THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 
LILIUM GIGANTEUM. . 
A flowering stem of this remarkable species, that 
had ripened its seed-pods, was exhibited by Mr. C. 
Noble, Sunuiugdale Nursery, Bagshot, at the meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society on December 10th. 
It had borne and expanded the unusual number of 
twenty-two flowers ; a very large number indeed, as it 
was stated there was no knowledge of a stem having 
borne more than fifteen flowers. It had grown a 
height of thirteen feet, and the stem was eleven and a 
half inches in circumference. It was planted out with 
eleven other bulbs, among some Rhododendrons, and 
ten of them were in flower at the same time. One 
remarkable feature was the rapid growth the stem had 
made in a short time. It began to push its way 
through the soil in April, and it was in flower in July. 
It should be mentioned that the soil had been specially 
prepared for its culture, as a bed of good peat earth, 
to the depth of from two to three feet, had been put 
in for the bulbs when they were planted out early in 
April, and the rains, which fell so heavily during the 
summer, no doubt greatly assisted the rapid growth of 
the plant. L. giganteum is a Himalayan species, and 
it is said to be an object of great beauty in its native 
habitat. Mr. Noble appears to have been so successful 
in the case of this particular plant, as to rival its best 
performances in its mountain home. 
A FEW GOOD AND USEFUL WINTER- 
FLOWERING PLANTS. 
Many amateur gardeners are found asking the ques- 
tion, “ What can we grow to ensure a supply of cut- 
flowers during the depth of the winter?” There are 
many things that come in useful for this purpose, but 
one indispensable condition is a warm greenhouse or 
stove in which to flower them. Without this, success 
can scarcely be hoped for. In the depth of the winter 
there is but little solar light and heat, and even did 
the sun shine out brightly by day, it increases the tem- 
perature but very little, while the nights are long, 
dark, and cold. Those who have a house to which fire- 
heat can be constantly applied, need have no difficulty 
in having cut-flowers through the dullest part of the 
winter, 
Of our ordinary winter-flowering plants Chrysanthe- 
mums have kept up a supply of flower till the end of 
the year. In addition there are Chinese Primroses, 
Cyclamens, Cinerarias, and Zonal Pelargoniums. At 
Christmas there should be a few Christmas Roses, and 
it is not difficult to get these in fine condition if the 
earliest flowering plants be lifted early in December 
and put into pots. In a cold house, though having 
the protection of glass, they come on very slowly in- 
deed, but in a warm house they get into bloom quickly; 
the greater the heat the purer are the blossoms. 
Some other good useful plants for blooming now 
will be found in Abutilons Boule de Niege and Darwini, 
both very free; Bouvardias Hogarth, leiantha, and 
Vreelandii ; Begonias Digswelliaua, manicata, nitida, 
Splendens, and Semperflorens ; Eranthemum pulchel- 
lum. Euphorbia jacquiniflora, Justicia carnea, and J. 
purpurea ; Kaulfussia amelloides, Libonia florabunda, 
Pentas carnea, Poinssettia pulcherrima, Linum Trygi- 
num, and Thyrsacanthus rutilaus. Here there is 
enough to satisfy large expectations. It would not be 
difficult to add to the list, but it is not necessary to do 
so. 
Neither is it at all necessary to have large plants of 
any of the foregoing. Young healthy plants in 48 and 
32 pots, that have been grown on well and become pot- 
bound, can hardly fail to flower well. Some bottom 
heat is essential, and therefore the best class of house 
for winter-flowering plants is that which has a kind of 
pit in which the plants can be stood, and the pots 
covered with leaves, tan, or some such material. 
Leaves is perhaps the best material, as it is also that 
which can be most readily obtained. The leaves serve 
to keep the soil in the pots warm and moist, while 
there also goes up from them to the leaves of the 
plants a beneficial moisture. Such a house is always 
useful — winter and summer — to any one fond of plants; 
but its chief use should be to ensure a supply of cut- 
flowers in autumn, winter, and early spring. 
LZELIA ANCEPS YAR. 
A beautiful new variety of this fine Laelia has just 
flowered in Mr. W. Bull’s Nursery, King’s Road, 
Chelsea. Its sepals and petals are of a soft blush 
colour, with the labellum bright pink. This is con- 
sidered to be a remarkably handsome and distinct 
variety, and we hope to figure it shortly. 
