THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Apiml 15. 
nor tho pioturosquo, or naturcsquc, but what Loudon, 
I witli his groat grasp of mind, termed tho Uardenesijue; 
' onough of tho natural as the (/round work of our opora- 
! tions to show that wo neither servilely imitate, nor 
doggedly oppose, such teaching; a sulliciency of tho 
artistic to show that, either by the mode of culture, 
arrangement, or combination, tho untiring industry of 
man had boon there, that, in fact, the scone is such an 
one as could never bo mistaken for a natural scono. 
Keeping those things in view, in pruning plants in 
general, and heaths in particular, tho first thing is 
to prune according to tho natural disposition, so to 
speak, of tho plant; and thou tho next tiling is, neither 
to cut as if you were shaping a wig on the block 
of a harbor, nor yet so carelessly and seldom as if 
a knife was an unnecessary utensil. J met, not long 
ago, with an example of what 1 mean. One of the 
best gardeners in the country has manufactured somo 
clean-stommod, largo-headed Portugal laurels, which are 
planted out in a flower-garden, to imitate orange-trees; 
and, in this case, tho imitation is J'ar superior to what 
tho real Simon Pure often is, graced and stilted with an 
unsightly tub. Last year, his man Friday had cut them 
as true to geometric science as if he bad usod a lino for 
ovory sweep of his weapon, and moppish and lumpish 
they looked, and right well did our friend grumble about 
them, as he longed for the summer shoots to break 
tho monotony of tho too regular outlino. This year 
tlioy are done to perfection ; a mark of pruning is not 
seen, as every shoot removed is cut to a lateral shoot, 
and if one of the latter is shortened, it is dono to a loaf, 
with its bud in its axil. The outline, as a whole, is 
extremely regular, but then it is not lumpish, because 
the slight inequalities boro and there throw it into pleas¬ 
ant light and shade. In fact, the plants look so easy, 
graceful,—say natural, if you will,—as to convey a high 
idea of the refinod taste of the artist who cultivated 
thorn; and yet the presence of the art of that artist is 
so conspicuous, that no one would imagine that such 
plants could be found in their nativo wilds. On tho 
| same principle prune Heaths, make their nature the 
I groundwork of tho operation. Do not imitate what 
nature does, for then all the pruning would bo loft to 
tho fury of the storm and tho browsing of animals. 
When tho necessary pruning is done, every old flower, 
and all exhausted, withered foliage must he carefully 
removed. In close-growing and abundant-blooming 
kinds, this is a work of no little dilliculty, hut future 
success dopends on both being attended to. Young, 
I vigorous heaths, if cut over, may safely he pruuod back 
to two-year-old wood. Wo have had them break from 
wood moro than double that age, hut it is always safest 
to reserve the pruning to tho wood of the previous 
season’s growth. Strong-growing kinds, that bloom 
something like spiko fashion, should he cut the farthest 
j back. 1 have stated that many kinds will want little or 
j no pruning. After pruning, the plants should ho kept 
closer than usual, to encourage growth, but admitted to 
tui airy situation sulliciontly early to prevent tho growth 
being weak. 
Training. — What was lately said as applicable to 
geraniums, &c.,will apply to heaths. Compact kinds will 
need little or no training or staking, if grown in a free, 
pure atmosphere. For all free-growing kinds we would 
prefer a conical shape to any other, and in general this 
may ho managed with the assistance of a stake in the 
centre, and a wire round the rim of tho pot, to which 
tHo lower branches are fastened all round as tho base of 
the sugar-loaf. “ But why is this sugar-loaf shape, or 
rather tho conical, superior to the ono-sided plants, the 
bushy, shrubby-like plants, &c. ?” Simply because tho 
growing plants to one side is unnatural , because the 
Hat-headed look, in most of our trees and shrubs, is the 
sign of advancing age, and, therefore, conjuring rq> any 
thing hut tho associations of youth and its joys; while, 
on the other hand, the conical form is taken by most of 
our favourite trees, when tlioy have room to expand 
themselves, and thoy are yet young and vigorous, stirring 
up bright anticipations. “ But what has the natural to 
do with it? " Just this—wo will not blindly ho her 
imitators, we will readily bo her pupils, and of every one 
besides that can teach us a lesson. Our duty, then, is to 
draw our first hints from her teaching, and then to assist 
rather than oppose what unaided sho would have dono. 
Tho plant that naturally crawls along tho ground, over¬ 
hangs tho olid', or dangles from the hank, will ever ho ill 
at oaso when twisted into a balloon, or drawn into a 
pyramid, by moans of frames that arc quite as interest¬ 
ing as tho plants upon them. But when plants can be 
grown into the pyramidal shape without opposing their 
natural habits, with tho assistanco of a single stick anil 
some bracing threads, if thus they do not look moro natural 
than tho round, luinpy-hcaded spooimens, which we 
contend thoy do when associated with youth and vigour, 
there can he no quostion as to tho simplicity and saving 
of labour tho method involves. Even when the pyra¬ 
midal in shape should he adopted, however, keep our 
friend's laurels in view; and though striving with an 
artistic oyo for a regular outline, allow such juttings out 
bore, and such recedings there, as will produce an object 
more beautiful and harmonious, than if more artistic, or 
moro natural. It. Fish. 
THE ACH1MENES FOR SPECIMEN PLANTS. 
These plants, when well managed, form splendid 
objects, either as subjects for tho exhibition tent, or 
for moro general use as ornaments to our stoves and 
greenhousos during tho summer months. Twenty years 
ago, the spocios known amounted to almost tho lowest 
numerical figure, hut now their namo is legion. Nu¬ 
merous species have been introduced from the fruitful 
regions of South America, and those agaiu have boen 
multiplied by tho art of hybridization, till our shelves 
literally are crowdod to excess with them. It is now a 
somewhat difficult matter to find room for even a 
selection of the best kinds, especially when room is 
wanted for tho hosts of Gloxinias and Gesneras, which, 
in tho same space of time, have, by the industry of 
collectors, and the no loss industrious exertions of the 
hybridizer, boon multiplied amazingly. As amongst 
so many species und varieties it would he almost im¬ 
possible to grow them all to any thing like perfection, 
we propose in this paper, first to make a selection of a 
few of tho best kinds of Achimenes, and then to describe 
a method by which those low may be made to display a 
greater amount of bloom, and thus render thorn pleasant 
objects to look at, and show the difference between a 
starved lot of numerous plants in small pots, and noble 
specimens attractive and pleasing to tho commonest ob¬ 
server—tho mere lounger, who, to kill time before dinner, 
takes a stroll in the garden. 
The following is a selection of the kinds wo judge 
fitting for our purpose to form specimens with. Achi¬ 
menes gloxinijlora, white, spotted with crimson; A. 
longiflora , blue; A. lonyi/lora alba, white, with pink 
stripes; A. Mount/ordii (hybrid), with scarlet flowers; 
A. patens, purplish crimson; A. pedunculata, orange, j 
spotted with crimson; A. picta, orange-scarlet, spotted 
with brown; A. Tuguelliana, piu'pllsh - crimson; A. 
venusta (hybrid), with rosy-purple flower's. 
These nine kinds comprise the best and most showy 
varieties. To grow them us large specimens, tho follow- | 
ing articles ore necessary: suitablo compost, and a 
number of wido shallow pans, four or five inches deep, 
of various sizes, but none loss than a foot in diameter, 
nor any more than eighteen inches. 
