September 20.] THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 395 
bleach and. crumple the petals, while others seldom 
present a corymb of flowers with the florets all ex¬ 
panded, and thus exhibit a large green centre. What 
is, therefore, so much prized by the fastidious florist is 
■ often not so useful to the flower gardener as the less 
perfect formed but smaller-flowered, dwarfer-growing 
varieties, which after passing through the ordeal of 
showers and wind look up as briskly and as beautifully 
as before. But high breeding here, just as iu other cases, 
produces a degree of tenderness. For example, we see it 
realised in the large herbaceous calceolarias which, i 
though useless for the flower-garden, are great orna¬ 
ments when protected by glass. All the verbenas are 
beautiful in pots, but the larger-flowered, more tender 
varieties are well worthy such care. In spring and 
summer, and even autumn, few things are more splen¬ 
did in sitting-rooms, windows, greenhouses, or balconies, 
when well managed, and looked upon by those who can 
discover beauty in gorgeousness of colour, independently 
of commercial-value speculations. Instead of detracting 
from, the ease with which a pretty object may be ob¬ 
tained by the masses of society adds to its real value 
and usefulness. 
I have tried many methods in my time for training 
verbenas in pots. For instance, after stopping a young 
shoot so as to produce two or three shoots, or encou¬ 
raging one shoot to grow without stopping, I have 
trained these several, or that single shoot, to a stout 
stake, stopping or picking out every side shoot that 
appeared, until the main shoot or shoots reached the 
top of the stake, which for most kinds was eighteen 
inches or two feet above the surface of the pot. Here, 
by means of cross wires, a toj) was formed something of 
the shape and size of our new fashiouable parasols— 
not greatly larger than the pretty faces they are intended 
to do feud from the sun’s rays. The shoots were here 
stopped and stopped again several times, flowering being 
discouraged until the shoots hung down in festoons, and 
when in full bloom concealing trellis, stake, and pot 
with their brilliancy. A similar plan was adopted with 
a flat upright wire trellis, only the plants were stopped 
more at first, to furnish a sufficiency of main shoots, 
the side shoots being always deprived of their bloom 
buds until the trellis was covered with wood, so that all 
might have an equal start; but by this method I never 
could please myself, as if set below the eye the stilting 
system resorted to was too apparent; and if placed on 
a stage above the eye, the flowers were not seen to the 
best advantage. With strong growing kinds—such as 
the old Incisa, and the comparatively more splendid 
Robinsons Defiance —I have used round, or balloon- 
shaped wire trellises, from three to four feet in height, 
and as much in diameter; and when not examined too 
. closely, the frame-work was hid by the mass of bloom, 
and they were a great improvement in appearance to the 
flat one-sided plants. 
But here, though very beautiful, unless you had 
plenty of room all round the plant, and could look down 
upon it, the effect as a whole was inferior to that produced 
! by a bed of the same kind out of doors, raised a foot or 
| eighteen inches above the surface; and that chiefly 
1 owing to the fact, that the plants having the liberty of | 
| following, to a certain extent, their natural inclinations, 
! all the flowers stood upright, alike to meet the sun and 
i the recognition of your admiring eye. Here, then, the 
' lesson to be learned is, that verbenas grown in pots to 
produce the best effect, should be trained so as to re¬ 
semble raised flower-beds in miniature. As in the raised 
bed, the pendant shoots would, in most cases, meet the 
surrounding medium, whether grass, gravel, or pave¬ 
ment; so in the pot, most of the shoots should not only 
point upwards, but others should fall over the pot, con¬ 
cealing by their flowers its appearance altogether, or 
nearly so, unless when growing in a vase so beautiful, 
that a few flowers only hanging over to contrast with its 
colour might be deemed more desirable. 
To attain this more natural mode of exhibiting the 
verbena in pots, requires no extraordinary care nor ex¬ 
pense. For compact growing kinds with the dwarf¬ 
ness of the old but very useful Charlwoodii, nothing 
would be required but pegs for the side, and twigs for 
the middle. For those of a medium growth, such as the 
old Tweediana, a similar plan, or better still, flat rounded 
trainers of wire network may be used, and about eighteen 
inches in height. The trainer should be made to fit 
the rim of the pot, and then cover the pot itself, being 
secured in its place by a hoop of wire, made' to fit it 
tight. For strong growing ones, like Defiance , the 
trainers should be from two to three feet in height, and 
as wide in diameter as you could easily manage and 
of any fanciful shape—round, oblong, or curved, though 
the first will be the best. I mentioned last week bow 
these things are easily formed, and by hooking the 
strong wire round the rim of the pot, you may remove 
all at your pleasure, and fit to another pot. With such 
a rim and two or three wires bent over and attached to 
it in the desired shape, as a frame, nothing could answer 
better for verbenas than the cheap wire netting so fre¬ 
quently advertised, to fasten to the frame; and if gal¬ 
vanised, no painting would bo required. If all went on 
well, every shoot and flower would thus be kept in their 
place, and yet the medium of training would be con¬ 
cealed from the view. 
Taking these and previous remarks for what they are 
worth, our kind readers will perceive, that in order to 
excel, they must study the nature and capabilities of the 
plant to be trained, more than any particular direc¬ 
tions ; and I think they will also come to the conclu¬ 
sion, that however fashionable it may be, and however 
striking the effect, there is also something of the 
unsatisfactory in beholding plants, naturally of a bushy 
chai-acter, fixed to a flat trellis. As the verbena has 
been the base of our remarks, it may be mentioned that 
to bloom in the beginning of May the plants should be 
raised and potted oft’ in September. To bloom at a 
later period, those struck in the end of September or in 
March will answer well. To bloom fine at an early 
season, and to be large plants likewise, the plants must 
be kept in a temperature of from 45° to 50°, with plenty 
of air, watering and syringing from the end of February; 
shifted several times until they are placed in six-inch 
pots, after which they may be transferred to pots of 
twelve or fourteen inches, and have the flat rounded 
trellises affixed. They require a rich, lumpy, light soil 
well drained. When we had nothing but dung and 
strong loam to choose from, we have used lime rubbish 
and broken bricks liberally with great advantage. It 
may also be as well to state, that when verbenas are to 
be kept in their cutting pots during winter, the middle 
of September is a good time to insert them round the 
side of a pot filled with light soil, and either set in a 
cold pit or in a window, to be shaded from the sun. 
For the latter position, small side shoots, with part of 
the stem attached, and showing incipient roots, answer 
best. 
Our friends who wish to know all about keeping their 
plants in winter, will bo attended to ere long. Mean¬ 
while, let geraniums, calceolarias, &c., intended to be 
taken up, have some of their large leaves removed, and 
their roots cut round as recommended last year by Mr. 
Beaton. R. Fish. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
STOVE PLANTS. 
Aphelandra Aurantiaca (Orange flowered A.).— -The 
well-known A. cristata is a beautiful, fine, autumnal 
flowering plant, and is pretty generally distributed 
