of Rural Art and Taste. 



365 



Jti5| Jp0iiTei| 4B^^^^jrf^% 



The Flower Garden. 



BY RURALIST. 



l*/iZo.«--— Those acquainted with the differ- 

 ent varieties of the Phlox drummondii would 

 feel satisfied tliat all the desirable colors were 

 represented by that genus. Still, another 

 species, bearing large, yellow blossoms and 

 dwarf, robust foliage and branches, has been 

 added, named Isabellina. This species pos- 

 sesses peculiarities of its own ; it delights in 

 the morning sun, and noon and afternoon 

 shade. Plants of this kind, growing in the 

 latter situation, bloomed more profuse than 

 those that had the sun to shine on all day; 

 the soil and treatment in both cases being 

 equal. The petals of those that had the 

 morning sun and afternoon shade were thicker, 

 larger, tougher, and more of deep yellow ; 

 while those that had the benefit of the all-day 

 sun were, in evei-y respect, inferior and more 

 inclined to curl around the edges. The Isa- 

 bellina is a willing and profuse bloomer, con- 

 tinuing an uninterrupted display of dull, yel- 

 low blossoms the whole summer and autumn ; 

 should be watered freely when the plants are 

 small, and slackened gradually as the buds 

 commence to form. 



I will now refer to another family, and at- 

 tempt a mild description of a very rare and 

 almost new Lilliputian zonale geranium, named 

 "Aurantia striata." This plant is distin- 

 guishable in any collection, and will at once 

 take the eye of the critic on account of its 

 unique and tidy habits of compactness, unpar- 

 alleled density of panicles, and conspicuous 

 symmetry of proportion. 



Stem very thick and robust, spreading into 

 several branches, and growing uniformly to- 

 gether, with none taking much advantage of 

 the other. Foliage surprisingly dense, almost 

 entirely concealing the stem and branches, 

 together with the lower portion of the pedun- 

 cles. 



Leaves rather small, velvety and substan- 

 tial. Surface deeply marked with a broad. 



dark-brown zone, leaving a center and margin 

 of green. Flower stems and buds produced 

 astonishingly rapid, and burst into large trusses 

 of blossoms that are both peculiar and attract- 

 ive. Petals bright salmon, coloring to tints of 

 pale orange towards the edges. Under side 

 of petals beautifully splashed with white mark- 

 ings and veinings. 



The willingness displayed by this plant in 

 maintaining a succession of bloom impresses 

 me that, if asked to point out the most pro- 

 fuse bloomer in our collection, I would un- 

 hesitatingly point to Aurantia striata. 



Flower Garden for December. 



1^7 E may say, with the naturalist, under the 

 IT head of snakes in Ireland, there are no 

 snakes in Ireland ; there is no outside flower 

 garden in the northern and middle states in 

 December ; but if any soil or manure requires 

 carting to the beds or bordei's, it can be done 

 without injury to the turf when frozen, and 

 will be ready for use when the frost is out of 

 the ground, and leaves and prunings can be 

 burnt out of the way, and stakes obtained for 

 next season's tying ; and beds of bulbs not 

 yet mulched should be done at once ; and all 

 the bedding plants in safe quarters, examined 

 and cleaned, and duly attended to for water, 

 and occasionally fumigated with tobacco. 



Subtropical Bed.— A very eifective bed 

 was planted, this summer, in the garden of the 

 Luxembourg, Paris, it consisted simply of a 

 bed of Papyrus plants, edged with Cyperus 

 alter nifolius . The bed was raised a little in 

 the center, and covered with a rich mulching 

 of decayed leaves. It was at once graceful 

 and eftective. In the same garden was an 

 edging to a shrubbery border, formed by 

 Centranthiis ruber, and its white variety 

 planted alternately. This formed a very 

 bright and pleasing belt. 



-^rTugr — 



A lady in Leeds, England, distributes hya- 

 cinths and other bulbs among the Sabbath- 

 school children, as prizes to be awarded to the 

 most successful cultivators. 



