THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, June 26, 1860. 
195 
Unique crosses are Rosina and Imperial (and the rest are 
in the Experimental). I have just flowered a red-purple 
Gauntlet, and have a rose-coloured one. Virginium 
crossed by Pearl has produced a beat on LarTcfield 
Rival, the forcingest plant I ever came across. The 
colour of Fulgidum does not seem to show in the first 
crosses, but to fructify in the subsequent in-and-in work. 
How curious this is ! 
“ The single white Hepaticas riot in pure peat, but I 
never could get them to thrive in anything else. I doubt 
not we might get it double if anybody would sow a good 
breadth of seeds from the whites. I once had two forms 
of it—one with pink anthers, and the other all white. 
Bouvardias not a good field for crossing, form and habit 
so much alike. Mathiola incana and glabra cross freely 
notwithstanding Darwin’s theory of species. Pray get 
Ipomeea grandijlora from Carter for the Experimental. 
It is a form of Bona Nox, flowering at six o’clock in the 
evening. It opens quickly enough to be easily visible, 
the expansion but about three seconds. I used to have 
a bevy every evening last summer to see it.” And your 
humble servant, some years since, used to send up the 
expanded flowers to the drawing-rooms in a hat-box every 
night about ten o’clock. It is the “ Midnight Lily ” of 
some foreign travellers. A stove annual, or requiring 
that treatment at first. In June I used to plant out my 
plants in a late vinery, -where they would bloom for about 
six weeks, but I never could seed it. D. Beaton. 
SPERGULA PILIEERA WHERE GRASS WOULD 
NOT GROW. 
I have just been reading Mr. Beaton’s article in The Cottage 
Gahdenee for June 12th, on the Spergula pilifera. I quite 
agree with him, in thinking it a most useful discover) 7 . It must, 
I am sure, in a short time begin to cover our lawns and banks. 
I write to say, that as he is making particular inquiries about 
it for the benefit of others, I should bo most happy to show him 
some now growing on a bank in our garden, under many dis¬ 
advantages. Not having very great faitli in the wonderful 
reports we heard of the Spergula, wo bought, merely for trial, 
six pots, 2s. worth. It has grown so fast and answers so well, 
that I think I may say our bank will be covered with our 2.?. 
worth before the end of this year. 
It is a bank I ought to say no grass would keep on. Our 
gardener cut away a piece of sod, and put a few small pieces of 
Spergula in. It stood the sun bravely, and it was put in at a 
most unfavourable time—about Midsummer; and now, as I said 
before, it is in a most thriving condition.— Ann Wheelee, Perry 
Vale, Sydenham. 
CULTURE OF THE ROSE IN POTS. 
The growing of Roses under protection implies that they are 
grown in pots, at least generally so. As I have written lately on 
the culture of Roses in the open air, I, to make my work com- I 
plete, shall compose a paper or two on the growing them in pots 
indoors. No doubt my remarks may be somewhat superfluous 
to many of our readers who understand the culture of Roses in 
pots quite as well, or, may be, better than I do ; but I am sonsible 
that there are great numbers, that will be thankful for information 
on this important part of the culture of this charming flower. I 
have visited scores if not hundreds of gardens ; and noticed that, 
though Camellias, Azaleas, Geraniums, &c., have been well grown 
in pots, yet this more worthy plant the Rose, with a few honour¬ 
able exceptions, was far from being well grown and bloomed—• 
the growers seeming to think that it could not be done, or 
perhaps content with growing it well in the open air; yet the 
same care bestowed upon them as upon other greenhouse plants 
will bring forth equally as happy a result. Another consideration 
is worthy of notice—and that is, that Roses in pots may be had 
in flower, with the help of a little heat, all the year round. 
Again : Thero are varieties of Roses that are tender, and suffer 
greatly by the severity of our winter climate and heavy autumnal 
rains; and these varieties are free bloomers, finely formed 
flowers, and the most fragrant, and consequently most worthy 
of the care necessary to their successful and certain cultiire iff 
order to bloom them well. 
Soil.— The Rose in the open border thrives best in a good, 
deep, friable loam, enriched with well-decomposed stable-dung. 
