyce rangi- 

 ferina, C. pyxidata, C. coccifera, &c. It has been advanced 

 by some cultivators, that covering the surface in this way is 

 injurious to the other plants, but this opinion appears to have 

 been offered without a practical knowledge of the contrary ; 

 and as it is in imitation of nature, we cannot see how any 

 reasonable objection to it can be maintained. We have had 

 plants of the most choice, expensive, and delicate descrip- 

 tions so treated, and never found any of them to be injured in 

 the slightest degree. Some difficulty indeed presents itself for 

 the proper selection of conservatory plants, and to obviate which, 

 we will give in our Syste?natic Catalogue a list of plants suit- 

 able for this purpose, which may be considered sufficiently 

 copious for general purposes. Those who plant with a view 

 only of novelty, may be considered sufficiently acquainted with 

 the subject as not to require any direction from a work pro- 

 fessedly practical. It may not, however, be unacceptable to 

 the planter of more humble attainments, if we here offer a 

 few remarks on the sort of selection proper for conservatories 

 in general. The two great general divisions of plants at pre- 

 sent cultivated in these structures, are denominated, though 

 vaguely, Cape and Botany-Bay plants, although many natives 

 of other countries, particularly those of China and Japan 

 are also admitted, and amongst them some of the greatest 

 beauty and splendor. Cape plants in general are less robust 

 in character, although equal to the others in the splendor of 

 their blossoms : of these, a few very numerous but at the 



