82 THE FAEM. 



polyanthus, and there are therefore no florists' primroses. The border 

 or garden varieties, however, which are mostly double, are very showy ; 

 among these the double flesh-colored, double white, double brimstone, 

 double red, double copper, double dark purple and double violet, de- 

 serve a place in every garden. The single white and the single red, 

 both of which are found wild, are also much admired, and are valuable 

 as coming into bloom in March. 



Petunia, — Solanacem. — Perhaps no plants have made a greater revo- 

 lution in floriculture than the Petunias. Only a few years ago they 

 were comparatively unknown, and now there is not a garden, or even 

 a window, that can boast of flowers at all, without one. They may be 

 sown in the open ground as soon as the seed is ripe, or early in spring, 

 or suffered to sow .themselves ; care being taken in all cases in the open 

 air to choose a sheltered situation, and to lay a few dead leaves over 

 the bed if the weather should be severe. 



Raniincillus, — ^It is a flower of the nature of the anemone, which see. 

 It is propagated and cultivated in the same manner. These two flowers 

 are usually planted out in beds, and make a very fine show. 



Rhododendron. — It never occurred, perhaps, to any American to give 

 this fine name to the laurel with a long narrow leaf and great bunches 

 of blue, pink or white flowers, the balls or'pods containing which ap- 

 pear the year before the flower. It is however a beautiful shrub. 



The Double Ragged-Robin. — L. floscucuU (cuckoo-flower,) is of grace- 

 ful habit, with delicate pink flowers, grows in any moist loam, and in- 

 creases freely at the root. L. chalcedonica, when single, offers the 

 form of a Maltese cross, in white, pink, scarlet, and saffron-yellow. 

 The double scarlet variety is a brilliant flower, thriving best in light 

 rich loam. There are double garden varieties of Jj. viscaria, dioica, and 

 sylvestris. L. alpina makes a pretty decoration to the rock-work, with 

 the help of a few handfuls of fresh heath-mould. 



The Rose. — Of all the flowers none are more beautiful than roses ; and 

 none better reward the care of the cultivator. Eoses are natives of 

 Europe, Asia, Africa and America, but none have yet been found in 

 Australia. The number of roses is almost incredible, above a hundred 

 distinct species have been described, and there are above two thousand 

 named varieties to be procured in the nurseries. The best known and 

 most common kind of rose is the cabbage or Provence rose {rosa centi- 

 folia.) This species is a native of Eastern Caucasus, whence it was 

 brought at a very early period. There are more than a hundred varie- 

 ties of it ; all very beautiful and very fragrant. The moss roses are all 

 varieties of the cabbage. All the cabbage roses may be grafted stand- 

 ard high on briers of the common dog rose ; and they all require a 

 richly manured soil, and an open situation. The French or Provins 

 rose (rosa gallica) is a compact erect-growing plant with large open flat 

 flowers borne on stiff erect flower-stalks ; thus forming as strong a con- 

 trast as possible to the cabbage rose. 



Damask Roses — R. damascena — are of rough, twiggy, thorny habit, 

 with light-green, somewhat downy leaves, and hardy constitution. A 

 good example is the true York and Lancaster, a double flattish, striped 

 rose, which occasionally produces blooms wholly white on one half of 



