THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



157 



by reference to the cuts. In Sagina, the 

 parts of the flower are in Jours; in Sper- 

 gula, they are in Jives; that is to say, 

 Sagina has four small inconspicuous gray 

 petals, and four larger green sepals ; but 

 Spergula has five white petals, and five 

 smaller green sepals. In Spergula, the 

 apex of the leaf terminates in an erect 

 bristle ; but in Sagina it has a blunt point. 

 When grown in a greenhouse, Spergula 

 pilifera alters its character, and instead of 

 biting close to the soil, becomes attenuated, 

 and sprawls over the sides of the pot in a 

 thin, weakly, weedy style of growth ; 

 whereas Sagina procumbens undergoes no 

 perceptible change under glass, but con- 

 tinues procumbent, and is, when out of 

 bloom, a very neat moss-like plant, and 

 may be used as a surfacing to Wardian 

 cases, and among the clefts of rock-work. 

 Another superiority in the growth of Sper- 

 gula is its sending down a tap root, which, 



in a good loamy soil, penetrates to a depth 

 of three feet, and thus, when the plaut is 

 established, it rarely suffers from drought, 

 and is of the name bright green when 

 grass turf is quite burnt up. On the 

 other hand, Sagina procumbens does not 

 penetrate more than six inches deep, and 

 the roots branch close under the surface, 

 and are consequently soon affected by 

 drought during hot weather. I need not 

 say that Mr. Summers, of the Crystal 

 Palace nursery, sends out none but the 

 true Spergula, propagated from the origi- 

 nal lawn at Forest Hill. Meanwhile, let 

 those who dream about Spergula pilifera 

 give up dreaming for action, and instead 

 of new patent lawn mowers, let ingenious 

 inventors turn their attention to the pro- 

 duction of brooms light as ostrich plumes 

 to sweep the soft surface of the emerald 

 swan's-down. 



S. H. 



EAKLY-ELO WEEIXG HEKBACEOUS PLANTS. 



The present season has been one of the I 

 most trying and unsatisfactory to flower- 

 gardeners that has ever been known. At 

 the moment I am writing, plants that have 

 been bedded out three weeks or a month 

 since have become smaller instead of grow- 

 ing larger, and many have perished alto- 

 gether. Verbenas, heliotropes, lantanas, and 

 petunias are looking as black as one's hat ; 

 and it will take at least three weeks of I 

 the most kindly and genial weather to 

 bring into good growing condition plants 

 that have been planted out. Those per- 

 sons may congratulate themselves who 

 have retained their plants in frames, etc., ; 

 and have yet to plant out ; it will require 

 a few days of thoroughly dry weather be- 

 fore the earth will be in a fit state to 

 receive them. I have been planting out a 

 few dozens of various things to-day, or j 

 rather pasting them in, for the earth was 

 not sufficiently dry anywhere to close them 

 in -with nice pulverized soil, which is so 

 essential to them, and which enables them 

 to make a good start. My object in 

 writing this paper is to ask, what woidd 

 our gardens be wit hout the assistance of 

 our early -flowering herbaceous plants in 

 such a season as this, and to name a few 

 of the plants most desirable for producing 

 an effect until " bedding stuff," as it is 

 technically called, begins to display its 

 beauties ? Now, first, those gardens which 

 do not possess a pretty good supply of 

 such things as Arabia alpina, yellow 



Alyssum, white candytuft (shrubby), 

 Cheiranthus Marshallii, wallflowers (single 

 and double), Phlox verna, cetacea, suba- 

 lata, etc., are a perfect blank, and must 

 remain so for some time to come. I have 

 never been more persuaded of the impor- 

 tance of cultivating plants of this kind in 

 quantity for effect than I am at this 

 moment ; some gardens that I can name 

 have been 9. perfect galaxy of blossom for 

 some time past, with little more than the 

 ingredients of the above list. The present 

 season, also, has been most favourable for 

 the development and long continuance in 

 bloom of early tulips, and they have been 

 in several places within the sphere of my 

 observation most effective. Late tulips, 

 also, have been very useful in gardens 

 sheltered from the immoderate winds. 



In addition to the above-named, a few 

 perennials may be mentioned as helping 

 to produce a rich display of colour at this 

 intermediate season, such as Delphinum 

 formosum, elatum, grandiflorum, sinensis, 

 etc., just coming into bloom ; Anchusa 

 Italica (splendid blue), Papaver, Armeni- 

 acum and bracteatum (scarlet), and P. 

 cambricum (yellow) ; pceonies of various 

 colours ; ranunculus aconitifolia, white, 

 and one of the very best perennials in 

 cultivation ; the old-fashioned bachelor's 

 button, yellow ; stocks, white and red ; 

 double daisies, in various colours, are most 

 I effective when -well cultivated ; American 

 cowslip, lilac and white, not near so much 



