HERBACEOUS PLANTS VS. BEDDING PLANTS. 67 



Orchids, command general admiration. With a few exceptions, 

 thev are strong growers, and multiply rapid)}', most of them bloom- 

 ing in early spring and summer. The A^arieties are numerous, but 

 Persica, reticulata, and the English, Spanish, and German species 

 are among the best for general use. The last-named species is 

 robust, ever}' shade of color will be found among its varieties, and 

 they are unparalleled in beauty. Hybridization has produced a 

 large number of greatly improved varieties, which can be pur- 

 chased at reasonable cost and made most etfective in the garden. 

 The Japan Iris Kcempferi is even more gorgeous tlian any of its 

 fellows, and if it could be relied upon in the border, it would 

 not have a peer in the family to which it belongs. Our drj' sum- 

 mers, however, are unfavorable to it, as it likes a moist situation, 

 partialh' shaded. "We have seen how Mr. Parkman has produced 

 new seedlings of this, which rival any of European origin, and, 

 with plenty of water in summer, and protection from too much 

 stagnant moisture in winter, we ought to make it thrive as he 

 has done. It is worth the effort to establish it in mixed beds. I 

 have known some varieties to produce flowers ten inches across. 

 There are many other gorgeous species and varieties, but these 

 will suffice for general use. 



No collection of hardy plants wojuld be complete without the 

 Pseonies. The}' are stately and noble in growth, with fine colors, 

 and the huge flowers of many of the varieties are fragrant. Both 

 the single and double forms of the Tree paeony (Pceonia Moutan), 

 are fine, and they are the first to bloom but they are of tall 

 growth, and for the mixed bed are not as useful as the herbaceous 

 kinds, hybrids of P. officinalis, crossed with such varieties as albi- 

 Jiora, Sinensis, and edulis. From these have sprung magnificent 

 forms embracing unequalled colors. An extended list of named va- 

 rieties is given by English and Continental growers, and by some 

 of our own nurserymen. Some are inclined to speak contemptu- 

 ously of the Pseony, associating it with antiquated garden flowers ; 

 but a knowledge of the great improvement effected by hybridization 

 will suffice to change this into admiration. Pceonia tenuifolia Jlore 

 pleno is a dwarfer kind, but one of the most striking, resembling a 

 large rose of vivid color. 



Another good thing, not well known, and a striking object in 

 the garden, is the Double Sunflower {Heliantlius multijioriis Jlore 

 pleno). This must not be confounded with the tall simflower. On 

 the contrary, it is dwarf and compact, bearing vivid yellow flowers, 



