CLASSES OF FLOWERS. 21 



volvulus, and many other bright and beautiful flow 

 ers may escape and cluster around her, as she re 

 ceives rest and shelter within their grateful lattice 

 work. There, also, may be deposited the imple 

 ments of her vocation ; and during the severe 

 weather, its warm precincts will protect the finer 

 kinds of carnations, pinks, auriculas, &c. , which 

 do not bear the heavy rains, or frost of lengthened 

 duration, without injuring the plant. 



Flowers are divided into three classes : an 

 nuals, biennals, perennials. 



Annuals are those flowers which are raised from 

 seeds alone, in the spring, and which die in the 

 autumn. They are again divided into three classes ; 

 tender and more curious kinds ; the less tender 

 or hardier kinds ; and the hardiest and common 

 kinds. 



Biennials are those flowers which are produced 

 by seed, bloom the second year, and remain two 

 years in perfection ; after which they gradually 

 dwindle and die away. 



Some sorts, however, of the biennials, afford a 

 continuation of plants by offsets, slips, and cuttings 

 of the tops, and by layers and pipings, so that, 

 though the parent flower dies, the species are per 

 petuated, particularly to continue curious double- 

 flowered kinds, as for instance, double rockets, by 

 root offsets, and cuttings of the young flower-stalks ; 

 double wallflowers by slips of the small top shoots ; 

 jdouble sweet-williams by layers and pipings ; and 

 carnations by layers. 



Perennials are those flowers which continue 

 many years, and are so propagated by root offsets, 

 suckers, parting roots, &c., as will be more fully 

 particularlized under the head of Perennials. 

 3 



