90 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



is often called Fair IMaid of France, and it has 

 been said it was so named by onr gardeners, 

 becanse the French emigrants who were in this 

 country during the revolution were very fond 

 of the plant. 



Some of the tall and showy asphodels are 

 conspicuous flowers in May and June. This 

 flower is commonly called king's spear or 

 king's rod ; the French term it, verge de Jacob, 

 or bato7i royal. The most ornamental species 

 are the yellow asphodel, (Asphodehis luteus,) 

 vrhich grows wild in the fields of Sicily, and 

 now blossoms in our gardens ; and the upright 

 asphodel, (Asphodehis albus,) also blooming now 

 with its spike of white flowers, and which ig 

 also common in the south of Europe. St. 

 Pierre quotes a touching inscription from an 

 ancient tomb, around which the hand of affec- 

 tion had planted the favourite flowers: "With- 

 out, I am surrounded with mallow and aspho- 

 del ; within, I am but a corpse :" and the corpse 

 to the ancients, was but the name of a decayed 

 and withered remains of what was once lovely, 

 and not, as with us, the seed of the more glo- 

 rious resurrection body which is sown in hope. 



The yellow flower of the perennial adonis 

 {Adonis vernalis) deserves a place in any 

 garden. It begins to bloom as early as March, 

 and is still bright. It is a Avild flower in many 

 parts of the continent of Europe, and especially 

 abundant on the countries on the shores of the 

 Mediterranean, and it is of very easy culture. 

 The dark crimson flowers of the flos adonis, or 



