BO PRACTICAL FLOKICrLTl'RE. 



into flower it becomes exhausted and stops blooming, and 

 often dies outright ; but when sown in February or 

 March, in green-house or hot-bed, the growth is uncheck- 

 ed, and it will grow and flower from June to November. 



Petunias, being of rapid growth, will flower the first 

 season, even if sown in the open ground, but usually not 

 before July or August. If sown in the hot-bed in April, 

 they will bloom in June and make larger and finer plants. 



DianthllS. The Pinks are numerous and varied, many 

 of them having a rich, clove fragrance. They present an 

 endless variety in color and style of flower. 



Salvia Splendens, or Scarlet Sage. Seeds of this sown 

 in April will flower by July or August, and continue 

 throughout the season. This, perhaps, is the most gorgeous 

 plant of our gardens ; single plants often attain a 

 height of six feet, and nearly as much in diameter, having 

 a hundred scarlet, plume-like flower-spikes. The color is 

 so intense when seen against a green background, that it 

 is often visible at the distance of half a mile. 



Verbenas, The most popular plant of the day is easily 

 raised from seed, and no other plant that we know of will 

 so well reward the trouble. The number of varieties now 

 attained is something wonderful, even to us in the trade. 

 Every year develops some new strain. Every color seem- 

 ingly is obtained but yellow or orange ; these we never 

 expect to have, as there seems to be a natural law of the 

 floral kingdom that blue, yellow, and scarlet are never 

 found in varieties of the same species. Thus we have in 

 Dahlias and Roses yellow and scarlet colors but no blue, 

 just as we have in Verbenas blue and scarlet but no 

 yellow. My readers will do well to remember this, and 

 be saved, as they occasionally are, from investing in 

 "blue" Roses or Dahlias, and "yellow" Verbenas, and 

 know that the seller must either be ignorant of his trade 

 or dishonest. 



