37 



NEW BEDDING AND BOEDER ELOWERS. 



Those distinguished by an asterisk (*) 

 have not been seen by the writer, and the 

 descriptions of them are those of the conti- 

 nental and other growers. 



Nemophila atoMjVbia oculata. — The 

 original N. atomaria has white flowers, 

 dotted with dark blue, but a variety of it 

 exists known as crelestis, in which the 

 flowers are suffused with pale blue, and the 

 specks are scarcely evident except near the 

 centre of the flower. This plant differs 

 from it only in having a large blackish 

 purple blotch, with a jagged outline at the 

 base of each lobe of the corolla, the five 

 spots forming unitedly a conspicuous eye 

 to the flower. As a hardy annual of the 

 easiest possible cultivation, and striking 

 aspect, we are confident this plant is des- 

 tined to an extensive popularity, and that, 

 unlike so many of the ephemeral novelties 

 for which the public are indebted to the 

 cupidity of unscrupulous growers, it will be 

 a permanent addition to the list of bedding 

 and border plants. It was raised by Mr. 

 Burridge, of Colchester. 



Agrostemma cceli-rosa purpurea. — 

 This pretty variety is reputed to be a hybrid, 

 but as it differs from the species only in its 

 deeper colour, approaching to crimson, it is 

 probably but a seminal variation. In any 

 case it well merits notice, the richness of 

 colour in some of the plants being very 

 remarkable, and when completely fixed it 

 will undoubtedly quite sitpersede the ori- 

 ginal cceli-rosa. It will probably be oflered 

 in some catalogues under the name of Vis- 

 caria cceli-rosa hybrida. 



*Aquilegia vulgaris c artophtlloides. 

 — Described by the London Hoitieultural 

 Society as a very pretty double-flowered 

 variety of the common Columbine, with 

 white blossoms variously striped with red- 

 dish crimson, and here and there with red- 

 dish-purple, producing an effective varie- 

 gation. The seed is mostly of a very pale 

 brown colour, or sometimes greenish, in- 

 stead of being black, as in the ordinary 

 varieties. 



*CiiBYsosciAS FLORiBUNDA. — This is de- 

 scribed as a handsome climbing plant, 

 with elegant foliage and large yellow 

 flowers. It belongs to the leguminous tribe, 

 and is, we believe, a native of Southern 

 Africa. 



DiANTHUS HeDDEWIGII IMPERI.ILIS. 



This novelty is a hybrid, obtained by fer- 

 tilizing the variety of Diauthus siuensis 

 known as imperialis with the pollen of D. 

 Heddewigii. The resulting plants are inter- 

 mediate in habit to the parent, being more 

 robust than imperialis, and with flowers as 



vai'ied in colour, and as large as those oi 

 Heddewigii, many of the flowers being semi- 

 double. 



Engelmannia piNNATiFroA. — This very 

 desirable Texian composite is far from being 

 a novelty, but it seems to be so little known, 

 that we notice it here with a view to draw 

 attention to it. It grows about three feet 

 higli, with erect, corymbosely branched 

 stems, oblong, lobed foliage, and numerous 

 bright yellow flowers more than an inch 

 across. We have found it hardy, except 

 in the severest winters ; in the northern 

 countries it may need slight protection. If 

 sown early, it will bloom the first season, 

 but does not produce much effect until the 

 second or third year. 



Gazania splendens. — Though this fine 

 plant is already well-known and largely 

 cultivated. To what extent the plant may 

 come true from seed we have at present no 

 information, but see no reason to doubt of 

 its constancj^ 



*HunNEMANNIA FUMARIi-EFOLIA. A 



fine Mexican Poppywort, which has several 

 times been introduced to this country, but 

 of late years has disappeared from culti- 

 vation. To judge from the published figures 

 it must possess great merit as an ornamental 

 plant, its large Eschscholtzia-like flowers 

 being of a beautiful sulphur yellow colour, 

 and its glaucous foliage cut into linear 

 segments adds to their effect. It differs 

 from Eschscholtzia in the absence of the 

 extinguisher-like calyx which so Avell cha- 

 racterizes that genus. It is said to blossom 

 the first year, and may therefore, we pre- 

 sume, be treated as an annual, but is a true 

 perennial when protected in winter. 



Leptosiphon htbridus. — Though not 

 an absolute novelty, this pretty little plant 

 met with so little attention last season that 

 we were justified in assuming most of our 

 readers are unacquainted with its merits. 

 We believe it to be a real hybrid between 

 L. aureus, and either L. androsaceus or 

 L. densiflorus. It has completely the habit 

 of the former species, but its flowers are 

 rather larger, and offer in the place of the 

 original yellow a singular variety of tints ; 

 several shades of yellow and orange, rose, 

 chamois, flesh-colour, salmon, red and even 

 white occiuTing in the same patch. It is 

 an abundant bloomer, and being, like the 

 rest of tlie genus, perfectly hardy, deserves 

 the attention of every amateur of annual 

 plants. 



*Lobelia erinus MARMORA ta. — Resem- 

 bling in habit the ramosoides and other 

 varieties of L. erinus, this very interesting 

 novelty of French origin, differs from them 



