dailies’ Staral iSkilHiiei -ami Pictoriial 
ioiue 
iomjixmion. 
taiued from a Texas pond. 
The Orhicula and Sagittaria—leaves that float upon 
the surface like anchors of hope for the future—hud 
and blossom* upon the congenial element. 
Mr. Washburn, of Boston has for years advertised 
seed of the Victoria Regia, the grand Nympluea of the 
Amazon. In Britain, Holland and France it is suc¬ 
cessfully cultivated in tanks under glass. Eight months 
PLANTS SUITABLE FOR PONDS—THE 
NYMPHJ3SA, &c. 
[In Answer to Questions in September Cabinet.] 
Native plants have always been more or less culti¬ 
vated by amateurs and enthusiastic admirers of Flora. 
The first idea would be that native plants are easily 
obtained. This, however, is far from the truth. Flor¬ 
ists prize their treasures as rare, coining from foreign 
countries; and indeed the idea of offering a native 
plant would, a short time since, have been met with, 
“That’s a wild flower,” by the amateur. Many of the 
native plants in cultivation remained incognito until 
taken up and carried across the ocean, there cultivated, 
and returned to their native land as novelties or rare 
plants. 
Again, the embellishment of the landscape with 
ponds, fountains, etc., is of recent date on this side 
of the Atlantic. The demand for aquatic plants for 
the ornamentation of water scenery, is equally new. 
Aquatic plants differ as to the situation — some grow¬ 
ing near the shore, in the 
shade; others, like the 
Pond Lily and Thalia, 
luxuriate in the sun, out 
upon the surface of the 
water. Some are ever¬ 
green; others have a rest 
season. So that in mak¬ 
ing a selection of aquatic 
plants a variety should be 
selected, so that the pond 
scenery would change 
with the season. The 
pond should not be 
crowded with too many 
plants, or the effect would 
be in bad taste. Clear 
space is important for the 
reflection of cloud scene¬ 
ry — blue sky and the 
plant shadows. 
Nature furnishes mod¬ 
els on a grand scale in 
the Northern States, of 
cliffs, boulders, steep 
banks, nature’s rockeries; 
down in our southland, 
the ponds and lakes are basins of water; here, out on ! is said to be sufficient time for the growth of the Vic¬ 
tim’prairies, with a few aquatic plants; there, in the toria Regia. This being the case, Mr. Verges might 
densely wooded grove, surrounded with ferns, luxuri- , cultivate it at New Orleans. A large pot or tub, sunk 
ant vines, pendant mosses, rushes and various water- 1 with the seed, is grown during the summer, and may 
growing plants; some indeed beautiful, others are mere 1 be removed to a greenhouse in winter. Our native 
weeds. , , Nymphsea grows in such an extensive range of climate, 
The amateur who wishes to embellish a pond will remaining dormant in the bottom of the pond frozen 
find but little aid from florists’ catalogues—not because . over in the Northern States as safely as it does in our 
they have no aquatic plants, but they are such as are more temperate southland. Experiment may show 
The expense of excavating ponds for the propagation ' potatoe, blooming in July and August. The Red Lo- 
of hardy, and tanks under glass for tropical aquatic, belia, Cardinal Flower—the fine scarlet spikes* of 
plants, has deterred florists from cultivating this inter- bloom—is unsurpassed by any other flower, and the 
esting and beautiful class ol plants. L ymphaea odo- reflection in the water is very fine after reaching four 
rata and Nuphma grow in the pouds and still water i and five feet high. Iris or Blue Flag, Calamus or 
fiom Canada to lexas, and, like other native plants, ■ Sweet Flag, Saggittaria, Arna Grass (evergreen and 
thousands of amateuis have never seen one growing, rarely without spikes of white flowers), Saracenia, 
and find it next to impossible to procure a specimen Pitcher-plant (native of the swamps and bogs of the 
for cultuie. I he writer, after three years correspond- ^ Atlantic coast), are curious and interesting. Mr. Cat¬ 
enae and advertising, has succeeded in obtaining three; lin, of New Brighton, Pa., has been sending out the 
plants each of N ymphsea odorata and N uphsea. I he ; plants for a year or two. A variety of the Argentum 
is ymphsea leached us aftei tia\elling ten days in the grows nicely in the edae of the water; also several 
United States mail conveyance, last November—fur- varieties of Esclepia—a very bright scarlet is perhaps 
nished us by Mr. J. A. Vaughan, Carver, Mass., who j the showiest. The enthusiast will not neglect to col- 
said he had a few more left. Nuphsea I recently ob- lect some of the rushes—Typha Latifolia and other 
varieties. 1 might add many other plants, both for 
the pond and the surrounding shore, but will content 
myself with recommending for shore decoration ferns in 
variety, knowing that the amateur has a right to ex¬ 
ercise much taste in this feature of landscape embel¬ 
lishment. Flora. 
