1851. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



145 



Cables' fDcpartincnt. 



I 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



Throughout all the month of June, the decoration of 

 beds and borders in the flower garden may be contin- 

 ued. We rarely plant our dahlias till the middle of 

 the month. When planted earlier, they come into 

 bloom in July, when the weather is so excessively 

 warm and dry that they are scorched, the flowers do 

 not open, and, on the whole, they do not give such 

 satisfaction as when planted later, so as to come into 

 bloom in the middle or latter part of August. 



The Dahlia requires a good soil, moderately, but 

 not too rich. When set in a bed of strong manure, 

 the plants make a rank growth, but do not bloom so 

 well, and the flowers are more apt to be coarse and 

 ill-formed. A stake four or five feet in height should 

 be set with each plant, to which it must be kept tied 

 as it grows, being very easily broken by the wind. 

 The Dahlia^ is really an autumn flower, and should 

 not be expected to bloom, or forced into bloom, in mid- 

 summer. 



For a few beds or masses on a lawn, or to fill up 

 vacant borders, we would recommend, 



1st, A few Monthly Roses, well selected as regards 

 the color. They may be partly composed of Chinese, 

 Bourbons, and Noisettes, as all these bloom inces- 

 santly, in a good rich soil. We may name, as first 

 rate free growing, profuse blooming sorts, 



Bourbons — Hermosa, pale blush, very double and 

 compact. Souvenir de la Malmaison, pale flesii color, 

 very large and beautiful — indeed, one of the finest of 

 ever-blooming roses, both in form, color, and luxuri- 

 ance of growth and foliage. Gloire des Rosamrns, 

 a rapid, strong grower and fine bloomer, flowers not 

 very double but large and of a most brilliant crimson. 

 Edward Defosse, one of the finest new Bourbons, of 

 a deep, rosy pink. 



Noisettes — Opliire, buff. Chromatella, or cloth 

 of gold, deep yellow — very large and beautiful. Fel- 

 lenberg, bright crimson, ^mie Vibert, pure white. 



Bengals, or China Roses. — Ccls, blush — a very 

 free and fine bloomer. Agrippina, rich, velvety 

 crimson. Sanguinea, blood red, with a stripe of 

 white. fVhite Daily, creamy white, and very sweet. 



Teas — Lady Warrender, pure white. Luxem- 

 bourg, salmon buff. Dcvonicnsis, straw color. 



These are all good, and there are many others, 

 perhaps, as good. A dozen plants, well assorted, 

 will fill a good sized bed, and they will probably give 

 more satisfaction than anything wo could name. 



Next to the roses, we would recommend a bed of 

 Verbenas. No plant is better adapted to our dry, 

 sunny climate, than this. A dozen plants, of as ma- 

 ny different varieties, will make a beautiful display, 

 from mid-summer until frost comes. The branches, 

 as they grow, should be spread out and peg'ged down 

 so as to cover the whole surface of the bed, making 

 it a dense mass of flowers, relieved only by the 

 mingling of the different colors. Then the 



Petunias. — These also are particularly well adap- 

 ted to our climate, and cultivation has so improved 

 their size, and varied their coloring, that they have 

 become a most interesting class of plants. A single 

 plant will cover, in a short time, three square feet of 

 ground, and they bloom incessantly. 



Heliotropes. — Too many of this cannot be plant- 

 ed, it is so sweet and so fine, either in masses, or. 



mixed with other plants of more showy colors. The 

 old sort is of a pale lilac, and the new one, Voltari- 

 amiin, is a deep purple, rather bluish. These might 

 bn mixed, and some white flowering plant, such as 

 Double Feverfew, set in the middle : or the deep blue 

 Plumbago larpenlte, or the Scarlet Salvia, or even 

 a fine Fuchsia, will make a good centre piece, both in 

 growth and contrast of color. For single specimens 

 on a lawn or border, the Salvia Splcndens Major 

 surpasses all other plants we know of. A small 

 plant turned out in May or June, commences to bloom 

 immediately, and it grows so rapidly, that, in the 

 co'irse of a month or six weeks, it will be three feet 

 in height and as much in diameter, and will bear 

 twenty or thirty long spikes of flowers of the most 

 dazzling brilliancy. As we have said before, we 

 know of no bedding plant, taken altogether, more de- 

 sirable, and we recommend it among the smallest col- 

 lections. 



Cuphea platy centra, is another fine thing, either 

 for planting singly or in masses, and it mingles well 

 with Fuchsias, Heliotropes, he. Its flowers are tube 

 shaped, about an inch long, and the mouth is of an 

 amaranth purple. Treated as a pot plant, in the 

 house, this is an admirable thing. One of the best 

 of recently introduced species in our green-houses 

 now, small plants, are perfect masses of flowers. Its 

 compactness of habit is a great recommendation. 



CALIFORNIAN ZAUCHSNERIA. 



The Californian Zauchsneria is one of Mr. Hart- 

 weg's discoveries in California, an excellent and pop- 

 ular bedding plant, every way as easily propagated 

 and managed as a verbena. The plant grows com- 

 pactly, about two feet high, and blooms in the 

 greatest profusion, even when quite young. The 

 flowers are of an orange scarlet, in shape not unlike 

 the trumpet honeysuckle. We think it may be pre- 

 served over winter, in the open ground, by laying a 

 piece of turf over it in the beginning of winter ;_ but 



