THE LUPINE. 



581) 



cut across nt a joint. At first the pots are to be 

 jiiit into artificial heat till the plants root, and 

 then to be placed in the open air, moving them 

 into larger pots as the plants advance in growth. 

 'I'hey should be watered with liquid manure, and 

 about the month of June the tops of the plants 

 should be nijjped off, in order to make them 

 grow bushy. 



Many of the varieties may be raised in the 

 open border in warm sheltered situations, tlie 

 best soil being two-thirds of turfy loam, and one 

 tliird of leaf mould. 



During winter the roots requii-e protection, 

 and they need to be renewed about every two 

 years; for as they increase much in size by 

 suckers from the roots, the plants, if left for a 

 long period, become unsightly, and produce 

 small and imperfect flowers. The early flower- 

 ing varieties are the hardiest and most suitable 

 for the open border. 



The iiiarygold (calendula officinalis.) Tliis 

 well known flower, belonging to the same natural 

 family as the foregoing, has been a denizen of 

 the garden border from the earliest times. 

 Tliough common, and hardy, and prolific as any 

 weed, its deep orange disk is by no means devoid 

 of beauty. Fonnerly it used to be employed in 

 broths and soups, partly to give these a colour, 

 and partly to give the peculiar flavour and warm 

 aromatic taste which belongs to the flower. It 

 had also many medicinal virtues assigned to it, 

 which modern opinions have not confirmed. 

 The flower of the marygold, according to Lin- 

 naeus, is open from nine in the morning till three 

 in the afternoon. There are double, lemon-col- 

 oured, and prolific varieties. A distilled water, 

 a kind of vinegar, and a conserve, are prepared 

 from the flowers. 



A number of species of this genus are indigen- 

 ous to the Cape of Good Hope ; some of wliich 

 are showy annuals. 



The Daisy (bellis perennis), is also a well 

 known flower. The garden varieties are double, 

 from the stamens being converted into petals of 

 tlie corolla. There is also a singular variety 

 called the Hen and CMcken's Daisy, where small 

 additional flowers grow out from the original 

 central one. The daisy continues many months 

 in flower, enamelling alike the meadow and the 

 garden border with its pleasing and familiar 

 face. 



There are other two species, the large Portu- 

 gal daisy, fb. sylvestris), and the annual. 



Asters. This genus, belonging to the natural 

 family compositce, contains a great number of 

 different species. All the flowers are star-like, 

 hence the name, and there is a peculiarity in the 

 style which distinguishes the genus. The col- 

 ours are various. From the lateness in the sea- 

 son at which they bloom, they liave obtained 

 the name of Christmas daisy. There aio sevcu 



species commonly cultivated in gardens which 

 Idoom in September, eleven which flower in 

 October, and three which continue from Novem- 

 ber till Christmas. They are very easily culti- 

 vated, and will grow in any kind of soil. The 

 greater number are natives of America, but some 

 of the species are found over most regions of the 

 globe. 



T/ie China Aster is a well known annual, 

 some recent varieties of which liave been intro- 

 duced from Germany, of large size, with quilled 

 and striped flowers. The seed should be sown 

 the first week of April, either in pots or seed 

 pans, and placed in a cold frame. When the 

 plants come up, and are of a proper size, they 

 may be transplanted to open beds and bor- 

 ders. 



The Lupine. The natural family leguminosce, 

 to which this genus belongs, aft^ords many beau- 

 tiful species of garden flowers. About twenty 

 species of the lupine have been cultivated for 

 this purpose, and afford beautiful border orna- 

 ments, with a variety of colours, blue, yellow, 

 rose-coloured, &c. They are all of very early 

 culture, being reared from seeds tlie same as the 

 common pease and beans. 



Stock Gilly Floweb (mathiola.) Natural 

 family cruciferce. This genus was named after 

 Matliiola, an Italian physician. There are seve- 

 ral species natives of Europe and of Barbary. Two 

 species, the common gilly flower fincanaj, and 

 sinitata, are indigenous to Britain. They have 

 been long favourite oi-naments of the flower gar- 

 den, the double species being esteemed for the 

 beauty and deep tints of the flower, and for its 

 delightful odour. Of the common or ten weeks' 

 stock, and the smooth-leaved, (glabra) there 

 are not less than one hundred varieties, gener- 

 ally called German stocks. The simple or Bromp- 

 ton stock ( simplicicaulis) is a biennial, of which 

 there are also several varieties. The ten week 

 stock, in order that it may flower the same year, 

 should be raised in a hot-bed, and transplanted 

 as early in the spring as the state of the weather 

 will permit. The Brompton, on the other hand, 

 should not be encouraged to flower till the second 

 season, and on this account may be sown in the 

 open air in April or May, and transplanted in 

 July to the situation where it is intended to 

 remain. It is of importance that all the species 

 ot this genus should be transplanted when they 

 are very young, because, having fusiform roots, 

 and fine side fibres, they seldom recover from 

 the check which they receive from being trans- 

 planted, after they are two or three months old. 

 The chance of double plants is often very pre- 

 carious. It is said tliat those seed plants which 

 have more than the usual number of petals, that 

 is,six or seven instead of four, generally produce 

 doul)le flowers when the seed is again sown. It 

 would be yvell, therefore, for the florist to maik 