How I 
Plan for Fountain and Flower Beds in a Terrace Garden. 
successfully cultivated by other means than tanks or 
ponds. Crinums and many of the Amarylidese are 
natives, as well as the Arums of the lagoons and 
marshes of warm climates. 
The shore surrounding the miniature lake is suscep¬ 
tible of a high state of embellishment, and perhaps 
adds more to the beauty of the scenery than aquatic 
plants in the water. I make these remarks, not for a 
guide to be followed, but by way of one view of the 
landscape from my point of observation; others may 
have a finer view, and may bring out points that are 
not visible from my situation. There is no disputing 
taste. Crowding too many plants spoils the beauty of 
not only the plants themselves but the general effect. 
Raised Verbenas. —Last winter I pur¬ 
chased two papers of 
Henderson’s best hybrid 
mixed Verbenas, and I 
sowed the seed in a light 
bottom bed, and I got up 
about sixteen plants, and 
I gave them the best 
place in a south window, 
until it was warm enough 
to set them out of doors, 
to toughen them. And 
when the spring was far 
enough advanced, and the 
weather became warm 
enough, I set them out in 
beds. And now I will 
tell you how I made my 
bed. I made it round, 
and large enough to set 
out twelve plants. I got 
some of the men folks to 
dig it out a foot deep, and 
filled it half full of horse 
manure (I took it green, 
right from the horse sta¬ 
ble), and filled it up the 
rest of the way with rich 
garden soil; and then I raked it off and made it smooth; 
and then I put a bushel of rotten chip n anure on top; 
and now I pronounced it ready to set the plants out. 
After I got them set out, I took a peck of white sand 
and scattered around the roots of the plants and all 
over the bed. Next I got one of the men to get me 
some white stones and break them up as large as your 
fist, and I laid them in two rows around the edge 
of the bed, and now I pronounced it done. They 
went right to growing, and through all of our cold 
weather, when the wind blew and it was so cold that 
the Balsams looked yellow, they were in blossom, and 
now it is the middle of July they are a perfect mass 
of blossoms. Laura J. Kellogg. 
that the Victoria Regia will bear our coast climate, 
flourishing and expanding the enormous leaves and 
flowers. It is worthy of the experiment. 
In the lagoons and ponds are many interesting 
aquatic plants, and away from their native home would 
be esteemed beautiful. Crinum and Pancratium Lilies, 
white aquatic plants, with vanilla-like fragrance, are Red Spiders. —The greatest pest I am troubled with 
beautiful, growing in ponds and marshes of the Gulf 1 is the red spider. I have tried all manner of means the 
coast. Thalia dealbata—order Cannacea—another j Cabinet tells us kills and cures, without effect. How- 
interesting aquatic plant—the Thigona at the bottom ever, as a last resort, I gave them what I call a hot 
of the pond sends up its sheathy stem and lance-like 
foliage and flowers upon the water. Of blue flowers, 
the Hydrolea quadrivalvis is a fine blue colored flower, 
bearing a striking resemblance in form to that of the 
Turkish bath. If I succeed, and my pets survive and 
my pests are exterminated, I will tell the readers of the 
Cabinet the dangerous experiment, but not more dan¬ 
gerous than kerosene, salt, turpentine, etc. Violet. 
