X I 



laft Seafon, will now fliew their 

 BlolToms To that you may know 

 which of them are worth preler- 

 ving in the Fiower-Garden, which 

 iliould now be mark'd j and when 

 their Leaves are decay'd, they muft 

 be taken up and planted with the 

 other fine Sorts in an Eaft-border 

 of Hght, frefli Earth j but the or- 

 dinary Sorts may be intermix'd 

 with other bulbous-rooted Flowers 

 in the large Borders of the Plea- 

 fure-Garden, where, during their 

 Continuance in Flower, they will 

 afford an agreeable Variety. 



But after thefe choice Flowers 

 are obtain'd from Seeds, they may 

 be increas'd by Off-fets as other 

 bulbous Flowers are. Thefe Off- 

 fets fhould be planted in a feparate 

 Border from the blowing Roots, 

 for one Year, until they have 

 Strength enough to produce Flow- 

 ers, when they may be plac'd in 

 the Fiower-Garden with the old 

 Roots. 



Thefe Bulbs need not be taken 

 up oftener than every other Year, 

 which fliould always be done foon 

 after their Leaves decay, other wife 

 they will fend forth frefli Fibres, 

 when it will be too late to remove 

 them ; nor fhould they be kept long 

 out of the Ground 5 a Week or 

 Fortnight is full enough j for when 

 they are kept longer, their Bulbs 

 are fubjett to fhrink, which caufcs 

 their Flowers to be weak the fol- 

 lowing Year. 



The Earth which thefe Flowers 

 thrive beft in, is, a light, ^ fandy 

 Lcam; and if it be taken from a 

 Failure Ground, with the Sward, 

 and laid in a Heap until the Grafs 

 as throughly rotted, it will be flill 

 better, for thefe Bulbs do not de- 

 ight in a rich, dunged Soil ; nor 

 fhould they be planted in a Situa- 

 tioa where th;y may be too much 



X 1 



cxpos'd to the Sun, for in fuch Pla- 

 ces their Flowers will continue but 

 a few Days in Beauty, and their 

 Roots are apt to decay ; but in an 

 Eafl Border, where they have the 

 Sun until Eleven of the Clock, they 

 will thrive and flower excreamly 

 well, efpecially if the Soil be nei- 

 ther too wet or over dry : From 

 the moft beautiful of thefe Flow- 

 ers, fliould be Seeds faved, and 

 fown every Year, which will al- 

 ways furnifh new Varieties, fbme 

 of which will greatly exceed the 

 original Kinds. 



The Verfian Iris is greatly ef^ 

 teem'd for the Beauty and extream 

 Sweetnefs of its Flowers, as alfb 

 for its early Appearance in the 

 Spring, it generally being in Per- 

 fedlion in February or the Begin- 

 ning of March, according to thff 

 Forwardnefs of the Seafon, at which 

 time there are few other Plants in 

 Beauty. 



This may be propagated by Seeds, 

 in the fame Manner as the other- 

 Sorts, but the Boxes in which they 

 are fbwn, fhould be put under a 

 Garden Frame in Winter, to fhelter 

 them from hard Frofls, becaufc 

 while the Plants are young they 

 are fomewhat tender : From the 

 Seeds of this Kind, I could never 

 obtain any Varieties, their Flowers 

 being always the fame. 



Thefe Plants are alfb propagated 

 by Off-fets in the fame Manner as 

 the other Sorts j but their Roots 

 fliould not be tranfplanted oftener 

 than every third Year, nor fliould 

 they be ever kept out of the Ground 

 long, bccauie their Roots will in- 

 tirely decay in a fliort time, fo as 

 not to be recovered again. This 

 Sort was formerly more common 

 in the Gardens near London than at 

 prefent, which I fuppofe has been 

 occalioned by the keeping the Roots 



above 



