Pfis. 



i 



AXNUALS, AND TUEIE CULTIVATION, 



that adorn oar garden. The plant groAvs from 

 three to four feet high, and a bed covered with its 

 blossoms and no less beautiful buds is an object of 

 no ordinary beauty. It belongs to the MalvacecB 

 family, several members of which are to be found in 

 our fields and road-sides. 



Nemophila maculata. — This beautiful little 

 plant is a native of California, where it was discov- 

 ered by Mr. Hartweg, during his mission in search 

 of new plants for the London Ilorticultural Society. 

 The plant is of a procumbent habit, like that of iV. 

 insiynis, and the whole plant is clothed with short 

 spreading hairs. The flowers grow from the axils 

 singly, on stalks longer than the leaves, and are the 

 size of the drawing, whitish in their ground color^ 

 and each lobe of the corolla tipped with a large 

 deep-violet botch, which, when perfect, gives the 

 flower a showy and rather peculiar appearance. It 

 blossoms freely, and is in QYQYy way worthy of cul- 

 tivation. 



This plant prospers best in a rather shady situa- 

 tion, as they sometimes die when exposed to a hot 

 sun on a dry soil, in consequence of the drying of 

 the slender collar; though N. maculata is not as 

 liable to receive injury in this way as N. insiynis. 

 It is well to make sowings several times during the 

 season. 



The Rocket Larkspur — Delphinium ojacis. — 

 The Rocket Larkspur was introduced into England, 

 from Switzerland, in 1573, -although not sui^posed 

 to be a native of that country. It is of a compact 

 habit of growth, and its blossoms appear set around 

 the raceme, forming a dense mass of blossom ; and 

 its beauty has made it a great favorite for more than 

 two hundred and fifty years. 



It requires a rich soil to bring it to perfection, and 

 an addition of leaf mold from the woods will tell a 

 good story when the plants are in bloom. There 

 are few plants that will better reward good culture. 

 The seed should be sown in drills, where the plants 

 are intended to blossom, as they will not bear trans- 

 planting. "When the young plants come up, they 

 will require but little thinning, and may be left 



