THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
91 
confessed, also, that a large proportion of the newest varieties 
have been recommended for bedding, and have been tried 
and found wanting, to the injury of the fair fame the verbena 
should enjoy, and the actual discouragement of those who 
are labouring to improve it. Having made these admissions, 
it remains to be said that, as a rule, failures with the verbena 
result from bad cultivation, and especially of the careless 
system of planting bedders in badly-prepared soil, without, 
in any case, any special preparation for any of them. 
It is only in a good deep holding loam that the verbena 
will grow in a satisfactory manner; but a light soil will suit 
the plant, provided a liberal dressing of manure is dug in 
during winter, and a fair average season follows, with alter¬ 
nations of showers and sunshine, for with the best prepara¬ 
tion, a failure may be expected in a peculiarly hot and dry 
season on light sandy soils. As we do not often experience 
the delights and trials of a tropical summer, those who 
appreciate this plant may reasonably reckon on success in 
cultivating it, even though they may have a lighter soil to deal 
with than the plant would prefer, provided they adopt a 
liberal system of cultivation. In the case of a hot soil, a 
mulch—that is, a surfacing of half-rotten manure put on at 
the time of planting—will do wonders, and as to its appear¬ 
ance, the plants will so soon spread over and hide it, that it 
is practically of no consequence. In a droughty summer, a 
few heavy soakings with soft water will also act beneficially ; 
but it is best to avoid watering if there is a prospect of rain 
before the plants begin to suffer, and, in any case, frequent 
surface dribblingsdo more harm than good. It is not a matter 
of great importance to plant verbenas in the full sun, but a 
heavily shaded position will not suit them. A free current of 
air, and a few hours of sunshine per diem they must have, 
but they cannot so well endure continuous roasting as gera¬ 
niums and petunias, which really rejoice in sunshine. A very 
common cause of failure is the practice of putting out plants 
that have been starving in small pots several months previous 
to the planting seasons. It is a grievous mistake to propa¬ 
gate the stock for bedding early in the season, although it is 
generally supposed that early propagation is necessary to 
secure strong healthy plants by planting-time. When struck 
early, and necessarily kept starving in pots for several months, 
the constitution becomes impaired so much that they are un- 
