310 THE GREENHOUSE. [CHAP. XI. 



fibres, and impeding the free percolation of the 

 water, besides giving the surface of the 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 Alo^sia citrio- 

 dora) is remarkable for the sweetness of the 

 odour of its leaves. It is tolerably hardy, but 

 requires great care in watering; as the leaves 

 will soon curl up and wither if it has too little 

 water, and they will drop off if it has too much. 

 The flower has no beauty; and the only recom- 

 mendation of the plant is the delightful fra- 

 grance of its leaves. In Devonshire I have 

 seen bushes of this plant ten and twelve i'eet 

 high in the open garden. 



Petunias may be raised either from seed or 

 cuttings, as they seed freely, and strike readily. 

 The first kind introduced was Petunia nyctagini- 

 flora, which produces a great abundance of large, 

 white, fragrant flowers; Petunia phcenicea, or 

 P. violacea, is another original species ; and from 

 these two nearly all the hybrids and varieties 

 now found in gardens have arisen. These 

 petunias hybridise freely with each other, and 

 most of the kinds produce abundance of seed; 

 but P. bicolor is a distinct species, which does 

 not either mix well with the others, or seed 

 freely. Petunias may be treated as annuals, 

 and raised on a slight hotbed every year from 

 seed; and, thus treated, they will do very well 

 in the open ground. In warm dry situations, 

 they may even be suffered to sow themselves 

 every year, when they will come up and flow T er 

 abundantly. Treated as greenhouse plants, 



