04 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
liappily, becoming the exception, and not the rule:—i 
great quantities of air, and a comparatively low tem¬ 
perature during the day, to neutralize the effects of an 
unnatural stimulus by heat at night, are, therefore, not 
required. Proportioning the exciting agents for expan¬ 
sion to the light, as the means of increasing and solidi¬ 
fying, is, or should be, the object of the cultivator. 
These matters must be even more particularly attended 
to, where a higher temperature is maintained. In order 
to be precise, cool greenhouses, where no more heat is 
given artificially than just to exclude frost, should ever 
be looked upon more as the medium of preserving than 
growing —as the means for securing future rather than 
present display. The medium temperature of such 
houses at night, in frosty weather, may be set down at 
35°, ranging from that to 40°, but not above; and in 
mild open weather, when the external temperature 
ranges from 40° to 50°, not only will fires be unneces¬ 
sary, but a little air may be left on at night as well as 
during the day. In unsettled weather, it is safest to 
shut up close before going to bed. The foretelling at 
night what the weather will be in the morning can only 
be relied on after long experience, and even then the 
wisest are sometimes taken in. 
In such houses, however, unless in a very mild winter, 
much in the way of bloom is not to be expected, except 
from some of the hardier Heaths, Primroses, Cytisus, 
and bulbs; neither will some of the finer greenhouse 
plants thrive to the satisfaction of their possessor. 
True, in a very severe night it would be wiser policy to 
allow the thermometer to fall to 35° than to dry the 
atmosphere of the house by roaring fires, which would 
thus too rapidly deprive the plants of their juices. But 
in such circumstances, it would be wiser still to use 
as much covering over part of the glass as would alike 
prevent the necessity of large fires, aud the sinking of 
the thermometer much below 40°. In extreme cases, 
where much artificial heat is requisite, moisture also 
should be communicated, by pans &c., of water placed 
upon the pipes or flue. The average temperature of a 
house, which we may designate a warm greenhouse, 
should be 45° at night, sinking a few degrees in very 
cold weather; and allowed a rise of from ten to fifteen 
degrees at mid-day, in bright sunshine. 
To the question of a correspondent, therefore, who 
inquires whether the Mitraria coccinea would succeed 
in a house where the frost was merely excluded, I 
reply, that, with my little knowledge of this beau¬ 
tiful plant, I should be extremely doubtful. Judging 
from its appearance, as exhibited in London, I should 
say it would require such a house as the second to 
keep it in good health; and as to the inquiry about 
the period of its blooming, I should suppose that 
would be almost constant when placed in such circum¬ 
stances. From the appearance of the plant I should 
say, that what graced the exhibition tables in May 
and June had received for a time a higher tempe¬ 
rature. It is, certainly, a pretty thing—the scarlet 
tubular blossoms contrasting so nicely with the green 
foliage. When I first read a description of it, I thought 
it would do for bedding purposes, but I am rather doubt¬ 
ful after having seen it, fearing its leaves would get 
larger than in a pot, and thus conceal the drooping 
blossoms. Some of our friends will correct me, if mis¬ 
taken. It should be grown in fibry peat and loam, with 
a little sand and charcoal to keep the soil open; and, in 
addition, plenty of drainage. It has been described as 
hardy , and almost hardy; but this appears, as yet, unde¬ 
cided. 
As a companion to this Mitraria, I would place the 
Pleroma elegans , with its large blueish-purple flowers, 
produced in great abundance. A warm greenhouse, as 
we have indicated, is just the place for it. It has been 
frequently grown in plant stoves, hot and cool; and, 
[October 31. | 
generally, with disappointment. When apparently grow¬ 
ing luxuriantly, it will suddenly turn sickly, and lose, | 
without any apparent cause, the most of its leaves ; and j 
thus present a woe-begone appearance. The green¬ 
house is its proper home. When grown rapidly upon 
the one-shift system, a higher temperature after potting 
will be required. The prettiest shrubby plant I have 
seen, densely clothed with blossom and healthy leaves, 
was thus managed :—It was fifteen months old from the 
cutting; had been moved from a three into an eight- 
inch pot; kept rather close in a pit, until the roots were 
occupying the soil, and then removed to the greenhouse. 
As this is a beautiful thing, a few extra particulars may 
not be out of place. Anything approaching saturation 
with moisture is its ruin. When the roots have occupied 
the soil, and growth is proceeding rapidly, abundance 
of moisture must then, nevertheless, be given. The 
material in which the plant is grown, is therefore a 
matter of the first moment. The peat and loam, the 
first preponderating, should not only be fibry and sandy, 
but pieces of charcoal and broken bricks, or broken pots, j 
should be mixed somewhat liberally in the compost. I 
shall do little more than name the following—merely 
premising that most of those mentioned the other week 
will not only be preserved but bloom, or, at least, he 
made to bloom earlier, from thus having an average 
temperature at night of 45° instead of 35 Q . 
Acrophylhnn renosum : serrated foliage and whorled 
spirea-like flowers. Loam and a little peat. Flowers 
chiefly in spring and summer. 
Aphelexishumilis, pinkish ; sesamoides, whitish-purple! 
macrantha purpurea, purple; rosea, rose. Peat and a 
little loam. Flowers in spring and summer. 
Boronia serrulata, pink ; pinnata, purple ; tripliylla, 
pinkish-rose. Peat earth with a little sand and charcoal, 
well drained. Spring and summer bloomers. 
Chironia angustifolia, red; jasminoides, purple; 
fioribunda, rose; glutinosa, rosy-lilac. Peat earth and 
half part fibry loam, sand, and broken potsherds. 
Should be propagated often; flowers in summer and 
autumn chiefly. 
Chorozema cordata, red; Henchmanii, scarlet; Dick- 
soni, scarlet and yellow; /lava and iriangularc, scarlet 
and yellow. Sandy peat, with a little loam, particularly 
well drained. Flower generally in spring and summer. 
DUlwynia fioribunda, yellow; tenuifolia, yellow ; gly- 
cinifolia, red. Peat and loam with plenty of sand. 
Summer flowering. 
Epacris impressa, red; grandiflora, red white tipped; 
miniata, pinkish-vermilion,'white tipped ; hyacinthifiora 
candidissima, white. Peat and sand well drained. 
Flowers in winter and spring. -» 
Eriostemon : where there is space, those mentioned 
the other week and the whole family are desirable. 
Peat, and a dash of fibry loam, with silver sand, and a 
few pieces of charcoal to keep the soil open. Flowers 
chiefly in summer. 
Enkianthus reticulatus, white and pink. Sandy peat 
and a little loam. Flowers early in spring. 
Gompholobium barbigerum, yellow ; versicolor, scarlet. 
Most of the family are yellowish-orange, and desirable 
where there is room. Peat and loam well drained. 
Bloom chiefly in summer. 
Helichrysum : all the species, where there is room. 
Sandy peat, with a very little fibry loam. Blooms chiefly 
in summer and autumn. 
Hovea celsii, blue; Manglesii, purple; chorozemifolia, 
blue. Sandy peat, with a little fibry loam, and abun¬ 
dant drainage. 
Ipomea Learii, blue. Peat and loam. Will do well 
when it gets to the roof; flowering all the summer. 
Kennedya dilatata, scarlet; Marryattee, scarlet, strong 
growing; monophylla, purple. Peat and loam. Flower 
