THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 



the branches being simply tied together by means 

 of wire ; and if a few plants of ivy, choice climbing- 

 roses, honeysuckles, or clematises are planted 



Fig. i. Tree-stump preparing for a Bower. 



around the base, the whole will soon become very 

 compact and beautiful. The wires should not be 



Fig. 2. The same, more advanced. 



tied tightly, lest they cut the branches in the 

 course of time ; and perhaps, for this reason, 

 ordinary string-ties would be preferable. 



CHARACTER AND TREATMENT OF FLOWERS. 



The design of the flower-gardener is less to 

 produce size and strength in his plants, than to 

 cause them effectually to bloom. It is proper, 

 then, to mention, that whatever tends to give 

 excessive vigour to the stems, will prevent the 

 formation of flower-buds. Thus a too rich and 

 moist soil, or recent manure, is injurious. 



Flowering-plants are usually classified under 

 Annua/s, Biennials, and Perennials j but flori- 

 culturists usually separate the last into Herbaceous 

 and Ligneous or woody plants, and add another 

 division under the name of Bedding-out plants. 

 Annuals generally require to be sown annually, 

 as they live and bloom only one season ; but some 

 kinds are capable of being perpetuated by cuttings. 

 Biennials, in general, do not blossom till the 

 second season after sowing, and then die or 



become much deteriorated. They are produced 

 by seed, but some of the finest double varieties 

 are continued by cuttings. Perennials continue 

 for many seasons to grow and blossom annually ; 

 those termed herbaceous having stems which grow 

 up, bloom, and fade every year; while those 

 termed ligneous comprise both shrubs and trees. 

 A deciduous plant is one which sheds its leaves 

 every autumn, and reproduces them in spring. 

 An evergreen retains its leaves in permanent 

 succession, the old ones never falling off till after 

 one or more years. 



The prevailing colours of flowers are yellow, 

 orange, white, pink, scarlet, red, blue, purple ; only 

 few are blackish, and many are variegated, or 

 composed of different tints. Proper culture, pure 

 air and sunshine, increase the brilliancy of the 

 tints, and give massiveness to the corollas. Plants 

 of kindred species may likewise be improved by 

 hybridising or crossing, the general principle of 

 which is the artificial application of the pollen of 

 one plant to the stigma of another, by which means 

 some of the most beautiful flowers have been, 

 originated. The changes effected on the daisy, 

 the rose, and the violet, occur as striking instances 

 of metamorphoses induced by selection, crossing, 

 and culture. Speaking of the laws by which a 

 change of colour is produced, Dr Lindley observes : 

 'A blue flower will change to white or red, but 

 not to bright-yellow; a bright-yellow flower will 

 become white or red, but never blue. Thus the 

 hyacinth, of which the primitive colour is blue, 

 produces abundance of white and red varieties, 

 but nothing that can be compared to bright- 

 yellow ; the yellow hyacinths, as they are called, 

 being a sort of pale yellow-ochre colour, verging 

 to green. Again, the ranunculus, which is origin- 

 ally of an intense yellow, sports into scarlet, red, 

 purple, and almost any colour but blue. White 

 flowers, which have a tendency to produce red, 

 will never sport to blue, although they will to 

 yellow the rose, for example, and the chrysan- 

 themum. It is also probable that white flowers, 

 with a tendency to produce blue, will not vary to 

 yellow ; but of this I have no instance at hand.' 



PROPAGATION. 



Seed. In sowing seeds, it is of the utmost im- 

 portance to regulate the depth of their covering 

 according to their size. Thus, while peas and 

 beans may be buried to a depth of three or four 

 inches, very minute seeds, such as those of lobelias 

 and tobacco, should be thinly covered, or merely 

 scattered over the surface, and the soil kept moist 

 till the young roots have taken secure hold. 



Dividing the Root. This is one of the most 

 simple methods of propagation. The root of the 

 growing plant is partially uncovered, and one or 

 more portions are removed ; the root is then 

 covered up, and the detached parts transplanted 

 in soft earth prepared to receive them. Nine- 

 tenths of herbaceous perennials may be treated in 

 this way. 



Suckers. These are young shoots thrown up 

 from the roots of the main plant, round which they 

 cluster. They may be removed in winter or spring 

 by taking up with a part of the root attached, and 

 immediately planting out If any flower-buds ap- 

 pear on them, take them off, so as to give strength 

 to the leaf and root-developing powers to the plant 



