CULTURE OF AGAPANTHUS UMBELLATUS. 
67 
No plea that the plant is not susceptible of improvement by culture can for a 
moment justify the neglect to which it is subjected ; for we are not acquainted with 
a single exotic that yields more ready and full recompense to congenial management. 
And when we assert that we believe trouble will actually be saved by more kindly 
treatment, and that it is a plant which anybody may cultivate, whatever be the 
extent of their means, there will not remain a shadow of an excuse for its being 
longer retained in obscurity and comparative insignificance. 
The mistake that has prevailed in regard to this plant has been, that it does not 
merit greater attention ; but had those who entertain that notion seen the splendid 
specimens which we saw last autumn at the place before referred to, with their 
noble bunches of flowers, which were nearly twice the size of the ordinary ones, 
and of a very much deeper and richer colour, they would immediately take a 
different view of the subject. The consequences of the above error have been that 
the plant has not been allowed sufficient pot-room, nor an appropriately rich soil, 
nor an annual chanofe of the last. 
To bring out all its striking characteristics, it should be planted in an orna- 
mental tub, from eighteen inches to two feet square, and have a compost of fresh 
loam and decayed manure or leaf-soil, in equal quantities. So treated, it will, in 
two or three years, form a magnificent object for placing on lawns, by the side of 
porches or walks, on artificial terraces, &c. It should be partially supplied with 
new soil every spring, and may be removed late in the autumn to any dry shed for 
the winter. Where a greenhouse is possessed, it may be put in any vacant part of 
it, after potting, till the month of May ; or a cold pit or frame will answer equally 
well. But it is almost hardy, and, towards the beginning of April, can be exposed 
without injury, provided it has not been rendered tender by being kept in a warm 
place. Should frosts occur after it is taken to the open air, a mat or other similar 
article thrown over it will be ample protection. 
In the summer season, this species requires a very copious administration of 
water. By the system we suggest, however, the greater space permitted to its 
roots, and the superior richness of the soil, will do away with the necessity for such 
frequent supplies as it demands when in a pot. As the flowers decay, towards 
autumn, watering should be gradually abandoned, and in winter it must remain 
dry and torpid. 
We hope that a plant so readily procured, and most commonly possessed, which 
is here briefly shown to be capable of the highest culture and beauty by the simplest 
means, will in future be more valued by the occupants of small gardens ; and that 
those who have greater facilities, to whom our subject is, perhaps, of higher 
importance, on account of the larger demand they have for such objects, will rightly 
estimate the suggestions thus offered. 
