florists' flowers. 259 



than we see elsewhere in our gardens. Upon the approach 

 of frost they are, in general, left to their fate, as it is easier 

 to propagate new ones than to preserve the old. These 

 plants, with some of the fine new annuals, and the gorgeous 

 Dahlias, give a splendor to the autumnal flower garden 

 which in former times it did not possess. 



florists' flowers. 



This technical appellation has been restricted to certain 

 flowers, which have been especial favorites with florists, and 

 have consequently received a large share of their attention.* 

 Though possessed of great individual beauty, few of them 

 are calculated to make a show at a distance, and the 

 arrangements requisite for their culture do not harmonize 

 well with the general disposition of a flower garden. It is 

 therefore desirable, particularly when considerable refine- 

 ment is aimed at, that a separate garden, or a separate sec- 

 tion of the garden, should be set apart for their culture. 

 The more robust or less valuable varieties, however, which 

 are often as ornamental as the most esteemed, may be intro- 

 duced into the general parterres. We shall notice the most 

 considerable, in the order in which they naturally attract 

 attention. 



The Hyacinth, Hyacinthus orientalis, one of the most 



* The finest new varieties of florists' flowers, as well as novelties in 

 the strictly botanical department, are figured and described in Harrison's 

 Florticultural Cabinet, a cheap monthly periodical, which has a vast circula- 

 tion in England. While the letter-press is rather deficient in botanical pre- 

 cision, and the engraving sometimes inferior in style of embellishment, it in 

 certain that much useful information may be gleaned from the work, both as 

 to new varieties and superior modes of culture ; and it is but fair to add 

 that the work ha 3 been greatly improved of late years. 



