4(14 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 



17. LYCHNIS, SCARLET, Lychnis Ckalcedonica. The fine 

 bright scarlet of the flower, rivaling the Chalcedony, is its 

 chief recommendation. From a foot to two feet high. 



18. PEONY, large Crimson, Rose, White, Chinese Tree, &c., 

 Pceonia officinalis, rosea, Whitlijii, Moutan, &c. A well- 

 known and large class of showy flowers, many of them fragrant. 

 The last, Pceonia Moutan, is a low shrub, yielding an abund- 

 ance of large rose-colored flowers. It is increased by layers 

 and offshoots, the former rooting rather slowly. 



19. PHLOX, Crimson, Striped, White, Pink, &c., Phlox spe- 

 ciosa, Van Houtii, pyramidalis, stolonifera, &c. The last, 

 Phlox stolonifera, is a trailing variety, one of our earliest 

 spring flowers ; the others are summer or fall flowers, of all 

 hues, and well worth the little culture they require. The 

 whole family belong to our continent, but they are sometimes 

 known as French or Spanish lilacs. The " grass pink" used 

 for edging is the Phlox subulata. 



20. PINKS, PICOTEES, CARNATIONS, Dianthus plumarius, 

 caryophillus, &c. Varieties of the garden Pink, Dianthus 

 plumarius, are more or less common every where ; but the 

 larger Picotee, or " spotted" Pink, and the striped, or Carna- 

 tion, are comparatively rare, from causes which are, however, 

 easily obviated. In general, the odor of the pink is increased 

 with the depth of its color, and the dark crimson Carnations 

 are called cloves from their strong spicy fragrance. 



Some very double flowers are liable to burst on one side, and 

 become irregular and unsightly. If such are cultivated, the 

 divisions of the calyx, or flower-case, should be cut open equal- 

 ly with a pen-knife about a quarter of an inch down, and a 

 band of yarn or narrow bass strip tied around the middle of the 

 bud to stay it. Fancy cultivators slip a circular card, with a 

 cross-cut opening in the centre, over the main bud, to be drawn 

 up to form a tablet for the flower when it opens, trimming off 

 also all side blossoms to strengthen this one. All the varieties 

 may be increased by seeds, by cuttings, or by layers. 



The natural state of almost all flowers is single, or, at most, 

 semi-double ; and most pinks raised from seed yield single 

 flowers, which, though sweet, are not esteemed ; but a few fine, 



