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TIGER LFOWERS AND COMMELINAS. 



with little or no care, in any sunny part of 

 the flower garden where the soil is good. 

 But it is greatly increased in size and 

 beauty, by throwing out about one-half Of 

 the soil of the bed where you intend to 

 plant it, and filling it with equal parts old 

 manure and white sand. In such soil, the 

 bulbs grow strong, the leaves are abundant, 

 and the flowers much finer and more abun- 

 dant. 



The bulbs, which may be had at this 

 season at Thorburn's, Buist's, or any of 

 the leading seedsmen, may be planted any 

 time from the middle of April to the first of 

 June. The earlier planted, the sooner the 

 floAvers appear, and the better bulbs you 

 have for the next year. As the bulbs in- 

 crease rapidly, from offsets, half a dozen 

 will soon produce enough for a bed of con- 

 siderable size. 



A bed formed partly of the Tuberose (the 

 most deliciously scented of all bulbs, and 

 one which will succeed well with the same 

 treatment,) has a beautiful appearance in 

 the months of August and September, — the 

 pure white of the Tuberose being height- 

 ened by the gay colouring of the Tiger- 

 flowers. 



II. The Commelina. — A tuberous rooted 

 plant, (the roots like a miniature Dahlia,) 

 also from Mexico. The sky-blue Comme- 

 lina (C. ccelestis,) is the prettiest, though C. 

 tuberosa is also handsome. Nothing can 

 exceed the exquisite ultra-marine blue of 

 the Commelina, and it is still more easily 

 cultivated than the Tiger-flower; though, 

 like the latter, the roots require to be taken 

 up, and should receive exactly the same 

 protection in winter. 



The Commelina grows about eighteen 

 inches high, produces a succession of flow- 

 ers from mid-summer till November,. — small 

 blossoms borne in clusters, starting from the 

 ends and joints of all the little branches. 



The same soil and treatment recommended 

 for the Tiger-flowers will suit this ; and it 

 may be propagated in the easiest manner 

 by dividing the roots or sowing the seeds. 



As the Commelina often flowers the first 

 year from the seed, it is generally sold by 

 the seedsmen as an annual , but if our 

 readers wish to see the full beauty of the 

 flowers, they must preserve the tubers, and 

 plant them the second season. The Com- 

 melina and Sweet Alyssum, sown together, 

 form a beautiful bed or mass in the flower 

 garden, — the blue of the former being set 

 off by the white of the latter. As the seeds 

 or the roots may be had at the principal 

 seed-stores, your readers will find it easy to 

 carry out this hint. Yours, &c. 



An Amateur. 



Remarks. — The Mexican Tiger-flowers 

 are old favorites of ours. As we have fre- 

 quently observed a tendency towards varia- 

 tion in the flowers produced in a large bed 

 of Tigridias, and have several times ob- 

 served flowers with four and five petals, in- 

 stead of three, the normal number, it occurs 

 to us that if our amateur or professed flo- 

 rists would take this plant in hand, and by 

 carefully fertilizing the flowers of T. pavo- 

 nia with those of T. conchi/tora — preferring 

 those blossoms for this purpose which show 

 a tendency to enlargement or variation — 

 fine new varieties might be produced. For 

 our own part, we think the Tigridia a far 

 finer bulb for American flower gardens than 

 the Tulip ; it is much more brilliant, comes 

 at the time when flowers are most needed, 

 and, instead of lasting for a week only, 

 continues to bloom — when grown in a bed — 

 for at least three months. Half as much 

 pains as has been taken with the Tulip, 

 would doubtless give us novelties in Tiger- 

 flowers more brilliant than anything yet 

 known in the flower garden. Ed. 



