122 THE PI.ANT WORLD 



of her royal beauty. Gigantic bushes trained over verandas are carrying 

 thousands of exquisite blossoms. Gloire de Dijon, perhaps the most 

 beautiful of all roses, showing a combination of rosy-salmon and yellow 

 in the large fragrant blooms, is used as a climber as well as in bush- 

 form. The rare Chromatella or Cloth of Gold, bearing an abundance of 

 deep golden-yellow flowers, the white Lamargue, the deep red Reine 

 Marie Henriette, the orange-yellow Allen W. Richardson, the dainty 

 blush-colored Woodland Margaret are blooming with wonderful luxuri- 

 ance on porticos and pillars. There is no end of tea roses ! They are 

 found in every good garden in the greatest variety. Among the hybrid 

 perpetuals I shall only mention the glowing red General Jacqueminot, 

 the velvety crimson Prince Camille de Rohan, and the deep rose-colored 

 Paul Neyron. All the roses here are at their best when spring begins. 

 As soon as the dry reason is well on the way they rest for a while, being 

 in full splendor again in autumn. 



Tourists and settlers very often regret not to find their favorite 

 flowers of the North, missing especially the lily, the iris, the paeony, the 

 perennial phlox, the lilac, and the geranium. As a matter of fact the 

 gardens of Florida are far excelling those of the North in beauty, variety, 

 and splendor. The many evergreen trees and shrubs, the palms and 

 bamboos, the saga palms, and agaves, the yuccas and banana imbue 



every cottage and villa garden with a decidedly tropical appearance. In 

 place of the lilac we have here the China tree, one of the most beautiful 

 and shapely shade trees in existence. Covered in early spring with a 

 wealth of beautiful lilac-colored flowers, its delicious lilac-like perfume is 

 almost overpowering, especially during the night. It will remain in full 

 splendor for more than a fortnight. The lilies and irises of the North 

 are represented by a large varietj^ of amaryllis, crinums (here mostly 

 called lilies), field lilies (Hymenocallis), zephyranthes, ismenes — true 

 children of the tropics. Some of the true lilies also grow well enough, 

 if carefully attended to, especially the Easter lily and Lilium longiflortmi. 

 In August the showy wild lily of the flatwoods, Lilium catesbaei, is very 

 abundant. 



The first day of spring finds the ground covered with a brilliant car- 

 pet of Phlox drummondii, the colors varying from pure white through all 

 shades of red to deep maroon. It comes up year after year from self- 

 sown seed wherever it has been cultivated. The flowers are borne in 

 such profuse abundance as to attract immediate attention. The showy 

 coreopsis (^Coreopsis tinctoria, C. tinctoria var. atropiirpjirea, C. Druvt- 

 mondii) and the gaillardia are usually found among the phlox. They also 

 propagate them.selves by self-sown seed. Very common in all door yards 

 and a plant of great merit is the Madagascar periwinkle ( Vinca rosea, V. 

 rosea alba, and V. rosea oculata). It is cosmopolitan in the tropics and 

 the large rosy-purple or white flowers, the latter with or without a red- 

 dish eye, are very showy and the plant everblooming. It grows like a 

 weed when once planted. 



[to be concluded.] 



