PHLOX DRUMMONDII, Nat. Ord. Polemoniaceee. 



No annual excels the Phlox for a brilliant and constant display. Indeed, if confined to one 

 plant for the decoration of the lawn or border, the Phlox Drummondii would be my choice over 

 any annual or perennial with which I am acquainted. It seems to have every desirable quality 

 for this purpose. The colors range from the purest white to the deepest crimson, including purple, 

 and yellow, and striped, the clear eye of the Phlox being peculiarly marked. Seed may be sown 

 in the open ground in May, or in a cold-frame or hot-bed earlier in the season; and in either case, 

 from Tune, during the whole summer and autumn, they make a most brilliant bed of showy yet 



delicate flowers. A good bed 

 of Phlox is a sight that daz- 

 zles the eye with its brilliancy. 

 The Phlox, in a good, rich 

 soil, will grow more than 

 eighteen inches in height, but 

 as there is not sufficient 

 strength in the main stem, it 

 will not stand entirely erect. 

 A foot apart is about near 

 enough to set the plants, un- 

 less the soil is very poor. If 

 too thick, they suffer from mil- 

 dew. The Phlox makes a very 



good border or low summer hedge. The finest 

 effect, however, is produced by planting each color 

 in a separate bed or in ribbon fashion, its constant 

 bloom making it very desirable for these purposes. Indeed, we know of no annual or perennial 

 that will give a more brilliant and constant mass of color. The Phlox is a native of America. 

 It was first discovered in Texas, in 1835, by DRUMMOND, a collector sent out by the Glasgow 

 Botanical Society. It was the last new plant he sent home, as he soon after died in Cuba. 

 The buds, just before opening, look like a flame, and hence the name, 

 Phlox, or Flame. I grow from five to ten acres of Phlox every year, 

 devoting much time and means to its improvement, and have no hesi- 

 tation in saying my strain of Phlox Drummondii is the best the world 

 produces. Indeed, I have already introduced several new varieties, 

 showing much improvement either in form or coloring, and have seve- 

 ral more on trial, among them one with a pretty fringed edge; another, 

 very large, of unusual substance, and perfect, rounded form; and if I 

 should, in a year or two, introduce a good, double, annual Phlox, I would be more pleased than 

 surprised. There is no difficulty in starting new and improved varieties. The difficulty is in 

 getting their character so well established that the seed will be reliable, that is pretty sure to pro- 

 duce a good portion of flowers like the one from which the seed was saved. 



POPPY, (Papaver,) Nat. Ord. Papaveracece. 

 The Poppies are not only well known to every cultivator of flowers, but to almost every one, 



and yet few know a real good Poppy. There are some very fine perennials, which we shall 



mention when describing plants that do not flower 

 the first season from the seed. The good annual 

 varieties are numerous, ranging in size from the 

 little Ranunculus-flowered, an inch in diameter, to 

 the Paeony-flowered, four or five inches across. 

 They also present an almost endless variety of 

 colors and markings. The true Opium Poppy, the 

 variety used for growing Opium, is a large, white, 

 single flower. The Poppy has a strong tap-root, 

 and is, therefore, difficult to transplant, and it is 



better to sow the seed early in the spring where the plants are to flower. The Poppies are all 



perfectly hardy. 



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