f the
darkest crimson; the roots are rather tender, and much dislike damp during
the autumn and winter.

=Lychnis chalcedonica= is one of the unreasonably neglected plants; it has
=bright scarlet flowers=, a good habit, and grows from two to three feet
high; it must have a sunny position and prefers a sandy soil.

Some of the new hardy =penstemons= are lovely, and =flower during the
whole summer=; they look very well in a round bed by themselves, and do
not require much looking after; they are rather too tender to withstand
our damp winters without protection, therefore the old plants should be
mulched, after having had cuttings taken from them, to be kept secure from
frost in a frame.

The =winter cherry=, or =Cape gooseberry (physalis alkekengi)= is a most
fascinating plant; =its fruit is the attraction=, and resembles
Chinese-lanterns; they appear early in September, and make quite a good
show in the garden. When bad weather comes, the stalks should be cut, hung
up to dry for about a week, and then mixed in vases with dried grasses and
the effect is very pretty. Care must be taken when asking for this plant
under the English name, as there is a greenhouse plant so termed which is
quite different, and, of course, will not stand frost. A dozen plants cost
about 5s.; do not be persuaded to get the newer sort--_franchetti_--the
berries are larger, but coarse and flabby, and not nearly so decorative.

=Polemonium richardsoni= is a very pretty plant, its English name being
=Jacob's ladder=. The flowers are borne in clusters, and are pale sky-blue
in colour with a yellow eye: the foliage is fernlike in character and very
abundant. This plant =likes a shady nook=, which must not be under trees,
however, and if well watered after its first bloom is over in June, it
will flower again in autumn. The double =potentillas= are glorious things
for bedding, and are most uncommon looking. Their flowers are =like small
double roses= in shape: generally orange, scarlet, or a mixture of both:
the leaves, greyish-green in colour, resemble those of the strawberry.
Unfortunately, these plants require a good deal of staking, but they are
well worth the trouble.

The large-leaved =saxifrages=, sometimes called _megaseas_, merit a good
deal more attention than they receive. For one thing they begin flowering
very early, holding up their close pink umbels of flowers so bravely in
cold winds: then their foliage is quite distinct, and turns