250 



NEW ENGLAND FARIVIER. 



May 



seed or cuttings. It does best in a damp, secluded 

 place. Much of it perishes every autumn, but 

 still the vine grows steadily. There are several 

 foreign species under cultivation bearing purple, 

 white, or blue flowers, which are fragrant. 



Of all flowering vines, the Wistaria sinensis is 

 considered the most beautiful. It was brought 

 from China in 1818 by Dr. Wistar of Penn. It is 

 rather tender and thrives best on the south side of 

 a house. It needs light, rich soil. The blossoms, 

 which hang in long clusters, are of a delicate pur- 

 ple and yield an exquisite fragrance. Th»y make 

 their appearance in May — before the leaves put 

 forth ; and again, in August, they cover the vine. 

 The foliage is of a cool, bright green. The vine 

 should be taken from its supports in the autumn 

 and covered with stable litter. It is increased by 

 layers or cuttings. 



The Lonicera — bearing the«name of Adam Loni- 

 cer, a German botanist, is the Honeysuckle, called 

 in England, Woodbine. We have two or three na- 

 tive species. The Scarlet is the most widely known. 

 It is quite hardy and easily raised from cuttings. 

 The blossoms resemble those of the Tecoma, but 

 are much smaller. Being a steady bloomer it is a 

 fine ornament for a porch or door. The Dutch 

 Honeysuckle, the monthly sweet-scented, is a fine 

 variety, with more showy and deeply shaded flow- 

 ers. The buds are purplish — the open blossom is 

 of cream-color and white. The seeds, in a scarlet 

 berry, look very pretty long after the flowers have 

 gone. There is nothing sweeter than the fragrance 

 of this blossom after the evening dew has fallen 

 upon it. Plant it at a -western window or door. 

 Sow the seeds in the autumn, or take cuttings in 

 the spring. 



Of climbing Roses, the BoursauU and the Prairie 

 are the most hardy. The common Boursault pro- 

 duces dark crimson flowers, of a velvety texture, in 

 great profusion. The blush Boursault bears larger, 

 fuller flowers of a bright pink. These are very 

 elegant for a trellis. The Michigan, or Queen of 

 the Prairies, is yet handsomer; its blossoms, of a 

 bright, glowing hue hang in large, heavy clusters. 

 None are fragrant. But there is an old-fashioned 

 white ro?e, bearing a semi-double flower which 

 yields a delicate perfume. With careful trimming 

 this grows to the height of twelve or fifteen feet. 

 All of these roses are very easily raised from cut- 

 tings. 



Besides these vines of a perennial growth there 

 are many annuals that may be trained against the 

 house, or over trellises, or upon pillars. The Ca- 

 nary-bird Flower — Tropaolum percgrimim, tlie 

 blossoms of which when partly open bear some 

 resemblance to a bird, is quite pretty. It needs a 

 light soil to produce many flowers. They are of a 

 delicate yellow. Belonging to the same genus is 

 the Nasturtium, some varieties of which yield very 

 elegant blossoms, crimson, scarlet, claret, purple, 

 orange, or light yellow, — plain, blotched or 

 streaked. It needs a light, sandy soil. Plant the 



seeds about an inch deep and train the plants 

 upon a trellis. 



The Convolvulus— c&Wcd by some Ipomcea pur-, 

 purea — the Morning Gloiy, is our most common 

 annual climber, and it will always be a favorite 

 though its flowers close so soon. The most beau- 

 tiful species are natives of Central America. The 

 Convolvulus has been much improved latterly, 

 and we get sometimes plants upon which may be 

 found blossoms of all the shades of blue, red and 

 purple— cither separate or mingled with white, 

 making a beautiful show. It grows best in a damp 

 soil. Plant the seeds an inch deep, train it on 

 slender lattices, or poles. The Dolichos, or Hya- 

 cinth Bean, bearing purple or white flowers, is 

 quite pretty. Cultivate it like the Morning Glory. 



The Phaseolus muUijiorus, the Scarlet Bean — 

 Scarlet Runner of South America— blooms pro- 

 fusely, and is highly ornamental. The blossoms, 

 in long racemes, are bright scarlet ; the foliage of 

 a deep green. One variety has pearl-white flow- 

 ers. Plant the seed an inch deep, in light soil a 

 little deeper. Train it like the Morning Glory. 

 It has a very lively appearance about a doorway 

 or over a window. The Cypress Vine — QuamocUt 

 vulgaris — is a veiy handsome plant. The blos- 

 soms are crimson, contrasting finely with its 

 beautiful green foliage, but they close quickly. 

 Scald the seeds, let them lie in the water till cold 

 and plant them immediately in pots. Keep the 

 pots in a warm room, till the plants are two inches 

 high, then sink the pots into the earth, on a south- 

 ern exposure, and train the vines by strings to a 

 high window ; or set the pots around a pillar, or 

 high pole, and arrange twines for them in a sim- 

 ilar way. The Cypress Vine is very pretty for a 

 parlor plant through the winter. 



Lathyrus odorattis, the Sweet Pea, may be made 

 to climb five or six feet against the house, or upon 

 a trellis, or around a pillar — like the Cypress 

 Vine. Soak the peas over night in cold water, 

 then plant them in rich soil, about an inch deep, 

 five inches apart. Leave the first flowers for seed ; 

 after that cut them oflF as soon as they begin to 

 fade, and you will have their purple, and pink 

 and white wings, heavy with fragrance, fluttering, 

 one after the other, far up the vines till late in 

 autumn. L. latifolius, Everlasting Pea, is a peren- 

 nial plant similar in appearance to L. odoratus; it 

 is raised by division of the root as well as seed. 



The Climbing Fumitory must not be forgotten. 

 The French call it Fztmeterre — (of which our name 

 is a corniption) smoke of the earth. Sow the seed 

 very early, in a warm situation. Have a light 

 frame to support it. You can train its delicate 

 foliage into any design that you please. It is a 

 biennial: the second year it will l)e covered with 

 beautiful pink and white flowers all summer. 

 There is also the Maurandia, a delicate creeper for 

 a frame ; — this is a perennial, and needs taking 

 within doors for the winter. It has elegant pur- 

 ple, pink, or white bell-flowers. Then there is the 

 Scypanthtts, a native of South America, with its 



