THE COMMELINA. 91 
All the species of Commelina require a light, rich soil 
and a sunny situation, but they will bear a certain amount 
of shade. There are a few hardy species with blue flowers, 
the best of which are @. erecta, C. fasciculata, and C. 
Virginica; bat these are only known in botanic gardens, 
and the amateur will in most cases have to content himself 
with the charming blue-flowered plant which is the subject 
of the accompanying figure, and its two beautiful varieties. 
One of these (Commelina celestis clba) has white flowers, 
and the other (C. cwlestis variegata) has variegated leaves. 
The Virginian spiderwort (Zradescantia Virginie) is a 
capital border plant, for it will grow in almost any soul, 
and gives plenty of flowers all the summer through. We 
have had it thriving amazingly in a wet clay, the varie- 
ties being at least a dozen in number, and we have seen 
it scarcely less happy in old worn-out garden loam or sandy 
peat. The deep violet blue, which is considered the typical 
form, is extremely beautiful in the contrast of its golden 
anthers with the violet satin of its petals. The white 
variety also is extremely beautiful. Those who want more 
than these two will have no difficulty in obtaining the 
blue and white, the double blue, the single red, and the 
single blue. They have but to be planted and left alone, 
and they will do their duty. They are not out of place 
on a rockery, but are not good enough for a really choice 
rockery, for, though curious and beautiful, there is a weedy 
and common tone about them, and a rockery must be ex- 
tensive to admit such things. Propagation is best effected 
by division in spring, and those who are unaccustomed to 
propagate plants may be advised to avoid minute division, 
being content to divide a clump into two or three good- 
sized pieces rather than make of it as many as possible. 
