354 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 4. 
covering round the stem, I would smear the thread and 
round the edges of the covering with some adhesive 
paint, that nasty stuff they sell for glueing on gutta 
! percha soles would probably be the best, and least 
! likely to harm the stem of the plant, as you could not 
well put it on without touching the stem all round. 
Plow many of our readers can I enlist on my side to 
try this plan, both for the good of our neighbours who 
are looking out for the safest way of sending out plants 
to Australia and other parts, and to see if it is all true 
what the philosophers say about the roots sucking up 
so much water, which the leaves are said to pass off in 
an invisible perspiration into the atmosphere? 
The oleander would be quite at home with its roots 
stuffed up in a bladder, and hung up against a front 
window, as long as the moss kept moist, but how long 
or short that time would be remains to be proved; 
indeed many things, and useful things too, might thus 
be proved. Take ten plants, all of one sort, and as 
nearly alike in strength and health as possible, and put 
ten different kinds of stimulants in the water to wet the 
moss with, then see which will hold out the longest of 
all the stimulants, and what effect each or all had on 
the plants. Try “clarified” liquid manure against 
that which is as brown as foxy guano water, in such 
and such proportions against so and so, and all in 
I that style of scientific experiment, and let us have 
something new and stimulating ourselves to write about 
out of all this. Might we not, also, prove how far we 
can keep plants in good health in the absence of any 
access of fresh air to the roots in these sealed bags ? 
Surely we can contrive to have the bags or envelopes 
for the moss and roots more air-tight than the patent 
canisters which spoiled the German sausages and other 
trash intended for long voyages like our packed plants. 
I have long had my doubts about the philosophy of 
ventilation for the use of the roots, and here is a simple 
way of proving how the wind blows in that direction; 
but doubts and assertions are at a discount in these 
days, so we must have the evidence of our senses before 
we can nail down an argument or an opinion. 
D. BRATON. 
PLANTING OUT CAMELLIAS. 
A correspondent (C. A.), who states that his plants 
are getting too large for comfortable moving about, 
wishes for information as to planting them in his con¬ 
servatory, and we give the matter this prominence here, 
hoping that the questions he and others have proposed 
will be met by attending to the following points. 
1st. Planted against Walls. —The camellia, though a 
comparatively hardy evergreen, can only be seen iu its 
greatest beauty in this country when receiving green¬ 
house or conservatory treatment; not but that it will 
stand out of doors in Devonshire, and also, with but 
slight protection, in the climate of London; yet, unless 
in very favourable seasons, the beauty is confined to the 
green foliage, as the flowers are easily marred by the 
slightest frost, and even by slight showers. True, when 
placed against a wall, with a broad coping of wood, or 
otherwise, these evils might be avoided, especially by 
using a protecting medium, and this might answer well 
where the cutting of half-expanded blooms in April and 
May are the object; but the beauty of the plant, to 
look at, is always injured when we have to grope 
our way to find it among frosty or wet protecting me¬ 
diums. Placed against walls, covered with glass in 
winter and spring, with space enough for comfortably 
walking between the glass and the walls, the matter 
becomes altogether different, as, then, such conservative 
walls become, in every sense, conservatories in winter 
and spring, and nice covered walls in summer when the 
glass is removed. These are the sort of places in which 
camellias would be quite at home. Some time ago a ' 
gentleman was advised by a nurseryman to plant the 
north side of a kitchen-garden wall with large camellias; j 
the site was considerably north of London, and visions j 
of unique and striking beauty were held out to him as j 
the sure result, and that without the necessity of any 
protecting medium whatever. The gardener was pooli- > 
poohed because he had misgivings on the subject, and 
honestly, and at length successfully, stated his objections 
to the trial being made, unless some protecting medium 
was guaranteed. 
For those who wish to try a few plants, the north 
aspect is far from the worst. The blooms would come 
so late that they would be more likely to escape the 
frosts, and would also succeed those grown in green¬ 
houses. On frosty mornings, the buds would be gra¬ 
dually thawed, and thus escape the quick transitions 
which they would experience on a south wall—the worst 
of all places for camellias, when not suitably protected 
by glass or otherwise. In planting against a north wall, 
the plants should be of a good size, the soil poor, and 
the position thoroughly drained, that short stubby wood 
may be made, and the buds set early in autumn. The 
only objection to the north side of a wall, is the defi¬ 
ciency of sunlight towards autumn for forming the 
buds, and, therefore, an aspect verging north-east, and, 
better still, north-west, would be preferable to due north. 
Those who wish to try, will find one of the very best, 
the Double white; it is as hardy as any, and to it may 
be added as equally hardy, the Single red — beautiful 
when half open— variegata, incarnata, double red, and 
pomponc. 
2ndly. Advantages and disadvantages of planting out 
Camellias in Conservatories. — In extensive places, where 
the conservatories are in several divisions, there is the 
advantage of combining economy with a more natural¬ 
looking mode of grow r th. Plants in pots always convey 
the idea of the stilted and the formal, and the labour 
and time they require vastly transcend that requisite for 
those planted out. There is even a pleasing change in 
moving from a greenhouse into a conservatory. Any¬ 
thing like a stereotyped sameness is removed by the 
variety presented by the various houses, and a house of 
camellias, under such circumstances, will be less interest¬ 
ing in summer with their glossy foliage only, than it 
is in spring with their splendid blossoms. On the other 
hand, where there is only one house, the planting out of 
large camellias in prominent positions neutralises the 
most of these advantages, by the sameness of character 
communicated to the house at all seasons. This very 
sameness weakens the interest. The attempt to create 
diversity, by placing in every available corner a plant in 
a pot, breaks in upon the unity of expression. These 
matters have previously been discussed. The rules to 
be derived from them are—plant all, or jjlant none, so 
far as one house is concerned, or make a compromise of 
the matter, by planting in peculiar positions, leaving 
the rest to be changed at will, or, merely seem to plant, 
by plunging the pots. Let us glance 
Srdly. At the peculiar positions in which planting may 
be resorted to in a conservatory, ivhile the mass of the 
plants are standing in pots. —First, here is a span-roofed 
or curvilinear house, with a bed in the middle, and 
paths and border, or shelves, all round. The centre of 
this bed, in such circumstances, would be the best posi¬ 
tion for planting out large plants; even if pots are used 
on both sides of them, the large plants in the centre, 
being planted, would scarcely break in upon the unity 
of expression, because the base of them would scarcely 
be seen. But, secondly, in a hipped roof, and an opaque 
back wall, or a house with a sloping roof, and high up¬ 
right front glass, with a bed or stage in the centre, walk 
all round, and shelf at the front glass, the border at the | 
back of the house would be the most suitable place for i 
