VARIOUS TENDER PLANTS IN THE WINTER SEASON. 237 
fficult to manage, would be found to grow to our perfect satisfaction. Those who 
nnot spare a house for this purpose, should devote a good sized pit to it. 
The intermediate house would take many plants generally considered greenhouse 
ants ; but still as many early-flowering greenhouse plants require to be kept cool 
retard their blooming season as much as possible, it will be well to arrange the 
ants in the greenhouse so that those which require it may be protected from 
’aughts or cold currents of air, while others may be fully exposed to a free flow of 
esh air, at every favourable opportunity. Thus where there is no better accommo- 
ition, such plants as Boronias, Gompholobiums, Leschenaultias, Pimeleas , Erioste- 
ons, Poly galas, and the like, must be placed at the warm end of the house ; 
len may follow, Chorozemas, Phoenocomas, Aphelexis, Zicliyas, and similar plants, 
hile the cold end will be occupied by Azaleas, Heaths, Epacrises , and other hardy 
lants, which will not be injured by a free exposure to air, even in mid-winter. 
Heaths, however, when it can be so managed, should always have a house to 
lemselves, as it is impossible to do justice to them and other greenhouse plants in 
i ie same house, heaths not liking a fire heat of more than 40°, while to do green- 
ouse plants justice, the temperature should never fall below 40°, except in unusually 
evere weather. Indeed for a general collection of Heaths two houses should be 
sed ; one to take the free-growing kinds, such as the ventricosa’s, vestita’s, perspi- 
tia’s, hybrida’s, and other soft-wooded kinds, which delight in a free interchange of 
ir and a rather damp atmosphere, and the other to contain those hard-wooded 
I pecies which, to prevent their being infested with mildew, must be kept in a dry 
! tmosphere. Of these we may enumerate such as Massonii, ferruginea, gemmifera, 
ristata, ampullacea, tricolor, and their varieties. Heaths should never be subjected 
j o fire heat except in cases of absolute necessity, and we would at any time rather 
ee the thermometer at the freezing point on opening the house in a morning than 
4 a temperature of 40°. Heaths detest fire heat, and therefore where it can be 
| io managed it will always be found better to protect the Heathery by external 
j coverings in severe weather than to use fire heat except under the most necessitous 
circumstances. 
The stove, where an intermediate house is used, should be kept at a minimum 
, temperature of from 55° to 60° during the dormant season; but when the whole 
collection is kept in one house, it will be advisable to keep the dormant plants, such 
as Ixoras which have set their bloom, Dipladenias, Allamandas, Stephanotis, &c., 
at the cold end of the house, where they can have abundance of air in favourable 
weather, while the growing plants must be kept at the warm end. Endeavour to 
keep a gentle bottom heat, and then you need not fear a low atmospheric tempera- 
ture. The atmosphere of the stove should always be kept moderately moist, 
especially when strong fires are used, and give all the air possible in favourable 
weather. These hints, we trust, will be found of service to amateurs and those 
who have not devoted much attention to the winter management of the better kinds 
of stove and greenhouse plants. 
