190 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 1C, 1806. 
way from Edinburgh a self-registering thermometer indi¬ 
cated fourteen degrees of frost two nights running, namely, 
on the last of November and the first of this month; that 
is, the index stood as low as 18° on the scale; yet a beautiful 
bunch of shoots, full of snow-white flowers, as large as 
those of Collinsia bicolor itself, came through that cold as 
fresh as the moment they were cut at Dalmeny Park, a 
short distance to the west of Edinburgh. They were packed 
in moss, which was neither wet nor dry, and in a small deal 
box. We wish all young gardeners would study the art of 
packing fruit and flowers, an art which is a thousand times 
more useful than to grow a plant for a “specimen.” 
That this new annual will be as useful as the Collinsia 
bicolor, and as much sought after as any annual ever was, 
we have not the smallest doubt, after thus passing The 
Cottage Gardener ordeal. 
Mr. Melville has it in bloom now, and will have it so the 
whole of the winter, and every gardener in the country with 
a greenhouse may have a dozen of pots of it in bloom this 
time next year if Mr. Melville would be so charitable as 
just to say what day or week in July or August he sowed 
the seeds. 
It was a pity that Bartsiafolia was mentioned at page 989 
of our last volume, as the two are quite different, Bartsiat- 
folin alba was grown in the Experimental Garden last year; 
and last July Mr. Scott, of the Merriot Nurseries, near 
Crewkerue, Somerset, sent a bunch of cut flowers and a 
packet of seeds, for the Experimental, of this Collinsia 
bicolor alba. 
T have never seen either of the contributors as far as I 
know, and if I did it would be all the same. I must hold 
the scales on the fair balance between them; but I must 
first thank them both for seeds enough of these new 
Collinsias to plant an edging two or three hundred yards in 
i length, which seeds are just as safe in my hand as if in the 
bank of England. On reading Mr. Melville’s letter, I wrote 
to Mr. Scott to ask for an explanation, being confident as j 
to the identity of the two samples, and he answers thus:— j 
“ I am highly obliged to you for your letter respecting the 
new Collinsia bicolor alba I sent for your Experimental last 
summer. I had seen a white Collinsia quoted in the 
London trade-lists last spring. I sent for it in the usual way, 
and received such small seeds as I knew could not be that 
of bicolor. I wrote to say so to Messrs. Hurst, who sent 
me another packet, saying it was the very kind that was 
advertised by Mr. Waite. After that a foreign list was sent 
me, in which was noted Collinsia bicolor alba. This I 
ordered, and sowed it and the London sort at the same 
time. When they arrived at maturity I sent you the two 
sorts, with, I believe, a little seed of each. I now inclose 
a small packet of each again to make sure. You will be 
able to judge them better when you see the two growing 
together. I think them both a great acquisition, but you 
must be the arbitrator.”—D. B.] 
HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS AND CLIMBERS 
FOR A CONSERVATORY BORDER. 
“ I have a border, thirty-six feet by five, extending the 
length of a conservatory. I am desirous of making this a 
mixed border for six of each of the best known varieties 
of Delphiniums, Campanulas, Lobelias, Mimulus, Pent- 
stemons, Aquilegias, and Antirrhinums. These are my 
special pets in border flowers, and I should fill up with 
single plants of new things recommended by you (1850), 
which will be within the reach of my purse in 1857. There 
are seven lights to the conservatory ; between each light a 
framework of about eighteen inches broad. Up these I 
intend having climbers. The conservatory faces south, so 
my plants will be well protected. It is rather dry in summer; 
but I can always syringe the plants well from the water-butt 
in the house. I shall be very much obliged if you can give 
me a list of the most effective of the above. The newest I 
am not anxious for; I would rather have those that ex¬ 
perience can vouch for as good; also eight showy climbers. 
Roses do not answer very well. The quick growers grow 
rampant; the slow ones get the fly. Would you advise my 
procuring the above plants now, or in the spring ? Last year I 
grew a Mimulus successfully by surrounding it under the soil 
with moss, which by a funnel I contrived to keep moist 
without being wet. My neighbours certainly failed in theirs ; 
but whether my plan had anything to do with my success 
remains to be proved. What do you think of the Atragene 
as a climber ? I do not know it, but had it recommended; also 
Solatium jasmiuoides ; but I am afraid this last is poisonous, 
and I have six little children always running about, so I do 
not like running a risk, though they generally confine their 
fingers to their own gardens. Calgstegia pubescens is another 
climber 1 have heard admired.— Kate.” 
