

^4 



* -r 



• -- 



1 



Which the fmall roots 0.rt contained, equally covering 

 it about one fourth of an Inch thick with the fame 

 frc{h earth: this bed ftould be fituatcd in a warm 

 pofition, but noctooclofe to hedges, walls, or pales, 

 which would caufe their leaves to be long and (lender, 

 and m^ke the roots weaker than if placed in a more 

 open expofure. 



In this bed they may remain until they flower, which 

 Js <yenera]ly the third year from fov/ing -, at which time 

 vou Ihould put dowh a mark to the roots of all fuch 

 as produce fait* flowiers, that at the time of taking 

 them out of the ^rbuhd (which ought to be foon after 

 their green leaves are decayed) they may be felefted 

 into a bed amongft yoUr old roots of this flower, 

 which, for their beauty; are preferved in the belt 

 gardens -, but the other left valuable flowers m^y be 

 planted in the borders of the pafterre-gardeh for 

 their variety, where, being intermixed with other 

 fiowers of different feafons, they will make a good 



4. The pale yellow Crown Impcria!. 



5. The yellow Ibiped Crown Imperial. 



6. '^ • ' 



7. The broad leaved lace rrd Crown Imperial. 



The large flowering Ci-owri Imperial. 



9- 



10. 



1 1. 



* V 



appearance, ,..^ , , 



The fine forts of this flower fliould remain iindif- 

 turbed three years, by which time they will have pro- 

 duced many offsets j and fhould be taken tip when 

 their leaves are decayed, and planted into a flbelli 

 bed, taking fuch of their offsets as are large erioiigK 

 to produce flowers to plant in the flower-garden ; biit 

 the fmaller roots may be' planted into a nurfery-bed, 

 ■'■ "until they have obtained ftrength enough to flower j 

 but you muft never fuffer thefe roots to lie out of the 

 ground when you remove them, but plant them again 

 immediately, otherwife they will perilh. 

 .- During thefe three years which I have advifed the 

 roots to remain in the beds, the furface of the earth 

 • Ihould be ftirred every autumn with a trowel, obferv- 

 4' ing not to go fo deep as to bruife the root, and at the 

 Vri.Vfame time lay a thin cover of very rotten dung or 

 r,' tanners bark upon the furface of the beds •, which, be- 

 ''^ ing waflied into the ground, will caufe the flowers to 

 ,be larger, as alfo the roots to make a greater increafe : 

 " ryou muft alfo obferve to keep them conftantly clear 

 > 'ifrom weeds^ and thofe roots which you would pre- 

 -' fervc with care, Ihould not be fuffered to feed. 

 " When a ftock of good flowers are obtained, they 

 may be preferved and increafed in the fame manner as 



» V 



The double and triple rrowncd Imperial Crown.' 



The double red Crown Imperial. 

 The double yellow Crown IinperiaL 

 The filver llriped leaved Crown Im|DeriaL 

 12. The yellow ftriped leaved Crown Imperial. 

 There are forhe few other varieties which are men- 

 tioned in tlie catalogues of the Dutch florifl:s, but 

 their diftinftions are fo minute, that they are not dif- 

 tinguiftiable, fo I fliall pafs them over, as thofe here 

 inferted are all that I have feen growing . either in 

 England or Holland, which deferved any diftinftion. 

 The Crown Imperial hath a large round fcaly roof 

 of a yellow colour, and a fl:rong odour of a fox; 

 the ftalk rifes to the height.of four feet or upward ; it 

 is ftfong, fucculent, and garnifhed Two-thirds of the 

 length On every fide, with long narrow leaves ending 

 in pbirtts, which are fmooth and entire •, the upper 

 part of the ftalk is naked, a foot in length ; then the 

 flowers cbriie but all round the ftalk upon Ihort foot- 

 ftalks, which turn downward, each fuftaihihg dne 

 large, fpreading, bell-fhaped flower, compofed of fix 

 fpear-fhaped petals; at the bafe of each petal is a 

 pretty large cavity-; in which is fituated a large white 

 tieftarium, filled with i mellous liquor. In the center 

 of the flower Is fixed a thhee-cornered oblong gerrnen, 

 U^Ori which refts the fihglfe ftyle, which is the lei:gth 

 of the petds, and is cro#rifed by a fpreading obtufe 



ftyl 



ftyle 



Thefe 



« « 



minated by oblong four-cornered furlimits. 

 flowers hang dbwnvi^ard^ and aibbve them rifes a 

 fpreading tuft of green leaves, which are ereft," and 

 from between thefe come out the foot-ftalks bf the 

 flowers : when the flowers decay, the germeti fwells 

 to a large hexagonal capfule, fliaped like a water- 

 mill, having fix cells, which are filled with flat feeds. 

