AXE 



[43 ] 



AXE 



A. pa'tens ochroleu'ca (yellowish white). 1. 

 Cream. April. Siberia. 1752. 



pennsylra'nica (Pennsylvania!!) . 1. White. 



May. North America. 1756. 



prate' nsis (meadow). 4. Dark purple. May. 



Germany. 1731. 



pulsati'lla (common pulsatilla). $. Violet. 



May. England. 



a'lbida (whitish flowered). J. 



Whitish. April. Germany. 1834. 

 ru'bra (rcA-flowered). Redish pur- 



ple. May. Germany. 1834. 



Richard so' nia (Richardson's). $. Yellow. 



June. North America. 1827. 



rlvula'ris (river). l-. White. June. North 



India. 1840. 



siU'rica (Siberian). . White. June. Siberia. 



1804. 



Stella' ta (stax-Jbncered). White. . Italy. 



sulphu'rea (sulphur-coloured}. 5. Sulphur. 



May. Europe. 1816. 



sylve'stris (woodi-snowdrop). |. White. May. 



Germany. 1596. 



trifo'lia (three-leaved). |. White. April. 



France. 1597. 



ura'lensis (Ural). J. Blue. May. Siberia. 



1824. 



verna'lis (spring). J. White. April. Switzer- 



1752. 



land. 



fltfre-Mteo (yellow-flowered). 



Yellow. April. South of Europe. 



Virginia' na (Virginian). \. WTiite. May. 



North America. 1772. 



-- grandiflo'ra (large flowered). 2. 

 White. June. Gardens. Greenhouse. 



i-itifo'lia (vine-leaved). 3. White. Septem- 



ber. Nepaul. 1829. Half-hardy. 



The anemone, the florist's flower of our 

 gardens, is the offspring of the A. coro- 

 naria (poppy anemone), and A. hortensis. 

 Sprung from these there are annually 

 increased varieties. A variety lasts about 

 twelve years. 



Characteristics of a good single anemone. 



The stem strong, elastic, and erect, 

 not less than nine inches high. The 

 flower at least two inches and a half in 

 diameter, consisting of large, substantial, 

 well-rounded petals, at first horizontally 

 extended, and then turning a little up- 

 wards, so as to form a broad shallow cup. 

 The colour clear and distinct when diver- 

 sified in the same flower, or brilliant and 

 striking if it consists only of one colour, 

 as blue, crimson, or scarlet, &c. 



A double anemone should have the 

 outer petals quite flat, the second series 

 a little shorter, the third shorter still, 

 and so on till the centre is quite full, 

 when the whole should form a rather 

 flat hemisphere. Every double flower 

 should be of one full colour. 



Propagation. Offsets from the root, 

 and new varieties from seed. 



By offsets all the best kinds should be 

 taken up annually at the decay of the 

 leaf, and the root divided at the time of 

 taking up, to allow the wound to heal, 

 into as many pieces or knobs as are fur- 

 nished with an eye or bud, observing, 

 however, that if they are divided very 

 small, they flower very weak the first 

 year. 



The time for taking up the roots is 

 May and June, when the leaf and stalk 

 are withered, for then the roots cease to 

 grow for a month or six weeks. 



Take them up in dry weather, spread 

 in an airy place out of the sun for about 

 a week, then clear from earth, and store 

 in bags or boxes. 



The seed. Sow from the best single or 

 semi-double flowers. Double flowers 

 produce none. 



Sowing. Make the beds in a sheltered 

 part of your garden, facing the south ; re- 

 move the old soil from the beds to the depth 

 of sixteen or eighteen inches. If it is low 

 and swampy, with a wet clay bottom, 

 drain well, and do not dig so deep ; if 

 high and dry, or with a sandy or gravelly 

 subsoil, you may go a little deeper. 

 Then put in from four to six inches of un- 

 mixed cowdung, such as might be gather- 

 ed up where these animals feed. Upon 

 this layer of dung place as much good 

 fresh loam as will raise the beds to their 

 former level, or a little higher. Make 

 the surface very fine, and then sow. 

 Anemone seed requires to be well rubbed 

 with the hand, either amongst some 

 sharp sand or finely sifted coal-ashes, to 

 separate the seeds. When the seed is 

 sown, cover it immediately with some 

 sifted, light, sandy soil, half an inch. 

 It will soon come up, and should be fre- 

 quently watered in dry weather. Beds 

 so made will flower the same year ; mark 

 the best, and preserve them for planting 

 the next year. 



Time for planting is October, or early 

 in November, and the plants will come 

 into flower in April and beginning of 

 May ; but if some are planted in the 

 middle of September, and a second par- 

 cel towards the middle or latter end of 

 October, they will afford a succession of 

 bloom from the beginning of April until 



