HES 
4. Hesperis (' Trifiis ) caule hifpido ramofo patente. Hort. 
Upfal. 187. Dame’s Violet with a prickly , branchings 
ftpreading Jialk. Hefperis montana, pallidia, odoratiffi- 
ma. C. B. R 202. Sweet eft pale Mountain Rocket. 
5. Hesperis {Sib erica) caule limplici, folis lanceolatis 
dentat^-ferratis, petalis obtufiffimis integris. Lin. Sp. 
927. Dame's Violet with a Jingle Jialk , ftpear-Jhap'ed. 
- jawed leaves , and blunt entire petals to the flower. 
6. Hesperis ( Exigua ) caule ramofiffimo diffufo, foliis 
lineari-lanceolatis dentatis, filiquis apice truncatis. 
Dame’s Violet with a very branching diffufted ftalks nar- 
rows ftpear-Jhapeds indented leaves , and the points of the 
pods fbaped like a truncheon. Hefperis exigua lutea, 
folio dentato angufto. Boerh. Ind. 146. Rocket with 
a very ftmall yellow flowers a nd a narrow indented leaf. 
7. Hesperis ( Dentata ) foliis dentato-pinnatifidis, caule 
laevi. Lin. Sp. Plant. 664. Dame's Violet withwing-pointed 
indented leaves , and a ftmooth Jialk. Hefperis flore albo 
minimo, filiqua longa, folio profunde dentato. Boerh. 
Ind. alt. 2. 20. Rocket with a ftmall white flowers a 
long pods and leaves deeply indented. 
8. Hesperis ( Aflricana ) caule ramofiffimo diffufo, fo 
liis petiolatis lanceolatis acute dentatis fcabris filiquis 
feffilibus, Lin. Sp. Plant. 928. Dame's Violet with very 
branching diffufted ft alks, Jpear-Jhapeds roughs Jawed leaves , 
and pods fitting clofte to the ftalks. Hefperis Africana, 
hieracii folio hirfuto, flore minimo purpurafcente. 
NilTol. A£t. African Rocket with a hairy Hawkweed 
leafs and a very ftmall purplijh flower. 
9. Hesperis {Verna) caule eredto ramofo, foliis corda- 
tis amplexicaulibus ferratis villofls. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
664. Dame's Violet with an eredl branching ftalks ar >d 
hairy , flawed , heart-Jhaped leaves embracing the Jialk. 
Turritis annua verna, purpurafcente flore. Tourn. 
Inft. 224. Annual vernal Dower Muftard y with a pur- 
plijh flower. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Italy •, this was for- 
merly in greater plenty in the Englith gardens than at 
prefent, having been longnegleded becaufe the flowers 
were -Angle, and made but little appearance ; how- 
ever, as the flowers have a very grateful fcent, fo the 
plant is worthy of a place in every good garden. This 
rifes with an upright ftalk a foot and a half high, gar- 
niflhed with fpear-lhaped leaves which fit clofe to 
the ftalk, and are flightly indented on their edges, 
ending in acute points : the flowers are produced in 
a loofe thyrfe on the top of the ftalks ; they are com- 
pofed of four petals, which are roundiffi and in- 
dented at their points, of a deep purple colour, and 
fmell very fweet, efpecially in the evening or in cloudy 
weather. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen 
the latter end of Auguft. It is a biennial plant, fo 
that young plants fhould be raifed every year, to fup- 
ply the place of thofe which decay : if the feeds are 
permitted to fcatter, the plants will come up without 
trouble in the fpring •, and if the feeds are fown, the 
beft feafon for it is in the autumn ; becaufe thofe which 
are fown in the fpring often fail if the feafon proves 
dry, or will remain a long time in the ground before 
they vegetate. This plant fhould have a loamy un- 
dunged foil, in which it will thrive better than in 
rich land. 
There is a variety of this with double flowers, in fome 
of the gardens in France ; but that which we have in 
England, is a variety of the third fort with unfavoury 
flowers. 
The fecond fort has been generally fuppofed only a 
variety of the firft, differing in the colour of the flower, 
but is certainly a diftind fpecies *, the leaves of this 
are not fo long, but much broader than thofe of the 
firft, and th$ir borders are entire ; the flowers are not 
quite fo large, nor do they form fo good fpikes *, 
they are white, and have not fo fine a fcent as the firft. 
