130 
TOLYGALA PALMA1SIANA. 
Here I have said nothing of planting, as I 
take for granted that gardeners in general 
would have grown the roots of their Vines 
outside the house, and the stem introduced 
under the surface of the soil into the house. 
SIX BEST HARDY SHRUBS 
FOR EXHIBITIONS. 
This kind of collection is common at exhi- 
hitions, and will become more so ; therefore 
will a few words of advice to every exhibitor 
be useful. Of the many thousand plants which 
might claim attention in this department, the 
six which shall be called the best, must indeed 
have some pretensions. But the very fact of 
choosing six, presupposes they are to be shown 
in pots, and therefore should be worthy of a 
place among the plants of manageable size. It 
would be out of all character to take the 
Wisteria Sinensis, which will run twenty-five 
feet in a season, and which could hardly be 
induced to flower in a pot well enough to 
form an apology for its millions of blooms in 
the open ground. No ; we are confined in 
our choice to six hardy plants, such as we 
could produce on a show table in ordinary 
flower-pots. We require all the good qualities 
we can get in a plant, but when we cannot 
get all we want, we ,must be content with all 
we can get. First aud foremost we must place 
the Rose, handsome and odoriferous; next the 
Honeysuckle ; then Magnolia ; then follow 
Rhododendron, Lilac and Dutzia; Andromeda 
and Azalea. To begin with the Rose, the king 
or queen of flowers ; there is hardly a plant 
that can be said to come near it. The grace- 
fulness of its growth, the splendour of its 
bloom, the richness of its fragrance, all assist 
to place it (alone indeed, for its fragrance 
never leaves it,) far before all other odorifer- 
ous plants. Whether we take the Moss, the 
Cabbage, the Maiden's Blush, or any of the 
more delicate or more gaudy varieties that 
the late years have produced, there is nothing 
to come near the Rose ; and in selecting for 
show, the choice would only be between the 
colours, the other five plants you mean 'to 
show, having some reference to the choice ; 
thus if we had a white Rhododendron, a white 
Lilac, or a white Magnolia, we should un- 
questionably take either the Moss, or Cabbage, 
or some coloured Rose. The Honeysuckle 
presents us but few varieties, but the Dwarf 
Dutch is the most appropriate for a pot, and 
may be grown less than two feet high, covered 
with bloom. The Magnolia offers a choice ; 
Conspicua has a white bloom, Purpurea a 
purple one ; both are handsome, both bloom 
abundantly on small plants, and it is better to 
have both in growth, that you may adapt the 
colour to the rest of the plants. Lilac is an 
old-fashioned but elegant plant, and the small- 
leaved varieties give the choice of colour 
white and lilac ; you should grow both, that 
both may be ready. Rhododendrons afford a 
great choice ; Catawbiense is the richest of all 
the very hardy kinds, and the most varied. 
If our readers take a walk to Messrs. Rollisson's 
of Tooting, they may select from the Bed- 
dington stock some of all colours; deep purple, 
light purple, lilac, and almost white; and there 
are many hardy hybrids which would increase; 
the choice ; as one only would be wanted in 
the half-dozen hardy plants, a few will do to 
choose from. Dutzia Scabra is a delicate and 
pretty growing shrub, whose bunches of white 
blossoms make a very fine appearance all over 
the plant. Besides the six genera we have 
mentioned, the Azalea, which we should be 
loth to risk showing with the Rhododendron, 
gives other chances of season and colour. 
Pontica Major is yellow, Coccinse Major is 
red, Aurantia Major is orange colour, and 
either of these might give an extra brilliance 
to half-a-dozen ; still they should be grown as 
of the same genera with Rhododendron, and 
not be both shown in the six plants. Then 
we have some of the novel Clematis affirmed 
to be hardy, but we do not wish to see a more 
unequivocal, safe, brilliant and interesting 
half-dozen, than could be supplied out of — 
A variety of handsome Roses. 
Siberian and Persian Lilacs. 
Dutch and other Honeysuckles. 
Catawbiense and hybrid Rhododendrons, 
Azaleas, &c. 
Magnolia, Conspicua and Purpurea, &c. 
Dutzia Scabra, and 
Andromeda Florabunda. 
They require very little culture ; take them 
up carefully, give them pot-room in loam leaf- 
mould and peat in equal quantities, and for- 
ward or retard them according to the season 
you want them : nothing can go by half-a- 
dozen handsome ones well bloomed ; at all 
events, anybody might have the field against 
our favourites. 
POLYGALA DALMAISIANA. 
The French account of this hybrid variety 
of Polygala is thus given: — 
" This superb and elegant plant was obtained 
in 1839 by Mr. Dalmais, the gardener of Mr. 
Lacene. It is produced from the Polygala 
Grandiflora brought to bear by the Polygala 
Cordifolia. Its foliage is of the former and 
its colour of the latter. Its form is very ele- 
gant, it is in continual bloom, particularly 
between the months of January and May, if 
kept in a temperature of eight degrees. Its 
large flowers are richly shaded with a'violet 
purple of an azure hue, such as no painter 
could imitate. 
"At the juncture of the two or three leaves 
