14 G 
AMEl-l ic ;an ageic ultu-hist. 
t M (V. 
and insert one or two cions (according to the size 
of the stock,) in the usual cleft manner, taking care 
to bring the inside bark in contact with that of 
the stock, as in grafting trees. The cion should 
have two or three eyes, the lower one being just 
at the junction of the bark of the*cion with that 
of the stock. Bind the stock well together with 
a string, as it is apt to spread open and let the 
cions fall out; then cover with wax. The string 
will rot and break before it does any harm to the 
growing vine. Draw the soil over the whole, 
leaving only one bud at the surface. This latter 
point is worthy of special attention : the whole 
question of success may hinge on this little thing. 
If the work is well done and a vital union effect¬ 
ed, the cions will grow many feet the first season. 
* -■*> «-'■ J3 O P " 11 » O ■ 
Freak of a Flower. 
A subscriber writes : “ Three years ago I pur¬ 
chased a Chrysanthemum. The first year after, 
it blossomed, and the flowers were very small 
and very pale blush ; the second year the same, 
and last Fall, the flowers were as large and fine as 
a German aster, of a pretty mottled rose color. 
The plant was in a large pot, and was not re-pot¬ 
ted nor the earth changed. Can you explain this ?” 
We can not fully It is known that the char¬ 
acter of the bloom is sometimes undetermined 
for two or three seasons ; the shades of color 
often deepen as the plant increases in strength. 
Plants also occasionally sport in this way. The 
rose sometimes comes out in a new dress of 
bloom, quite different from its wonted habit, and 
other flowers are subject to the same freaks. It 
is an interesting matter for investigation by veg¬ 
etable physiologists. A discovery of the cause 
might enable us to modify the color of flowers. 
• - O* —ataO- lgrw ■ 
For the American Agriculturist. 
What Flowers to Cultivate. 
First, we shall suppose our garden adjoins the 
house on the sunny side, and is overlooked by the 
windows of the sitting room. It is sheltered 
from the north and east winds; is open to the 
south, and its surface uniform. We have exchang¬ 
ed our poor surface soil for good loam, and have 
made it deep by sub-soil plowing and trenching. 
The plan has been carefully studied, and is adapt¬ 
ed to the surroundings—now what shall we put 
in it 1 
Much of its beauty will depend upon the edg¬ 
ings, for however graceful the arrangement, if 
the beds have ragged borders, the garden will be 
a continual eyesore. Dwarf box is a good ma¬ 
terial for the purpose, as it harmonizes with 
every thing around, subdues the glare of the grav¬ 
ely walks, can be arranged in any line, and is not 
injured by trimming. Edgings of grass are very 
common, [and the best if well attended to.— Ed.], 
but will cause a deal of trouble to keep in order. 
The beds, though generally raised towards the 
center, we shall make quite level, because then 
those plants which occupy the center, and which 
require more nourishment—from their larger 
growth—will obtain their proper share during 
propitious showers, and the delicate seed will not 
be washed “ down the hill.” In making a selec¬ 
tion of plants we shall have reference to securing 
a succession of bloom throughout the season. 
Probably, taken all in all, no one plant is more 
sought afier, and better adapted for bedding than 
the Verbena. Reveling in all the tints of brillian¬ 
cy which can be desired, it has sufficient hardi¬ 
ness, such a good, compact habit of growth, and 
many of them such a slfn defying rigidity of petal, 
that if the tribe were extinct tomorrow, we do 
not know which family of plants could fill the 
void. It will grow and bloom in almost any soil, 
and under almost any conditions, but, for rich 
and profuse blooming, should be planted about 
five feet apart, in soil somewhat sandy, which 
should be kept well open. The system of pegging 
down should be followed, and the decaying flow¬ 
ers pinched off. They will then soon cover the 
bed. For a collection of a dozen, we would se¬ 
lect : Robinson's Defiance, Brilliant dc Vaise , and 
Giant of the Battles, scarlets : Anna Cora Mow- 
all and Odoratissima, purples: Mrs. Thorburn, 
and Lady Palmerston, blues : Mr.s. llolford and 
Annie, whites: Uncle Tom, maroon: lmpcratrice 
Elizabeth , violet rose, white, striped, small, and 
delicate foliage, and Madam Lamonniere, lilac 
striped with white. To which might be added 
Le Gondolier, carmine; Lord Raglan, scarlet cher¬ 
ry ; Fanny Fern, brick red ; Queen of Summer, 
salmon blush ; Mrs. Mildmay, rosy pink. 
Tite Rose needs no ettlogium, it gives its own, in 
fragrance and beauty, and will ever be a favorite. 
For a dozen we should select, Giant of the Battles, 
crimson ; Souvenir Malmaison, blush ; Baronne 
Prevost, bright rose ; Caroline de Sansal, delicate 
flesh; Jules Margotlin, carmine purple; Madam 
Luffay, rosy crimson ; Hcrmosa, flesh ; Louis 
Odier, clear rose ; Aimee Vibert, white clustered ; 
Madam Rivers, flesh; La. Reine, lilac; William 
Griffith, rosy lilac. Tea roses are not adapted to 
bedding, as in this latitude they require to be 
housed in Winter. Comte de Paris, creamy white ; 
Safrano, fawn ; Isabella Gray, golden yellow; 
La Pactole, lemon yellow, are each worthy of a 
position in the flower border. 
