By Henry T. Williams. 
Vol. III. 
NEW YOEK, APRIL, 1874. 
No. 28. 
Price 12 Cents. 
SEEDLING VERBENAS. 
There is no pursuit in which a person can engage 
that yields a greater percentage of real, unalloyed 
pleasure than the culture of flowers. Their compan¬ 
ionship naturally leads one to a greater love for Deity. 
Who so insensible as to overlook the Giver in the 
beautiful and varied gifts of the floral kingdom? 
Jerroldsays: “A garden is a beautiful book, written 
by the finger of God; every leaf a letter. You have 
only to learn them—and his is a simple mind that can¬ 
not, if he will, do that—and join them, and then go 
on reading and reading, 
and you will find yourself 
carried away from the earth 
to the skies by the beauti¬ 
ful story you are going 
through. You do not know 
what beautiful thoughts 
grow out of the ground 
and seem to talk to a man. 
And then there are some 
flowers, they always seem 
to be like o’er dutiful chil¬ 
dren; tend them ever so 
little, and they come up 
and flourish, and show, as 
I may say, their bright and 
happy faces to you.” 
As I write this, a bed of 
bright-eyed Verbenas rear 
their cheerful faces up to 
my window, flinging in 
with the morning breeze 
their grateful incense for 
the little care bestowed 
upon them. There is no 
plant which repays one so 
bountifully for a little cul- ' An 
ture as does the Verbena. One to realize to the full¬ 
est extent pleasure, surprise, and perfect satisfaction, 
must raise a bed of seedlings. From cuttings we 
know exactly what colors and shades we shall have; 
but from seedlings there is a constant feeling of min¬ 
gled surprise and pleasure, as each morning new and 
varied hues open upon our vision. Last season, having 
purchased from a florist three small plants, a white, a 
dark purple, and a scarlet one, I placed them, the 
white between the two colors, in a bed made deep and 
rich with borrowings from an old Asparagus bed; with 
attention to watering, spreading out, and pinning 
down branches, they flourished wonderfully, covering 
a large space, where they bloomed in the greatest pro¬ 
fusion, with slight protection from frost, until a hard 
freeze in November, eliciting the admiration of all. 
The seed were allowed to fall, and old plants to remain 
in the ground until spring, as a protection to the 
young plants, which come up much earlier if pro¬ 
tected. In removing the old roots, which should not 
be done until the frost is well out of the ground, care 
English Flower-Garden Scene—Beds in the Lawn. 
should be taken to disturb the earth as little as pos¬ 
sible, lightly shaking off all that adheres. All that is 
required after this is to thin out your plants to about 
twelve inches, gently stirring, occasionally adding a 
little rich soil, pinning down branches, and, of course, 
watering of evenings in a dry season. 
In the selection of a spot, be sure to get one in the 
full sunshine; for if your bed is shaded in the least 
you will have large and thrifty plants without scarcely 
any bloom. 
The culture of Verbenas is so simple and easy that 
a child of seven, with any fondness for scratching in 
the ground, would be sure to succeed. My bed thus 
treated, is this morning a perfect miracle of beauty. I 
have counted no less than nine distinct shades, from 
the most delicate lavender and rose up to the original 
ones, and many more have not yet bloomed. Had I 
space, I would tell you of my Balsams, Asters, Salici- 
folias, Drammondiis, &c.; for, having a new place, I 
have as yet few flowers, but annuals. So soon as I 
gain sufficient knowledge on the subject, I shall plant 
me a Rose garden, and I 
expect to get my informa¬ 
tion from the Cabinet, 
for I regard it as the most 
reliable and complete 
floral guide I have ever 
seen. And wdien I do so, 
let it be remembered that 
the most choice, the sun¬ 
niest spot shall be re¬ 
served for the dear old- 
fashioned hundred-leaved 
Rose. It is very sacred 
to me for the holy mem¬ 
ories that cling around its 
scented petals. When she, 
the pure, the beautiful, our 
young and gentle mother, 
was laid to rest so many, 
many years ago, friends 
placed on her bosom that 
sweet old Rose, whose 
delicious odor w r as more to 
her than any proud and 
scentless beauty, with hard 
French name. 
Mrs. N. E. Sayre. 
CALLA LILY. 
leaves of the Calla begin to 
When the leaves of the Calla begin to look old 
and dead, take your scissors and trim them off, so as 
not to alter the form, and they will look well for weeks 
after. Since I have used sulphate of ammonia pretty 
freely on my plants, I have not seen a worm of any 
land in the soil. It makes the plants look thrifty and 
nice. Mary. 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by Henry T. Williams, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
