Those which are sown in spring thrive best if kept in a cold frame, where they have a plentiful supply of air, since the young plants are extremely tender and liable to damp off. The former will bloom near the end of May, the latter about the middle of July. The plant continues a long time in bloom, and may be planted out in a warm and dry situation in the open border, when the danger arising from spring frost is over. This plant when in bloom forms tangled mass of bells of the most delicate blue, with a tender foliage, reminding us of the texture of the fragile Ivyleaved Bellflower, which inspired Miss Twamley's muse to sing

"It was a blest retreat where I did find

This modest gem:

The forest trees above were intertwined,
And, under them,

From an old ruined fountain, gurgled out
A small clear stream, that circled them about,

And rippling gently onwards through the wood,
Leaped into light

Beyond the last old gnarled oak that stood
Beside the bright

And sparkling rivulet, like hoary age

Smiling at the pursuits that youth engage.

Over the fount's damp, mossy stones there grew,

Luxuriantly,

These little bells of faint and tender blue,

Which gracefully

Bent their small heads in every breeze which strayed
From lawny sunshine to the woodland's shade.

And there they breed, and bloom, and close, and die,

In solitude.

Their lives are brief, but calm.-Alas! that I,

Not grief-subdued,

But innocently gay, as these small flowers,
In like retreat might pass my future hours!"

Lofling's Bellflower well deserves a place in a greenhouse..

THE LARGE BELLFLOWER (C. grandis). This species was introduced amongst us by this name, being imported from St. Petersburg. In habit the plant is remarkably strong and robust. The flowers are displayed in a terminal spike, like those of C. pyramidalis, and they are generally two inches and a half in diameter. This plant suits well for pot cultivation, and may be placed in a cold frame throughout the winter, and in spring be turned out against a wall with a southern aspect; or, if preferred, it may be at all times kept in a pot and used for decorating the greenhouse. It may be multiplied by division of the roots in spring, or by cuttings, when plants of almost any magnitude may be procured to flower in the autumn. It is said to be a native of Natolia. The flowers are of a deep blue colour, of the form of C. pyramidalis. There are few hardy herbaceous plants so handsome. This may be treated as C. pyramidalis, and will amply repay all the care bestowed.