DECEMBER. 271 



Miss Moiheu-s (Brag-g). Fancy ; dull scarlet tipped with \vhite ; 

 full size ; deep and useful : this was not done nearly so well as it 

 should have been. 



Planlagenet (Turner). Purple, shaded with lilac ; large and full ; 

 smoother, yet similar to Mr. Seldon; high and compact centre. 



Queen Victoria (Wheeler). Bright yellow ground, distinctly 

 edged with red ; of good build and considerable depth ; desirable 

 alike for fine form and novelty. 



Sir John Franklin (Turner). Salmon-buiF ; petal and general 

 form good ; centre of the highest order ; one of the best, if not the 

 best flower ever offered. 



Unanimity (Edwards). Fancy ; this is of the flaked or striped 

 class ; yellow and red evenly balanced ; clear and well defined ; petal 

 small and smooth, with abundance of stuff and high centre: some- 

 what difficult to cover. 



Wonderful ■yKQyuQs). Fancy; this is also a flower of the same 

 class as the preceding, with larger and more open petals, not so 

 regularly stiiped ; colours yelLw and faint red; a first-rate flower 

 in its way ; over-grown. 



For a more extended notice of the al ove, and of eighteen other 

 varieties, together with many important particulars relating to the 

 whole, I must refer those interested in the Dahlia to the National 

 Garden Almanack and Trade Directory for 1853. 



ACHIMENES BACKMANII. 



This new species is one of the handsomest of the genus, and well 

 deserving a place in every collection where the means exist for its 

 proper culture. It is very distinct, the colour being of a rich and 

 beautiful reddish -purple, each flower measuring two inches across ; 

 and what makes it more valuable, it retains its brilliant colour till the 

 flower drops off, while several of the other species lose their brilliancy, 

 which makes them of less value. The beauty of a flower is to keep 

 its colour till the last. It is a free-blooming plant, grows about a 

 foot and a half high, with beautiful dark foliage, and is of easy 

 culture. 



There are not many plants that surpass Achimenes when in their 

 beauty. 1'hey are valuable for decorating the stove and conserva- 

 tory during the summer months. They do not, however, make good 

 plants for exhibition, as they travel badly, they are very apt to drop 

 their flowers, and if it happens to be a hot, windy day, they generally 

 flag. Some fine collections were shewn at the Chiswick show in 

 July last. The j)lants were beautiful in the morning, when put on 

 the stage ; but in the afternoon they were all drooping, flagging, 

 and nearly sj)oilt. Bei^ides the sort just named, the tollowing are a 

 ftw which I know to be good, viz. A. longiflora and A. L. superba; 

 the latter is a fine flower, as is also Lon^ifiora alba ; A. venusta is a 

 smaller flower : but it is well worth grow ing, being very compact ; 



