30 
THE COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 
October 18. 
died, and as liis executors did not inherit his tastes, 
poor Main had something else to think about than 
tracing the damaged remnants he succeeded in bring¬ 
ing home. Being very unobtrusive in his manners, 
Mr. Main was not a man to pretend to an honour to 
which lie was not clearly entitled, though, as many 
of the cases for Kew, and private gardens, sent in 
other ships were in fair order, when the fleet touched 
at St. Helena, it is to be presumed that some of them 
would reach their destination in safety. Now, I 
would not have introduced these matters, but for one 
fact which I think at present will be extremely use¬ 
ful to many of those who hardly know how they are 
to save their plants during the winter. The fact was 
one to which Mr. Alain several tunes alluded in pri¬ 
vate conversation; namely, that he never was so 
mortified in his life as to find at St. Helena that 
boxes of plants in other ships were comparatively 
safe and sound, that had never been touched, received 
no attention, but were nevertheless comparatively un¬ 
scathed during the variations of temperature through 
which they had passed; while the plants under his 
own care, on which he had bestowed nights and days 
of watchfulness, in giving air, in shading, in water 
ing, in moving from one part of the ship to the other, 
were miserable wrecks. He saw enough to teach him 
his error, and no doubt would have been more suc¬ 
cessful if he had returned a second time. He killed 
his plants with extreme care, just as many of our 
cottager friends lose theirs, because they have such 
a desire to coax and coddle them at unsuitable times. 
A lady very fond of flowers, and especially of fuchsias, 
had by our directions put them during the winter in 
a room in the garden, which had a few squares of glass 
in the door, with advice to keep them dry. Her liege 
lord, a very learned and, what is better, a very good 
man, and who would laugh heartily were I even to 
put his name in print, though he had never been 
known to handle the water-pot, yet espying these fuch¬ 
sias in a fine day in winter, his feeling heart could 
not but take compassion upon the poor starved dried- 
like things, and he said to himself, “ Well, I must give 
them a reviving drop for once,” and true enough he 
drenched them well, and soaked the floor into the 
bargain. The frost of the following night next thing 
to settled the plants, which but for his kindness would 
have been safe. The rule, then, to be deduced from 
this digression, and which just meets the case of some 
correspondents, is, if you cannot apply artificial heat 
so as to keep your plants growing slowly during 
winter, the best thing is to place them just where the 
frost will not reach them, where vitality shall be 
preserved, but where all growth shall be discouraged 
until the days lengthen and the weather becomes 
warmer. 
The camellia is hardier even than the Chinese 
azalea. It has hence been recommended to plant it 
out of doors, and even to train it against a south 
wall, which, however, we should consider the most 
objectionable place for it, for two reasons; firstbecause 
the leaves do not like the full glare of sunlight in 
this country; and, secondly, the buds would be so 
forward that they would be apt to open their blossoms 
during winter, wTien from frost and rains they would 
not be worth looking at. A better plan would be to 
plant them out in a shallow border on a north aspect, 
as there the growth would be more stunted, the wood 
as firm, with a chance of blooming later in the spring. 
We mention this because some may wish to experi¬ 
mentalize at acclimatising, though we have little 
hopes of seeing the camellia succeeding out of doors, 
not because the plant is so tender, but because its 
flowers open naturally in winter and spring, when 
protection from such weather as we generally have is 
necessary to ensure their beauty. The foliage, indeed, 
is beautiful, but without its splendid flowers, we see 
little to recommend the camellia, merely as an ever¬ 
green, over our common or Portugal laurels. We 
should, therefore,recommend that they be all removed 
into the greenhouse and conservatory, or at least be 
placed under shelter. If grown early for a few years, 
they will flower afterwards early in winter with but 
little trouble, and thus nobly take the place of the chry¬ 
santhemums, when the blaze of that autumn flower is 
over. To obtain early flowering, the plants should 
be taken for a few seasons to a vinery or peach-house 
at work in the spring, where they would be slightly 
shaded; rapid growth would thus be encouraged, and 
then, after being more exposed to harden the wood 
and set the buds, the plants may be removed to a 
sheltered place out of doors during the end of sum¬ 
mer and the mild part of autumn. The wood will 
thus be sturdier and the buds firmer; but care should 
be taken that the leaves are not too much browned, 
as it requires a long period before they again recover 
their glossy green, in which their chief beauty consists. 
Where no forcing house exists, the same object may 
be gained by keeping those plants you wish to have 
early, along with azaleas, longer in the greenhouse, 
kept closer and more moist to expedite their growth, 
or one end may be set apart for that purpose. Those 
you wish to flower in winter should also be placed 
by themselves, as they will require a rather higher 
temperature to open tlieir blossoms nicely than will 
do for gre'enhouse plants generally. When once 
fairly open, a low temperature will suit them. Large 
plants of azaleas in full flower were removed to a glass 
case without artificial heat, in the end of January, 
and suffered no harm; but then they were examined 
late every frosty night, and could have been removed 
to the conservatory if it had been very severe. 
The camellia, as well as the azalea, makes a beau¬ 
tiful window plant, for though it be desirable to grow 
large specimens for greenhouses, they may be almost 
as safely pruned when used to it as a geranuim. 
“Ah !” says one of my cottage friends, “I should so 
like to have a nice camellia in my window, it w r ould 
make such a beautiful centre, and then I could arrange 
my other favourites as wings; but then seethe time 
I must keep it there before it flowers, though for that 
I should not mind so much, there will be so much 
pleasure in looking upon its swelling buds, and feast¬ 
ing in anticipation on the beauties afterwards to be 
unfolded; but what am I to do with it when it has 
flowered; I have no greenhouse in which to place it, 
no forcinglhousc in'which to nurse it; all my glass, 
with the exception of my windows, are two lights, 
manufactured by myself!” All right, you will get on 
capitally; these auxiliaries in the shape of two light 
boxes, or brick or turf pits, however rudely made, 
are indispensable to those who would shine in window 
gardening. The best substitute for them is a window 
in the house, with a table or stage behind it, where 
you can keep all your plants that require coaxing 
and doctoring, and which are never seen but by in¬ 
timate friends, who know your object, your sitting 
room window being thus chiefly occupied with the 
results. Without the box, without the spare window, 
you might manage your camellia, but then you must 
keep it longer in the window after flowering than 
might be desirable, until it had commenced its growth, 
and then you would require to set it outside close to 
the wall of your house in April and May, protecting 
it at night, and shading it the hottest part of the day 
