TEE VERBEXA. 10? 



bedding. system, and the verbena suffered most of any, for 

 the sufficient reason that it cannot endure to be crowded 

 and starved. It requires generous culture, in a somewhat 

 pure air ; and being nearly hardy, debility of constitution 

 must result from crowding it in warm houses for months 

 together, to be followed by planting it in poor soil to brave 

 the summer heat with insufficient root hold. 



The verbena requires a rich loamy soil, a somewhat moist 

 position, and a free and pure air. The heat of the stove 

 is deadly to it ; and to be dry at the root for any length 

 of time — as must happen often when large numbers of 

 plants are wintered with the aid of but few attentions — 

 is certainly injurious, if not deadly. When employed for 

 bedding, the plants should be wintered in a cool, airy 

 house, with the aid of sufficient heat to keep out frost ; and 

 a new stock should be propagated from cuttings of the 

 tender-growing tops in the month of March. When care- 

 fully managed, these young plants have the vigour of seed- 

 lings, and when planted out at the end of May, in beds of 

 rich loamy soil, make a free growth and flower superbly. 

 It is not good at any time to pot rooted runners or to 

 divide old plants ; it is always best to make plants from 

 cuttings in the autumn, and from these to make a fresh stock 

 from cuttings in the spring. The verbena roots so readily, 

 and is of such kindly growth when treated fairly, that 

 there should be no difficulty in its management as one of 

 the best of plants for the summer flower garden. 



As a frame plant, to grow into specimen form, the 

 verbena is of great value. For this purpose, a beginning 

 should be made with autumn cuttings, and in the spring 

 these should be put into five-inch pots, and be shifted on 

 until they fill eight-inch pots, the growth being trained out 



