August 19. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
319 
deuse carpet. Mino was kept about a foot high, and it 
flowered beautifully. After the third season after 
planting, it became necessary to cut back the under¬ 
ground suckers on both sides of the row, the space being 
confined to thirty inches. With the exception of the 
Cotoneaster microphylla, I do not know a better plant 
for that purpose. The Cotoneaster has the advantage 
of its coral berries all the winter, and is also more 
of a trimmed plant without the use of the shears, and if 
| the Berberry is cut with the shears the leaves must be 
cut through, and that spoils it altogether. Both of 
I them will grow on the poorest soil, and the Cotoneaster 
will soon make an edging from three to four rows of 
| cuttings, put in where they are to remain, and they may 
be planted any time between this and Christmas. 
A belt of the Tiger Lily, another of the Bee Lari'spier, 
and the middle with autumn Phloxes, as “ Devonian ” pro¬ 
poses, will make a good mixture ; the three coming into 
flower in succession. I would have a patch of the Natal 
I Gladiolus ( Gladiolus psittacinus), between every two of 
the Tiger Lily, to come in after the lilies were over, and 
I would have plant for plant of the Rudbeclna chryso- 
mela in the Larkspur belt, to flower along with the 
Phloxes after the Larkspurs had done flowering. It is 
true that none of these have the same style of flowering, 
hut in this kind of mixture that is not of so much con- 
' sequence as the length of time each sort would keep in 
flower. 
I have often desired to see such a wall of scarlet 
Geraniums as “Devonian” mentions, and whatever fence 
is used for training Geraniums, or other plants against 
it, ought to he divided into spaces, as his wall is with 
the buttresses, and each division be planted with a 
different variety. The Unique Geranium will not grow 
to nine or ten feet in so many years. I had one for 
seven yeai’s so planted, and covered with glass in the 
winter, and the wall was also protected with hot-water 
pipes, but Unique did not rise above five feet all the 
time. The variety of it called Queen of Portugal is 
more likely to suit him ; it is a much stronger sort, 
with the growth, leaves, and flowers the same as in 
Unique. I am quite sure that I saw this variety at the 
Pine-Apple nursery this summer, in going round with 
Mr. Appleby, hut there was no particular mark to it, 
and the lilac variety of it I mentioned the other day 
makes the third form of Unique. I also saw a large 
plant of the true Unique turned out-of-doors in the 
garden of the Horticultural Society last July, and every 
head was seeding, confirming what I have always said, 
that a sudden or violent check would cause many of the 
l shy seeders to become fruitful; but whether the seeds 
ripened I did not hear, and that depends on how the 
\ pollen acted. The disposition to seed was evident in 
this very shy seeder. With its own pollen, it comes as 
true from seeds as if it wa3 a wild species. 
The new white variety of scarlet inquired about, I do 
not know. My own white seedlings are as good as any 
I have seen, hut not good enough for selling yet. 
Neither do I know Low's Amazon, hut I have heard 
wonderful tales about it, and I am pleased to hear 
| “ Devonian" calling it “ the perfection of beauty.” I shall 
soon he at Mr. Low’s nursery, and will report on it, and 
all other novelties that I may see there. 
Petunias are not at all so impatient of frost as 
“ Devonian ” thinks; many of them will live over the 
winter, where no scarlet Geranium would keep a leaf, 
and Verbenas the same. 
The Shrublanel Rose is the very finest wall plant we 
have. I had it and a purple one, three years against a 
cold wall, guarded with mats, and they were more 
admired than any plants in the gai'den. At last they 
got too large for the space, and they were cut down to 
make room for a Mandevillea. Damp is more against 
them than frost. The Shrubland Pose is now in every 
good flower-garden all over the country. It is a seedling 
from a delicate variety called Highelere Rose, by the 
pollen of Desdemona ; a very strong, old Petunia. 
There was a very small plant of the new Californian 
Diplaeus, or rather Mimulus, at one of the exhibitions 
at Chiswick, hut I could form no opinion upon it, and 
therefore said nothing about it. The straw-colour of the 
flowers is new ; and now I shall trust to “Devonian’s” 
account of it, and recommend it highly. There was 
another plant shown twice this summer—the beautiful 
Indigofera decora —which I passed, because, after giving 
its proper culture once or twice in these pages, no one 
seems to succeed with it for the exhibitions. It 
requires to be grown from October to May, and then it 
flowers all the summer. Rest it for the winter and it 
does no good. D. Beaton. 
PECULIARITIES OF THE SEASON. 
Some time ago, attention was directed to the import¬ 
ance of becoming acquainted with the latitude, eleva¬ 
tion, and the highest and lowest temperatures of the 
places whence we received plants and seeds. Too great 
attention has hitherto been paid merely to latitude and 
average annual temperature, and too little attention has 
been manifested, not only to the highest and lowest tem¬ 
perature of places, but also to the very important fact, 
whether the atmosphere was dry and unclouded in sum¬ 
mer, as in the eastern parts of Europe, or cloudy and 
misty, as in many parts of Ireland, and the south and 
west of England. In the latter case, the growing, in 
the former case, the fruiting and seeding principle, would 
; severally be at the maximum. Thus it happens, that 
though Dublin be 4° of latitude north of Heidelberg, 
there is scarcely any difference between the mean annual 
temperature of the two places, though the mean winter 
temperature of the first is some G° higher than the 
latter. Nevertheless, as the summer temperature of 
Dublin is nearly 5° below the temperature of Heidel¬ 
berg, and the atmosphere, in the latter case, is much 
clearer than in the former, we see, at once, the reason 
why fruits rich in sugar may ripen in the one case and 
not in the other. While, on the other hand, we have a 
solution of the fact, why plants that thrive uninjured in 
winter at Dublin and in Cornwall would require pro¬ 
tection in Germany. 
These, and kindred matters, have been frequently 
forced upon our attention this season. If sudden diver¬ 
sity, and extremes, are the advantages of our insular 
position, then surely we have every reason for congra¬ 
tulation; and never do I recollect a season in which 
these extremes were more apparent than in the passing 
summer. The most weatherwise, when pulling on his 
night-cap, could scarcely predicate what he should have 
to do in the morning. All rules and theories, as to pro¬ 
tection and other matters of practical detail, had to he 
suited to ever-varying circumstances. Fortunate was 
he, who, by timely care, governed the circumstances, and 
did not quietly and easily allow them to defeat him. 
Without going far from our own homesteads, we shall, 
by-and by, get practically acquainted with the climates 
of all latitudes. In April and part of May we had as 
clear sunshine, and nearly as dry an atmosphere, as is 
to he found on the plains of eastern Russia, while the 
nights were as frosty, and the winds as keen as could he 
felt, at similar seasons, on mountain chains, or great 
elevations in tropical regions. Everything out-of-doors 
required extra management—guarding everything tender 
from undue excitement during the day was a prime 
matter of consideration. Many found, to their cost, that 
the protectionist doctrines of Mr. Errington were no 
delusion. Many more will wish he had not brought 
such a term, again, into such popular distinction. For 
all forcing operations, no weather could have been more 
