80 THE FLORIST. 



Napoleon, crimson scjirlct, darker centre and light eye ; Meillez' Louise de 

 France, pale rose; Barker's Bride, white j Wyness's Princess Alice, white or 

 pale blush, with deep cherry centre. 



Those which follow, being older sorts, can be bought by the 

 dozen at a small cost ; and most of them are quite equal for planting 

 out to the newer and more expensive ones. 



Barkerii, deep scarlet, habit close and neat ; Robinson's Defiance, vivid 

 scarlet, habit strong and coarse ; Barker's Marchioness of Ailsa, jmle pink ; 

 Barker's St. Margaret's, rosy crimson, centre suffused with purple ; Ivory's 

 Emperor of China, crimson, light eye ; Chauviere's Valentine de Saveuse, lilac ; 

 Gem of the West, rose, yellowish eye; Duchesse d'Aumale, lilac; Louis Phi- 

 lippe, maroon. 



The Petunia is another plant which has been greatly improved 

 since its introduction to our gardens, although of late the skill of 

 hybridists has been misdirected to the production of size of blossom 

 and novelty of colour ; the first of which qualities lessens instead of 

 increasing the value of the Petunia as a flower-garden plant. It will 

 be found that the most effective kinds are those whose flowers are 

 not so large as to be incapable of retaining their proper shape, and 

 M'hose colours are bright and distinct; and such must chiefly be 

 sought for amongst the older varieties ; as, Elegans, bright rosy 

 purple ; Lady Peel, crimson purple ; Sir Robert Peel, French white, 

 with dark pencilled eye; Enchantress, pale pink or blush, with dark 

 throat ; Van Houttei, pink, veined with crimson. Of the new 

 flowers exhibited last season, one or two deserve attention ; and 

 perhaps the best of them for a bed is Count Zichy, a small rosy- 

 purple flower, with a distinct white throat, in the way of an older 

 variety named Shrubland Rose. 



A greater assortment of colours may be acquired by saving seeds 

 in autumn from the diff'erent varieties. If the seed is sown towards 

 the end of the present month in pans under glass, and the seedlings 

 pricked out when large enough into other pans, the plants will come 

 in usefully to fill the beds vacated by the early-flowering annuals ; 

 then the most approved kinds may be propagated in autumn by 

 means of cuttings, and thus a stock of suitable sorts for bedding in 

 the ensuing spring can be obtained. 



While on the subject of bedding-plants, we will make use of the 

 opportunity to indicate a few improved varieties of other popular 

 flowers. A species of Pentstemon erroneously known in gardens 

 as P. gentianoides, affords several new varieties, the best of which 

 that I have seen are called Princess Helena, Buckii, Fulgidus, and 

 Elegans. All these have red flowers of different shades. The kind 

 first brought to this country has purple flowers, on which account it 

 ought not to be lost sight of; then there is a variety of recent origin 

 with white blossoms, which makes it very desirable. There is also 

 a newly introduced species of Pentstemon called cordifolius, worthy 

 of a place in the flower-garden ; not, however, as a bedding plant, 

 for which purpose its dull red colour unfits it. Several of the finest 

 species of this eminently beautiful genus have been lost to the coun- 

 try by exposure in wet and cold borders, whereas many infinitely 

 inferior plants are petted in pots through the winter. One of the 



