September 4. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
though there he no appearance of frost in the ground in 
j general; another reason for sheltering the pots of such 
j plants, to secure them from sudden extremes of tempe- 
1 rature,—heat from the sun, and cold from free radiation 
| and evaporation. 
The same principle applies, though in a less degree, 
to soft-wooded plants. Mauy persons are fond of Scarlet 
j Geraniums, and other kinds, in winter, and wish to have 
I them without anything approaching the trouble and 
j expense of forcing. The cheapest and easiest mode is, 
| to grow them in summer, allowing no, or few, flowers 
to perfect themselves; expose them fully to the sun in 
autumn; remove a few of the larger leaves that may 
| harden the stems ; and give just enough of water to 
j keep the leaves from any signs of wetting; and a 
] comparatively low, dry temperature in winter ; from 45° 
to 50°, will cause plenty of blooms to bo produced. In 
! the case of florist and fancy Pelargoniums, it may be as 
i well to keep in mind, that after being pruned, the plants 
I should receive little water until the young shoots have 
i fairly started, and that cuttings of well-hardened stems, 
j though they do not grow so quickly as shoots more 
succulent and vigorous, will ultimately make the 
healthiest and best plants. In selecting even small 
shoots of bedding Geraniums for cuttings, they will 
succeed with less trouble, no trouble, in fact, farther 
than planting them in a border, if their succulence has 
previously been overcome by removing a number of the 
larger leaves which shaded and kept them from the 
influence of sun and air. These little matters, however 
trifling they may look, are next to everything to the 
young beginner, as success is more dependant upon 
them than on those seemingly greater operations that at 
once arrest the attention. In fact, much superior 
success in some departments in gardening is owing to 
some minutiae over-looked often by the operator himself, 
and the want of which little attention prevents another 
being so successful, though both may imagine they are 
following an exactly similar course. 
There are others which now must receive every ray 
of sunshine, and yet not a particle of a check, such as 
late 
{ Balsams. —These I have frequently had in fine order 
I in September and October, from sowing in June, and 
| thus they help to make houses gay in the autumn 
months, though little or no seed can be expected from 
them. With full exposure to sun they will take pretty 
well as much manure-water as they can drink. Then 
there are the large and small 
Chrysanthemums, which must now have all the sun¬ 
light possible, the shoots being properly tied out, so as 
to secure air and light to them. Now is also a good 
time for laying the points of shoots of such plants growing 
in the borders, for the securing of very dwarf plants, and 
a number of these tiny plants, placed in one largish pot, 
produces a very good effect. Those planted out, intended 
to be potted, should be raised as soon as the flower-buds 
appear, doing so with care, so as not to injure the roots, 
and placing the plants in a shady place, watering them 
well, and then keeping down extra evaporation by the 
free use of the syringe, until the roots arc working freely 
into the light, rich soil in the pot; when the plants 
J should be transferred to a place full in the sun until 
they are housed for blooming. This latter is the plan 
that involves least trouble, and, if carefully done, secures 
the best plants, with leaves over the rim of the pot, as 
when struck and potted on-aud-on in pots. Unless 
carefully attended to, one or several times neglect in 
watering will just be likely to deprive you of so many 
rings of the lower leaves, the retaining of which in 
I full vigour constitutes one of the chief interests of the 
1 plant. Such a plant is not likely to suffer at the roots 
from a heated pot in an equal ratio with a Heath, and 
j yet it will be advisable either partly to plunge the pots, or 
40!) 
to protect them on the side next the sun with some litter. 
At one time I grew these plants largely, for decorating, 
for the last time of the season, a cool veranda, and they 
generally kept on well till Christmas and the new year. 
The way of showing them off was a little peculiar. The 
plants were grown chiefly in pots; large pots for single 
specimens; but chiefly in smaller pots for filling largish 
vases. These small pots were chiefly 32’s. As many 
as were required of these, of one kind, were taken out 
of their pots, and jammed as close as they could be made 
go together round the sides of the vase. This would 
have a slight opening in the centre, after all the rich 
earth possible had been trickled in between the jammed 
balls. In this centre, a plant of the same kind, but 
in a large pot, an eight, or a 12-inch pot, was 
jammed in, without taking it out of the pot. The pot 
was concealed with a little moss and the foliage of 
the outside belt of plants. This large pot in the 
middle elevated the centre, and a little tying gave 
the whole a uniform pyramidal appearance, increased 
frequently in large vases by small layered plants 
being used as an outer row. A top-dressiug of manure 
was placed over all, and then a sprinkling of moss, and 
a good watering given. The work was done at the close 
of October, when the buds were swelling and opening, 
and at such a period the taking the plants out of their 
pots, and squeezing the balls together, produced no 
harm—did not, in fact, occasion the flagging of a leaf. 
It would have required a great amount of care and 
trouble to have grown any single plant, however large 
and old, to have equalled these elevated pyramids of 
bloom. As there was no means of heating the veranda, 
the earthy smell and damp so late in the season was 
objected to, and 1 have done but little with these showy 
flowers since. 
Salvia splendens does well planted out, as the Chry¬ 
santhemum, from cuttings made in May or June. 
These should now be potted, and, as soon as they will 
bear it, innured to sunlight. Those grown in pots 
should now have plenty of mauure-w'ater and full 
sun, being syringed frequently to keep Red Spider at 
a distance. They will bloom well in a greenhouse, in 
October and the first part of November; after that period 
they would require a plant-stove or an intermediate 
house. Although losing their leaves the plants may 
bo kept at the warm end of a greenhouse, beneath 
the stage, anywhere out of the way, to secure cuttings 
next spring. South of and in the climate of London, 
this plant makes a fine summer ornament planted 
out-of-doors. I never could make anything of it here. 
I also understand Mr. Snow fails with it at Wrest Park, 
though I have often heard how splendid ho used to 
have it on the lawn in Kent. Mr. Dawson, as already 
chronicled, succeeds with it as a standard out-of-doors, 
at Panshanger, near Hertford. As a pot plant it is 
a useful autumn and winter flowering plant in all 
parts of the country. 
Salvia Oesneriflora .—This is just as beautiful a spring¬ 
flowering species, and is only more easily managed; 
may either be grown in pots, or planted out in sum¬ 
mer, but requires plenty of sunlight now, and to be 
kept slowly growing all the winter. 1 have seen it a 
blaze of scarlet from March to June. 
Salvia Fulgens .—This is one of the best for shrub¬ 
beries and large flower-beds, and its dark red flowers 
are very passable in a greenhouse in winter. Cuttings 
made in June make nice plants for this purpose, either 
grown in pots or planted out in a border, and care¬ 
fully lifted in September. Lifted later they are apt to 
sutler more in the foliage. This is less subject to 
insects than either of the other two ; but future suc¬ 
cess will greatly depend on giving the plants full sun¬ 
light and plenty of air before housing for the winter. 
Fuchsia spec tab ilis, and, at any rate, Fuchsia serrati - 
