TALBOT6669

31 B. S^{t 1}
31 July

My dear Henry

Your letter is interesting – I think I could give you some plants fit for your Conservatory. I left Mandevillea suaveolens at Abb. ² already in flower. Convolu. Canariensis is also a nice creeper. Have you the ornamental Rubi? I have got all the Mahonias but one M. Japonica which is not to be had, all out of doors & hope they will flower all of them next year. I mean to get Chamærops excelsa when it is tolerably cheap, but some gardeners throw away anything that does not take directly.

I set my face against the idea of acclimatizing on principle – but I want to prove our climate not to be so Siberian as the French & other Continentals calumniously assume it to be.

Of Australian plants I have 6 Coprosmas – 2 Swammerdamias 1 Cassinia – 6 shrubby Veronicas – 2 Ferns – 1 palm – & various herbaceous plants that have stood out one or more winters & grow & flower beautifully – I want to get all the Madeira & Canary plants – Carolina Georgia & Texas – Chile Chiloe ³ & Patagonia – mountain Cape plants which no body here seems to distinguish from those of the plains –

What is Exostema? Nematanthus I do not know <–> There is not much capability for Orchidaceæ at Abb I have tried Lælias & Odontoglots but they had hardly a fair chance <–> if the old mossy trees of Melbury ⁴ were transportable to Abb. we might get up some parasitical varieties.

The only quite hardy Canna I know is a pale buff flowered one the others are easily grown but capricious. Hedychiums flower strong & well out of doors but they cannot be trusted for more than one winter. Make them try all these things at M^t Edgcumbe ⁵

I shall send your box ⁶ today.

Y^r aff
W F S

I go to Markeaton ⁷ the end of next week Can you save me some seed of Eup. spinosa ⁸