OCTOBER. 231 



SPRING-FLOWERING SCILLAS. 



Vert beautiful little plants are the spring-flowering Squills, almost 

 bearing company with Snowdrops and Crocuses, which generally 

 form the whole array of garden-flowers to greet the first approach of 

 spring. With these too the prevailing cerulean hue of the Scillas 

 would form a fine contrast. Why is it, then, that they are so seldom 

 seen } for it is rare to meet with them, except in the gardens of the 

 curious, and there not in profusion. I would most strongly recom- 

 mend them to notice, as plants which should be grown as commonly 

 as Crocuses and Snowdrops in every garden where early spring- 

 flowers are at all sought for. They have many recommendations. 

 Growing but a few inches high, and bearing for the most part blue 

 flowers, they would form beautiful beds, or margins to beds, in situa- 

 tions where now such plants as Snowdrops and Crocuses are almost 

 exclusively depended on for the earliest bloom. The Snowdrop, as 

 is well known, furnishes white blossoms only, and the Crocus sup- 

 plies various tints of white, yellow, orange, and purple, but in neither 

 is the pure blue colour to be found. Those, therefore, who desire to 

 render their gardens ornamental at the earliest dawn of spring should 

 procure and plant largely of the plants in question ; and there are 

 several kinds adapted for the purpose. I will just mention two or 

 three. Scilla bifolia grows about three or four inches high, and when 

 growing freely, throws up several flower-scapes, each of which bears 

 from four to eight star-like blue flowers, during April and May. 

 S. verna grows about the same size, and bears a roundish head of 

 purplish-biue flowers in May and June. S. amoena is also about the 

 same stature, and produces largish drooping light-blue flowers in 

 April and May. S. siberica, another of these dwarf species, has 

 drooping blossoms of a beautiful clear light-blue, which are borne in 

 April. Of S. bifolia there are at least two veiy distinct varieties, 

 one having white, the other pink blossoms. They are all cultivated 

 with facility. O. R. 



BRITISH PLANTS. 



Saponaria officinalis, though found in this neighbourhood, is never- 

 theless a scarce plant. The flowers have a strong tendency to be- 

 come double, in which state they are very ornamental. This is con- 

 sidered by herbalists to be a useful plant for many purposes. 



Sedum acre is quite a sho\vy plant on walls, &c. The flowers are 

 of a fine golden colour, and much esteemed for their beauty by cot- 

 tagers. 



Linaria minor. This small flower is found in shallow stagnant 

 water near Windsor ; but it is apparently rare in this quarter. I 

 was unable to procure more than a few plants of it. 



Ballota nigra is a plant of frequent occurrence, and chiefly within 

 the vicinity of houses. 



