style had not the advantage-some not at all, and many not in such fine varieties as we now possess. All, too, are most suitable for the mixed border, as they have great blooming powers. But I will not occupy space by so doing, any further than simply to name such plants. as Gazania splendens, Tagetes signata pumila, both firstclass plants for keeping up a lengthened profusion of bloom. Then there are Antirrhinums, Dianthus, Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Hollyhocks, Pentstemons, Petunias, Phloxes, Pyrethrums, Salvias, and many others, besides annuals, all of which are most useful for certain purposes, and many of them for beds and lines. And it need scarcely be affirmed, that nearly all of them have been much improved of late years; so that, beyond any doubt, the flower-gardener of the present has a much more superb fraternity of plants with which to keep a garden beautiful, than his predecessors had. And it need scarcely be said, that the plants which have thus been briefly passed in review do not include those which are mere candidates for public favour and position, but all of them have been well tried and approved; neither do they include a class of plants which have been cursorily referred to, as most desirable candidates for being more plentifully used in the flower-gardening of the future, and which, as has already been pointed out, are well calculated to add to it much elegance and grace.

It is now several years since, in the pages of the Scottish Gardener, I advocated the use of many of the gracefully-foliaged plants which can be wintered in a greenhouse temperature, and that will therefore bear exposure outdoors all summer and autumn with impunity; and from the fact of their comparative hardiness, as well as beauty of form, they must, in a general way,

occupy the position which has with some success been given to tropical plants in a very few favoured localities. It is pleasing to me to find the very same ideas advanced recently in a leader in the Gardeners' Chronicle, and the very same plants named that were spoken of by me as being those which, for the further improvement of the flower-garden, must become popular, instead of those that will only thrive in the temperatures of our stoves. A list of such plants, with directions for disposing of them in beds and borders, in ways which, I think, will greatly enhance the interest and beauty of the flowergarden, will be given in a future page.

CHAPTER II.

PROPAGATION AND GENERAL TREATMENT OF PLANTS MOST SUITABLE FOR SUMMER AND AUTUMN DRCORATION.

ALTHOUGH it is my intention to treat of the majority of the plants according to alphabetical arrangement, I am induced to depart so far from that general rule as to give especial prominence to a few of the leading subjects, by treating of them in a more distinct and extended manner first. Proceeding on this principle, I have no hesitation in selecting and beginning with the Pelargonium as the chief of flowering plants suitable for the parterre.

WHITE, PINK, SCARLET, AND OTHER VARIETIES OF PLAIN-LEAVED AND ZONALE PELARGONIUMS.-Autumn Propagation and Winter Management.-About the 12th of August is the best time to begin the propagation of these Pelargoniums. By that time the plants have made a vigorous and firm growth, and the beds and lines are generally so well filled up that a couple of cuttings from each plant will not affect the appearance of the garden. In choosing the cuttings, take as many of them round the outside of the beds as can be had. They are usually short-jointed and firm, and make finer plants than when long-jointed and immature. Large cuttings are in all respects preferable to small ones. They are

PELARGONIUMS-AUTUMN PROPAGATION, ETC. 27

less likely to damp off, strike sooner, stand the winter better, and require less coaxing to grow them into good plants in spring; and they bloom earlier than plants raised from the mere points of the shoots. Unless it be some of the very dwarf varieties, the cuttings should be about 9 inches long-some of the strongest growers even more than that. In selecting and making them, every care should be taken not to bruise them; for if the stems are bruised, they are more subject to damp off. In making them, cut the bottom end off, close to the first leaf, with a sharp, thin-bladed knife; remove the leaves close to the stem up to the third joint. They are then ready for insertion, which should be attended to before the cutting becomes flaccid. They should be dibbled in with a dibble considerably thicker than the cuttings, so that the hole is sufficiently large to allow of them being inserted without abrasion.

Boxes 2 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 4 inches deep, are excellent for striking in. In each box there should be nine auger holes for drainage, and over each hole a single crock. Then prepare a compost, consisting of one part loam, one part leaf-mould, with a fourth of the whole of sand. This should be passed through a half-inch sieve, to separate the roughest part, and thoroughly mix the whole. A thin layer of the siftings should be placed over the bottom of the box, and then fill up to the rim, and press firmly, especially round the sides of the box.

Sixty cuttings of the stronger, and seventy of the smaller, growing in each box are quite sufficient. If inserted thicker, they become drawn, and do not stand the winter so well, nor make such fine plants. As soon as the cuttings are put in, the boxes should be removed

at once to the most warn and airy place at command -such as the bottom of a south wall, or any position. where they can have the full blaze of the sun: a cool, shaded place is the worst possible for them. The boxes should be placed on bricks, rails of wood, or anything that will raise them off the ground, so that worms do not get access, and to keep the boxes from rotting. They should have as much water given to them through a fine rose as will wet the whole of the soil, and settle it well about the cuttings, and afterwards be kept in a medium state of moisture. If they can be placed in cold pits or frames, so that, in the event of heavy rains, they can be covered with glass, all the better; but glass is not necessary for any other purpose in striking them.

In about three weeks they will be well rooted, and commencing to grow. All the blooms, and the very point of each cutting, should be picked off for the present, and no more water must be given than is sufficient to keep the soil in a moderately moist condition. The great object for successful wintering is to get hardy stocky growth; and if kept liberally supplied with water, or shaded, this is not attainable. When they begin to grow, any of the cuttings that overtop their fellows should have their points pinched out again; and when the leaves become crowded, some of them should be removed, to allow a circulation of air about the young plants.

They may stand outdoors till danger from frost or drenching rains be apprehended, which time depends considerably on the climate of the locality. A good place to winter them is a dry pit, with sufficient amount of fire-heat to keep them safe from frost, and expel damp when necessary. They will winter perfectly well in any