•102 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Maiich 17. 
i'resli ones in the early summer months, and then 
llower profusely in that season. There is another species 
named L. Fiuciana, which is shy to llower in )iots, but 
against a wall would flower as freely as L. yraiissbna. 
, M.\ 0 N 0 i.iA.— A well-known noble tribe of shrubs, 
nearly all hai-dy. In the northern parts, M. oonspiend, 
M. vbovaUi; M. fnsoiitu, and M. odoratissima, require 
the protection of a j)rescrvativc wall, where their hand¬ 
some flowers will bo protected from late frosts. Even 
in the south these should be planted against a wall, 
; together with the evergreen noble - leaved Maijnolia 
(jriindijlora, and its varieties. 
Meualeuija.—A genus of evergreen plants, chielly 
from New Holland. Several of the species arc suitable 
for a wall, protected without heat, being as bardy as the 
common Myrtle. 'I'hcir foliage is neat, and flowers 
handsome ; the latter are produced in bundles round 
the young shoots, and are often termed the “ bottle- 
brush dower,” from tho form they assume when in 
bloom. J have selected the following as being tho most 
appropriate for tho ]Hir|)ose— M. callistemonea, M. J'td- 
pens, iM. Idiiceolata, M. thyviifolia, and ili. vinjatd. 
IMej-iantuus MA.ioii.—An old inhabitant of our green¬ 
houses, but nearly hardy it planted against a wall, 'i'hc 
leaves are large, and beautifully silvered over. Though 
the flowers are not brilliant in colour, yet, whore there 
is plenty of space, one plant at least is desirable. 1 
once had some seeds sent mo from Africa, named Meli- 
diithus mdjvr coccinea; but, unfortunately, they have 
not yet flowered. 1 sent a plant to tho Regent's I’ark 
Rotanic Garden, whore 1 believe it is yet in existence. 
iShould it over bloom, and ])rodueo scarlet dowers, it 
will be a great acijuisition. 
Miteaui.v coccinea (Tho Scarlet M.). — A shrub lately 
introduced from Chili, and now, from its being so easily 
propagated, become common. It is hardy enough to 
plant against a wall, with the ])rotection of a glass 
covering, without artificial heat. The dowers arc of a 
pleasing bright scarlet, and are showy, and produced 
very numerously when the ))lants become largo and 
aged. This will bo a groat favourite when its merits 
are better known. 
Myktus communis (Common IMyrtle).—Though this 
beautiful shrub, and all its varieties, are hardy south of 
London, yet in the north it is rarely seen in the ojicn 
air. Planted against a wall covered with glass, it will 
bear several degrees of frost without injury, provided 
! the leaves are kept dry, and tho roots partially so. It 
is moisture—excessive moisture—that destroys our half- 
hardy plants in wot situations. 
Oi.EA ERAOHANs (Swcet-scontcd Olivo).—Tho flowers 
arc most highly perfumed, though small and incon¬ 
spicuous. It is a native of China, and only requires 
to be ke))t from frost, and is, therefore, a suitable plant 
to place against a preservative wall, chiefly for its fra¬ 
grance. The leaves are large, and beautifully toothed 
at the edges; so that, though the flowers are not showy, 
' yet tho delicious fragrance tlioy emit, combined with tho 
' handsome foliage, render this Olivo a worthy plant. 
: Pnoi'iNiA SERiiuLATA (Haw-lcavcd I’hotinia).— A lino 
evergreen shrub, sufficiently hardy to endure our ordi¬ 
nary winters in tho southern counties, but north of 
Loudon requires tho protection of cold glass-covered 
walls. There arc some other S 2 )ecie 8 of recent intro- 
I duction, and these are also shrubs with fine foliage. 
1 They are named respectively, F. arbutifolid (Arbutus¬ 
leaved), from California: F. dubid (the Doubtful), 
, from Ncpaul; and F. inleyrifoUa (Entire-leaved), from 
tho same country. These are yet extremely rare, but 1 
believe Messrs. Osburn, of tho Eulham Nursery, possess 
them all. T. Appleuy. 
