230 
REMARKS ON RUSSELIA JUNCEA. 
We write feelingly, because we have paid a little for our experience, and can 
most unequivocally state, that, having raised several plants of Russelia with great 
facility, by merely laying small green slips on the surface of wet writing sand, over 
a stratum of heath-mould in a well-drained pot, and covered with a bell-glass ; we 
struggled for two years to make our plants grow in any loamy compost whatever, 
modify it as we would. Yellow and stunted the plants remained till the end of 
the late spring, when we met with two or three grand specimens at the garden of 
the Marquis Thorn ond, which we recollected to have seen as little nurselings some 
three years ago. 
They have twice been covered with bloom to an equal extent with that of the 
branch depicted ; and comprise, each, six or eight strong shoots a yard or more in 
length. The question which then naturally suggested itself was, how to obtain 
healthy verdure, rapid growth, and a flowering condition ; and to this question, in 
the course of three months, we have obtained a favourable solution, from merely 
attending to one word dropped by the gardener. 
The roots of Russelia consist o*f fibrous masses, and plants so furnished rarely 
prosper in loam ; but they succeed, with few exceptions, in the earth which of late 
years it has been fashionable to call peat ; by which term, gardeners mean the soil 
of heath-commons. In some counties none of this heath-soil or moor-earth is to be 
obtained : in others it is abundant. If deficient, it can be most successfully 
imitated by collecting masses of leaves and small sticks of trees (the fir-tribe 
particularly) which do not grow upon chalk ; and exposing them to the weather 
till they decay to a complete black or brown mould. To the soil thus produced, 
one third part by measure of fine white sand may be added at the time of potting. 
But nothing can be compounded which will answer every purpose of heath-soil ; 
therefore, whenever that is procurable, it should be employed for Azaleas, heaths, 
the plants of New Holland, and most of the tribes with hair-like fibrous roots. 
In the late spring our weakly Russelias were deprived of much of their loamy 
compost, and repotted with the black sandy heath -mould of Bagshot in Surrey ; and 
being kept under glass, and regularly watered, they have acquired verdure, and are 
coming into bloom. 
We have nothing to add to the other directions alluded to ; but those readers 
who feel a doubt of the correctness of our remarks, may derive some confidence by 
perusing the few lines which follow, extracted from a letter that we received lately 
from one who has the care of a very extensive collection of plants in a fine 
establishment not remote from Epsom in Surrey. 
" Russelia juncea may be readily propagated by cuttings, either of single pieces 
or of older portions with two or three young shoots on them. The soil in which 
this plant thrives is sandy, turfy, open peat, (heath-soil,) with the pots well 
drained, and the mould interspersed with crocks,— an excellent practice with all 
hair-rooted plants : be careful not to ram the soil hard round the ball." 
