84 GAUDEN FLOWERS. 



one of the collectors of plants for tlie London 

 Horticultural Society. 



And now if the border be tolerably well 

 sheltered from the north and east winds, the 

 splendid tiger flower {Tigridia Pavonia) will 

 spread its handsome petals to the svmshine. Its 

 colours, so like the skin of a tiger, originated 

 its name, and this plant with its variety, {Tigri- 

 dia Pleoiia,) and the Tigridia conchiflora, are 

 among the most magnificent flowers of this 

 month. They are all natives of Mexico, and if 

 the bulbs are kept dry, they may remain in the 

 ground all the winter. Their tints are red and 

 orange, and their flowers very abundant, but 

 also very frail, lasting but a iijw hours. The 

 edging to the garden plots, which are composed 

 of thrift, are now very gay with the pink tufts 

 of blossom. 



The box too has now its green flowers, so often 

 said to be poisonous to the bee which sucks 

 their nectar, and it is a far better plant for 

 the garden border than either thrift, Virginian 

 stock, or any other substituted for it. In addi- 

 tion to its being an evergreen, it is very hardy, 

 and when once a good edging is made, it will 

 last for many years, needing little attention 

 from the gardener, except the annual midsum- 

 mer clipping. If we wander through the de- 

 serted gardens of some ancient castle or man- 

 sion, whether in England or almost any other 

 part of Europe, where the flowers of the olden 

 time waved their petals to the summer wind, 

 we find some of their hardiest successors, as 