I (To be eoiitiiiue'l.) 
THE PELARGONIUM. 
(Cunlinued fruui puye TT->.) 
Summer 'J’reatment of Two-Years-Oi.d Pi.ants^.— 
After having carried these plants safely through winter, 
the amateur will be anxious to know what ho is to do to 
them the spring following. Plants of this age should 
be low and bushy, and full of healthy foliage, with eight 
or nine, or more, branches to each ; but it is not advis¬ 
able to liavc too many, so as to crowd them, leaving no 
room for them to expand their leaves. Siqqiosing tliem 
in this desirable condition, they should bo repotted into 
their blooming-pots, a linal shift previous to exhibiting 
them. Some Societies confine the exhibitors to tho size 
of tho pots, and as this is generally known, the cul¬ 
tivator should place his plants in tho size of pots re¬ 
quired. Tho Loudon Horticultural Society has hitherto 
ollercd qu izes for collections growing in b-inch and 1 i-inch 
pots, and 1 believe the Regent’s Park Shows arc required 
to bo in the same sizes. The sizes for Ibod may be ascer¬ 
tained by writing to the Secretaries of each Society. 
At tho time this meets tho eye of the reader it will bo 
tho season to place tho jdants in these jiots. The same 
soil should bo used as described at page 424, and the 
same method of potting tho strongest and largest plants 
should bo chosen to put in the largest-sized pots. In 
potting, care should be taken that the pots are not filled 
u|) to tho brim with soil, because, as the season ad¬ 
vances, they will require water in such abundance, i 
quite tlirough tho ball of soil, that if tho jiots are quite 
full of soil that cH’ect will not take place, tho water will 
run olf over the sides of the jiot, and the centre of the 
ball will remain dry and ]iarched. To prevent this, at 
the final potting leave half-an-incli of space between the 
surface of the soil and the top of tho ^lot; this will hold 
a sufiicieiit quantity of water to thoroughly wot the 
entire ball quite through, o)-, if there is any doubt of 
that being elfectually accomplished, a second watering, 
given immediately after the first has settled, will be sure i 
thoroughly to wet tho soil. This thorough watering is | 
infinitely better than the dribbling system of giving a 
little at a time and often, a system which destroys \ 
more plants than any other bad point of culture. At i 
tho time of repotting it will bo most convenient to tic ’ 
out the iilants anew, and as this will bo the last oppor- ! 
tunity to do this, great Judgment must bo exercised in 
tho 2 >erformance; calculation must be made as to how 
much room each branch will occupy when tho trusses 
of bloom are fully expanded, and a sullicieut space i 
allowed for them; this will save much subsequent | 
trouble and dilBculty. The form the whole jdant 
should assume, when on the exhibition table, should 
be, as it were, foreshadowed in the mind, and the | 
training carried on accordingly. A very few years ago ■ 
tho fashionable form was as if the toj) of each jdant 
had been bevillcd off with a jiair of shears. The 
longest shoots wore at the back of tho plants, and tho 
shortest in front, so that if the plant was turned round 
there was nothing to be seen but naked stems and a 
forest of sticks ! This absurd fashion has hajqiily dis¬ 
appeared, and tho plants now appear on tho tables at 
tho exhibitions in the more natural form of a round- , 
headed dense bush, with the tallest branches in the 
centre, and tho rest gradually sjircading out, down to, or 
even below, the rims of tho iiots. This is a great im¬ 
provement, which tho good taste of the exhibitor, the 
judges, and, let me add, the visitors, has induced to 
become indispensable to a well-grown I’clargonium. 
Let the now beginner exert his skill in training his 
plants from the first stopping of his young plants to 
bring them into this improved form. The foundation 
for it must be begun at the earliest stage, as it will be a 
difficult matter to accomplish so desirable a form when 
the plants have attained any size. 
