Named in honor of the late Duchess of Portland, who was a great patron of gardening. This is a noble stove plant, with large, deep green foliage, and fine, pure white flowers, agreeably perfumed. They appear in pairs at the end of each shoot, and measure from four to five inches long, and from three to four inches across the mouth of the cup. The leaves are oval shaped, six inches long when fully grown, and of a most beautiful light green. With tolerable management the plant forms a good, handsome bush or plant. Though introduced as far back as 1795, it is yet very rare, especially in this country. This is a matter of surprise to me, considering that it is so beautiful, and not difficult to grow or propagate. I can only account for its comparative rarity by supposing that most of our gardeners who have grown stove plants are ignorant almost of its existence, and quite so of its beauty and easy culture.

It is to make such fine plants as the Portlandia known that I write. There are many plants occupying spaces in our stoves and greenhouses that might be filled with better and handsomer varieties.

The best way to increase the Portlandia is by cuttings of the young shoots. These insert in the propagating bench, water the bed thoroughly, and keep close. I have succeeded well by putting cuttings in a six-inch pot, and placing them in hot bed, or cucumber frame at most.

Early spring is the best time to root the Portlandia. As soon as they have made roots they should be potted in two and one-half inch pots, and placed under hand glass close for four or five weeks, till they are fairly established. Shading must be attended to at all times, for the least sun will put an end to all your work in a short time. By this method I have rooted most kinds of shrubby stove plants with ease.

It is of the greatest importance to know the right kind of soil or compost a plant thrives best in. Numbers of stove plants do well in any light, rich soil. My present subject delights in a mixture of light, fibrous loam, sandy peat, and a very small quantity of vegetable mould.

The pots must be well drained to secure success.