270 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 
simple plant sprang from the plains that echoed the 
“ cry” of the captive children of Israel, which “ came 
up unto God by reason of the bondagethose very 
plains that witnessed so many miracles, such awful 
| judgments, and such protecting love: where, in a 
more glorious day, the Saviour's infancy was passed, 
and from whence at length “ God called His Son.’’ 
How endless and how blessed is the tale this little 
annual tells! Surely it should bloom in every garden 
to remind us all, as we enjoy its perfume, that to this 
day “ the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot 
save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear 
that the “ covenant” and the promise are “ to us and 
to our children;” and that “happy is that people 
who have the Lord for their God.” In these days of 
national judgment, when the destroying angel is 
f passing over our land, let us remember Egypt; let 
us use the means God has appointed; let us strike 
“ the blood of the lamb on the lintel and door¬ 
posts” of our hearts, and in faith and prayer await 
the dawn of our deliverance. This interesting plant 
has been seen in a wild state in Barbary also, but 
it is supposed to have been deposited there accident¬ 
ally, or blown by the winds from the gay gardens of 
the Moorish palaces. It was first brought into Eng¬ 
land in the year 1752, and soon became a general 
favourite. Although of such comparatively recent 
introduction, we seem to consider it quite a native 
plant, and, wherever the traveller may chance to find 
it, it will ever cause his heart to spring back to his 
island home. By the ancients this plant was termed 
“reseda,” from reseclo, to allay; because they applied 
it to wounds to suppress irritation. Possibly it might 
still be employed with good effect even in these more 
scientific times, for the “ simples” of earlier days were 
remarkable for their healing powers. The Erench 
appropriately call it “larese da d’Egypt.” Let the 
cottage gardener cultivate with double interest the 
flower of that scriptural land. 
The convolvulus major comes to us from America, 
where it twines itself round the lofty trees in richness 
and beauty. How an American must smile when he 
sees the luxuriant climber of his own vast woods 
twisting itself in our gardens round a stick! Yet 
even in this imperfect state it is a lovely and grace¬ 
ful plant, and its elegantly formed flowers of purple, 
pink, and white, look beautiful among the rich clus¬ 
tering leaves. The little wild creeping convolvulus, 
and the large white variety that decks the hedge, are 
both lovely in form and tint; the former nestles 
among the grass, spreads itself by the road-side, 
decorates the banks, and twines round the bean and 
wheat stalks. Its numerous pink flowers look bright 
in the sunshine, but they very soon close their 
beautifully-folding petals, like miniature umbrellas, 
till the sun’s full radiance again permits them to 
expand. The white climbing convolvulus is, I be¬ 
lieve, correctly called the “ bind-weedit infests 
the garden sometimes, and is very troublesome in 
mine, and difficult to destroy; it runs rapidly with 
many wiry stalks up rose trees and other shrubs, 
smothering the flowers, and destroying much of their 
effect; and then it is so closely wound round the 
stems that without much care both leaves and buds 
will be torn off' before it can be removed from them. 
Where it may safely grow, it is an addition to the 
garden, but not when springing up among the border 
plants. Our common sweet pea, too, is the native 
of a distant land, and a far sunnier clime than ours. 
The pink and white variety is found in Sicily, but 
the rich purple pea grows wild among the beautiful 
woods of the island of Ceylon, mingling its delightful 
odour with the aromatic fragrance of that teeming 
soil: it tells us of a land full of richness and beauty, 
whose perfumed gales reach the approaching ship 
before the sailor’s eye can see its shores; it tells 
us of unclouded sunshine, yet heathen darkness,—of 
abounding treasures, yet no “ true riches,”—and it 
speaks “ a word in season” to those who do not openly 
bow down to wood and stone. Even in a Christian 
land, a land of pure gospel truth, we may be idola- 
tors. Let a sweet simple flower, brought from a hea¬ 
then soil, remind us of a deeply important scriptural 
command, “ Beware of covetousness, which is idolatry.’* 
SCRAPS. 
Beautiful British Plants. —Lychnis viscaria 
(Rock Lychnis).—A rare and beautiful perennial, 
herbaceous plant, with bright rose coloured flowers 
in June and July; thriving equally well on rock- 
work or the flower border. 
Lychnis alpina (Red Alpine Campion).—A very 
interesting little Alpine plant, growing on the highest 
of the Scottish mountains; best grown in pots, where 
it requires little attention. Our plants seed very 
freely, which we find the best method of increasing 
it. Propagate by division of the roots. The plants 
are never of long existence. 
Lychnis jlos cuculi (Ragged Robin).—Of this beau¬ 
tiful denizen of our marshy meadows, there is a dou¬ 
ble white variety in cultivation, worthy a place in 
every choice collection. 
Lychnis diurna (Red Campion).—We mention this 
common plant of our hedge-rows merely to bring 
into notice the double variety, which is a most beau¬ 
tiful and showy plant for the flower border. 
Arenaria verna (Spring Sand Wort).—A very use¬ 
ful rock plant, with small narrow leaves, and rather 
large white flowers, found sparingly in the higher 
parts of the counties of York and Durham ; we have 
met with it near Widdy Bank House, Upper Tees- 
dale; it is also said to be found by the side of the 
Wear, below Stanhope. 
Malva moschata (Musk Mallow).—A very showy 
plant, with deeply cut leaves, and large rose-coloured 
flowers, found occasionally on dry gravelly banks. 
We have a white variety in cultivation, which blooms 
more profusely than the parent species, and comes 
true to its kind from seed. 
Hypericum calycinum (Rose of Sharon).—This 
plant, though only naturalised in the British Isles, 
is well deserving of cultivation; it is an excellent 
plant for the edges of the shrubbery in shady places, 
with its large solitary yellow flowers. 
Hypericum androscemum (Tutsan).—A very fine 
shrub, growing from two to three feet high, with 
large terminal cymes of yellow flowers in July. We 
have met with it occasionally in woods in the West 
of Yorkshire. 
Hypericum perforatum (Common St. John’s Wort). 
—A very fine plant, found plentifully in woods and 
hedges in a gravelly soil; the leaves are covered with 
pellucid dots, which are beautiful objects for the mi¬ 
croscope. 
Hypericum montanum (Mountain St. John’s Wort). 
—Another of those interesting St. John’s Worts, 
which will well repay the attention of the cultivator. 
It is rather a local plant; we have found it plen¬ 
tifully in Mackershaw Woods, near Ripon; Castle 
Eden Dene is also a station where it is found. 
Hypericum pulchrum (Small Upright St. John’s 
