08 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ March, 
In 1868 I received from a friend in Peru seed of Salvia u spectabilis” which, 
seems more intensely blue than the ordinary variety, but will this continue ? At 
the time I refer to, I received fourteen other kinds of Salvias from South 
America. Some of ■them had flowers of extraordinary length, and of beautiful 
tints of purple, but only the S. patens proved worthy of culture out-doors. There 
are some two hundred species of Salvia found in South America, only a very few 
of which are known in British gardens. Of the hardier sorts, only three are in 
general cultivation, viz., S. fulgens , S. patens , and S. Grahami. In the extreme 
north of Scotland I have seen such masses of S. fulgens as I never saw of any 
other scarlet flower. At my residence here S . patens seems as hardy as the 
common Iris; and in the South of Ireland S. Grahami is found as a large ever¬ 
green bush ,—so sweet and so valuable for flower-vases in winter. 
To get a good bed of Salvia patens work the plants from seed, and by good 
culture the bed will be unique. I find that where Alstromerias do well, there 
also will the Salvia patens thrive.— Charls M’Donald, Phoenix Park, Dublin. 
NEW ZEALAND SPINACH. 
S the time is coming on for sowing seeds, I would strongly recommend all 
who have a large supply of Spinach to keep up, to sow a packet of the 
New Zealand Spinach. I have grown it for the last eight years, and all 
through the past dry season it only required two waterings. Great care 
should be taken in gathering it, as it keeps running and throwing out fresh leaves 
until the frost cuts it off in the autumn. The seeds, being very hard, should be 
steeped in water for twenty-four hours before sowing, which causes them to 
germinate more readily. Sown in light sandy loam, and plunged in a bottom 
heat of 80° and a top heat of about 70°, it will not be long before it makes its 
appearance. When the second leaf is fairly seen, as many well drained 6-in. 
pots as may be required, should be got ready ; a compost of good fibry loam, with 
leaf-mould and a little rotten dung, should also be prepared, by well mixing the 
ingredients together and passing them through a sieve. This soil should be put 
where it will get warmed to the same temperature as that of the seed-pot. The 
young plants should be potted quite up to the seed-leaf, three into each pot, at 
equal distances round the edge, and, after a good watering with tepid water, 
should be removed to a close, warm place for some time, until they fairly start 
into growth. They will soon begin to grow very fast, but should be taken to a 
house where they will be near the glass, and can be kept a little cooler, and then 
gradually hardened off until by the last week of April they will be able to stand 
in a cold frame until planting-out time, as early in May as the weather will permit. 
About a week before planting-out, a piece of ground is selected, generally a 
border 12 ft. wide, along the centre of which a line is stretched, and at every 
8 ft. a pit 18 in. deep and 3 ft. across is taken outlaying the soil all round. 
Then two good barrow-loads of hot dung are put into each hole, the dung is well 
