THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 



flowers, esteemed for their beautifully spotted 

 and blotched foliage, as well as for the ele- 

 gant forms of their red, pink, white, and party- 

 coloured blooms. Nor should the Tiger-flowers 

 of Mexico (Tigridia pavonia and T. conchiflora) 

 be omitted; for, although not sufficiently hardy 

 to remain in the open ground throughout the 

 winter, they succeed under the same treatment 

 as the gladiolus, and are unsurpassed for the 

 beautiful markings of their richly coloured, but 

 short-lived, abundantly produced flowers. 



PERENNIALS TUBERS. 



In this group, the Dahlia (named from Dahl, a 

 Swedish botanist) deserves the first place, both 

 from its beauty and size. It is a native of the tem- 

 perate plains of South America, and requires a 

 dry and airy situation for its growth. The plants 

 should have a free space of from two to three feet 

 all round. The stems, at and near the top of 

 which are the rose-like blossoms, rise to a height 



of two to five feet or more, and require to be sup- 

 ported by stakes. New varieties are raised from 

 seeds, and good sorts are perpetuated by separat- 

 ing a part of the root to which a bud or young 

 stem is attached. Frost at once blights the green 

 stalks ; and when these seem utterly withered and 

 dried, carefully lift the tubers, and place them in a 

 dry situation for the winter. In April, or early 

 in May, they must be sprung in moderate heat 

 under glass, and then planted out, and occasion- 

 ally watered. Dahlias are now found of almost 

 every shade of colour, except blue, every year 

 adding its novelty. 



The Peony, with roots somewhat resembling 

 those of the dahlia, is one of the oldest and showiest 

 herbaceous plants of May ; splendid varieties are 

 now cultivated, all of which may be propagated 

 by division of their roots or tubers, and thrive in 

 ordinary garden soils. 



The Ranunculus is a stock beauty in all gardens, 

 and it has some hundreds of varieties. The tubers 

 are small. The blossom resembles a compact 

 small rose of a flattish form. Plant when the 

 weather is mild and dry, from the middle of 

 October till the end of February, in lightish rich 

 soil. 



Anemones, both double and single, in endless 

 variety of colours, have long been deemed flower- 

 garden associates of the ranunculus, requiring 

 similar cultivation, and a little more care in shad- 

 ing the more brilliant-coloured varieties from 

 bright sunshine. 



FIBROUS-ROOTED PERENNIALS. 



The genera, species, and varieties of flowering 

 plants with fibrous roots are very numerous. 

 Among a few of those most prized, let us take 

 first the humble Daisy (dayVeye), which origi- 

 nated in that 'wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower,' 

 the wild gowan, or daisy, that is now found in 

 many varieties the mottled, crimson, white, and 

 pink being the more common. There are also 

 variegated-leaved varieties with double white, red, 

 and single flowers ; all may be propagated to any 

 extent by simple separation of the roots. 



Dielytra. The Chinese Dielytras, of three sorts, 

 suited either to the greenhouse or open air, are 

 among the most elegant recent introductions. 



Several allied plants, including the Fumitories, are 

 also well worthy of cultivation in the borders. 



The Primrose family includes several pretty 

 flowering plants. The true primrose and its 

 varieties, as early spring-flowers, succeed those 

 of the crocus in giving colour to the borders. The 

 highest cultivated of the race is the Polyanthus. 

 which sends up stems loaded at top with a bunch 

 of flowers. The colour most admired is that shaded 

 with a light and dark rich crimson, resembling 

 velvet, relieved by a bright golden hue. The 

 Auricula (Primula auricula) flourishes best in 

 rich soil from old turf and rotted cow-dung. Its 

 chief colours are red, pink, crimson, purple, apple- 

 green, and mulberry. On the leaves, as well as 

 petals of some, there is a fine meal, which is 

 injured and marked by drops of rain or artificial 

 irrigation ; and therefore flower-fanciers take care 

 to shelter the plants with frames, and allow no 

 drops from the watering-pot to touch them. When 

 treated with attention, a bed of auriculas may be 

 rendered very beautiful. The Japanese Primrose, 

 of which there are already a number of varieties, 



is a recent and highly promising introduction, 

 which has been found quite hardy ; and is of 

 robust growth, having its showy flowers in several 

 successive whorls or heads, upon a common stem. 

 The Campanula, or pyramidal bell-flower, in its 

 different varieties, blue and white, is a graceful 

 flower, with pendent bells, which should be found 

 in all tastefully laid-out borders. It may be kept 

 long in flower, by cutting off the blooms as soon 

 as they begin to wither. 



Pansy. By the French, the cultivated violet or 

 heart's-ease is called pensde (thought) ; hence our 

 name pansy. This is essentially the florist-flower 

 of the cottager, surpassing all others in the length- 

 ened continuance, as well as in the endless 

 diversity in the colouring of its blooms. No 

 flower in the garden has lately engaged so much 

 attention as this ; by means of culture, crossing, 

 and hybridising, it has attained great perfection as 

 respects size, form, and richness of colour. ' The 

 most approved method of propagation is by taking 

 off young slips in the autumn, which is the best 

 time, as then the ground and weather are most 

 suitable for the formation of rootlets, on account of 

 its dampness and dullness ; [but the season for 

 striking cuttings will depend upon the time when 

 they are wanted to flower]. A bed is prepared of 

 light but rich soil, raised a little above the path, in 

 order to drain off all superfluous moisture. The 

 cuttings are then made ready, by stripping them 

 of their under-leaves, and cutting close below the 

 bottom joint, from which the roots must spring ; 

 for if this is not done, the cutting will decay to that 

 joint, which frequently destroys the whole. After 

 the bed is prepared, the cuttings are arranged ac- 

 cording to their varieties, each sort being marked 

 by a tally-stick, numbered or named according to 

 the pleasure of the owner. The cuttings will be 

 well rooted in about six weeks, when they may 

 be planted out for blooming in the spring, or 

 potted to keep over winter in a frame. The soil 

 in which the pansy is found to flourish best is a 

 compost of cow-dung one-half, fresh loam one- 

 quarter part, leaf-mould one-eighth part, and coarse 

 sand one-eighth ; but peat-soil should on no ac- 

 count be intermixed. These ingredients should 

 be well mingled together, and purified from worms 

 and slugs by having lime-water frequently thrown 



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