420 



FLOWERS FOR THE MILLION. 



climate have much to do with the growth 

 and beauty of flowers, and my remarks 

 will apply to the northwestern part of 

 Connecticut, with a soil moderately warm 

 and dry, but with a tenacious subsoil. 



Phlox Drummondii. — This is a spread- 

 ing plant, about one foot high, flowers in 

 large clusters, of various rich shades of red 

 [and white, Ed.] This is an essential in the 

 smallest collection. 



ESCHOLTZIA, CROCEA and CALIFORNICA 



Differ very little from each other ; spread- 

 ing ; about one foot high, with large yellow, 

 and orange flowers. The finely divided 

 leaves of a bluish green preserve their rich 

 colour through the drouth of summer and 

 the frosts of autu:nn. 



Eryssimum Pkroffskianum.' — Upright ; 

 about two feet high. Its colour is a deep 

 orange, and, what is peculiar for a yellow 

 flower, it has almost the same odor as the 

 Stock Bitty. 



Gilia, capitata and tricolor. — These 

 grow a little over a foot high; spreading. 

 The beautiful and finely divided foliage, 

 and abundance of its delicate flowers, com- 

 pensate for their small size. The latter is 

 the most beautiful. 



Clarkia, pixlchellia and elegans. — 

 These species differ but little. The pul- 

 chella blooming most abundantly, and be- 

 ing the most dwarf, rarely*growing one 

 foot high : its colour is fine pink, of pecu- 

 liar shade. [Succeed best if sown in Sep- 

 tember, Ed.] 



Balsa mina hortensis — Double balsams 

 or lady slipper. — The common varieties of 

 this plant are too well known to need no- 

 tice, but they bear little comparison with 

 the vast variety of shades possessed by the 

 double and mottled kinds. A rich strong 

 soil suits this plant, and where it can have 

 plenty of room it grows several feet in hight. 

 The first frost deprives it of its beauty. 



Iberis, coronaria and umbellata. — 

 White and purple candyluft. — The first is a 

 low spreading plant, the other more upright 

 but scarcely ten inches high' — both bear an 

 abundance of small flowers. 



Reseda, alba and odorata — Mignonette. 

 — The flowers of both are small, but their 

 delicate appearance, and the peculiar fra- 

 grance of the latter will always render 

 them favorites. The first grows often two 

 feet in hight, the latter trails on the ground. 



Ocymum basilicum — Sweet basil. — This 

 makes no pretention to beauty, but the deli- 

 cate fragrance of its leaves, which can be 

 compared to nothing but itself, render it an 

 essential additition to every bouquet. 



Lathyrus odorata — Siveet pea. — This is 

 too well known to need any description. 

 Like other peas, it does best sown very 

 early ; there must be enough of them to- 

 gether to support and protect each other, to 

 have them appear in all their beauty. 



Alyssum maritimum — Sweet alyssum. — 

 A spreading plant, covered with a profu- 

 sion of small white flower-, of delicate fra- 

 grance. It grows low and does not like 

 the shade of other plants ; blooms from 

 July to December. 



Nemophila insignis — Blue Love-grove. — 

 A delicate retiring little blue flower, seem- 

 ing to prefer the shade. It resembles the 

 violet in its habit, and like it, seems un- 

 willing to yield to the approach of win- 

 ter. 



Convolvulus tricolor — Dwarf convol- 

 vulus. — Give this plant plenty of room and 

 it will cover the ground with a profusion of 

 large flowers, the edges of which are a 

 rich blue, shading into orange, with a 

 white centre. This is one of the richest 

 ornaments of the flower garden, as the 

 size of its corolla, rich colours and abund- 

 ant blooming ever attract attention. The 

 variegated variety, which is a climber, 



