FENZLIA, Nat. Orel. Polemomacea:. 



EN/LIA DIANTHIFLORA is a very neat little plant, bearing a perfect 

 mass of small flowers. In fact both plant and flower are miniature in 

 size. The flowers are rosy tinted, with a yellow throat, surrounded by 

 dark colored spots. This little plant is a 

 native of California, and we think must grow 

 up among the mountains or in the shady can- 

 yons, for it seems to require both shade and 

 moisture, and suffers materially in the garden 

 in a hot, dry season. It is veiy desirable for 

 pots or baskets, or for window or conserva- 

 tory decoration, forming a globular mass of 

 flowers, four inches in diameter, and constantly in flower, when the plant is healthy and strong. 



GAILLARDIA, Nat. Ord. Composite. 



AILLARDIA is a really good bedding annual, the plants being 

 strong, constant bloomers through the whole summer, and each 

 plant covering a good deal of ground. The plants are somewhat 

 coarse, and the flowers by no means delicate, yet a good bed of 

 Gaillardia will bring no discredit upon the taste of the cultivator. 

 The Gaillardias are natives of 

 Texas and other Southern States, 

 and are known by the common 

 name of Blanket Flower in some 

 sections of the South, under which 

 name we have received many speci- 

 mens of seed and flowers. Half- 

 hardy annuals; bear transplanting well, and should be set from twelve to eighteen inches apart. 



GILIA, Nat. Ord. Polemoniacea. 



Gilias are free-flowering, hardy annuals, growing from six to ten inches in height, with 

 clusters of small, delicate, yet bright, lively flowers, that make very pretty little masses or clumps, 

 but do not look well in very large beds or masses. 

 The Gilias, like so many of our fine annuals, are 



natives of California, and were discovered and in- S.~ -'' ^ 



A \ . 17 i . f *, 



troduced into Europe about forty years since. -&m //r~ V 



Plants of most of the varieties flower very early, i^^^^^^Kf^ Jf 



often in the seed bed, and almost as soon as out of ~~ 



the seed-leaf. The flowers are small, borne in 



panicles, and desirable for cutting. Quite hardy, 



and seed may be sown in the open ground, but if transplanted should be removed when small. 



HELIANTHUS, (Sunflower,) Nat. Ord. Compositor. 



ELIANTHUS is the well known old fashioned Sunflower ; coarse, tall 

 plants, from four to eight feet in height, with bright yellow flowers. 

 The best double varieties produce a very good effect among shrub- 

 bery, and when used as screens, etc. The Sunflower is a native of 

 Peru, and in old times was regarded with some reverence as a flower 

 sacred to the sun, and was worn by the virgins of the sun at the great 

 festivals of the Incas. It is no doubt the flower alluded to by Ovid. 

 E- when he represented Clytia as pining to death for love of Apollo and 

 being changed by the pitying god into a flower which turned to the 

 sun. The Sunflower is hardy and annually reproduces itself from 

 self-sown seed. Many are now turning their attention to the growth of the Sun-flower for the 

 production of oil, and as food for poultry, and Prof. MAURY published a series of articles endeavor- 

 ing to prove that for the destruction of malaria in swampy districts it was invaluable, we have no 

 doubt equaling the Eucalypttts. 



