240 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— July ], 1856. 
moister the atmosphere and somewhat sliaded, the 
better and more, striking will be the foliage. The 
Coleus is a fine ornament to the greenhouse in summer, 
and a small plant, saved nicely over the winter, may be 
grown, with plenty of heat and moisture, into a fair 
barrow-load before July. I saved small plants of it 
and the Cissus, by placing them under a hand-light 
at the warmest end of a cool plant stove. Others, 
though never lower than from 45° to 50°, rotted and 
dwindled away. The Cissus grows very fast from a 
healthy little plant, though not so fast as the Coleus. 
Without heat considerably above a common greenhouse 
it is vain to expect to keep them over the winter. ’The 
Coleus, except in its rich, variegated foliage, being so 
like the Plectranthus racemosus, that soon would mono¬ 
polise any window to itself, is ono reason why many 
expected it would stand hardy treatment. 
Echites suberecta flowers freely, is of a rich yellow 
colour; but the flowers and foliage are small in com¬ 
parison of the Alkimanda cathartiea. 'The whole genus 
require similar treatment, and are just a shade more 
hardy, and, from their compactness, are well fitted for 
moderate-sized trellises. The most of them, and 
suberecta especially, are greatly relished by Green Fly, 
and the smoking apparatus must be no sinecure when 
they are growing freely and pushing their young shoots. 
The shoots of this summer bloom that come from well- 
ripeued buds are the wood of hist year. This fact 
furnishes the key-note to their culture. These, as well 
as Allamandas, enjoy bottom-heat in the spring if it 
cau be given to them. 
Dipladenias require even more care than Alla¬ 
mandas, though the principles of culture are the same. 
The compost should be fully half peat, and the other 
fibry loam, silver sand, with nodules of charcoal, and 
broken pots and sandstone, so as to keep the whole open, 
and with good drainage allow the waterings to pass 
freely. When a plant is fixed to a trellis, and is old 
enough for blooming, success will greatly depend on 
having the wood well hardened the previous autumn, by 
exposure to all the light possible under glass, and the 
atmosphere and soil kept rather dry. In winter the 
plant should be kept dryish, giving no more water than 
will meet the exhausting effects of evaporation. The 
temperature, even then, should rarely be below from 55° 
to 00°. In spring, when wishing to set it a-growing 
freely, plunge the plant in a sweet bottom-beat, about 
80°; water the pot in a day or so, and sprinkle the top 
with the syringe; and, as the buds break, go over and 
thin the plant of bare and old shoots as uecessary; re¬ 
collecting that it is the healthy, free-growing shoots of 
this year, from well-ripened ones of the last, that will 
yield the fine bunches of bloom. Until these flower- 
buds are nearly opening, a temperature of from 70° to 
80° and a moist atmosphere will be relished. After that 
the heat may bo reduced a few degrees, aud the atmo¬ 
sphere be less moist. Fly and Thrips arc apt to be trou¬ 
blesome, especially if there is any deficiency of moisture. 
In smoking, avoid tobacco-paper, or what is sold for it, 
for such valuable plants as these. 
Gloxinia. —There is no end to the varieties in this 
beautiful group, and well worthy every grower’s atten¬ 
tion. They are especially valuable to those who may 
have a small plant stove, or intermediate house, as they 
may be packed away anywhere in winter, just where 
their bush-like tubers will not be dry nor wet, and not 
often below 45° in temperature. When brought from 
thence, and placed in heat and moisture in spring and 
early summer, they soon grow and bloom freely. A moist- 
heated and slightly shaded position is just the place for 
them. They do little good, therefore, in an open green¬ 
house, even iu summer, as the position is too open and 
dry. Placed at ono end, little air given there, and the 
pots set on moss, kept moist, they did moderately well, 
but seldom presented the vigour they do in a stove, in¬ 
termediate, or forcing-house. They enjoy light, rich 
compost,and manure-waterings when growing freely. If 
started in pits or frames, care must be taken to avoid 
steams and moisture remaining long on their leaves. If 
the sun strikes them then, it will regularly print them 
with white blotches. 
Hoya. —There have been some flue additions to this 
genus of late—the magnificent imperialis, the striking 
campanula ta, and the very pretty beMa —the best for a 
little plant stove among the lot of them ; but at the risk 
of being styled tasteless and miserably old-fashioned, I 
like the old honey plant, carnosa, better thau any of 
them. I believe it is also the hardiest. I have often | 
treated it just like a Cactus; plenty of water and full 
exposure to the sun in summer ; the exposure continued, ; 
and but a meagre supply of water in autumn ; almost 1 
complete dryness iu winter, and a temperature averaging 
45°, with a slight syringe on the foliage in a bright day 
instead of watering the roots. As the sun gained power j 
iu spring and early summer, water was given again at 
the roots, aud the fresh growth brought the pretty j 
bunches of sweet wax flowers, distilling their clear dew 
honey-drops. This, and all the rest, like a little lime- 
rubbish, broken bricks, and charcoal in the soil; but all 
the others, so far as I can judge, should not be long 
below 50° in winter. A little plant even of hella is a 
picture; but commend me to the old carnosa. 
Hedychidsis, such as Gardnerianum, are too large for 
small houses; but where from seven to ten feet in height 
of standing-room can be given, they are w r ell worth 
growing for the beauty aud singularity of their flowers 
and the large foliage. We have known several mishaps 
with them the last season, just because it was not recol¬ 
lected that the strong flowering shoots of this year 
proceed from buds on the strong rhizome roots formed 
last year. When the flowering is over and the leaves 
begin to turn yellow, whether planted out or iu pots, 
the roots should be kept dryish until the turn of the 
year, and the sun and artificial heat have set them 
growing, when moisture should be freely given. They 
will take any temperature from 00° to 90°, if the 
atmosphere is moist in proportion, and, when resting, 
from 45° to 50°. Strong, rich loams are their delight. 
Rondeletia speciosa major. —Grow this in peat, and 
loam ; give it plenty of heat and moisture when grow¬ 
ing ; a little shade at first, and bottom-heat if come- 
at-able; a drier atmosphere when blooming freely; all 
the light and air and heat it cau get, and as much water j 
as will keep it from flagging iu autumn; dryish, and J 
from 45* to 50° in winter; prune well back and start 
again in spring, and every shoot will be terminated with 
rich corymbs of flowers. 
Tabernat,Montana. —Treat as yon would a Gardenia, 
but they should not be long below 50° in winter. 
R. Fish. I 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
THE ANTIRRHINUM. 
The Antirrhinum is an example how much one of 
our native wild flowers may be improved by culture. 
The A. majus is the species I allude to, and may often 
be seen growing wild on old walls and dry rocks. 
Grown, however, in the garden, the How r ers are much 
larger, and the colours have been multiplied greatly. 
The culture of them is exceedingly easy, though in wet 
soils they will perish every winter. Hence, for the best 
varieties, a dry soil mixed with lime-rubbish is the best 
for them. Named varieties should be propagated by 
small cuttings, put in from May to July in sandy soil, 
under a hand-light, shaded at first from the sun; or 