 This plant flowers the beginning of April, and the 

 feeds are ripe in July. 



The fort with yellow flowers, that with large flowers, 



• and thofe With double flo\vers, are the moft valuable; 



' other bulbous rooted flowers, which is bv offsets fent I but that which hath tx^'o or three \X'hbrls of flowers 



■ 



out from their rootSi which ftiould be taken off] every I above each other, makes the fineft appearance; 



other year from the fineft forts; but the orciinary though this feldom produces its flowers after this man- 



ffbwers may remain three years undifturbed, in which I ner the firft year after removing, but the fccond and 



time they will have" multiplied fo much, as that each | third year after planting, the ftalks ^vill be taller, and 



root will have formed a clufter ; fo that if they are left 

 longer together, the roots will be fmall, and the 

 "• flowers very weak ; therefore, if thefe are taken up 

 every other year, the roots will be the ftronger. Thefe 



frequently have thriee tier of flbwers; bhe above ano- 

 ther, which is called the Triple Crowh. The ftalks oi^ 

 th^s fort frequently tun flat and broad, when they pro- 

 duce a greater number of flowers than ufual ; but 



tootsm'aybetreatedinthefame mariner as Tulipsj and I this is only a luxuriancy of nature, not conftant* 



"'""" »^ " * -"- "* ^ ' '^ • though many of the writer^ have mentioned it as a 



particular variety. - -^ 



other bulbous i-ooted flowers, with this difference only, 

 that the roots will" not bear to be kept out of the 

 round fo long ; therefott, if there fliould be a necef- 

 uty for keeping them out of the ground any time, it 

 « will be beft to put the roots into fand to prevent their 

 • InnnkinsTv " ' r ' r-^r "^ ^-^v% :^ >r "'/ *-^^: 



As thefe flowers come out early in the fpring,- they 



make a pretty appearance in the borders of the plea- 



fure-garden, where they are planted in fmall clumps ; 



T^5 yK'^.^^^y ft^^d fingle in the borders, they make 

 but a poor figure;^ '- -:^r ^^r^^- . • ^ . -;^.->-^--.>r^ 



The eighth fort is the Crown Imperial, which is now J 

 ' very common In the Englifh gardens; This grbws na- 

 tJJrally in Perfia, from whence it was firft brought to 

 v^onftantinople, and about the year 1570, was in- 

 troduced to thefe parts of Europe; of this flower there 

 are a great variety now preferved in the gardens of 

 nonfts, but as they have been produced accidentally 

 trom feeds, they are but one fpecies ; however, for 

 the fatisfadion of the curious, I fliall here mention all 

 the varieties which have come to my knowledge. 



r. The common Crown Imperial ; this is of a dirty 

 red colour. -v' . \ 



■ xlll^^ ^^"^"^ ^^^^" Imperial ; this is of a bright 





^'-' ,-> 



-r 



-* 



'* 



'V-^ » 



^ 3- f«e bright' red Crown Imperial, called Fufai. 



^- , 



^» w 1 ' - " 



•As this is one of the eatlieft tall flov^ers bf the Ipririg, 

 it makes it fine appeanarlce in the middle oi^ large bor- 

 ders, at afcafon when fuch flowers are much Wanted 

 to decorate the pleafure-garden : but the rank fox-like 

 odour which they emit, is tbo ftrong for moft people, 

 fo hath rendered the flowers lefs valuable than they 

 would have been*, for there is fomething very pleaf- 

 ing in the fight of them at a diftance, fo that were if 

 not for the offenfive fmell of the leaves and flowers, it 

 would be more frequently feen in all gardens for 



pleafilre. ■ -^ ' - ■'■\A^y.—\:;i- ; * ' 



This may be propagated by feedsj br offsets frbhi 

 the root; the firft is too tedious fbf moft of the 

 Englifti florifts, becalife the plants fo raifed, are fix 

 or feven years before they flower; but the Dutch and 

 Flemifli gardehers, who have more -patience, fre- 

 quently raife them from feeds, fo get fome new va- 

 rieties, which rewards their labour. The method of 

 propagating thefe flowers from feeds, being nearly 

 the fame as for the Tulip^ the reader is defired to turn 

 to that article, where there are full direftions for per- 

 forming it. ' ' ■ ■ . 

 The common method of propagating them h^re, is 



by offsets fent out from the old roots, wljicfi will 



5 T, ,.;-.|pwet 



f 



X 



V. 



H-" 



■<'. 





V 



