324 Anemone. 



The Garden Anemonies that embellish and enliven our par- 

 terres at the earliest dawn of spring, are obtained in a few 

 cases from Europe, but mostly are cultivated indigenous flowers. 

 The Anemones are generally divided into two distinct fami- 

 lies by the florists, under the names of Coronahia and Hor- 

 tensis. The latter expands its petals in tho form of a star, 

 and hence, is called the Star Anemone. Its colors run through 

 all the shades of crimson, scarlet, purple, blue, or yellow, down 

 to pure white, with all the intermediate tints, and frequently 

 the petals are beautifully striped or exquisitely shaded, from 

 the fullest of each color to the softest stain of each dye. 

 These flowers arc equally admired in the single state, semi- 

 double, or when all the filaments are converted into petals. It 

 grows naturally in Switzerland, Provence, Italy, and Germany, 

 as well as in the vicinity of Constantinople, from which last 

 place they were brought to England, and from thence intro- 

 duced to America. Mr. Hobhouse informs us, that he found 

 these plants blooming in wild profusion under the hedges and 

 beside the paths between Smyrna and Bournabat. 



The Coronaria or Poppy Anemonies were first obtained 

 from the Levant, and their cultivation at a very early date 

 carried on to a great extent in Holland and France. Mr. Ray 

 enumerates near three hundred varieties of Anemonies, and 

 our modern seedsmen offer us nearly two hundred varieties of 

 the Poppy Anemone, through the varying hues of the last kind, 

 and still more diversified in the shades of their double petals ; 

 we shall therefore desist from description, and say with Miss 

 Milford — 



'Twere hard to sing thy varying charm. 



To flower these plants in the greatest perfection, a suitable 

 compost must be prepared of good loam and rotted product of 

 the cow-yard, adding more or less of the latter according to 

 the lightness or richness of the loam. This should be well 

 mixed, and if prepared a year before, and frequently turned 

 over, so much the better. Where the Anemonies are to be 

 planted, let holes be dug of the size the clumps are to be 

 formed, of about eighteen inches deep, and filled about six 

 inches, as would the bottom of melon and cucumber beds. 



