818 



OPEN FLOWER-GARDEN. 



Hibiscus africanus, 18 inches, pale yellow. Iberis 

 (candy-tuft) coronaria, 12 inches, white ; um- 

 bellata, 12 inches, lilac; var. sanguinea, 

 dark red. Isotoma axillaris, 9 inches, blue. 

 Kaulfussia amelloides, 6 inches, blue. Lasthe- 

 nia californica, 6 inches, yellow. Leptosiphon 

 densiflorus, 12 inches, lilac ; androsaceus, 9 

 inches, rose lilac. Linaria spartea, 12 inches, 

 golden yellow ; tristis, 12 inches, brown. Lo- 

 belia crinoides, 6 inches, blue; heterophylla, 15 

 inches, blue ; ramosa, 12 inches, blue. Lotus 

 Jacobasus, 12 inches, black. Lupinus bicolor, 6 

 inches, deep blue ; pilosus,24 inches, dark blue ; 

 nanus, 6 inches, blue and white. Malcomia 

 maritiuia (Virginian stock), 9 inches, red ; no. 

 albo, white. Mathiola (stocks), 12 to 18 inches, 

 colours various, but can be had distinct. Mes- 

 embryantkemum tricolor, 8 inches, red ; pome- 

 ridianum, yellow. Nemophila insignis, 9 inches, 

 pale blue ; maculata, 9 inches, white and 

 purple. Oxalis rosea, 9 inches, rose-coloured. 

 Oxyura chi-ysantheinoides, 12 inches, yellow 

 and white. Phlox Drummondi, 24 inches, vari- 

 ous colours. Platystemon californicum, 9 inches, 

 pale yellow. Podolepis gracilis, 18 inches, 

 pinkish lilac. Portulaca Thellusonii, 6 inches, 

 orange crimson ; grandiflora, 6 inches, crimson ; 

 aurea, 6 inches, bright yellow ; Gillesi, 9 inches, 

 purplish crimson. Reseda odorata (mignonette). 

 Rhodanthe Manglesi, 12 inches, bright rose. 

 Sauvitalia procumbens, 6 inches, yellow. Sapo- 

 naria calabrica, 9 inches, carmine ; ocymoides, 

 9 inches, red. Schizanthus diffusus, 18 inches, 

 purple and white ; venustus, 24 inches, lilac, 

 purple, and yellow ; pinnatus, 24 inches, 

 purple and yellow. Schizopetalon Walkeri, 12 

 inches, white. Sedum azureum, 6 inches, pale 

 blue. Senecio elegans, 24 inches — the double 

 varieties are of various colours, from dark red to 

 white. Shortea californica, 6 inches, yellow. 

 Yiscaria oculata, 12 inches, bright rose. 



Biennials are useful in the parterre garden 

 when a judicious selection of sorts is made, and 

 this selection should be so far guided by deci- 

 sion of colour, compact and elegant habits, and 

 plants producing a profusion of bloom, and that 

 lasting for as long a period as possible. Their 

 cultivation should be carried on in the reserve- 

 garden, where they are first to be reared from 

 seed ; or, in cases of fine varieties, propagated 

 by cuttings, grown moderately thin, and fre- 

 quently transplanted, so that they may be re- 

 moved with the greater facility and safety to the 

 parterre when it requires making up. Some of 

 those most difficult to transplant should be 

 grown in pots, which may either be plunged in 

 the parterre, or, better, in most cases carefully 

 turned out, as after their flowering most of 

 them are not worth retaining. Biennials are 

 plants of two years' duration, the seed being 

 sown the first year, and the flowering, seed- 

 bearing, and death occurring the next. Many 

 of them, however, may be continued for a 

 longer period if prevented from seeding. Many 

 of these ripen their seed in August or Septem- 

 ber — those should be sown immediately ; and 

 such as do not ripen till a later period may be 

 kept even till April or May following. Double 

 varieties of biennials can only be continued by 



cuttings. As with annuals, our seed-lists are 

 filled with very trashy things ; few out of the 

 many to be had in seed-shops are worth the 

 attention of the tasteful flower-gardener. Th 

 following are the best adapted for the pur- 

 pose : — 



SELECT LIST OF BIENNIALS. 



Ammobium alatum, 24 inches, white and 

 yellow. Catananche ccerulea, 24 inches, blue ; 

 Cheiranthus cheiri (wallflower), 24 inches, in 

 various colours. Dianthus barbatus (sweet-wil- 

 liam), 18 inches, in various colours. Hedysarum 

 coronarium, 24 inches, scarlet. Mathiola incana 

 (Brompton stock), 24 inches, in various colours. 

 Oenothera taraxifolia, 9 inches, pinkish white ; 

 microcarpa, 6 inches, yellow. Seline com- 

 pacta, 18 inches, pink ; ornata, 24 inches, car- 

 mine ; biennis, 24 inches, yellow. 



Bedding-out plants. — Within the last twenty 

 years a new and better taste has arisen in the 

 planting of parterres. Formerly our subjects, 

 although numerous, were for the most part 

 ill adapted for the purpose of producing those 

 striking effects we now see in all gardens where 

 taste and discrimination are properly exercised. 

 The introduction of Verbena melindres in 1827; 

 of Calceolaria rugosa, corymbosa, &c, in 1822 ; 

 of Nemophila insignis in 1833, and various 

 other Californian annuals about the same period, 

 tended greatly to encourage this taste, which, as 

 it extended, called into request plants before 

 that time regaxded solely as inmates of our 

 greenhouses and conservatories, as exemplified 

 in the case of the procurable species of Lobelia, 

 Heliotrope, scarlet geranium, &c, which now 

 form one of the principal features of our best 

 gardens. All of these, however, are too tender 

 to withstand our winters in the open air ; and 

 consequently from the beginning of November 

 to the beginning of June our parterres are 

 stripped of their interest, excepting in so far as 

 their forms, when judiciously arranged, display 

 the taste of the landscape-gardener, and the 

 recognition of art in connection with the build- 

 ings, &c. around them. So far the grouping 

 system and the employment of such plants in 

 the production of effect are all that can be de- 

 sired in gardens where the owners, which is 

 very often the case, do not reside at their 

 country residences before the month of July, 

 when the country season may be said to begin. 

 The parterres during winter, however, may 

 be clothed so as to afford a satisfactory display, 

 although much less brilliant, by removing from 

 the reserve - garden such plants in pots, and 

 many may be removed even without such a 

 precaution— as Laurustinus, which flowers from 

 November till January ; Rhododendron atro- 

 virens in February, March, and April ; R. dau- 

 ricum at the same time ; the varieties of Andro- 

 meda calyculata from February to April ; Arbutus 

 unedo and its varieties from October to De- 

 cember ; Gaultheria procumbens, whose beauti- 

 ful coral-like berries continue during most of the 

 winter, as well as many of the Cotoneasters ; 

 Saxifraga oppositifolia in March and April ; 

 Erica arboreaand its varieties, E. mediterranea, 

 most of the varieties of E. vulgaris, in February, 



