184 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



is obtained in the following manner. A vigorous 

 plant of the annual mignonette is, during April, 

 transplanted into a garden pot, and the young 

 blossoms nipped off while in the bud. A stick 

 is then placed in the pot, to which the plant 

 may be attached ; and in the autumn all the 

 lower shoots and leaves are stripped off, so as 

 to give the plant the appearance of a minia- 

 ture tree. It must then be removed to a 

 warmer room. As Avinter advances the stem 

 gradually becomes more woody ; and if the 

 plant be allowed during summer a free access 

 of air, it may thus be grown for several years 

 in a room. 



The attempt to render this plant a perennial, 

 renders it necessary to prvme away the seed- 

 vessels as soon as they ajjpear, as, if allowed to 

 perfect its seeds, the tree mignonette would 

 soon lose its vigour. 



We have a number of species of the mignon- 

 ette in the garden, but the common fragrant 

 one is by far the most valuable. Most kinds 

 grow wild in the south of Europe, and a few of 

 them in the sands of Africa. 



And now some sweet violets bloom aaain at 

 the close of the year. This is often the case 

 with the common purple Marcli violet, and its 

 double variety ; while the sweetly-scented 

 Neapolitan violets and the Russian violets are 

 at this season in full perfection. The Parisians 

 contrive to obtain at almost all seasons the 

 flowers of the common violet, which they so 

 much prize. This is done by checking the 



