130 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS. 



shire and Berkshire than in any other parts of the country. 

 This produces white flowers, which are followed by two 

 lobed seed-pods, which have been valued for their real 

 or supposed curative effects in heart disease and asthma. 

 Whether the plant" is, strictly speaking, a native, is at least 

 doubtful, but we will not dwell on a point so abstruse. 



The candytufts may be divided into two classes, the 

 annual and the perennial. They are amongst the cheapest, 

 the most gay, and the most easily managed of our garden 

 flowers. The annual kinds may be sown in autumn to 

 bloom in the month of May, or they may be sown in spring 

 to bloom in June and July. In the seedsmen's catalogues 

 will be found a beautiful series of varieties, the whole of 

 which may be grown to advantage in any garden where 

 there is room for an assortment of gay flowers. The most 

 distinct of these are the umbelled candytuft (Iieris um- 

 bellata), of which there are varieties with white, purple, 

 crimson, and rose-coloured flowers ; the fragrant candy- 

 tuft (/. odorata), which has white flowers agreeably scented ; 

 the pinnate-leaved (I. pinnata), with flowers whitish in 

 heads which lengthen as the flowers expand ; the rocket 

 candytuft (I. coronaria), a fine white flowering kind, allied 

 to I. umlellata. When sown in spring these require a rich 

 moist soil and a sunny situation ; when sown in autumn 

 a dry soil is to be preferred, because of the risk of loss 

 during the winter. They are, however, quite hardy, and 

 as regards conditions by no means exacting. One thing 

 must be mentioned — they do not transplant well; there- 

 fore it is best to sow them where they are to flower, and 

 thin out as soon as possible, so as to isolate every plant, 

 for wherever they are crowded they will be weak in growth, 

 and produce but few and poor heads of flowers. 



