THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 139 



sist of two or three loads of bricklayers' rubbish, in the form of a 

 low mound, with a thin skin of any kind of loam on the top. It 

 will, however, grow in any soil or situation, and is especially fond of 

 chalk. 



HoEEHOxriTD {Marrulium vulgar e). — It is best to obtain a root 

 and propagate by slips, in a shady place ; but seeds may be sown 

 at any time. The best place for it is a dry sandy bank. It is a 

 hardy herbaceous plant, much valued, when candied, for coughs and 

 colds. 



Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). — A very beautiful plant, admi- 

 rably adapted to adorn the dry, sunny, sandy bank. The ezoh ot 

 the Hebrew writers has been the subject of almost endless contro- 

 versy ; in some of the texts it is probable that marjoram is intended. 

 In Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible," Dr. Royle says that certainly 

 the caper plant is sometimes meant. Our hyssop of the herb garden 

 is a member of the Lipwort family, which is rich in aromatic plants, 

 and is common in the southern parts of Europe. Sow in March, 

 April, and May ; or, better still, divide the plants any time in 

 spring or September. They may be propagated by cuttings put 

 under hand-lights all the summer. As the hyssop is a beautiful 

 plant, I shall give the names of six kinds worth growing, all of 

 which are aromatic : — H. discolor, blue and white ilowers ; fi. o^ci- 

 nalis, blue flowers ; there is a variety called rubra, with red flowers, 

 and another called 'variegata, with variegated leaves. JS. sej>tem- 

 crenatus and H. septemjldus are worth having. 



Layendee {Lavendula spica). — This well-known garden favourite 

 thrives best in a sunny, open spot, on a sandy soil, but will live 

 almost anywhere, even in a sooty garden in the midst of houses. 

 Cuttings of ripe wood planted firm in October will grow freely the 

 next spring. Cuttings of young shoots soon form roots under hand- 

 lights in spring and summer. "When grown in quantity, the best 

 way to propagate lavender is to cut a lot of ripe shoots their full 

 length late in autumn, and leave them laying in heaps on the ground, 

 exposed to all weathers till February, and then to insert them three 

 or four inches deep in sandy loam, in rows a foot apart, and four 

 inches asunder in the rows. At the end of the season, transplant 

 them all, or thin them, leaving part to remain. Gather lavender 

 when the flowers are beginning to expand ; it is then most rich in 

 its aromatic fragrance. 



Maejoeam. — The summer marjoram is an annual {Origanum 

 major ana) ; the winter marjoram is a perennial (0. lieracleoticum) ; 

 common, or pot marjoram, is a perennial (0. onites). All the sorts 

 may be grown from seeds sown from February to J une ; the winter 

 and common marjorams may be raised from slips or divisions of the 

 roots in spring and autumn. The soil should be light and dry, but 

 good, such as would grow a cabbage or a lettuce. When grown in 

 quantity, the seeds should be sown in drills six inches apart, and the 

 plants be thinned to six inches apart, when large enough for the 

 hoe. The perennial sorts should be planted out in autumn, a foot 

 apart every way. A plantation lasts several years, if every autumn 

 the dead shoots are cut away, the soil between them carefully 



