THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 



BIENNIALS. 



Among the so-called biennial plants suitable for 

 ordinary flower-gardens are included the follow- 

 ing, each having several varieties : Canterbury 

 bells, carnation, pink, hollyhock, sweet-william, 

 wallflower, Lavatera arborea, purple digitalis, and 

 the biennial races of stock gillyflower. Some of 

 these are very beautiful, and none more so than 

 carnations. 



The Carnation. There are many varieties of 

 the carnation, but all those acknowledged as 

 * florists' flowers' are arranged in three classes 

 flakes, bizarres, and picotees. Flake carnations 

 possess but two colours, with large stripes through 

 the petals. Bizarres have three shades of colour, 

 also in stripes. Picotees have a white or yellow 

 ground, marked on the margins with purple or 

 some other colour. Besides these, there are 

 'cloves' and other self or one coloured kinds, 

 which are indispensable for the abundance and 

 fragrance of their flowers ; while another tribe, 

 called tree carnations, are grown in hot-houses 

 for flowering in winter. Show-flowers of the car- 

 nation should be at least three inches in diameter, 

 with the edges of the petals waving or smooth, not 

 serrated. The petals must fill the calyx, but not 

 to bursting. Whatever colours the flowers may 

 be possessed of, they should be perfectly distinct, 

 and disposed in long regular stripes, broadest at 

 the edge of the lamina, and gradually becoming 

 narrower as they approach the claw of the petal. 

 Each petal should have a due proportion of white 

 or yellow ground, one half, or nearly so, which 

 should be perfectly clear, and free from spots. 



The best soil for carnations is good, strongish 

 loam, enriched with well-rotted stable-dung, and 

 quickened with a little sand or old lime mortar. The 

 quantity of manure can only be determined by the 

 previous condition of the ground : if made too 

 rich, the flowers will lose their fine colours ; if left 

 too poor, they will want vigour. Let the ground 

 be prepared before winter with dung, and a rough 

 furrow laid up to the frost. In April, give a fresh 

 digging, and plant in, rows three feet by two. 

 This width is to make room for layers, without 

 which a fine blow of carnations cannot be main- 

 tained above one year. As the plants shoot up, 

 they must be tied to neat rods. Select sorts are 

 propagated by layers, as before described, but 

 seeds selected off good sorts should be sown 

 annually. The young layered plants will be ready 

 for removal by the end of autumn, when they may 

 be set in flower-pots if the soil is too damp, and 

 apt to cause rotting in winter ; but if sufficiently 

 dry, the layers may remain till spring, and it will 

 be of use before winter to earth them up, sloping 

 and beating the mould about them so as to throw 

 off the rain. 



The Hollyhock, with good soil, shelter, and 

 proper exposure, will attain a height of twelve or 

 fourteen feet, but generally reaches seven or eight, 

 and is very suitable to ornament fronts of cottages, 

 edgings to shrubberies, or the centre of clumps in 

 lawns. The colours are very various ; as pink, j 

 dark purple, yellow, &c. the double sorts being 

 the richest and most esteemed. The seeds ofj 

 hollyhocks are sown in May ; and in September j 

 or October the young plants are transplanted into j 

 the ground where they are intended to blossom ; | 



but improved varieties require to be propagated 

 by cuttings. Although classed as biennials, the 

 plants will spring and bloom for a number of 

 years. 



Pinks require similar treatment with the car- 

 nation, only, instead of laying, the less tedious 

 modes of piping and cuttings are suitable for their 

 cultivation. 



Sweet-william. Ql this prettiest and most 

 varied of summer flowers, there are the double 

 and single flowered, of both of which the varieties 

 are innumerable. The first are propagated by 

 cuttings, or by laying the flowerless shoots ; and 

 the latter by seeds, which should be saved only 

 from the finest varieties, having large, smooth- 

 edged, finely and distinctly coloured blooms. 



Wallflower. The double-flowering varieties of 

 this fragrant plant are mostly perpetuated by 

 cuttings, although some ' German ' sorts come true 

 from seed. The single kinds form the best plants 

 when grown from seed, which should be saved 

 from plants selected for the approved colour, size, 

 and form of their flowers. 



Brompton, Cape, and other biennial stocks. 

 These showiest of a gay and fragrant tribe should 

 be sown in May or June ; transplanted into beds 

 4 to 6 inches apart, when they are 3 to 4 inches 

 high ; and again, where they are finally to bloom 

 in August and September, unless in cold districts 

 in which they are unlikely to stand the winter, 

 where they should be wintered under glass, and 

 planted out in early spring. 



PERENNIALS BULBS. 



Under this head may be included the hyacinth, 

 narcissus, iris, lily, tulip, gladiolus, Ixia, snowdrop, 

 crocus, scilla, and others. 



The Hyacinth has numerous varieties, differing 

 in colour as blue, red, and white. A rich, sandy 

 soil and saline atmosphere, with a warm exposure, 

 are favourable in developing its properties. In 

 the British Islands, the hyacinth will endure the 

 winter in the ground, and is among the earliest 

 blossoming plants of spring. In Holland, the 

 bulbs are lifted and carefully stored during winter. 

 The grower who desires to meet with success, 

 must obtain an annual supply of Dutch bulbs, 

 which are to be had from the seedsmen. The 

 domestic culture of this flower will be alluded to 

 under another head. 



Of the Narcissus there are many species and 

 varieties, which include daffodils, white narcissus, 

 jonquils, and polyanthus narcissus, forming a 

 most showy race of spring flowers. Most daffodils 

 have a lightish-yellow flower, with a deeper yellow 

 cup. Jonquils are deep yellow. Of the polyanthus 

 tribe, distinguished by their many flower-heads, 

 there are sulphur-coloured, single and double, 

 white, &c. Like hyacinths, the bulbs may re- 

 main in the ground during winter. 



Of the Iris there are various sorts, all of them 

 beautiful from the rich diversity of their colours. 

 The Persian iris is low, with delicate blue and 

 violet blossoms; the Chalcedonian is taller, and 

 distinguished by the great size and magnificence 

 of its flower, which is a purple-blue striped with 

 white ; the Spanish, by the number and diversity 

 of its varieties ; and the English, by more robust 

 growth, larger, and scarcely less diversified flowers. 

 All like open, warm exposure ; the varieties of the 



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