Bearing this in mind, the following compost will grow them well 
in pots :—Two parts of loam taken from an upland pasture, two 
or three inches thick, turf included. Chop and break this well 
up, but do not sift it. Add ono pai-t liotbed-dung j andj if 
convenient, add one part of burnt soil, though this is not dbso j 
lutely necessary. For Tea-scented and China varieties add one 
part of leaf mould and a small portion of sandy peat. A few 
broken bones amongst the compost will do good also. Throw 
this compost together in a heap as soon as it is collected, and let 
it be turned ever every two months till it be wanted. If a 
dusting of quicklime is mixed with the compost every time it is 
turned it will be of service in two ways—that of converting 
decayed vegetable matter into humus, and helping to destroy 
worms and grubs. 
Potting. —The best season for potting Roses intended to be 
grown in pots for some years is early in the autumn—that is, 
for such Roses as have been growing in the open air. If they 
have to be procured from a nurserymen, send (or go and choose 
the plants, which is by far the best plan), and desire the nur¬ 
seryman to send such plants as are likely to be suitable for pot 
culture, specifying that they must be healthy, grown moderately, 
and with well-ripened wood ; further stipulate that they must be 
carefully taken up, and their roots wrapped in damp moss, and 
both roots and top securely packed up in a good mat, and sent off 
the same day they are packed. In the meantime have the pots 
ready, the soil moderately dried, and plenty of broken pots made 
ready for drainage. Then when the package arrives let it be carefully 
opened, and if the roots have come in dry, place them in tepid water 
for a few hours in a shed where the sun cannot reach the tops. If 
the roots are moist this need not be done, only keep them moist 
by covering them up till they are potted. Choose the pots accord¬ 
ing to the strength of the plants. Examine the roots and prune 
in any that are straggling, or that are wounded; also, cut away 
all suckers, and shorten in long, straggling shoots. If the shoots 
are thick on the plant, thin them out, leaving the rest open and 
free from each other. Then proceed to pot by first draining the 
pot and then placing some turfy pieces over the drainage; after 
that put tho roots into the pot, distributing them as equally as 
possible on every side. By no means cram them in a heap, but 
let the bottom or lower roots, be opened out; then put in a layer 
of the compost, and upon that place the next higher roots, then 
a second layer of soil, and so proceed till the pot is filled. Go 
on by this plan till all the slock are potted, then give a good 
watering, and place the newly-potted Roses in a cold pit. Shade 
from mid-day sun, and syringe gently with tepid water every 
evening for a week. By that time the bark will be filled up and 
plump, the root action will be commencing, and then less shade 
and more air may be given. 
Many autumnal-flowering Roses may be procured from the 
nursery in small pots growing on their own roots. These are 
most excellent for pot culture, and travel more safely, as far as 
[ the roots are concerned. When these reach the cultivator, he 
should turn the balls out of the pots, pick out all, or nearly all, the 
old soil, and immediately pot them in his own compost in pots 
two or three inches wider, pruning the shoots as directed above, 
and placing the pots into the pit the same as the others. The 
object of this is to induce now roots to bo formed before winter 
sets in. 
Peotection. —It may seem somewhat strange to direct tho 
sheltering of a hardy shrub from the frosts of winter; but it 
must be remembered that I am writing about hardy shrubs to 
be grown in plots. To be successful, every care must be taken of 
them all the year. What they require, after they have been potted, 
watered, and shaded for a month, is for the more hardy kinds 
to be taken out of the pit, pruned, and plunged in an open part 
of the garden, and the surface covered with a mulching of short 
stable litter; the tender kinds should be kept in a pit plunged 
I in coal ashes, and the glass drawn off every mild day, or in gentle 
warm rain, but kept with air on at the back in heavy rains, and 
in a severe frosty time, covered up at night with mats, either the 
common Russian, or mats made of straw. The rains of autumn 
injure the fine roots of tender Roses as much as severe frost, 
hence the keeping of them in a pit is very necessary. If a pit 
cannot be had, then plunge the pots in some protecting material, 
and shelter them under an awning formed with hoops and mats, 
or place them plunged behind a low wall, and form a shelter by 
