up till then, after which they must be gradually inured to the full influence of light and air. Don't give water unless quite necessary-let them flag rather than drench them; they are safer rather dry than wet throughout the winter, but protect by means of a mat or a little straw on the glass in severe weather. They should be turned out as early in spring as possible, taking care first to inure them to the weather in the frame by the removal of the lights.

P. azureus (Azure-flowered P.)-The plant grows about 2 or 22 feet high. The leaves are narrow, lance-shaped, and glaucous. The flowers are produced in racemes of considerable length, and are bright pale-blue. Native of California. The flowers open in July, and continue for a couple of months. An excellent hardy species, but more or less of stock should be stored by cuttings, as above directed.

P. barbatus, syn. Chelone barbata (Bearded P.)-This fine plant is better known in gardens by the name Chelone than Pentstemon, but the latter is the correct name. It is not an uncommon plant in even small collections of hardy borderplants, being very hardy and easily kept—not, in fact, requiring the annual propagation above directed in a general way. The plant grows 3 or more feet high, the stems being sparely furnished with lance-shaped, somewhat glaucous, leaves. The flowers are bright scarlet, in long graceful racemes, the lower lip being bearded with orange-coloured hairs. They begin to appear in early summer, and last till late autumn. There is a splendid variety of this named Torreyi, more robust and luxuriant and freer blooming than the older form of the species, and more worthy of a place in limited collections of choice ornamental plants. Native of Mexico.

P. Cobra (Cobaa-like P.)—A peculiar and distinct species, growing to the height of about 3 feet. The whole plant is clothed with short glandular hairs. The leaves are long, lanceolate, the margins marked with small sharp teeth. The flowers are produced in whorls in the axils of the leaves on the upper part of the stems, thus producing a somewhat leafy spike of considerable length. They are variegated purple, red, yellow, and white, the corolla being short and somewhat barrelshaped. Native of Texas, and somewhat difficult to keep, especially in cold wet soils and extremely dry ones. Cuttings, too, are apt to perish in cold frames from damp, and are best kept in pots, so as to be easily moved, if necessary, into a warmer or drier position. It flowers also late-too late, in cold late districts, to be of much use; on these accounts it is clearly not to be recommended to amateurs, nor for culture in the north.

P. Fendleri (Fendler's P.)—This is a recently-introduced plant of great merit, on account of its dwarf habit and earlyflowering tendency. It grows from 1 foot to 18 inches high, quite erect, having the stems clothed with deeply glaucous leaves. The flowers are borne in one-sided racemes of graceful appearance, and are light purple. They begin to open in June. Native of the Rocky Mountains.

P. glaber (Smooth P.)-A very beautiful species, growing about the same height as the last, but the stems are somewhat decumbent at the base. The leaves are smooth and shining, and narrow egg-shaped. The flowers are deep blue, but variable in shade in different individuals, if the plants are seedlings. They open in June, and continue in long succession. Native of the Rocky Mountains.

P. Jeffreyanus (Jeffrey's P.)-This is a brilliant plant, but not suited for all localities, being very apt to perish in those that are cold and in wet heavy soils. It grows 2 or more feet high, with glaucous leaves and brilliant purplish-blue flowers in graceful racemes. They appear in June or July, and continue for a month or two. Native of California.

P. Murrayanus (Murray's P.)-A deeply glaucous species, rather difficult to keep, and consequently rare in gardens. It grows about 21⁄2 feet high. The leaves are deeply glaucous, narrow egg-shaped, rather thinly clothing the stems. The flowers are in graceful racemes, narrow, tubular, and shining, brilliant scarlet, appearing rather late in summer. In all parts of the country it will be necessary to give it a comfortable frame in winter, and a sunny warm position in summer.

P. pocerus (Creeping P.)-This is perhaps the dwarfest of all Pentstemons, being a prostrate creeping plant, forming carpet-like masses of dark-green oblong leaves, an inch or two high. The flowers are small, in small but graceful racemes, and very freely produced in June and July. The plant is perfectly hardy, and easily increased by division. Its dwarf habit renders it very useful for either the front line of mixed borders or for rockwork. Native of the Rocky Mountains.

P. Scouleri (Scouler's P.)—A very handsome but rather rare species. It grows about 21⁄2 feet high, quite erect. The leaves are lance-shaped, smooth, the margins sharply toothed. The flowers are lilac or pale purple, in handsome racemes, appearing in early summer. Native of North America, and is a tolerably hardy sort, but flowers best from autumn cuttings, even if the plants may be trusted out in winter.

P. speciosus (Showy P.)—A very handsome and showy plant, growing 22 or 3 feet high. The leaves are somewhat

glaucous, quite smooth, and widening a little towards the point. The flowers are bright blue, in whorled racemes, appearing in summer and lasting late. Native of North America, and rather variable from seed, both in stature and the colour of the flowers.

The

Phygelius capensis (Cape P.)-The only species perhaps of the genus, certainly the only one in cultivation. It is a handsome plant, growing erect to the height of 11⁄2 foot to 2 feet, with square smooth stems. The leaves are dark green, shining somewhat, and egg-shaped, and toothed on the margin. flowers are scarlet, drooping on their stalks, arranged in open terminal racemes, and appearing in summer and lasting till late autumn. A good well-drained loam suits it best, but it does very well in many different soils. Easily increased by division. Scrophularia. The only plant worthy of mention in this floriculturally uninteresting family is S. nodosa variegata, in which the leaves are finely blotched with white. It is striking and handsome, succeeds in any soil, and is propagated by division. The flowers are worthless, and the stems must be pinched out as soon as they appear.

