44 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The culture of the verbena is very simple ; the plants -will bloom with 

 very little care, but to grow them in perfection requires attention ; of thou- 

 sands of plants of any size, scarcely one is a fine specimen. Let us, begin- 

 ning in early spring, trace the plant, as generally grown, and then see 

 how much a little care might increase its beauty. 



About the first of February cuttings of the young shoots are taken from 

 old plants ; in a sandy loam a few weeks, and sometimes a few days, will 

 suffice to root them; they are then potted off into thumb pots, and, if placed 

 near the glass, will soon show a terminal ffower. As soon as the season is 

 sufficiently advanced these young plants are bedded out, and, in favorable 

 seasons, soon form a conspicuous feature in the flower garden, continuing 

 to bloom till long after the early frosts. About the first or middle of Sep- 

 tember, the gardener begins to repot his plants for winter, and the common 

 practice is to take a runner which has rooted well at a joint, and, after suit- 

 able pruning, to pot it for winter blooming and propagation ; others, again, 

 take up the old roots, while others, by sinking pots in their verbena bed, 

 about midsummer, allowed the runners to root directly in the pots ; the 

 pots being taken up and the connection with the mother plant cut, the 

 young planfreceives no injury or check. But this mode is very objectiona- 

 ble, for two reasons; first, the loam in the pots is apt to become sour and 

 sodden, and again, earth worms often enter the pots, and prove injurious 

 during the winter. The plants are housed, and, for a long time, produce 

 no flowers, and are anything but ornamental. Soon after the new year, 

 they begin to grow vigorously, but are allowed to trail carelessly over the 

 staging, or droop from some hanging shelf; no care or attention is bestowed 

 upon them, except to give the daily supply of water. 



The days grow towards spring ; cuttings are again taken off, the same 

 process is repeated year after year, and thus one of our loveliest flowers, 

 which, with a little care, might be one of the greatest attractions and orna- 

 ments of our greenhouses, is never seen in perfection, except in the garden. 



That this is the fact is to be deplored, yet the remedy is simple ; by be- 

 ginning about midsummer we may have verbenas in bloom as well during 

 the winter as the spring months. About the first of August, or earlier, 

 cuttings should be taken from desirable varieties; in a fortnight they will 

 be ready to transplant ; pot them in thumb pots, and repot as soon as the 

 roots touch the sides of the pot ; keep them in vigorous growth by affording 

 plenty of light and air, being careful they never suffer from want of water ; 

 pinch off the leading shoots to cause all axillary buds to break, and in no 

 case allow them to bloom ; train the plant in any form desired, but be care- 

 ful not to permit it to grow too straggling. When other plants are housed, 

 remove your verbenas to some warm shelf, where they may have the morn- 

 ing sun, and on every favorable day give plenty of air, and fumigate well 

 to destroy green aphis. Your plants will soon be in luxuriant bloom, long 

 before those potted in the common way have shown a bud, and w'ill con- 

 tinue to afford an abundance of flowers until late in the spring. To grow 

 verbenas well in the house in summer is far easier ; they may be bloomed 

 in pots of any size, and trained in almost any form, the only requisites be- 



