350 DAHLIA. 



Dahlia. This is really avast acquisition to our 

 gardens : and having come amongst us from the 

 sunnier skies of South America, and suffered much 

 to accommodate itself to our climate, it seems to have 

 gained the affection which Highland hearts bore to 

 Prince Charles. For a length of time it blossomed 

 only in October or November a most unlucky 

 period for the flowering of a plant whose very leaves 

 cannot endure a breath of frost. At first many arts 

 were tried to bring its fine flourish to an earlier per- 

 fection: it was set in pots, and forced for a time; or 

 it was planted in gravel to lessen its luxuriance; or 

 the stronger shoots were amputated. But by suc- 

 cessive sowings from seed raised in this country, it 

 has learned to anticipate its disasters by flowering 

 in August ; and there are few garden ornaments 

 that present so much beauty for so long a period. 

 The root is as bulky as the largest crab with all its 

 claws, the stalks and blossoms occupy a yard square. 

 This is enough to suggest the rules of planting ; 

 but the plant is not the worse of being a little con- 

 fined say three feet by two in the rows. Select 

 specimens should be so arranged in the bed as to 

 give diversity and contrast of colour. Single plants 

 at intervals amongst shrubs have a fine effect, A 

 few having only single flowers are worthy of being 

 preserved; but the double may be found in almost 

 infinite variety, and possessed of the utmost beauty 

 of colour and form. Seed yields new varieties, and 

 the plant is also propagated by parting the roots, 

 taking care that each section have a portion of last 

 year's stem ; for it is around the foot of the stem 



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