March 4. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
355 
I 
planting out Camellias. Against such back walls they 
will grow and flower in a manner rarely equalled when 
grown in pots, without much labour being bestowed 
upon them. I have even seen Camellias showing them¬ 
selves to great advantage against the back walls of late 
peach-houses, the peach-trees being trained about fifteen 
inches from the glass. The shade of the peaches in 
summer was serviceable to the Camellias; and thus the 
peach-house, in winter and early spring, was turned into 
a beautiful mixture of greenhouse and conservatory, by 
placing plants in pots beneath the peach-trees. But 
4thly. Might not the Pots he plunged in the Bed? Yes, 
by all means; but here, to give satisfaction, the same 
rules as to unity of expression must be observed. Plunge 
in a separate part, or plunge all, or plunge none. Our 
correspondent has thought of all this, for he asks 
whether he should plant out or plunge ? This will de¬ 
pend entirely upon the means at his disposal, and the 
treatment he meaus to give his plant. To enable him 
to shift his plants as he wishes on the plunging system, 
he must treat them much the same as if they were not 
plunged. The chief difference will be in the ease 
with which he will maintain a uniformity of moisture 
and root temperature, as the pots will be wholly con¬ 
cealed, and, consequently, will not be heated, cooled, 
or dried suddenly. For plants to be moved about, it 
will not do to let the roots run much through the pots, 
as thus, without great care, a check might be given 
when the plants could least bear it; anything, therefore, 
of a light, easily-moved material, would do for a plung¬ 
ing medium, only the bottom part must be open, and, 
better still, the pots should be placed on two bricks 
placed edgewise, with a space between, to allow the 
water to run off freely. But unless for mere economy 
as respects labour, and looking more natural, we see 
no great advantage in thus plunging pots that are 
to be moved, as they would require manure water, 
liberal top-dressing, and fresh soil every two or three 
years, the same as those grown in pots or tubs in the 
usual way. We can easily fancy, in addition, how, 
when the central plants are planted out, those towards 
the sides may thus be plunged with very good taste; 
but in this case the bed should be separated into several 
divisions, so that the moving of the plunged plants may 
not injuriously interfere with the roots of those turned 
out. But 
5tlily. Is it not necessary, in making up a proper led for 
the roots to run into, to plant and pot altogether, in order 
that by the curbing of the roots by the pot, there may be 
a greater tendency to produce bloom, than if the plant 
was turned out at once ? Yes, with many plants—but 
not so with the Camellia, if it gets plenty of sunlight, 
and the formation of the border is duly attended to. If 
we should be deceived, we can always check growth by 
an extra crop of flowers, or cutting the roots. Even in 
these cases, however, I would have no objection to turn 
out a large plant, by knocking the bottom and part of 
the sides of the pot away. In this case, as well as 
planting-out in the general acceptation of the term, we 
should not think of moving them again without taking 
the plants up very carefully. Deciding, then, upon 
planting out, and securing a place with abundance of 
light, the next thing is 
Gtlily. The formation of the border. —The simpler this 
is the better. It should be from two to two-and-a-lialf 
feet in depth, the lower six inches filled with brickbats, 
sandstone, and charcoal on the surface, and this bottom 
ing sloping to a drain either at the side or in the centre. 
Then the compost should be three-parts loam, one of 
peat, a little pure sand, and a tenth-part of charcoal, 
leaf-mould, cow-dung, and may all be used with ad¬ 
vantage in pot-culture, but they are objectionable when 
planting out, as encouraging too free growth. So much 
is this the case, that, instead of giving more peat than 
specified above, I would prefer altogether sandy loam 
and charcoal. The object is to produce firm, short- 
jointed wood, bristling' with flower-buds, and extra 
strength can always be imparted by surface-dressings j 
and manure-waterings, to stimulate growth in summer, 
and expand the buds in winter and spring. 
7thly. Planting. —It is necessary to disentangle the roots 
a little, and pack them in the fresh soil, placing the old 
ball just a little lower than it stood in the pot. The best 
time of planting is after the plants have bloomed, have 
been pruned, and are breaking into fresh growth. Be 
sure the balls are thoroughly soaked before planting, and 
then, until growth is proceeding freely, it will be un¬ 
necessary to saturate the soil, farther than the roots 
have extended. 
8thly. Pruning. Will they bear it ? When is the best 
time ?—To the first I reply, few plants bear it better. To 
the second, as soon as they have done flowering. Large 
unwieldy plants may thus be reduced, and kept in pots if 
desired. If in good condition, they may be cut in to 
the old wood with impunity, especially if not more than : 
from two to four years old; but then they must be kept : 
in a close, moist atmosphere, and a temperature as near 
60° as 50°. I have broken old stems very successfully 
in a dung heat. Those who recollect the hospital de¬ 
scribed for sickly oranges, will not be far from the mark. 
A shady place in a forcing-house is a good substitute, 
especially if some moss is kept moist round the stems. 
The plants must break freely before they are either 
shifted or planted out. If the latter is done, a little 
pruning will only be wanted occasionally, if the com¬ 
post is not too rich. 
9thly. General treatment. —After planting, say in March, 
April, or May, water heated to between 60° and 70° should 
be given at the roots when necessary, and frequent syring- 
ingsover the foliage, as well as shadings from the brightest 
sun until August, when more air and unobstructed light 
should be given. If the sashes could be moved altogether 
in fine weather in September, the buds would be rendered 
firmer. If that cannot be done, give all the air and 
light possible, and lessen the water, so that the plants 
just stand without flagging in the least. Rut on the 
sashes in October. Curtail the air according to the 
weather, drying the plants as little as possible with 
fire-heat in winter, especially the first winter; increase 
the heat, and give warm manure waterings, as the buds 
swell in spring, using it often, or seldom, according to 
the state of the plants. 36° in winter, 45° in spring, 60° 
in summer, 48° in autumn, may be considered safe tem¬ 
peratures when artificial heat is wanted, with from ten 
to fifteen degrees rise for sunshine. R. Fish. 
CULTURE OF THE NEPENTHES. 
This tribe of Pitcher Plants is one of the most 
curious in the vegetable kingdom. Most of the readers 
of The Cottage Gardener no doubt have seen at least 
the oldest species, N. distillatoria, and must have been 
much surprised at such a strange formation, or, rather, 
elongation of the leaves into tubes, with a lid to each, 
much resembling a pitcher, whence its very proper 
English name. 
The pitcher plants are of the number of those bearing 
male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another; 
this peculiarity renders it necessary, in order to ripen 
seeds, to have a plant of each gender. The species con¬ 
sist of— 
Nepenthes alba marginata (White-margined N.) ; 
Singapore.—The margins of the pitchers are white. 
105s. 
N. ampullacea (Flask-shaped N.); Manilla. — The 
pitchers are rather small, and are produced numerously 
on the plant; it is a handsome species. 105s. 
