3Iay.'] HOT-HOUSE — of repotting, etc. 



173 



T. coccineaj red; T. grandijibra^ blue; T. frdgrans^ white 

 sweet-scented ; T. alcita has pretty buff and purple flowers, 

 which are in great profusion. If sown in May, they will 

 bloom from J uly until killed by frost. T. chrysopsy beauti- 

 ful blue, with a dark brown eye, a plant of dwarf habit re- 

 quiring partial shade. This makes a very pretty annual in 

 the flower garden, with its beautiful white variety, forming 

 an elegant contrast. (Soil No. 13.) 



Tradescdntia discolor. Purple-leaved spider wort. This 

 is an herbaceous plant, and is only cultivated for its beauti- 

 ful purple foliage. It has curious small white flowers. (Soil 

 No. 10.) 



Urania speddm^ a gigantic-looking plant closely connect- 

 ed to Musa, from which it differs in habit by the large leaves 

 being more erect : to grow it luxuriantly, give it plenty of 

 heat, water^ and pot room. (Soil. No. 12.) 



Zdmiaj a genus of plants in the natural order of Ci/ca- 

 dese. Several species of them are admired. Z. mediae Z. 

 furfurdcea, Z. tenuis, Z. integrifblia, are the most showy 

 that belong to the hot-house. The whole genus is frequently 

 kept jn this department. They are all plants of a slow 

 growth, and the beauty is entirely in the pinnated fronds, 

 with from ten to forty pairs of leaflets. The pots must be 

 well drained. (Soil No. 11.) 



Those genera of plants which we have enumerated under 

 the head of repotting in this or next month, are composed 

 of the finest hot-house plants that have come under our obser- 

 vation. There are perhaps a few of them that are not to 

 be found in the United States, or even on our continent; 

 but the great object, in a choice collection of plants, is to 

 have the finest from all parts of the known world. There 

 are many plants whose nature does not require much support 

 from soil, which is frequently observed in those that are 

 mentioned. And there are many hundreds of plants desir- 

 able for beauty, ornament, and curiosity, which would take 

 volumes to specify and describe. In fact, every year brings 

 many new things, and frequently both new and splendid, 

 either in flower, fruit, or foliage. 



We have previously observed, that plants ought not to be 

 flooded with water when newly potted, as it saturates the 

 soil before the roots have taken hold of it; and that the best 

 draining for pots is small gravel or pot-shreds broken fine. 



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