Allium Descendens—A hardy, bulbous perennial Plant in October or November in any garden soil, and the flowers will be borne in July Height, 1 ft.

Phygelius Capensis—A greenhouse perennial bearing carmine and yellow flowers in June, but is hardy enough to be grown on a warm border It is increased by off-sets from the root, taken off in May Height, 2 ft.

Love-lies-Bleeding (Amaranthus Caudatus)—A hardy annual bearing graceful drooping racemes of crimson blossom The seed should be sown in the open at the end of March, and thinned out or transplanted with a good ball of earth Makes a fine border plant Height, 2 ft.

Wood, to Preserve—In order to prevent wooden posts, piles, etc, from rotting, dip the parts to be sunk in the earth in the following composition:—Fine, hard sand, three hundred parts; powdered chalk, forty parts; resin, fifty parts; linseed oil, four parts Heat these together in a boiler, then add red lead, one part; sulphuric acid, one part Mix well together, and use while hot If too thick, more linseed oil may be added This composition when dry attains the consistency of varnish, and becomes extremely hard.


Babianas—Charming, sweet-scented flowers, suitable for either pot cultivation or the border In August or September place five bulbs in a well-drained 5-in pot, using rich, light, very sandy soil; cover them completely, and press the mould down gently Water very sparingly until the roots are well formed; indeed, if the soil is moist when the bulbs are planted, no water will be needed till the new growth appears above ground Stand the pots in ashes and cover them with 3 in of cocoa-nut fibre When the flower spikes are formed, give weak liquid manure twice a week till the flowers open Keep them in a temperature of 55 degrees When the foliage begins to die down gradually, lessen the amount of moisture given The bulbs while dormant are best left in the pots For cultivation in the open, choose a warm situation, make the soil light and sandy, adding a good proportion of well-rotted manure, and plant the bulbs 5 in deep either in autumn or spring Height, 6 in to 9 in.

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