This is alfo a biennial plant, requiring the fame treat- 
ment as the firft. 
The third fort grows naturally in Hungary and Auf- 
tria. This rifes with an upright ftalk near two feet 
high, garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves, ending in 
acute points, and fharply indented on their edges ; 
they are of a dark green, and fit clofe to the ftalks - 3 
4 
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the flowers grow in loofe fpikes on the top of the 
ftalks j in fome they are white, in others purple, and 
fometimes both colours ftriped in the fame flower 1 
thefe have no odour, fo are not deferving of a place 
in gardens, but may be propagated in the fame man- 
ner as the two former. 
From this fort, the double white and purple Rock- 
ets have been accidentally obtained, which are much 
efteemed for the beauty of their flowers ; and if they 
had the agreeable odour of the Garden Rocket, they 
would be fome of the beft furniture for the borders 
of the flower-garden, but they are without fcent , how- 
ever, for the beauty of their flowers, they are by fome 
greatly efteemed, therefore I fhall here infert the beft 
method of propagating them yet known. 
Thefe plants are naturally biennial, fo the plants with 
Angle flowers rarely furvive the fecond year •, nor will 
thofe with double flowers continue much longer ; fo 
that unlefs young plants are annually raifed to fupply 
the place of the old ones, there will loon be a want 
of them, which is what few perfons are careful enough 
to obferve ; but thinking the roots to be perennial, 
trufi to their putting out offsets, or the plants re- 
maining after they have flowered •, and finding them 
decay, are apt to think their foil very improper for 
them, and are at a lofs to account for their decaying ; 
whereas, when the plants have flowered, they have 
finiflied their period, and feldom continue to flower a 
fecond time from the fame root ; though in poor 
land, they will often put out a few weak offsets, 
which may flower again, but feldom fo ftrong as the 
principal roots ; therefore thofe who are defirous to 
propagate thefe plants, fhould do it in the following 
manner-: 
There fliould be fome ftrong roots of each fort kept 
apart for this purpofe, which are not intended to 
flower when thefe have fhot up their flower-ftalks 
about fix inches high, they fliould be cut clofe to 
the bottom ; each of thefe may be divided in the 
middle to make two cuttings, which fhould be planted 
in a foft, gentle, loamy foil, to an eaft expofure, where 
they may have only the morning fun ; and thefe may 
be planted pretty near together, fo as to be covered 
with hand or bell-glaffes, which fhould be put over 
them after the cuttings have been well watered, and 
clofely fhut down, drawing the earth round the rim 
of the glaffes to exclude the air *, then the glaffes 
fhould be fhaded with mats every day when the fun 
is hot ; and if the cuttings are gently refrefhed with 
water once in feven or eight days, it will be fuffi- 
cient, for too much moifture will caufe them to rot : 
when thefe are watered, the glaffes fhould be clofely 
fhut down again as before •, with this management the 
cuttings will put out roots in five or fix weeks, and 
will begin to fhoot above ; then the glaffes fhould be 
gently raifed on one fide to admit the air to them, 
and fo gradually harden them to the open air, to 
prevent their drawing up weak. When thefe have 
made good roots, they fhould be carefully removed, 
and planted in an eaft border at about eight or nine, 
inches afunder, obferving to fhade and water them till 
they have taken new root ; after which they will re- 
quire no other care, but to keep them clean from 
weeds till the autumn, when they may be tranfplanted 
into the borders of the pleafure-garden, where they 
are defigned to flower. 
The roots which are thus cut down, will fend up 
more ftalks than before •, and when thefe are of a pro- 
per height, they may be cut off and treated in the 
fame way ; fo that if the roots are found, there may be 
two or three crops of thefe cuttings taken from them, 
and by fo doing, the old roots may be continued much 
longer than if they are permitted to flower •, and by 
this management, there may be always a fupply of 
good plants for the flower-garden. 
Thefe plants are very fubjed to canker and rot when 
they are planted in a light rich foil, but in poor ftrong 
ground, I have feen them thrive and flower in the ut- 
moft perfection, where the Items of flowers have been 
as large, and the flowers as fair as the fineft double 
Stock- 
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