PAXTON'S FLOWER GARDEN. 



The Bottle Pleione was received at the same time, mixed with the last. It is, however, 

 obviously distinct, not only in colour, but in the form of the bracts and lobes of the flower, and in 

 the number of crested lines upon the lip. It was distributed among Dr. Wallich' s dried plants, 

 No. 1763, under the name of Coslogyne humilis. 



Those who have seen the wondrous beauty of the Wallich Pleione at Chatsworth, will easily 

 understand what these may become under similar treatment. The method followed in cultivating 

 such mountaineers in Bengal is thus stated by Dr. Wallich : — 



" They were introduced into the Hon. East India Company's Garden at Calcutta, in 1816, and 

 I have often had the satisfaction of seeing them in flower there. Our mode of treating these and 

 similar Epiphytes is to place them on beds made of brickwork, raised four or five feet from the 

 ground, containing a rich mould, mixed with a large proportion of pebbles, and resting on a stratum 

 of large stones or masses of vitrified bricks, so as to admit of being perfectly drained. The surface 

 is covered with a quantity of moss, and the whole structure is placed in a shady and sheltered 

 situation, corresponding to the natural place of the growth of such plants. By the aid of these beds, 

 and by a constant attention to the necessity of keeping the roots as well as the plants themselves 

 moderately moist, I have succeeded in cases even where there was but little hope ; for instance, with 

 plants from the higher regions of Nepal, and even from Gossain Than, in the Himalaya/'' 



All the species are Alpine. Dr. Tloyle describes the P. prozcox as being found ornamenting with 

 its large, richly-coloured flowers the branches of Oaks on Loudour, at 7500 feet of elevation, in 

 30° N. Lat., but only during the moisture of the rainy season. The secret of their successful 

 cultivation in England lies in keeping them cool and dry while at rest, and forcing them with 

 heat, moisture, and bright light as long as they are inclined to grow. What plants are they for 

 exhibition tables ! 



