May 25. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
143 
I 
seeing, from time to time, accounts of how plants stood our 
last winter in England, I hope I am not intruding in writing 
to let you l;now how plants endure it in this, I may say, out- 
of-the-way place. My small garden is on a rock over-hanging 
the Atlantic, and is mostly forced soil. None of my plants 
were covered. I used to cover them, hut generally found 
they did well enough without it, only I remove the more 
tender ones under shelter. 
The Hydrangea, Myrtle, Eliza Sauvage—Tea Rose, Yucca 
yloriosa, and Weigelia Rosea provo quite hardy. Aloysia 
citriodora, Aster argophyllus, Clianthus puniccus, Veronica 
Lindleyana, and Acacia affinis, used to stand the winter, hut 
were by the last nipped to within a few inches of the ground. 
However, except the Veronica and Acacia they are all putting 
up strong new shoots. 
Fuschias, such as Carolina, Epsii, Dr. Jephson, and En¬ 
chantress, are shooting up strongly in the borders. * Carolina, 
trained to a rock facing south, is uninjured to the top. F. 
Riccartonii is quite hardy, and grows to a large si/.e. Salvia 
patens, Cuphea strigulusa, Plumbago Larpentic, and Zauschncria 
Californicu, are also coming up vigorously. 
I have not many tender bulbs, the different kinds of 
Gladiolus being the most tender in my possession, and they 
all stood the winter well. I had Tom Thumb Geranium and 
the Myrtle in flower in the open air a few days before 
Christmas.—A Highlander, Lcdaig, near Oban, Argyleshirc. 
LENGTH OF TIME AN EGG CONTINUES 
FERTILE. 
Haying two eggs from a favourite bird laid on the 10th 
and 11 tli of January last, over and above what I required for 
a sitting, I resolved to keep them, in expectation of a hen 
becoming broody in a week or so ; the eggs were kept upright 
on a board with holes in it, and were regularly turned daily 
until the first week in March, when all hopes of their proving 
productive were given up ; still, they were kept but not turned. 
A friend applied for some eggs on the 17th of March ; I much 
wished him to try the two eggs, now two calendar months 
old ; he took them amongst others, distinctly marking them 
with ink, and put them under a hen on the 18th ; on the 8th 
and 0th of April the hatching took place, and on examining 
the eggs, one of the two named was found perfectly hatched, 
the other with a chicken fully developed, but dead in the 
shell, not having been able to force its way out; a chicken 
was also found dead in the nest, which may have been the 
one from the other egg; still, it is proof what a length of 
time may elapse before eggs ought to be given up as worth¬ 
less. No doubt, were trouble taken, and weakly chicken as¬ 
sisted from the shell, some might bo saved even from eggs 
of a longer date.— H. Oakey. 
HARDY BORDER PLANTS. 
THE CEANESBILL, OR GERANIACE/E. 
There are many species and varieties of the family of 
Geraniums, more or less beautiful border plants, both of 
native and exotic species. In most cases they are of low 
growth, forming suitable front-row plants in our borders; also 
many of them are very suitable plants for the rockery. 
Usually, they have strong, long, fleshy roots, and flourish in 
any common border soil. They are of compact habit, and, 
therefore, may remain for years in the same spots where 
first planted, and aro readily increased by root division any 
day in the whole year. It may be said justly that all our 
English perennial lands are worth growing as border plants ; 
but neither of the annual kinds do we think worth culti¬ 
vating. The G. Robertianum is tho best of the annuals, aud 
might be considered pretty in some gloomy corner of a 
rockery. 
GERANIUM LANCASTRIENSE. 
The Lancashire Cranesbill is a pretty little plant, by some 
authors considered only a variety of the G. sanguineum, and 
called by them G. sangnincum var. prostrata. Other autho¬ 
rities consider it a distinct species, and with these we coin¬ 
cide. It is called after the county in which it is found 
growing wild, namely, on a bank in the Isle of Walney in 
Lancashire. Our readers might naturally say, this would 
form an excellent plant for the rockery, as the soil there 
could be made a little better than common, so as to suit 
the plant in that situation ; but tho plant will flourish in 
any good common garden soil, and forms one of the prettiest 
little tufty, rather procumbent bunches we could have in 
the borders, and from its compact growth it might remain 
undisturbed in the same spot for one’s lifetime. This plant 
is very much smaller than the G. sangnincum in every re¬ 
spect, except in its blossoms, which will vie pretty much with 
it as to size. The flowers in this species aro nearly white, 
or white with red streaks. The leaves are five or seven- 
lobed, and the lobes have three deeply-cut segments entire. 
GERANIUM SANGUINEUM. 
This is commonly called the Blood-coloured Cranesbill. 
Its blossoms are of a deep purplish-red colour; also the 
herbage of the whole plant is of a very dark green, whilst 
the herbage of the little Lancastriense is of a much more 
pallid green. The leaves in both are very similar in shape. 
The sanguineum is altogether a much larger growing plant 
than the Lancastriense, and forms a compact tufty bunch, 
rising a foot in height, and flowering, more or less, from tho 
end of May to the end of September. This is quite a suit¬ 
able plant for the rockery, or for a front place in the open, dry 
borders; indeed, it will flourish in any situation, and forms 
a very ornamental plant all the summer. 
GERANIUM RYRENAICUM. 
This is called the Mountain Cranesbill, therefore one might 
readily conclude that it should be a rock plant, too. It may 
be so; and a very pretty front border plant it makes. Its 
blossoms are not so large as those of the two preceding 
species; they are of light purple colour, and continue 
flowering for a considerable length of time, namely, from 
May to July. Its leaves are kidney-shaped, and seven or 
nine-lobed; the lobes being oblong, bluntly three-cut, and 
saw-toothed at the end. 
GERANIUM NODOSUM. 
The Knotty Cranesbill. This is quite worth a place in 
the flower-border as a front-row plant, or on the rockery, 
where it is really an ornament. Its leaves are three or five- 
lobed; the lobes are ovate-pointed and saw-toothed. The 
flowers are of a pale purple colour. It is from twelve to 
fifteen inches high. 
GERANIUM PIKEUM. 
This, tho Dusky Cranesbill, is a very curious-looking plant, 
and one which attracts tho attention of everyone who lias 
never seen it before. When grown in a shady border, where 
it most enjoys itself, the blossoms are almost as black as a 
rook. It is a very profuse bloomer, and a free-growing plant 
altogether. Its time of best flowering is during May and 
June, but it continues, more or less, to the end of Septem¬ 
ber. Altogether, it is a most desirable species to possess a 
plant or two of. Its stems rise from twelve to fifteen inches 
in height, rendering it suitable either for a front or second- 
row plant in the borders, according to the size of beds or 
borders and of the otherplants that may be near it. Its leaves 
are five-lobed, the lobes sharp pointed, cut, and saw-toothed. 
It is a very free-grower altogether, and very worthy of a 
place in every flower-garden; but it is a very rare plant to 
find in a wild state. 
GERANIUM SYLYATICUM. 
This, tho Wood Cranesbill, is another very rare plant to 
find in a wild state. It is much like G.pratense in its manner 
of growth, but hot so large, nor is it anything like so largo in 
its blossoms. Tho sylvuticum is in full bloom during May, 
and its flowers not nearly so large as in the pratense. It is a 
profuso bloomer, and tho flowers aro of a pretty light purple 
colour. It is a very strikingly cheerful-looking plant at this 
season, rising from one foot to a foot-and-a-half in height, 
making a neat front or second-row plant in the borders. Its 
leaves arc sevon-lobed, hand-shaped, and the lobes cut and 
saw-toothed. 
