86 ON GROWING IPOMiEA RUBRO-CiERULEA, AND PHARBITIS LEARII, &c. 
as regards room for its roots, it grows excessively free, often covering the whole roof 
of a house, and sometimes, under these circumstances, flowering very satisfactorily ; 
when it does so, though, it constitutes the exception, not the rule. The almost, 
invariable consequence of it, and most similar free-growing plants, enjoying an 
unlimited extent of root-room is, that nothing is attained beyond unbounded 
luxuriance of growth, scarcely qualified with even the production of a solitary 
blossom. Except in instances where it is thus permitted to grow for a purpose of 
usefulness, as the shading of a propagating-house, &c., or for the creation of an 
unusually remarkable effect, it cannot be so extravagantly accommodated. 
In the greenhouse it would be likely to experience those conditions that are 
more in accordance with its natural requirements ; but there even, generally 
speaking, it is difficult to afford it that room, to provide for the development of its 
true character, and to favour it with the amount of light in conjunction with other 
requisites, necessary to insure a reasonable chance of its becoming the enchanting 
object the application of art, (developing its innate worth,) can constitute it. 
Viewing the several difficulties we have enumerated, as attending too universally 
the culture of Pharbitis Learii , and Ipomoea rubro-ccerulea, abstractedly, the con- 
clusion well-nigh arrived at is, that as plants, to be extensively cultivated, much less 
universally grown, they must be lost sight of. If no other ways of growing them 
were successful when practised, than those we have alluded to as success being 
attained under, such a conclusion would be just ; but we have great pleasure in 
directing attention to growing them in a manner that will afford the highest satisfac- 
tion, in as far as it is dependent upon a most profuse display of flowers conjointly with 
exuberant and really healthy growth. It is simply planting them to grow in the 
open air ; and as there, the plants which so strongly arrested our attention were 
flourishing in a manner all that could be desired, we will describe the circumstances 
under which they were doing so, in preference to explaining the principles upon 
which that success was so pre-eminent. A solitary plant of Pharbitis Learii , of 
considerable size, and proportionately strong, was planted about the end of May, at 
the base of a low, rough wall, with a full south aspect ; the wall was previously 
furnished with wires, for the purpose of supporting climbing and other plants which 
might be attached to them. The natural soil of the situation was poor sandy loam, 
of a light-brown colour, to which only, by way of preparation for the roots of the 
plant, less than a fourth of leaf-mould was added ; establishing itself in the soil 
so prepared, it began to grow exceedingly free, flowering in the most gratifying and 
satisfactory manner imaginable. I. rubro-ccerulea, under exactly similar circum- 
stances, did equally well. Some plants of the last species were pretty freely potted 
in suitable soil, and plunged in their pots in the same situation with those planted 
out, and were much benefited by being so treated ; and there is little doubt but that 
attention to preparing a soil for I. rubro-ccerulea , under such circumstances, would 
always be followed by similar benefit, its being altogether more delicate, its 
roots especially, than P. Learii. The actual cause of the plants being plunged 
