THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. MOLOPOSPERMUM. 571 



losus, bear exposure to the sun better 

 than the parents. These sorts should 

 be grown, and a packet of seeds affords 

 a wonderful \ ariety. The seeds of the 

 Mimulus should be merely sprinkled on 

 the soil ; if covered by it they may 

 vegetate less quickly and abundantly. 

 A little damp moss may, however, be 

 laid over the surface, but should be 

 removed as soon as the seeds have 

 germinated. 



MINA. Fast-growing climbers from 

 Mexico, and, while perennials in their 

 own country, mostly grown as tender 

 annuals with us. M. lobata, the best- 

 known kind, is used for summer gar- 

 dening, its three-lobed leaves of deep 

 green being handsome upon arches or 

 trellises. Sprays of tubular flowers 

 spring upon the upper leaf-axils, deep 

 crimson in bud fading to pale yellow 

 as they open, giving a parti-coloured 

 effect. It is easily grown, flowers 

 freely until frost, and continues until 

 winter if taken under glass. M. cor- 

 data comes very near the older kind, 

 save that its leaves are rounded and 

 tapering like those of a Convolvulus, 

 and the flowers have traces of a 

 magenta-purple. Both kinds are 

 raised from seeds sown in heat early 

 in the year, and the tips of old plants 

 rooted under glass come into flower 

 earlier than seedlings. 



MIRABILIS (Marvel of Peru). 

 Stout herbaceous plants, the most 

 familiar of which is M. Jalapa, 

 a dense, round bush covered with 

 flowers, nearly 3 feet high, the flowers 

 about i inch across, white, rose, lilac, 

 yellow, crimson and purple striped, 

 mottled, and selfs. The plants may 

 be treated as half-hardy annuals, 

 raised from seed in a warm frame, 

 potted on, and planted out in 

 May. They are, however, peren- 

 nial, and when the leaves are killed 

 by frost the tapering black root 

 must be lifted and stored in sand 

 during the winter. The plants should 

 be started in pots in spring and planted 

 out as before ; but after the second 

 year the roots become unwieldy, and 

 should be discarded. They require a I 

 warm soil and all the sunshine of our 

 climate. The seeds ripen rapidly and 

 readily ; each flower produces one 

 seed only, and as the seeds are large 

 they can be gathered from the ground 

 beneath the plants. M. multiflora is 

 somewhat similar to M. Jalapa, but 

 dwarfer, and the bright crimson-purple 

 flowers are in large clusters, expand- 



ing in bright sunshine. It is a hardy 

 perennial in light warm soils, and is 

 a good border plant. M. longiflora, 

 having long tubular flowers with car- 

 mine centres, is capital for the foot of 

 a warm south wall. Mexico. 



MITCHELLA (Deer Berry}. M. 

 repens is a neat, trailing, small ever- 

 green herb, 2 or 3 inches high, with 

 white flowers in summer, succeeded 

 by small bright red berries. It thrives 

 in shady spots on the rock garden or 

 the hardy fernery, in sandy peat. 

 Division. N. America. 



MITRARIA (Mitre-flower}. M. coc- 

 cinea is a bright charming little shrub 

 from Chili, hardy in mild districts, but 

 generally requiring winter protection. 

 It is a small evergreen shrub, bear- 

 ing in summer numerous urn-shaped 

 flowers about i| inches long and of a 

 brilliant scarlet, thriving in a mixture 

 of sandy peat and loam, in a moist 

 sheltered spot with perfect drainage. 



MOLOPOSPERMUM. M. cicu- 

 tarium is a hardy perennial, 5 feet or 

 more high, with large graceful leaves 

 which form a dense bush. It thrives 



Molopospermitm cicutarinin. 



in ordinary soil, and is useful for 

 grouping with fine - leaved plants, 

 Division and seed, Carniola, 



