1874. ] 
BEGONIAS FOR BASKETS. 
87 
and treated in a similar way. Henceforth the bulbs will not be disturbed for 
two years, that is to say, they will yield two seasons, blooming perhaps three 
before they are again shifted. 
Associated with the beautiful Triteleia^ I have Priimda denticulata^ P. 
nivalis^ with its snowy-white blossoms, P. intermedia^ Myosotis dissitijlora, Litho~ 
spermum prostratum^ Viola pedata^ Leucojum vernum, Scilla hifolia^ S. sibirica^ 
Dog-tooth violets, sweet-scented jonquils, and white and blue grape hyacinths. 
Where such a glorious procession of vernal beauties can be had in bloom in a 
cold greenhouse during March and April, what is the use of worrying oneself 
over a few scarlet geraniums and their preservation during winter ? All that I 
have named can be grown in a cold house during the hardest winter, and in such 
bright flowerets we can see and enjoy something of that wealth of forms and 
flush of hues, which open-handed spring lays so freely and lavishly at the feet of 
the children of men.— R. Dean, Ealing. 
BEGONIAS FOR BASKETS. 
EG ONIAS generally recommend themselves to the cultivator for several 
reasons. They are readily propagated by division, while cuttings of the 
stem or leaves root freely in a slight bottom-heat; they are, moreover, 
easily grown, are profuse flowerers, and their flowers and sprays come in 
very useful for cutting, especially as one or two of the species are perpetual 
bloomers. B. Dregei^ when well grown, is one of the prettiest of decorative 
plants; B. weltoniensis is still more showy; the scarlet-flowered B. fuchsioides 
and the large rosy-flowered B. nitida flower all the year round, if trained up the 
wall of a warm, sunny stove; and among the new hybrids we may expect some 
sufiiciently hardy and distinct to make their way as first-class bedding-plants, not 
to mention their adaptability for pot-culture. It is, however, of their use as 
basket plants that I would here speak more fully. A Begonia in a hanging- 
basket looks like a fish in water—^e., quite at home. If the foliage is coloured 
or variegated, its tints look richer when seen between the eye and the light, while 
some of the dwarf and scandent species make the most elegant of all basket- 
plants. Mr. Speed has taught us much with respect to the growth of plants in 
hanging-baskets, as exemplified in the great conservatory at Ohatsworth. Still, I 
do not remember that he uses Begonias in his little but veritable hanging gardens. 
Some naturalist, wishing to express the microcosm of the animal world, wrote 
the following:— 
“ Tho little fleas that do so tease 
Have lesser fleas that bite ’em, 
And these, again, have other fleas. 
And so ad infinitum." 
And so at Ohatsworth, first we have a magnificent out-door garden; then 
the grand tropical garden, covered with glass; and within this, again, are dozens 
of lesser hanging gardens, remarkable for their freshness, brightness, and beauty. 
As to the kinds most suitable for basket-work, nearly all may be used except 
