April 11.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the linings. This moist heat suits them well; they 
flower and grow vigorously. The moist dung heat 
prevents the red spider from existing, and consequently 
the plants are of a deep, healthy green, and the flowers 
large and of a beautiful pure white colour. We have 
had plants of the Gardenia radicans with as many as 
.‘20 blooms open at once. As the flowers open the plants 
are removed into the stove, if the season is early; but the 
later blooming plants are removed into the greenhouse, 
where they continue longer in bloom than in the stove. 
After the bloom is over they are replaced in the cold 
pit again. Such treatment makes the plants produce a 
large quantity of blooms for the florists’ shops; and as 
this method answers well on a largo scale, of course it 
will answer on a smaller number. Our readers will 
only have to follow up the principles of first resting the 
plants, and then growing them on in a moist heat, to 
bring them into a clean, healthy state of bloom. Our 
orchid-growing friends may have them in bloom from 
December to May by bringing them in from the cold 
pit one, two, or three at a time, once in a fortnight or 
three weeks. This section of the genus contains the 
following varieties: — 
Garden in florida Jlnrc plena (double-flowered). 
„ „ Fortiiniana (Fortune’s Gardenia). This 
is a fine variety, lately introduced, with 
larger flowers and foliage. 
„ „ intermedia. A dwarfer variety, and abun¬ 
dant bloomer. 
„ „ radicans hit [folia (broad-leaved). It has 
short broad leaves and large flowers, 
sparingly produced. 
The rest of the genus require a somewhat different 
treatment. 
Gardenia Stanleyana is a splendid plant of recent in¬ 
troduction ; and is, when well grown, a truly magnificent 
object. It has handsome foliage and large flowers; the 
latter, numerously produced all over the plant, being 
six or seven inches long, having a tubular corolla 
spreading out at the end, so that the flower has a 
trumpet-like appearance ; the ground colour is white, 
with spots of a chocolate colour. It takes three or four 
years to grow a plant to tolerable perfection. 
Gardenia Devoniana is another fine species also recently 
brought to this country. Tt has flowered in two or three 
places, but not so finely as the preceding species. The 
flowers are about the same size, of a cream colour, pro¬ 
duced upon dwarfer plants. 
Gardenia Wliitfieidia commemorates the discoverer of 
these three fine plants. The flowers of this species we 
have not seen. It has fine foliage and a somewhat stiff 
habit. 
These three species of this noble genus require a cul¬ 
ture different from that for the first section; and they 
are really worth cultivating even in small collections, 
especially the first named. 
Soil. —Having a young plant well rooted, pot it in a 
compost of loam, sandy peat, and leaf mould, in equal 
parts, and place it in a warm corner of the stove, 
shading it from the sun. The first potting should not 
be into a large pot. It is better to be moderate in the 
removes, as the one-shift system of potting will not 
answer for these tender-rooted plants; shift them, there¬ 
fore, gradually into larger pots from time to time, as they 
require. 
Heat and Moisture. —Give them heat, moisture, and a 
close temperature, for, being natives of the hottest part 
of Africa, they can hardly have too much heat and 
moisture. The common stove is a few degrees too low 
in the spring, when the plants ought to be growing and 
flowering to perfection ; here, again, the orchid house 
presents its friendly aid, and will assist the grower of 
these splendid plants much. Such cultivators as have 
the convenience of a pine stove will there find a cou- 
21 
genial heat and moisture. Plunged in the warm bed, 
their roots will advance vigorously, seizing upon the 
food prepared for them with avidity, and throwing health 
and vigour into the plants. Rut we are running on too 
fast: these descriptions of the effects of good culture, 
and applications ot such means as will produce magnifi¬ 
cent specimens of these ornaments of our stoves, are 
exceedingly tempting subjects, but as we have not ex¬ 
hausted our theme we shall with pleasure resume it the 
week after next. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Such a trying season for these objects of the florists’ 
care has not occurred for several years; yet with mode¬ 
rate attention to warm shelters, unceasingly applied, the 
various tribes will have passed through the severe ordeal 
uninjured. We have nothing to add to our instructions 
ot last week, for if they have been duly attended to the 
plants will he thriving in health and vigour, and will be 
in a state highly satisfactory to the cultivators. It is 
true, Auriculas and Polyanthuses will be rather back¬ 
ward ; and it will be a matter of serious consideration 
whether it will or will not be desirable to hold the exlii- 
bitions of these spring flowers a week or a fortnight 
later than usual; should that be thought necessary, it is 
high time for the conductors of such exliibitions to let 
the exhibitors know that the time for the shows is 
altered to suit the late season. Such flowers will not 
bear forcing into bloom; this is a truth on which all 
florists will agree. 
Picotees (The yellow varieties). —Agreeable to our 
promise, we now give a list of such as we consider worth 
growing, excepting, of course, such as we have already 
given, to which list we refer the reader. 
Per pair. 
Euphemia (BaiTaud’s) . 4s Od 
Amazon. 0 
Parsee Bride (May’s) . :! 0 
Oddity (Eendle’s). :2 0 
Striata. ■> (i 
Goldliuder (Wilmer's). 2 0 
T. Appleby. 
THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 
Routine Work. If not already done, asparagus I 
should now at once be sown; and new plantations of the j 
last year’s sown plants should be made as soon as they 
have made shoots two or three inches in length, as pre¬ 
viously directed. Prick off the young sweet basil and 
street marjoram on a little heat; prick off also, in due 
season, the first sowing of borecole, and the other varie¬ 
ties of hales, in order to secure good, strong, and healthy 
plants for the planting out season. The present is still 
a good time for sowing the main crops of carrots ; and 
young cauliflower plants should be pricked off, as soon as 
they can be handled, on a well-prepared bed. Sow in 
full crop the best varieties of brocoli and savoys, and the 
small varieties of cabbage for summer coleworts or 
greens, such as the best kinds of York, Atkins' Matchless, 
Nonpareil, Shilling's Queen, &c. Sow Dwarf Kidney 
beans and Scarlet Runners in a sheltered warm corner, 
or under hand-glasses, for transplanting on to warm 
borders as soon as the weather becomes a little more 
favourable. Make another sowing in pits or frames on 
a gentle bottom-heat. Supply those now coming into 
bearing with liberal soakiugs of tepid liquid manure. 
Plant in succession Windsor Broad beans, Long Pods, 
&o. Sow the late varieties of peas in succession. The 
American Dwarf and Fan peas may be sown as an out- 
\ side edging to quarters, or on narrow strips; and some 
should also be sown on a north aspect, which will be 
! found very productive when the hot dry season arrives. 
I The above-named varieties uro very suitable for those 
