72 



THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



wards become extremely vigorous. The same* high autho- 

 rity recommends using double pots for these plants, and 

 filling up the interstices with river-sand, which should 

 always be kept moist. Perhaps T. tuberosum might be 

 made to flower earlier, if its tuber were laid on the 

 ground, instead of being buried in it. Certainly, the 

 new tubers which it forms are always at or near the 

 surface. There are two blue-flowered species of Tropae- 

 olum ; Wagner's Tropaeolum, T. Wagnerianum, from 

 Venezuela, with fibrous roots, triangular hastate leaves, 

 and fringed-edged petals ; and T. cceruleum, with tuber- 

 ous roots. The latter may be multiplied by grafting on 

 the tubers of more common species, — a delicate opera- 

 tion. The latter are not common, and can hardly be 

 regarded as out-door plants, as far as present experience 

 has ascertained. The introduction of these, and innu- 

 merable other varieties, is due to the Messrs. Yeitch, of 

 Exeter, to whom, and to their collectors, the Messrs. 

 Lobb, European horticulturists are immensely indebted. 

 To those gentlemen recourse may be had for specimens 

 and accurate details respecting these and similar floral 

 novelties. One more remarkable species is T. speciosiun, 

 from the island of Chiloe, which has large flowers of a 

 bright vermilion, shaded with yellow. All the Tropseo- 

 lums are climbing plants, whose habit is to hang in fes- 

 toons from whatever points of support they can attach 

 themselves to, and decorate with their garlands of hun- 

 dreds and sometimes thousands of flowers. 



HERBACEOUS ELOWERS. 



Plants are called Herbaceous when, although their 

 existence may endure for a term of years, the stems 

 which support their leaves and flowers, instead of mount- 

 ing permanently like those of shrubs and trees, die down 

 to the root, or to the tuft of leaves which crowns the 

 root, every winter, to send up fresh stems (if they are 

 not stemless, as is the case with many herbaceous plants) 

 the following spring. They are thus clearly distinguished 



