96 
OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 
and foui' broad, tapering to each end, serrated, and of a dark and glossy green, the under side 
being tinged with chocolate colour. The plant is said to grow about three or four feet high, 
sending out branches in profusion, so that no doubt it will become a general favourite. 
Gloxinia Teuchlerii, In the Nursery of Messrs. Rollisson's, Tooting, we noticed this most 
curious hybrid variety of the Gloxinia. The flower partakes of the colour of both its parents, not 
blended, but distinct in flakes, alternate, blue, and pink, each colour pure and bright, as in the 
parent plant. The pink becomes the richest crimson on the lower petal. Should the plant 
continue true to this character it will be the greatest favourite of all this very beautiful and 
ornamental race. 
Henfreya scandens. We noticed a very fine plant of this species in the Nursery of Mr. 
Glendinning, Chiswick. from four to five feet high, completely laden with clusters of almost white 
flowers. It was introduced by Mr. Whitfield from Sierra Leone, and has a very handsome 
foliage of a rich, dark-green colour. We found it flowering in the following gardens and nurseries ; 
though not such fine specimens, still the individual flowers were larger : in the Horticultural 
Society's Gardens ; Messrs. Rollisson's, Tooting ; and in the nursery of Mr. Ayres, Brooklands, 
Blackheath Park. 
OPERATIONS FOR MAY. 
May is proverbially the month for flowers : vigorous growth should be encouraged by every 
possible means. Insects, especially the various species of Aphis, will, if easterly winds should 
prevail, become very numerous and annoying. In plant-houses, an easy remedy is tobacco-smoke, 
but this should always be applied after the the rays of the sun are off the house ; many choice 
plants have been irrecoverably lost for the want of this precaution. Out of doors remedies are 
more difficult of application, and are sometimes attended with only partial success. In the Orchid- 
house keep the air very humid, and syringe the plants freely. A very brisk heat is now advan- 
tageous, with air, whenever it can be admitted without injury. As to the proportion of heat and 
moisture required by different plants, however, there are many exceptions to the above rule, 
amongst which may be mentioned the various species of Aspasia, Lcelia, Cattleya, Barkeria, 
Mormodes, Odontoylossum, Cypripedium, Penanthera, and some species of Oncidium; these all 
thrive better in a moderate heat, a free circulation of air, and an intermediate proportion of 
moisture. Slugs, woodlice, cockroaches, thrips, scales, and mealy-bugs, must be now expected as 
troublesome guests, and must be looked after accordingly. 
Stove-plants generally may be treated liberally with heat and water, to induce or promote a 
vigorous and rapid growth. 
In the greenhouse and conservatory, keep climbing plants well tied in as they advance in 
growth, and abundance of bloom will be the result. Camellias, which have now formed their 
flower-buds, should be placed in a sheltered and shady situation out of doors. If exposed to the 
sun's rays, the leaves will become brown and blotched. Pelargoniums should receive daily a little 
weak manure water. Ericas should have the ends of their shoots nipped off with the finger and 
thumb, to render them bushy and spreading. Cinerarias as they go out of flower should be cut 
down. Balsams and other tender annuals must now be brought forward as quickly as possible, to 
occupy the places of such plants as are placed out of doors. Give liberal shifts to such plants as 
require it before the roots become matted. A free ventilation is of great importance, and closing 
with a humid atmosphere early in the evening is excellent for promoting vigorous growth. Tree 
and Neapolitan violets, for flowering throughout the winter, should be increased at this time. 
In the open garden, the latter part of the month will be occupied with filling up the borders 
and bed with Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Verbenas, and other autumn-flowering plants ; do not forget 
Plumbago Larpentce, Cuphea platycentra, and Salvia oppositifolia ; the first and the last are new 
and very good. 
