46 CRUCIFER.-E. 



which in the greenhouse appear at all times ; and out of doors, 

 where favourably situated, as against a wall in a w^arm aspect, 

 a very long and continuous succession of bloom is kept up. 

 Among the hardy species, however, the most sho^^7■ and useful 

 are to be found. The common Wallflower may be taken as 

 the type of the family as regards the fonn of the flowers; but 

 some of the dwarf species are superior to the best varieties of 

 it in point of compact neatness of growth, while they are in no 

 wise inferior as regards sho^^y qualities and the duration of 

 the blooming period. All Wallflowers delight in rich wami 

 light soil, but they succeed very fairly in almost any soil. 

 The varieties of common Wallflower are propagated by seed 

 so\Mi in the open ground from ]\Iarch till July, at several 

 periods, for the purpose of keeping up a long succession. In 

 mild seasons the plants from March sowings bloom throughout 

 the winter, and later sowings succeed them in their order, 

 carrying the display far through the summer. The double 

 varieties of C. Cheiri are best propagated by cuttings, and so 

 also are the other species. They are all rather short-lived 

 perennials, both the tender and hardy species ; it is necessary, 

 therefor^e, to anticipate debility by keeping always a few young 

 plants in stock either from seed or cuttings. The cuttings may 

 be struck out of doors in sandy soil under a hand or bell glass, 

 in a place where they may be shaded from the mid-day sun, 

 and they are most easily struck when the fresh growth is just 

 beginning to harden at the base. 



C. alpinus {Alpine Wallflower). — This species grows from 6 

 to 9 inches high, producing dense masses of bright yellow 

 flowers from April till July. It is admirably adapted for the 

 embellishment of rockwork, the front lines of hardy mixed 

 borders, and for spring massing in the flower-garden. It suc- 

 ceeds very well in shady places, as among shrubs and on banks 

 with a north aspect. 



C. Cheiri [Common Wallflo7ve?'). — This is too famiHar a plant 

 to require description. It has been a cherished garden-plant 

 for centuries ; and on account of its shoA\y flowers and rich per- 

 fume, it wdll no doubt ever remain a favourite with all lovers 

 of sweet and beautiful flowers. There are a good many varie- 

 ties, both single and double, which may be procured in separ- 

 ate colours or in mixture ; but certain of the double varieties 

 can only be kept up true to kind by means of cuttings. The 

 double yellow, double variegated, or yellow and red, the C. C. 

 var. patulus or double-spreading, and the double blood-flowered 

 or C. C. hcBmanthus, are all sorts that, if valued, must be kept 

 in stock by cuttings, as they rarely seed ; and even if they do. 



