PHLOX DRUMMONDII, Nat. Orel. Polemoniacece . 
No annual excels the Phlox for a brilliant and constant display. Indeed, if confined to one 
plant for the decoration of the lawn or border, the Phlox Druminondii would be my choice over 
any annual or perennial with which I am acquainted. It seems to have every desirable quality 
for this purpose. The colors range from the purest white to the deepest crimson, including purple, 
and yellow, and striped, the clear eye of the Phlox being peculiarly marked. Seed may be sown 
in the open ground in May, or in a cold-frame or hot-bed earlier m the season; and in either case, 
from June, during the whole summer and autumn, they make a most brilliant bed of showy yet 
delicate flowers. A good bed 
of Phlox is a sight that daz- 
zles the eye with its brilliancy. 
The Phlox, in a good, rich 
soil, will grow more than 
eighteen inches in height, but 
as there is not sufficient 
M strength in the main stem, it 
will not stand entirely erect. 
A foot apart is about near 
enough to set the plants, un- 
less the soil is very poor. If 
too thick, they suffer from mil- 
dew. The Phlox makes a very 
good border or low summer hedge. The finest 
effect, however, is produced by planting each color 
in a separate bed or in ribbon fashion, its constant 
bloom making it very desirable for these purposes. Indeed, we know of no annual or perennial 
that will give a more brilliant and constant mass of color. The Phlox is a native of America. 
It was first discovered in Texas, in 1835, by Drummond, a collector sent out by the Glasgow 
Botanical Society. It was the last new plant he sent home, as he soon after died in Cuba. 
The buds, just before opening, look like a flame, and hence the name. 
Phlox, or Flame. I grow from five to ten acres of Phlox every year, 
devoting much time and means to its improvement, and have no hesi- 
tation in saying my strain of Phlox Drummondii is the best the world 
produces. Indeed, I have already introduced several new varieties, 
showing much improvement either in form or coloring, and have seve- 
ral more on trial, among them one with a pretty fringed edge; another, 
very large, of unusual substance, and perfect, rounded form ; and if I 
should, in a year or two, introduce a good, double, annual Phlox, I would be more pleased than 
surprised. There is no difficulty in starting new and improved varieties. The difficulty is in 
getting their character so well established that the seed will be reliable, that is pretty sure to pro- 
duce a good portion of flowers like the one from which the seed was saved. 
POPPY, (Papaver,) Nat. Ord. Papaveracece. 
The Poppies are not only well known to every cultivator of flowers, but to almost every one, 
and yet few know a real good Poppy. There are some very fine perennials, which we shall 
mention when describing plants that do not flower 
the first season from the seed. The good annual 
varieties are numerous, ranging in size from the 
little Ranunculus-flowered, an inch in diameter, to 
the Pseony-flowered, four or five inches across. 
They also present an almost endless variety of 
colors and markings. The true Opium Poppy, the 
variety used for growing Opium, is a large, white, 
single flower. The Poppy has a strong tap-root, 
and is, therefore, difficult to transplant, and it is 
better to sow the seed early in the spring where the plants are to flower. The Poppies are all 
perfectly hardy. 
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