For the best twelve Pelargoniums (Geraniums) 
we should take six Tom Thumbs, scarlet; one each 
of Aurora, cherry ; Lady Turner, finest white ; 
Brilliant, scarlet, silver-edged leaf; Consuelo, rosy 
pink, white eye ; Duchess of Kent, French white ; 
and —Tom Thumb again. 
Fuchsias— commonly called “Ladies Ear- 
drpp.”—Of this queenly flower, it puzzles us to 
limit our choice to twelve. Florence Nightingale, 
scarlet tube, white corolla ; Duchess of Lancaster, 
white reflexed sepals, violet corolla ; Queen Vic¬ 
toria, carmine sepals, white corolla; Venus de 
Medici, white tube, violet blue corolla ; Wonderful, 
scarlet re flexed sepals, violet corolla ; Prima 
Donna, white sepals, violet corolla; Macbeth; 
Mrs. Story ; Charlemagne; Trentham; Prince Al¬ 
bert ; Joan of Arc. 
Few hardy herbaceous plants exceed the 
Phloxes in brilliancy and variety. *Gcelhe, Alice, 
Allaire, Bella , Marie Lamacq, Eugenic, *Gracilis , 
*Venus Cambacercs, Lawrence,Sax,Henri Lavcrgnc. 
Those marked * are the Suffruticosa, or dwarf va¬ 
riety, growing 2 feet high, and should be planted 
on the outside ; the others are the Dccussa/a va¬ 
riety, with strong erect stems, attaining the bight 
of 3 to 4 feet. These plants fill up a void which 
occurs in August and September, are perfectly 
hardy, and will grow in almost any soil. 
We must not forget the beautiful class of plants 
called Veronica. Of easy culture, they flower 
all the Autumn, and within the precinct of Win¬ 
ter. The flowers, in erect spikes of white, blue 
and pink, are very attractive and pleasing. If 
better known they would be more appreciated. 
Plumbago capcnsis, with light blue flowers, good 
foliage, and blooms nearly all the season. Vinca 
or periwinkle, red and white, immense bloomer, 
rich glossy foliago. Cubiika, commonly called 
Ladies’ cigar,very interesting and immense bloom¬ 
er. Salvia, a family of great beauty ; S. patens, 
blue, and S. fulgens, scarlet, are very desirable. 
Bouvardia, a fine plant with graceful, tubular 
flowers in clusters. Lobelia, cardinulis fulgens 
and speciosa, the first having an erect stem two 
to three feet high, a mass of scarlet bloom, the 
latter bright blue flowers. The Petunias arc 
well known, and should be in every collection : 
they sport greatly when raised from seed sown 
the previous Fall. The Lantana has a pretty 
flower, rank foliage with a rough stem, hut is a 
great bloomer; the finer they grow, the more 
profuse they flower. They form small hushes 
with pink, yellow, and orange heads. The Pinks 
and Heliotropes are popular favorites, and will, 
all of them, he highly prized for their fragrance 
and beauty. Before dismissing our subject we 
must not forget our young friend, the exquisite 
Dielytra Spectabilis, unquestionably the finest 
of all hardy herbaceous plants. W. H. Wii.cox. 
Westchester Co., N. Y. 
Planning the Flower Garden. 
There are two leading systems, according to 
which ornamental gardens may he arranged. One 
is, planting the beds indiscriminately with various 
plants, so selected and distributed that they will 
regularly succeed each other in their time of 
flowering, and be of different colors, bight, and 
general habit. The other is, setting each bed 
with only one kind of plants, and having the 
colors so arranged that they will produce the 
most striking contrasts, and the most harmonious 
whole. The first method is employee) when the 
plants are a mixture of perennials, biennials, and 
annuals. The latter, when only annuals or “ bed¬ 
ding plants ” are used. 
The first may be less fashionable, but it gives 
the greatest enjoyment to all classes and ages, 
and is, on the whole, the most desirable. In such 
a mixed garden as this, an assortment of flower¬ 
ing shrubs and vines may well he introduced. 
The herbaceous perennials should be so selected, 
as to afford flowers in succession throughout the 
Summer, and that of a variety of colors. This can 
easily be done by a little observation on the part 
of the planter. To.do it, does not require a multi¬ 
tude and a great variety of plants; a few kinds well 
chosen and wisely distributed, will accomplish it. 
Let a plan be fixed upon before beginning. 
The colors of flowers may be conveniently rang¬ 
ed under the four general classes of red, white, 
blue, and yellow. Suppose now, we are to plant 
a border which is wide enough to contain four 
rows of plants. We would place the smallest 
near the walk in front, the next in Light behind 
these, and so on, setting the largest and tallest 
In the rear. The back of the border would na¬ 
turally be the place for shrubs, roses, honey¬ 
suckles. and other vines. We would set plants 
next each other which bloom at the same time. 
The arrangement of color should be a matter of 
considerable forethought. Having a list of his 
plants before him, the gardener should spend 
many evenings, if necessary, with paper and pen¬ 
cil, distributing his plants so as to produce the 
best effect of colors. Take these hints : Yellow 
harmonizes with blue; blue with white; red 
with white ; and then orange with purple ; crim¬ 
son with blue; scarlet with white; pink with 
white, and so on. Lady gardeners need no in¬ 
structions on this point: instinct teaches them. 
What has now been said, supposes that the 
plants are to he viewed from only one side. 
When the walks are on each side of the bed, ike 
taller plants must he set in the middle, and the 
smaller ranged around them. 
Beds that are to be devoted to annuals or bed¬ 
ding plants, may very well he set with early flow¬ 
ering bulbs, which will he out of the way before 
the other plants come on 
