Plate 188 . 
HYBRID PINKS, 
There are many herbaceous plants which, although not per¬ 
haps so brilliant in colour as many of the more fashionable bed- 
ding-plants, are yet exceedingly useful in the flower-garden, 
and are, we believe, gradually winning back their way to public 
favour. Amongst these we think we may class the hybrid or 
mule Pink, as it is sometimes called, some new and desirable 
varieties of which form the subject of the present Plate. 
The habit of the plant is dwarf, the height to which the 
flower-stems rise being about sixteen inches ; and so very free 
are some varieties in flowering, that in order to increase them 
it will be necessary either not to allow them to flower so con¬ 
tinuously as they do, or even in some cases to cut out the flower- 
stems altogether, so as to induce them to throw out late 
summer shoots; but we believe this is not needed in these later 
varieties, where the greater vigour of the plant ensures the 
formation both of “ grass,” as it is technically called, and also 
of flower-stems. These latter they produce in succession for 
several months in the year; and as the flowers are not so easily 
inj ured as many of the more tender varieties of bedding-plants, 
in a climate like ours this is a matter of great consequence, 
as we all know how very soon after a heavy fall of rain the 
appearance of the most brilliant beds is destroyed, from the 
delicate character of their blooms; but with these more sub¬ 
stantial flowers such is not the case, and after a few hours they 
appear in their previous brilliancy. Another advantage of 
these plants is, that they afford portable and easily-cultivated 
plants for the greenhouse or conservatory during the winter 
months, blooming freely from December to March ; and their cut 
blooms, mingled with those of the Tree Carnation, another most 
