THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 179 



will be desirable to enumerate, and in naming them we will add a 

 few words on culture. 



Hardy Species. — M. rivularis is the best of these. It makes a 

 brilliant display of golden yellow flowers during June and July. 

 Once planted on damp loam, it will spread to a larger patch every 

 vear, and acquire a most important character in the decoration of 

 the garden. At the foot of a rockery or in the common border, it is 

 quite at home. As it dies down in autumn, the ground where it is 

 planted should not be disturbed. 



Glabratus, yellow ; ijuttatus, striped ; ringens, blue; and propiu- 

 quans, yellow, are all useful for the border and damp parts of rockeries. 

 M. moschatus, the "musk mimulus," is very hardy as an annual 

 usually appearing plentifully in places where it was planted out the 

 previous year from seif-sown seeds. But in mild winters the roots 

 also survive and throw up shoots in spring. The best way to orow 

 musk is as a frame plant. The soil should be light and rich, and 

 the pots in which the plants have grown should be put aside, so as 

 to be safe from frost, and kept moist till next spring. Then as soon 

 as they begin to sprout, divide them and pot separate small pieces 

 in fresh soil, in small pots, and place on a gentle bottom-heat, or in 

 a warm corner of the greenhouse. They will soon fill the pots with 

 roots, and must never be shifted. By liberal culture musk may be 

 grown to a height of three or four feet, and be one mass of bloom 

 the whole season. It may be trained upright by means of a few 

 lisdit stakes put round the pot, and connected with strands of bass 

 all round, or if planted in a basket, may be allowed to hang down in 

 festoons. The great secret of growing fine specimens is to use a rich 

 soil, shade moderately, and give abundance of water. 



Culture of Greesiiouse Species and Varieties. — They may 

 all be treated as annuals if sown early in a moderate hot-bed, and as 

 soon as up pricked out in rich light soil, and grown on in good 

 greenhouse temperature. For a good bloom the same season, 

 the latest time for sowing is the last week in February. As soon as 

 th Q seedlings have made a good start after being potted singly 

 in thumbs, give them rather more water than would be safe to the 

 generality of plants in so youug a state, and shift on as fast as they 

 till the pots with roots. When they are in 48 size pots, place 

 a saucer under each, and let that saucer be always full of water. 

 They will drink it up, and thirst for more, and grow with great 

 luxuriance and make line flowers. They will need shading wheu in 

 bloom, and plenty of air, in fact, they may be treated nearly the 

 same as herbaceous calceolarias from first to last, but must have 

 m we water. As the stems are very soft, and the flowers heavy, 

 they must be neatly staked before they get untidy. As it is 

 advisable to render the supports as nearly as possible invisible, 

 neat painted sticks should be used. We have been accustomed to 

 uce lengths of No. 1 iron wire, painted a light green, fur this purpose, 

 and found them preferable to wood. When the plants are in bloom, 

 any of superior excellence should be marked with tallies to propagate 

 iiDiii. During August and September, take cuttings of three joiuts 

 each, place half-a-duzen of these round a 18 pot in a compost of 



June. 



