268 FLOWER GARDEN. 



dry list of border flowers ; but to classify and charac- 

 terize them with anything like justice would require 

 many pages. Within the last few years great acces- 

 sions of desirable plants have been made to our stores. 

 The Lupines and Pentstemons from Columbia River, 

 the Verbenas and Calceolarias from South America, 

 and the Potentillas and Geraniums from Nepal, have 

 in a great measure changed the face of -our flower gar- 

 dens. While our riches have multiplied, the difiiculty, 

 as well as the necessity, of making a selection has also 

 increased. 



Most herbaceous perennial plants are propagated by 

 parting the roots, or by cuttings ; but some more con- 

 veniently by the sowing of seed. 



Biennial Plants. — Plants wl^ose existence is limited 

 to two years, in the latter of which they flower and then 

 decay, are called biennials. Many of them possess con- 

 siderable beauty ; and by their easy propagation, an<l 

 rapid growth, they aff*ord a ready means of decorating 

 borders. The following may be considered most, worthy 

 of notice; Agrostemma coronaria; Antirrhinum majus; 

 Hedysarura coronarium ; Lunaria biennis ; Campanula 

 media: (Enothera. sinuata, biennis ; Verbascum for- 

 mosumj Althsea grandiflora, Scabiosa atro-purpurea, 

 Mathiola simplicicaulis. Digitalis purpurea, var. mon- 

 strosa or campanulata. Erysimum .Perowfskianum. 

 (Enothera Drummondii ; Iberis Tenoriana ; Althoea 

 grandiflora; Linaria tristis ; Mathiola incana; Ch^i- 

 ranthus fruticulosus, with double flowers ; Lunaria bien- 

 nis, or moonwort, the large silvery ^ilicles of which are 

 more ornamental than its flowers ; -Frasera carolinen- 

 sis ; Ammobium alatum ; Anchusa italica ; Erytholsena 

 conspicua ; French Honeysuckle. When a very desir- 



