74 



The Hoiiiculturisl and Journal 



Seed of Mignomile should be sown at the 

 end of three months. This phmt will usually 

 sow itself, but will not always come up in 

 the desired place, and Mignonette does not 

 transplant well, so it is best to save a pinch 

 of seed and sow when required, and thin out 

 any plants not required. 



A few Sweet Peas should be sown at the 

 end of the month. These do well beside a 

 fence, not a wall, it would be too dry : or a 

 few branches can be placed round the plants 

 for them to climb upon in borders. 



It is now time to look to Dahlias if it is 

 required to increase the stock, either by 

 cuttings or division. But the Dahlia is no 

 favorite of ours, and there are but few 

 places in which it will flourish unless it is 

 continually well soaked with water, yet, prob- 

 ably from old associations, it will continue 

 to be popular with many. 



A few Gladiolus potted now will be use- 

 ful either as pot plants in the greenhouse or 

 to plant outside. They will flower before the 

 earliest planted dry roots ; by planting a few 

 bulbs in succession, from the middle of April, 

 this fine flower may be had in perfection 

 until severe frost. In fact, when in England 

 we have taken up a number of the late plants 

 and potted them for greenhouse decoration, 

 for which they are very useful at that season ; 

 and the Gladiolus is a most accommodating 

 plant, for it does not sufi"er in the least from 

 such transplanting, if done with care, but con- 

 tinues growing and flowering as if nothing had 

 disturbed it ; it is also most useful for cut 

 flowers; if cut when the first flowers are 

 commencing to open, the remaining buds 

 will expand the same as if growing on the 

 plant, and in one instance which came under 

 our notice, after flowering it formed perfect 

 seeds. We remember reading of a grand fete 

 in Paris ; for the decoration of some of the 

 gardens, thousands of Griadiolus flower spikes 

 were cut and placed in bottles of water 

 which were plunged in the ground, and gave 

 a very good efi"ect as well as a gorgeous 

 display of color, and being in this instance 

 planted among other plants and shrubs 

 would, in fact, give a much better effect 



j than planted in beds alone, the foliage of 

 ' the Gladiolus never giving relief enough 

 j from the mass of flowers, which can be im- 

 I proved by adding foliage of other plants. 



Caimas should be divided and some of the 

 fine large flowering varieties added to the 

 I collection ; it is folly to grow the old small 

 i flowering sorts now, there are so many fine 

 ! kinds to be obtained ; the plants are easier 

 j to send long distances before they have start- 

 I ed to grow, and of course much less carriage. 

 We mention this for the benefit of those pro- 

 posing to make additions to their collections, 

 I for it is easy for those possessing a green- 

 house to pot the tubers and grow them for 

 themselves. We usually grow some plants 

 on, for a few weeks, in five inch pots, for 

 our own planting ; but dry tubers, planted in 

 open ground, about the middle of May, grow 

 very satisfactory, but perhaps do not flower 

 quite so early as those started in the pots. 

 We give the names of a dozen of the best 

 and most distinct varieties, all or any of 

 which will prove very satisfactory, and all 

 very distinct from each other : 



Adele Levalloie, very dwarf, seldom grow- 

 ing more than two feet high ; the flowers are 

 large and bright crimson, flower free ; this is 

 excellent for planting in front of tall varie- 

 ties. 



Tricolor — This is a beautiful variegated 

 foliage variety, the leaves being striped with 

 yellow-green, and rose color, and is very 

 beautiful, especially the young growth. This 

 is a dwarf variety seldom growing more than 

 three feet high ; the flowers are scarlet ; 

 this is also useful in a front row and also 

 very handsome grown in greenhouse in pots. 

 Augusta Ferrier — This is a very large 

 and tall variety, often reaching nine feet in 

 hight, with large Banana-like foliage, is very 

 handsome for a single clump or the center of 

 large subtropical beds ; it seldom flowers 

 outside, but is a splendid variety for the fo- 

 liage alone. 



Bihorelli — This is the most free bloomer 

 of all the varieties we know; flower large and 

 crimson. This is a dwarf variety, seldom 

 exceeding four feet in hight. 



