number of the species are biennials, 

 and require the usual treatment of 

 such plants (See Biennials) ; but V. 

 phaniceum, one of the handsomest 

 species, is a perennial. They will all 

 grow in any common garden soil, 

 though they prefer one which is some- 

 what loamy ; and they are increased 

 by seeds, or by dividing the root. 



Verbe^na. — Vei'benacece. — Ver- 

 vain. — Only a few years ago the 

 Verbenas were scarcely known in 

 flower-gardens, except by V. Au- 

 hUtia, wdth pinkish flowers, and 

 F. Lamberti, with purple ones, 

 neither of which possessed much 

 beauty. In 1827, the beautiful 

 , Verbena Mellndres, or, as it is 

 1 sometimes called, V. chamcedrifoUa, 

 ■ was inti'oduced from Buenos Ayres, 

 , and it directly became a favourite, 

 \ though for some years it was kept 

 I carefully in the greenhouse, and 

 considered diflScult to manage. 

 I Since that time, however, numerous 

 j other species have been introduced, 

 I and as they are found to hybridise 

 I freely, and to ripen abundance of 

 seed, innumerable hybrids and va- 

 rieties have been raised. They are 

 all found to root freely from layers, 

 and to strike as freely from cut- 

 tings, and to thrive during summer 

 in the open air. They will all grow 

 in any light soil, though they thrive 

 best in peat or heath-mould; and 

 when once planted they require no 

 other care but occasional watering, 

 and they spread rapidly, producing 

 abundance of flowers. They have 

 thus become general everywhere ; 

 and it is now rare to see a garden 

 or a balcony without them. The 

 kinds principally cultivated are the 

 following : V. Mellndres, the com- 

 mon scarlet Verbena, the colour of 

 which is the most brilliant scarlet. 

 It is, however, the most tender 

 kind of Verbena, and when planted 

 in the open air it is generally killed 



by the first frost, if not protected. 

 It is a prostrate plant, and should 

 be pegged down over the bed it is 

 intended to cover, when it will 

 throw out roots at every joint. Its 

 varieties, V. M. latifulia, and V. 

 M. splindens, which are probably 

 hybrids between V. Mellndres and 

 V. Tiveedieana, are much, more 

 hardy than the species, and they 

 are naturally more upright-growing, 

 though when pegged down they 

 throw out roots at every joint in 

 the same manner. V. ignea and 

 F. atrosanrjulnea are of a still more 

 intense and yet brilliant scarlet 

 than F. Mellndres, but the former 

 of these is diiScult to keep through 

 the winter. F. Ticeedieana is an 

 upright-growing plant with crimson 

 flowers, and it is very hardy. F. 

 T. superba is the best variety ; F, 

 incha is also hardy and upright- 

 growing, but its flowers are of a 

 pale-pink and have a faded look. 

 F. Barnes ii is nearly allied to this 

 species, but it has a less straggling 

 habit of growth, and the flowers 

 are not so liable to fade. F. Ar- 

 ranidna has an upright habit of 

 growth and purplish crimson flowers, 

 but it is very tender, and very apt to 

 be attacked by aphides. F. A uble- 

 tia and F. Laraberti are prostrate 

 species and very hardy ; F. Sablni, 

 another prostrate species, has lilac 

 flowers, and it has a variety with 

 white ones. F. pulchella is also 

 prostrate, and so is F. sulphurea, 

 the flowers of which are yellow. 

 The orange-coloui-ed varieties were 

 introduced in 18:13; the best are 

 F. specibsa, with a white centre, 

 and F. forrnosa tlegans. V. 

 variegata and F. rairdbilis are 

 salmon-coloured. F. Neillii, F. 

 teurcioides, and F. rends a, are up- 

 right-growing. The first has lilac 

 flowers, the second white ones, and 

 the last purple ; the last two are 



