August Id. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
3b 1 
his friends, and those who visited him from a distance, 
were surprised to find him one of the most social of men. 
He was an active member, if not founder, of the Berwick¬ 
shire Natural History Club, a pleasant association of 
naturalists, who pursue their favourite objects in the 
open fields and by the sea side, and afterwards meet 
together at the social board. Or. Johnston was also 
the founder of the Ray Society, and up to the time of 
his death took an active interest in its proceedings and 
publications.— Athenceum. 
THE FLOWER-GARDEN THIS SEASON. 
Having, in a former communication, commented on 
the fruit crops of the present season, and remarked on 
the general features of the past spring and early 
; summer, I now offer a few remarks on the Flower-garden, 
and the effects produced on it by the somewhat singular 
weather we have passed through; for though flowers, 
especially annuals and bedding plants, are in a great 
! measure influenced by the assistance or neglect they 
receive at our hands, yet a favourable or uupi’opitious 
season exercises quite as much, if not more, power on 
their welfare. The present season affords many in¬ 
stances of plants differing much from their ordinary 
habits, and in many instances they have, in the present 
season, done better than for many years. On others a 
contrary effect has been produced. 
Roses. —I do not remember whether I have or not, 
on a former occasion, mentioned that the soil of the 
neighbourhood in which I write is not exactly adapted 
to Roses. Certain it is, that in the majority of seasons 
they do not do well, and that the present one should be 
an exception to the general rule, affords no conclusive 
argument that the soil has changed its character, hut 
rather that the weather and other external influences 
has effected the improvement. The winter, certainly, 
1 was severe, and we lost a few of our Tea-scented kinds, 
and some were injured, but not to any great extent; the 
I soil being dry, and last autumn line, they had every 
chance to ripen well, and the result has been an ex¬ 
cellent crop of flowers of superior size, and the plants 
healthy and free from vermin; and the Chinas, Per- 
petuals, and others, seem inclined to flower on through 
the month of August without that intermission which 
is usually the case at this time. 
Yuccas. —Although these are rarely classed amongst 
flowering-plants for general display, yet, as they are as 
handsome as any, 1 give them a place hero. I have 
never seen them flower so abundantly as they have 
done this season. In ordinary years, one plant, in five 
or six, flowers, but this season they have almost all 
llowered. I mean the large, hardy varieties, as Acu¬ 
minata, Oloriosa, and Aloifolia. The two former, 
especially, have done well; but the latter has not done 
so well, some of the spikes of flowers never having 
advanced to the proper height, dying or decaying before 
they fairly opened. This I could not exactly account 
for, as the cold, inclement weather was all gone before 
they advauced so far. In many respects, however, the 
Yuccas have been very fine this season, and unusually 
early, spikes of bloom showing themselves by April. 
The smaller species, as Y. Jilimentosa , aud its varieties, 
usually flower well, but this season they arc quite 
eclipsed by their taller brethren. And I further take 
the opportunity to observe, that few plants have greater 
claims to attention, for their beauty and singularity, 
than the Yucca, and I hope, as the public at large are 
now directed to pay some regard to the foliage and 
general appearance of a plant, as well as to its flowers, 
that we shall see the Y’ucca restored to its accustomed 
place in garden scenery. 
Rhododendrons. —I am sorry I cannot boast of any¬ 
thing remarkable in these; only, as this class of plants 
presents one of the most gay features in the garden at 
the proper season, I may here observe, that the past 
spring (or, at least, that part of it in which the Rhodo¬ 
dendron was in bloom) was very dull and cold, thereby 
prolonging the flowering of this lovely plant. Here 
they always flower well, but the dryness of the situation 
prevents their growing much, that we do not possess 
such luxuriant specimens as many who are favoured 
with a soil more congenial to their wants. A large 
R. arboreum, twelve feet high, blooms profusely every 
year, and receives no protection whatever. 
Fuchsias —These are said to be so hardy as not to 
require either protection or attention ; nevertheless, 
the last winter has been fatal to many plants that have 
stood ordinary winters. Some large plants of F. Ricar- 
tonii , whose stems had stood the test of many winters, 
aud had assumed quite a hard-wooded tree appearance, 
were killed by last winter’s frost. 1 mean, the stems 
were killed to the ground ; the plants, of course, growing 
as strongly as before, as likewise did all the plants of 
that kind elsewhere; but some plants of F. Carolina 
were killed, as also were some of .Olobosa, and all the 
light-coloured varieties; but these usually suffer, and I 
do not know that I ever remember of F.fulyens standing 
any winter. However, we may regard the past winter 
as having tried the Fuchsia very much, so that we may 
i safely pronounce the Fuchsia bloom as below an average, 
' although no blame is attached to the plants that now 
j exist which are blooming as freely as ever. 
1 Shrubs and Climbers. —The former have not differed 
much from the majority of seasons; some tender plants 
were, of course, quite killed, as Cytisus, Veronica, &c.. 
but more than one plant of OoronUla ylauca survived 
* the winter, and bloomed profusely. And I do not think 
1 the severity of the winter injured the flower-buds ot 
well-ripened plants, for the II isteria sinensis, and other 
plants, llowered well; and 1 see a large Catalpa promises 
to be well laden with bloom likewise. Yellow and 
White Banlcsiau Roses were good; and the same may be 
; said of most ordinary flowering shrubs, &c. 
Hardy Herbaceous Flowering-plants have been 
! about as usual, only T do not remember when the 
Heartsease were so free from mildew as they have been 
| this season ; and the prevalence of insects in some 
i seasons is sadly against such plants as Double Catcli- 
\Jiy, and others. This year they have all been clear; 
and the frequent aud heavy showers we had the latter 
part of July has maintained the Phlox tribe in better 
health than usual, as these plants often sutler with us 
from continued dry weather; but showery weather is not 
without its disadvantages, as flowers fall or are washed 
off by the rain before their proper time. 
Bedding Geraniums. —Although we had a very good 
planting-out season, the progress these plants made was 
but slow for sometime; the atmosphere was cold, al¬ 
though the ground was not so, so that the middle of 
June arrived before any advance of any account had 
been made in the growth of the various parterre plants. 
Some hot weather setting in towards the end of the 
month, produced a little chauge, but they did not 
progress so fast as was expected; however, they have 
since then done pretty well; only, at the time 1 write, 
early in August, they are more profuse in foliage than 
in bloom ; the growing showers, no doubt, contributing 
to that. But although I plant a great many of these, I 
do not plant many kinds, as past experience has proved 
to me that many of them do not at all times succeed 
equally well, and in a given set of beds the failure of 
one or two destroys the harmony of the whole. 
Geraniums have done tolerably well, except on soils 
too rich, where they have run more to leaf than flower, 
and, as a class of plants, are deserving every encourage¬ 
ment. I have a garden, or rather a regular series of 
