There is no practical reason why wall plants should be planted later than Roses or fruit trees - in fact, a good reason can be adduced in favour of early planting; but it has grown to be so much a matter of custom to plant late in spring, that florists grow most of the popular kinds in pots, so as to be able to execute orders at a period when it is too late to shift plants from the open ground. I have not been favourably impressed with many of the specimens of pot climbers which I have received from nurserymen, and I greatly prefer plants from the open ground. The pot theory is plausible enough, and answers while the plants are young; but when they have been in the same comparatively small pots two or three years, and have pushed a strong taproot, like a miniature Parsnip, through the bottom of it, things are not so satisfactory. A small plant with fibrous roots is better than a bigger one with a single tap-root.

One can plant climbers and wall shrubs from the open ground early in April, but not much later, except in mild, moist districts. The great point in favour of early planting is that it gives the plants a chance of making root before the hot weather comes on, and if the new fibres get a good hold of the soil before May the plant generally lives and thrives. Let me indicate a few good kinds:

Aristolochia Sipho

Aristolochia Sipho, the Dutchman's Pipe, grows quickly, and forms large, heart-shaped leaves. The pipe-shaped, pendulous flowers are brown and yellow. The plant should have a warm aspect. It loses its leaves in winter.

Buddleias Globosa (Orange Ball)

Buddleias Globosa (Orange Ball), Variabilis and Veitchiana have been referred to already. The perfumed lilac flowers, borne in long cones, of the last named, are beautiful in late summer.

The Ceanothus, Or Blue Bush

The Ceanothus, Or Blue Bush, likes a south or west aspect. Ceres has pale pink, Gloire de Versailles light blue, and Marie Simon mauve flowers.

The Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus Fragrans)

The Winter Sweet (Chimonanthus Fragrans) likes a warm aspect. It blooms in winter, and its brownish yellow flowers are powerfully scented. There is a larger variety called Grandiflorus. As winter bloomers, these plants are best planted in autumn.

The Mexican Orange-Flower, Choisya Ternata

The Mexican Orange-Flower, Choisya Ternata, is a beautiful evergreen shrub, flowering late in spring or early in summer. It likes a warm aspect, and is often grown as a border shrub in a sheltered place, where it will produce its pretty, white, fragrant flowers, resembling Orange blossoms, in profusion.

The Clematises

The Clematises are a power in themselves. The Jackmanii section is the most popular, and the varieties are benefited by being cut close to the ground after planting, and by severe pruning. Jackmanii, violet;

Jackmanii Alba

Jackmanii Alba, white; and Jackmanii Rubra, crimson, are three beautiful sorts belonging to this class. The Virgin's Bower, Clematis Flammula, bears fragrant white flowers in clusters in late summer; and the Traveller's Joy, Clematis Vitalba, also flowers late. Its feathery seed heads are familiar to country folk in autumn. Superior to either of these plants, however, is Clematis Montana, a rapid grower, a good town plant, and a late spring bloomer. The newer rosy red variety called Montana Rubens, a hardy variety from China, is likely to receive a good deal of attention from lovers of climbers who appreciate the merits of the old Montana.