[We hardly know whether you wish us to give a list for 
your borders, but the following will look nice:—Six Del¬ 
phiniums — magnijicum, formosum, Hendersonii, Burlowii, 
Menziesii , Chinensis, or a variety of grandifiorum. Six Lo¬ 
belias — -fulgens, fulgens Marryattee, splendens, sgphylitica, poly- 
phylln, colorata; the first three will require a mound of ashes 
over them in winter. Six Mimulus: these just now are in 
a transition state. Apply to any dealer for his best six from 
variegatus, rivularis, Youngianus, &c.; or get a packet of 
seed, and you may have hundreds of good flowers in your 
border. Six Antirrhinums: the best that we know is Hen- 
dersonii. The vast variety, and pretty withal, seem to us to 
be too much on a level. Tell your dealer to send the best, 
but get Hendersonii among them. A small packet of seed, 
and, like the Mimulus, sown in a house in March and pricked 
out in May, will give many good plants. Six Pentstemons— 
speciosum, Murray inn urn, llichardsonii , Mackayanum, Gordoni, 
glandulosum. Six Aquilegias — formosum, glandulosum , Gar- 
vieriuna, grandijlora, <fec.; but here you had better trust to the 
respectable florist, for the Columbines are just now under¬ 
going great improvement. Six Campanulas — persicifolin 
plena, persici/olia plena alba., grandis, azurea, glomerata, pgra- 
midalis, in a good place, and the small Carpatica, blue and 
white. 
You will find that the Mimulus, when fairly started, will 
do best when treated something like a half-marsh plant. 
Eight showy climbers for pilasters in front of outside of 
conservatory: — 
The Calgstegia pubescens, of which you inquire, is a double 
pink Convolvulus, that dies down to the ground every 
autumn. The children are not likely to be injured by 
Solatium jasmiuoides, as it seldom seeds, and would scarcely 
stand in severe winters. The Solatium crispum is more 
hardy, though not such a good climber, but it is more showy. 
The Atragenes are just a division of the Clematis, and all 
are interesting. Alpina, the Austnaca of the Dictionary, is 
as pretty as any. Supposing the front of the conservatory 
was above ten feet high, we would recommend the following, 
all summer flowering :— 
Jasminum revolutum, Ceanothus azureus, Bignonia capre- 
olata and officinale, Lonicera flexuosa and fiava, Solanum 
crispum, Periploca Grreca. 
If the front is much lower, then the following :— 
Jasminum revolutum ; Clematis canulea grandiflora and 
Sieboldii; Lonicera flexuosa, sempervirens, and Japonica; 
Atragene Austriaca; Ceanothus azureus. 
As to the other queries in your postscript there will be 
published a supplement to the first edition of The Cottage 
Gardeners’ Dictionary. Your cook’s “Finigric ” is Fcenu- 
grek ( Trigonella fccnumgrcccum), the seed of which was re¬ 
commended to be given to hens even by the Roman writer 
Palladius. We do not know whether it is beneficial to 
poultry. We do not think there is so much nourishment in 
the white Mangold Wurtzel as in the red.] 
GERANIUMS TURNING YELLOW AND VERBENAS 
TURNING BROWN. 
“ I have built a small greenhouse for keeping my plants in 
during the winter, and, although 1 have attended to them 
myself, I am not succeeding very well. 
“ In the first place, my Geraniums, after being cut down at 
the proper time, put out most vigorously, although old 
plants. After that they were potted, but now the leaves are 
turning yellow. After taking them oft', my trees look quite 
bare. I smoke my plants every now and then, and syringe 
them. 
“ In the next place, in some of my young Verbenas the 
leaves turn dark brown, and they gradually die oft - . I have 
dusted them with sulphur, but that does not seem to stop it. 
If they go on in this way I shall lose all my plants.—W.” 
