THE COTTAGE GAKDENER. 
January 20. 
004 
above than in a plant-stove; while the gardener will bo 
saved all outcry about tlio heat. 1 often used to think 
that there was a little of the fabulous in this horror of 
the heat in our forcing and plant-houses; because, when 
f have found ladies and gentlemen starting back at the 
door, and refusing to enter a plant-house in winter, with 
a temperature little above I have seen them en¬ 
joying themselves in their own rooms, the fires in which 
had raised the temperature from 05“ to 70°. I have no 
doubt, however, now, that the extra humidity in the 
plant-houses at a high temperature was what rendered 
them distressing to lungs that had been accustomed to 
air too thoroughly dried. Such a house, with an average 
night temperature a little below 50°, will suit a great 
many tender plants in bloom; while the house itself 
would constitute a happy and healthy medium between 
the saturated atmosphere of the forcing-house, and the 
baked, oven-dried air of the sitting-room. 
Begonia obliqua. —Were I confined to two species of 
this genus for greenhouse use, I would select my 
favourite, though rough-looking, Evansiana, for summer, 
and obliqua for winter. In a house, with an average 
night temperature from 45° to 48°, I generally have 
abundance of its pretty pink flowers for three or four 
months in winter and spring. It is the hardiest winter- 
flowering kind that 1 know. Loam and peat will grow 
it admirably. Cuttings may be placed in a slight hot¬ 
bed in April, and if encouraged will make nice little 
blooming plants for the winter following. Old plants 
may be pruned a little, and tied out in May, receive a 
shift if necessary, and be kept rather close in a cold pit 
to encourage growth, or placed in a peach-house or 
vinery; they will want more air and light in summer; 
near the glass in a pit, with the sash tilted back and 
front, until the middle of September, will suit it. From 
thence to the end of October, the pit should be kept 
closer and warmer; and by the beginning of November 
it should bo taken to the warmest part of the greenhouse. 
Begonia manioata. —This delightful, graceful plant is 
more tender. The whole of the summer treatment may 
be the same as for obliqua; but as it does not show 
bloom so soon, it will require an average night tempe¬ 
rature of 55° from November to Christmas, to bring up 
the flower-stems freely and luxuriantly. When the 
flowers begin to open it will be quite at-home in the 
warm greenhouse, and will bloom much longer than in 
a stove, whUe the individual flowers will open better. 
No one who has once seen this in its beauty would like 
to be without it. 
Begonia frag runs (MTn tosh’s).—I have not yet tried 
this new kind in this manner, but it seems as if it would 
be hardy enough for this purpose. I introduce it here, be¬ 
cause I am not aware that it has been previously noticed. 
I know little more of its antecedents than that it was 
raised at Dalkeith Gardens. Mr. M’Intosh, in addition 
to great and many kind courtesies, gave some cuttings 
to a friend, who transmitted them to me in a tin case 
last spring. Every cutting grew. The plants were kept 
in a hotbed during the first part of the summer, and 
then were exposed to more air afterwards, until they 
were housed in November. They are nice stubby 
plants, have been in bloom nearly two months, and look 
as if they would continue ever so long. The habit seems 
good; the foliage is somewhat fleshy, like nitida, but not 
nearly so large. The flowers are white, somewhat re¬ 
sembling the old alba sanguinea, but much larger in 
the individual blooms, as well as in the bunch; but the 
best remains to be told. In such didl weather as we 
have had it is slightly fragrant; but when the sky is 
very clear, or the sun is shining bright, its scent is 
delicious. A plant tlirows its aroma over the whole of 
a small house. 1 do not recollect any other Begonia 
that is thus scented. For this property alone it is a 
1 ^ desirable acquisition. It wovdd answer well as a warm- 
room plant for several weeks. If not in the trade, it is 
to be hoped that the worthy raiser will take means for 
its more general diffusion. 
Justicia spcciosa.. —This is almost the only one of the 
family that will thrive in such a situation in winter. 
The purple flowers are small and ragged, hut a nice 
bush of it has a pleasing effect. Plants should seldom 
be kept above two years. Loam and peat will grow it 
well. Cuttings inserted in sandy soil, under a bell-glass 
in April, and placed in a hotbed, and potted as soon as 
struck, kept first in a hotbed, then in a cold pit during 
summer, or plunged out-of-doors in a sheltered place, 
will yield nice stubby plants by October, when they 
should receive a drier and warmer atmosphere to bring 
them into bloom. They will be gay in such a house 
I'rom November to the middle of January. Plants that 
have bloomed one year, may be cut freely back at the 
end of March, have a little heat to break them, then 
fresh pot, and after keeping close for a few weeks, an 
airy cold pit will suit them in summer, kee])ing them 
closer and drier again at the end of autumn to cause 
them to bloom freely. 
Gesnera elongata. —This, in such a house, makes no 
bad successor to the more striking Oesnera zebrina. The 
leaves are long and narrow, and though the scarlet 
flowers are short, they are produced in great abundance. 
This should have more peat than loam. Nice little , 
blooming plants may be obtained from cuttings struck 
in a hotbed in spring, in sandy-soil, but without a 
close bell-glass, potted and kept in heat, and inured to 
more air, and free exposure in autumn. But two or 
throe year old plants make the most interesting speci¬ 
mens; though they make a fleshy axis of growth at 
times, this is not to bo depended on, like a corm or 
tuber. When flowering is finished, or early in spring, 
say in March or April, cut the plant down to within six 
or eight inches of the surface of the soil; let it stand 
rather dry, in a warmish place, until the 'young shoots 
are coming freely away, (often the young shoots will bo 
found ready to your hand before you cut down the old 
flowering shoots) shake away a good portion of the old ; 
soil, prune the roots a little, replace in a similar sized i 
pot, give a temperature of from 00° to 05°, if a little 
bottom-heat, all the better; give another shift when 
necessary, and keep closish afterwards; by the middle 
of June transfer them to a pit or house, free from fer¬ 
menting matter, where you can keep in the sun heat, 
and syringe over head; give air freely in August, and 
expose rather freely in September, and a drier air in the 
end of October will cause the flowers to come freely. 
With less trouble than is required for a good Cocks¬ 
comb, you will thus obtain flowering plants for three or 
four months of the gloomiest season of the year. 
Torenia Asiatica. —Some enquiries have been made 
about this lovely plant. The best specimen 1 have ever 
seen of this bloomed in spring and summer, after being 
saved in such a greenhouse during winter, when pre¬ 
viously grown to a good size. Such a house will not be 
sufficient to keep it in a healthy, blooming condition 
during winter. Few tilings are more beautiful in clear 
weather in winter, but it will require a night temper¬ 
ature of from 55° to 60°, and even a little more in mild 
weather. I tried a beautiful plant the hegiuning of this 
winter, but the temperature having got several times 
below 55°, I was obliged to remove it in a fortnight. 
Under the most favourable circumstances, it wmuld 
require to bo transferred back again to the stove in a 
fortnight. In such a heated house few things are more 
splendid in winter. Plants for this purpose should be 
grown from cuttings struck in spring. I’lants to bloom 
in greenhouses and glass-cases in summer should be 
struck the previous season. Old plants kept rather dry, 
and in small pots, will pass the winter, if the temper¬ 
ature is not below 45°, and will break and make fine 
