THE GREEN-HOUSE.—VERBENAS. 89 
Verbenas.—No family of plants better rewards the care of the 
cultivator, and none can be more beautiful, than the Verbenas. The 
old scarlet Verbena melindres, or, as it is frequently called, V. cha- 
meedrifolia, is the most brilliant of all the kinds, though it is one of 
the most tender: it is.a prostrate plant, and when pegged down, it is 
well adapted for covering a bed in a geometric flower garden; or it 
may be planted in a vase, or rustic flower-basket, to hang down over 
the sides. Verbena Tweediana is an upright growing plant, and 
though the flowers, which are crimson, are not half so brilliant as 
those of V. melindres, the plant has the great advantage of being one 
of the hardiest of all the kinds. V. melindres latifolia, and V. m. 
splendens are both hardier than their parent, and they unite its 
brilliant colour, with the upright habit of Tweediana. V. incisa 
has pale pink flowers, and an upright habit of growth. It is tolerably 
hardy, and grows freely, but its flowers have a faded look. V. 
Arraniana has an upright habit of growth, and purple flowers, with 
very dark bluish green leaves. It is very tender, and very apt to be 
attacked by a kind of aphis, and other insects. V. pulchella, V. 
Aubletia, V. Lambertii, and V. Sabinii, are prostrate tufted half 
herbaceous kinds, allhardy. V. Neillii has lilac flowers, and rather 
an upright habit of growth; and V. teucroides is a coarse-growing 
plant, with a long spike of white flowers, which turn pink in dying 
off, that has been much more praised than it deserves. There is 
also a yellowish kind, V. sulphurea; V. venosa, a very strong-grow- 
ing species, with purple fldwers ; and many other species, hybrids, 
and varieties. All the Verbenas require to be grown in sand and 
peat, or heath-mould, and to be kept moderately watered; they all 
strike readily from cuttings or layers; and, indeed, when pegged 
down, even without any slitting or twisting, most of the shrubby 
kinds will throw out roots at every joint. When worm-casts are 
observed on the surface of the earth in the pot, as will very often be 
the case, the plant, with its ball of earth entire, may be turned out 
of the pot, and the worms, which will always be found on the out- 
side of the ball, may be picked off. Worms do considerable injury 
to plants, especially such as are in pots, by rupturing the fibres, and 
impe:tiag the free percolation of the water, besides giving the surface 
of tie earth in the pot a very unpleasant appearance. The flowers 
of the Verbenas should always be cut off as soon as they wither. 
The Lemon plant, Verbena triphylla, now called Aloysia citriodora, 
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