282 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 14. 
of inches apart; and then, when they begin to meet, 
pot them separately in small pots, and repot as they 
require it. If kept in pots, that summer and the follow- 
| ing one will he chiefly spent in preparation and grow¬ 
ing; but then, in the third, you may expect splendid 
blooming plants. But if planted out in a warm border, 
five or six inches apart, when taken from the pans in 
which they were first pricked out, and then placed in 
rich light soil, and treated much as 1 mentioned for 
perpetual Carnations, a few of the strongest might bo 
potted in the beginning of September, in the hope of 
their blooming the following season ; and the rest could 
j remain in the bed, protected from wet and severe frost 
i in winter, and ready to be potted the following April or 
j August, to be flowered in the succeeding summer. 
Secondly: By Division of the Plant. —This is best 
1 done in spring. Many shoots may show themselves; 
all should be rubbed off, except the strongest, and as 
soon as that is rooting freely, let it be treated just as I 
i first mentioned for the bought in plant. This division 
is best done after the new growth is taking place from 
the plant cut down. If the young plants could receive 
a month’s nursing in a slight hotbed they will thank 
you for it. 
Thirdly: By Gutting up the fleshy Roots into pieces 
of about one inch in length. —These should be inserted in 
sandy loam, and placed in a hotbed in March, as thus 
much time is gained. Most of these will throw up 
shoots from what is termed adventitious buds. When 
fairly growing they must be hardened off, and potted, 
or pricked out, just as seedlings, or divisions ; but they 
will be stronger than the first. To have a succession, 
therefore, presupposes a considerable amount of atten¬ 
tion, and stamps the grower of a good plant as no care¬ 
less, haphazard person. I have been too diffuse on this 
subject for many readers, but many still tell us that we 
take their knowledge too much for granted. 
Campanula nobjlis. —This is a native of China, more 
spriggy and bushy than conical in its growth ; much 
dwarfer than pyramidalis, but having large blueish- 
purple flowers, three inches in length, and half as much 
in diameter, and prettily spotted inside. This has been 
spoken of highly to us, but I have never grown it. I 
should say it would be easily cultivated by divisions, in 
spring, large pieces blooming the current year, and 
small pieces and cuttings of the root, as mentioned for 
■pyramidalis, blooming in the following year. 
Campanula grandis. —This is another that is less 
j strong in growth than the pyramidalis, requires con- 
i sideralile care out-of-doors, but will always command 
| attention when grown to one stem in a pot. Propagated 
and attended to as recommended for that species, even 
with less care, it will be sure to give satisfaction. 
As companions to these, because flowering best when 
grown in a conical shape, let me introduce the large 
, kinds of Lobelia for ornamenting a cool greenhouse in 
I summer. I should hardly have said companions, it 
1 should have been successors, as the beauty of the Cam- 
I panulas will be on the wane before that many of the 
i flowers of the Lobelia will be thinking of opening. 
Many of these make fine ornaments for the flower- 
j garden during the summer, and some, such as fulgens, 
have lived out-of-doors, in dry places, for several winters; 
but individual plants rarely possess such an interest 
out-ol-doors as they do when grown and bloomed under 
glass. Thus treated, it is no uncommon thing to have 
fulgens with its main spike six feet high, and nearly a 
score of flowering shoots round it from the base—some 
half that height, and others much less. I will merely 
mention a few of the best for this pot growth. 
Lobelia cardinalis, fulgens, ignea, splendens, are all 
rich scarlet; and L. pyramidalis, speciosa, and syphilitica, 
blues. The general treatment of these was lately given. 
Small plants of any of them obtained now will make 
tidy little flowering plants by autumn, but need not 
have a large pot. Now is as good a time as any to get 
them. In the end of autumn, when done flowering, cut 
all the stems away, and plunge the pots anywhere, where 
you can keep the frost out, and keep the roots rather 
dry. Under the stage of the greenhouse will do as well 
as anywhere, if you do not soak them while enjoying 
their winter’s rest. As the sun gains power in March, 
the suckers will begin to rise through the soil, and be¬ 
fore they are one inch in length, you must bring them to 
the light, and water them gently with water at about 60°. 
By-and-by, before the shoots are above three inches in 
length, you must think of potting them separately in 
small pots, and in light rich soil, and then the position 
for them is a hotbed, with a bottom heat of from 70° to 
80°, and a medium top heat of from 55° to (35°. In 
such a plunging medium, when largo plants from these 
single suckers are wanted, the plants must be replaced, 
after their various stuffings, until the end of May, when 
they may have a saucer to stand in, in the warmest end 
of the greenhouse, and have more air given to them by 
degrees, until they are fully exposed to sun and all the 
air possible by the middle of June. The soil should be 
richer each time of potting, until at last a third may 
consist of old rotten cow dung, with plenty of sand. So 
treated, a 12-inch pot will bloom a fine specimen. With¬ 
out the hotbed, the end of March will be time enough 
to shift them in the greenhouse ; the plants, after being 
potted, should be kept there under a handligbt, at least 
for the two or three first shillings, and unless extra heat 
is maintained for vines on the roof, &c., a fl inch or 8-inch 
pot will be large enough for a moderate specimen under 
these circumstances. These plants, kept over the 
winter, will afford a rich supply of plants the following 
spring. When growing and blooming give them a fair 
portion of manure-water and a saucer to stand in. In 
fact, most of them will bear the treatment of an aquatic 
in summer, and in winter too, if the roots were deep 
enough; but if saved above ground they must be kept 
rather dry. 
Salvias. —I will just mention, for the present, Salvia 
splendens. Cuttings taken off now', inserted underabell- 
; glass, potted when struck, kept close, potted again into 
a five-inch pot, hardened off, and exposed to light and air 
: in the first part of September, will bloom in a cool green¬ 
house in October, November, and part of December. 
i Salvia fulgens, treated in the same way, from being 
hardier, will bloom towards the new year. 
Salvia Gesnerceflora, so treated, fairly supplied with 
water, and an open airy place in the house in winter, 
will begin to open its scarlet blooms in the middle of 
February, and continue to do so for several months. 
Salvia patens : the best mode to get nice flowering 
plants of this delightful blue flow r er, lor summer and 
autumn, is to sow seeds in a cucumber box, or any¬ 
where, so that there be a little heat in March. Prick 
off, and then pot. 
Chinese Chrysanthemums. These are now cheap enough 
and splendid for an autumn display. It is too late to strike 
from cuttings; but if you have access to any large plants 
on stools, out-of-doors, you may lay the points of these 
shoots in small pots, giving the part inserted in the soil 
a slight twist, and you may have as many nice little, 
dwarf, flowering plants as you like; and then, if you 
want a dwarf mass of bloom, you can turn a half or a 
whole dozen of the little plants into one pot or vase. 
R. Fish. 
THE BOTANIC SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION IN 
REGENT’S PARK. 
The Royal Botanic Society have certainly been 
favoured this year w r ith fine weather for all their three 
