Hedera Helix, the common twining ivy, a native of Europe, of which there are many varieties. The leaves of these varieties vary very much, and many distinctions have been founded on these variations. There are two very beautiful kinds, the silver and golden, the foliage being beautifully variegated with white and gold. The following cuts will

show how these differ in foliage, all being taken from living leaves, though some are necessarily reduced in size to accommodate them to our pages.

The Tree or Aborescent Ivy is merely a form of the com

mon variety, which is shown by its returning to the primal form not unfrequently. The leaves are entire, and the plant often retains its arborescent form for years.

H. Rægneriana is a variety with large, heart-shaped leaves, which is much esteemed.

H. h. digitata, the palmate or hand-shaped Ivy is a

pretty variety, of rapid growth; the leaves are small, dark, and veined. This is often called, erroneously, the Irish Ivy.

H. Canariensis is the Irish, or Giant Ivy; the leaves are five-lobed, and larger than those of the common ivy. Almost all the varieties of nurserymens' catalogues are merely forms of these, with peculiar foliage.

The Golden Ivy is a splendid plant; when the young leaves come out it resembles a mass of yellow flowers.

Ivies are grown in hanging baskets, around windows, made to trail around picture frames and looking glasses; indeed, they may be made decorative in the highest degree.

The plants should always be well supplied with water, though it should never be allowed to stand at the roots. Large plants of the common varieties may be procured for fifty cents. The ornamental foliaged varieties are somewhat dearer.

If you have ivy growing out of doors (and it will thrive if you keep the winter's sun away from it), a pretty effect may be produced by cutting large branches, and keeping them in vases of rain water. They will grow well all winter, and planted in spring make nice plants for

autumn.

The plant commonly known as German Ivy is not an ivy ; the botanical name is Senecio Scandens. It is deservedly popular, from its rapid growth and its freedom from insects. We ha, in a former paragraph, treated of it more fully. The Coliseum Ivy is a species of Snap-dragon, as may be seen n an examination of the flowers, and a very pretty

plant it is; botanically it is Linaria Cymbalaria, and is mentioned more fully in the early part of this chapter.

Five-leaved Ivy is the Virginia Creeper or Woodbine (Ampelopsis Virginica), a native of our woods.

The Poison Ivy is Rhus Radicans or Rhus Toxicodendron, and not of the same family as any of the above.

CHAPTER VIII.

PLANTS FOR WINDOW GARDENING, CONTINUED.

ABUTILON: New Varieties. CALLA LILY: Growth in Cases in the Window. OXALIS: Description. Soil. Species. CUPHEA HYSSOPIFOLIA.

CHRYSANTHEMUM: New

Varieties. LILY OF THE VALLEY: Forcing in House Culture.

HE past few

THE ABUTILON.

TH years have given us some new varieties of

Abutilon which are very valuable as window plants.

As we have before remarked, all the Abutilons are of very easy culture, thrive well in the close, dry atmosphere of the house, flower freely, and are not liable to the attacks of insects, and in all these good qualities the new varieties are in no respect inferior to the old.

Abutilon vexillarium is a charming, small-leaved species, of which the variety with the foliage beautifully marked with gold is most common in cultivation. The habit of the plant is trailing, the shoots weak and drooping, which fits it for carpet bedding in the garden, or for window culture in hanging baskets.