180 the lady's country companion. 



little plant with blue flowers. No. 10 may be Gilia tricolor, a 

 dwarf plant, the flowers of which are white and very dark purple. 

 No. 11 may be Leptosiphon androsaceous, a dwarf plant, with pale 

 lilac flowers; and No. 12 Schizopetalon Walkeri, the flowers of 

 which are white, and the stems must be pegged down. These are all 

 annuals, which, if properly treated by pegging down, and not planted 

 too close, will produce a mass of flowers in each bed only just above 

 the surface, and will have a pretty effect from the windows. Most 

 of them like a poor clayey soil best, and they will only require turn- 

 ing out of the pots without breaking the ball, into the places pre- 

 pared for them. 



If you think there are too many white beds, you can substitute 

 Sanvitalia procumbens, the flowers of which are yellow, for No. 8, 

 but the seeds must have been sown the previous autumn to bring it 

 forward, as otherwise it will not flower till late in the summer; and 

 Bartonia aurea, the flowers of which are of a golden yellow, may be 

 planted instead of No. 12. Cladanthus arabicus, formerly called 

 Anthemis arabica, which has yellow flowers, may be planted in No. 8, 

 if Sanvitalia cannot be obtained. 



I do not think you have ever told me what soil yours is, and 

 perhaps you hardly know. You will, however, easily recognise 

 gravel or chalk; if the soil be red, it is probably, if loose, a sand, 

 and if close, a marl ; a peaty soil is black and loose, and a clay may 

 be known by water standing in little pools after rain without running 

 off. This is one of the worst soils for gardening purposes, but it 

 may be improved by mixing it with sand. 



I shall now give you a list of half-hardy plants for autumn, a9 

 most of the annuals will begin to look shabby in July or the begin- 

 ning of August. No. 1, Verbena Melindres, bright scarlet ; No. 2, 

 CEnothera Drummondi, yellow; No. 3, Lobelia bicolour, blue ; 

 No. 4, Calceolaria rugosa, pegged down ; No. 5, Verbena Tweediana, 

 crimson ; No. G, common White Petunia ; No. 7, Verbena Arraniana, 

 or Henderson's purple ; No. 8, Calceolaria integrifolia, yellow ; 

 No. 9, Purple Petunia ; No. 10, Verbena teucrioides, white; No. 11, 

 Frogmore Pelargonium, bright scarlet; No. 12, Musk plant, yellow. 



In October the following bulbs and other plants may be put in 

 for flowering in early spring. No. 1, Von Thol Tulips; No. 2, 

 Cloth of Gold, or common Yellow Crocuses ; No. 3, Blue Hepatica ; 



