THE ANEMONE. 281 



They should be so close that the foliage shall cover the 

 surface of the bed, for in this way a salutary degree of 

 shade and moisture is preserved. The autumn-planted 

 roots must be sheltered from frost by old tan or hooped 

 mattings. When in flower, the plants are covered Avith 

 an awning. When the leaves wither, the roots are 

 taken up, dried, and stored. 



Scarcely any florists' flower is more readily propa- 

 gated from seed, or sooner repays the care of the culti- 

 vator. The seed is obtained sparingly from semidouble 

 sorts, which are often - of themselves very beautiful 

 flowers. It is generally sown in boxes in autumn or 

 spring; but it may also be sown with success in the 

 open ground. The young plants flower, often in the 

 second, and always in the third, year. 



The Anemone of the flower garden includes two spe- 

 cies. Anemone coronaria, a native of the Levant, and 

 A. hortensis, a native of Italy. These have long shared 

 the attention of the florist, and in his arrangements 

 have generally been associated wjth the ranunculus, re- 

 sembling it in its natural affinities and mode of culture. 

 The single and semidouble flowers are considered 

 nearly as fine as the double ones. The sorts are nume- 

 rous, but at present are seldom distinguished by names. 

 In a fine double anemone, the stem should be strong, 

 erect, and not less than nine inches high. The flower 

 should be at least two and a half inches in diameter, 

 consisting; of an exterior row of lar^e well-rounded 

 petals, in the form of a broad shallow cup, the interior 

 part of wdiich should contain a number of small petals, 

 mixed with stamens, imbricating each other. The 

 colors should be clear and distinct when diversified in 

 the same flower, or striking and brilliant when there 



