HARDY HERBACEOUS FLOWERS. 295" 



the same color as the eye around the entire margin ot the petal, 

 stand in the front rank. The method of propagating by layering 

 is described \inder the head of Carnation; new varieties are 

 raised from seed. 



Cliina Plriks. — ^These last only two years, being biennial 

 They are dwarf in their habit of growth, quite hardy, producing 

 most beautiful flowers, both the first and second year, but more 

 strongly the second season. The flowers are richly marked with 

 dark shades of crimson, with edgings of rose, pink, or white, in 

 endless variety of pattern, but have no perfume. Seed should 

 be saved from the double varieties, in order to secure a large 

 proportion of double flowers. The Hedewigii and HEDEWion- 

 LACiNiATUs and DiADEMATUS are very large flowering varieties of 

 the China Pink. 



Carnations. — These are the most beautiful of the tribe, and 

 at the same time deliciously scented. In the open ground they 

 suffer from the severity of our winters, and sometimes from the 

 heat and drought of summer; but when weU grown, thoy can be 

 scarcely excelled, vying even with the rose in beauty of appear- 

 ance and sweetness of perfume. They are divided by florists into 

 Flakes, those having two colors only, with large stripes quite 

 through the petals ; Bizarres, which are variegated with not less 

 than three colors, irregularly striped and spotted ; and Picotees, 

 which have a clear white or yellow ground, laced or edged Avith 

 scarlet, rose, or purple. 



"We layer Carnations when the flowers begin to fail, taking 

 off" aU the lower leaves of the young shoots with a sharp pen- 

 knife, and cut a tongue, passing the knife upwards half through 

 the joint, then fasten the shoot to the ground with a hooked 

 peg, bending carefully at the cut but not breaking, and cover 

 about two inches deep with pure sand. By watering occasionally, 

 if needed, to keep the soil moist, the layers will root in from 

 four to six weeks, and may then be separated from the parent 

 plant, and either potted or set out in open border. By covering 

 lightly with evergreen branches, they wiU pass the winter safely" 