Veronica (Speedwell).—A very numerous family, by far the largest number of the herbaceous species being weedy or uninteresting, and unfit for any ornamental use. Such as are worthy of cultivating are most accommodating plants, growing well in almost any kind of soil, and readily increased by division.

V. amethystina (Amethyst-Blue Speedwell).-The plant grows about 1 foot or 18 inches high, with numerous stems clothed with bright-green, lance-shaped, toothed leaves, on very short stalks, in whorls of three or four together. The racemes are terminal, and the flowers are produced in lengthened succession from July, being, as implied by the name, fine amethyst blue. One of the handsomest and most useful of the genus for border decoration, and adapted also for introducing into sunny banks and about the skirtings of shrubberies; but wherever the attempt is made to naturalise it, it should be borne in mind that it would be easily mastered by rank native vegetation, and that this must therefore be kept in check. Native of the south of Europe.

V. candida (White-leaved Speedwell).-A very dwarf plant, rarely exceeding in height 2 or 3 inches. It has creeping, somewhat woody stems, not herbaceous and annually dying away like the last, extending into neat carpet-like tufts. The leaves are oblong, oval, toothed, and clothed with dense, short, hoary pubescence. The flowers are in short spikes, blue, but neither ornamental nor lasting in a high degree. The foliage

is the only attractive feature about the little plant, which, along with its neat compact habit, renders it useful for edging purposes, for clothing rockwork, or introducing in borders wherever a patch of dwarf hoary foliage is wanted.

V. gentianoides (Gentian-leaved Speedwell).-This is a handsome but not a lasting species. The stems are simple, about 18 inches or 2 feet high, terminating in a compact raceme, of light-blue flowers, beautifully striated with darker blue and sometimes red. The leaves are mostly radical, oblong or ovate, bright green and shining, and slightly toothed. The flowers appear in early summer, lasting only a few weeks. Native of the Levant.There is a very good variegated form, perhaps altogether more ornamental than the green, from which the flower-stems should be cut as soon as they appear, in order to foster the production of leaves.

V. longifolia (Long-leaved Speedwell).-The normal condition of this species is only fit for naturalising in half-kept places. It is a tall, leggy plant, with weak downy stems, reaching the height of 3 feet or more in rich soil. The leaves are in whorls of three or four together, lance-shaped, and much attenuated at the point, and much and sharply toothed. The flowers blue, in close terminal spikes or racemes. This form is not worth growing but for the purpose already alluded to; but there is a neat and handsome variety named incarnata, with fine reddish pink flowers, which continue to open for two or three months, from July onwards. It grows about 18 inches or 2 feet high, branching freely at the top of the stems, and thus keeping up a long succession of its pretty flowers.

V. spicata (Spiked Speedwell).-This species grows about I foot or 18 inches high, with erect, stout, hard, and slightlyhairy stems. The leaves are oblong or lance-shaped, those below on stalks widening into the limb of the leaf, those above stalkless. The flowers are in dense spikes, the individual flowers small but deep blue, appearing in summer and lasting till late in autumn. This, along with the variety incarnata of the last species, are two of the best of the taller Veronicas for border decoration. Of this species there are varieties as regards the colour of the flowers, but it is in different shades of blue that the variation results mainly; there are, however, pretty white and pink varieties, but not so effective and lasting as the one described. There is also a form with variegated leaves and the blue flowers, but the variegation is not decided. Wulfenia carinthiaca (Carinthian W.)-This is a lovely and interesting alpine plant, usually kept in pots in botanic gardens or such private collections as it may be found in. It is reputed

difficult to keep; but such is not my experience of it, having grown it successfully in the front line of mixed borders in various aspects and soils. It is, however, best grown on rockwork, and delights in good rich loam, and peat or leaf mould well sharpened up with grit, in a partially-shady position, well drained, but not allowed to want for water in drought. The beauty of the plant claims for it a good position and some attention to its requirements. The plant forms handsome tufts of obovate, lance-shaped, bright-green, almost shining leaves, coarsely toothed on the margin, and wrinkled somewhat. The flowers are produced in one-sided spikes, about 6 or 9 inches high, and are beautiful purplish blue, appearing in July and August. Easily propagated by division. Should it be attempted in the mixed border, a few stones should be let into the ground; but there must be no mounding or raising up, as is sometimes done with this plant: it dislikes elevation, unless at the same time it is shaded. Native of the mountains of Carinthia.

LABIA TÆ.

A very extensive, and, like the last, a natural order, in which the family likeness is pervading and strong in all its members. By far the largest number of the genera are of herbaceous character, and very many are distinguished by more or less fragrant foliage, or fragrance in nearly every part. Many are splendidly beautiful in their flowers; some are more remarkable in point of habit and foliage; and altogether the order is rich in plants that may be turned to excellent account in ornamenting borders and beds, and in naturalising in many ways; and although it contains a very considerable number of alpine or mountain plants, they are, as a whole, more easily cultivated than those of many other orders from the same regions.

Ajuga (Bugle). This is a small family of dwarf plants, flowering mostly in spring and early summer, and all are blue-flowered, with the exception of one or two species unworthy of culture for ornament. They are all inhabitants of pastures, either mountain or lowland, and are easily cultivated in any position in tolerably good soil, and are easily increased by division.

A. genevensis (Geneva Bugle, syn. A. pyramidalis).—This is distinguished from the better-known A. reptans, or Common Bugle, by its sending out no creeping shoots. It forms rounded