88 
*3^p, JLftxtlies SPlanxi Haliifiei micl i^icioriul Home ^am|iuiiuaii. 
NEW YORK, JUNE, 1877. 
A SUCCESSION OF FLOWERS. 
I am no advocate for an indiscriminate planting of 
flowers. A few well cared for and set out with an in¬ 
telligent idea of their requirements, will give far more 
satisfactory results than a host set out for the sake of 
having everything that Mrs. Grundy has, and a little 
more. 
The plants with which we beautify our grounds 
require as great diversity of soil and care as do the 
cereals that our farmers raise. No wise farmer would 
think of raising Indian corn on ground that was only 
fit for a crop of white beans, or vice versa. Just so 
with our Geraniums and Roses. While the former do 
well in a clay soil and partial shade, the latter require 
a deep, rich soil and full sunshine. The same holds 
true with regard to our window-pets. It is folly to 
expect Begonias, Bouvardias, Heliotrope, or Coleus 
to thrive in temperature that suits best Azaleas, Ca¬ 
mellias, Geraniums, etc. The former requiring a 
night temperature of from sixty to seventy degrees 
and a day temperature of from ten to twenty degrees 
higher, while the latter will do well with a night tem- 
perature of from forty to fifty degrees, with a corre¬ 
spondingly high day temperature. 
By a proper selection, and in a moderate season, we 
may enjoy a succession of bloom in the open air from 
the first of March until the first of December. Our 
earliest floral treasures are the Snowdrops, Crocuses, 
and sweet-scented Violets, soon followed by Tulips, 
Hyacinths and Lilies of the Valley. Before these are 
ready for their season of rest, we have the Pyrus Ja- 
ponica, or Japan Quince, Lilacs, Deutzias, Weigelia- 
roseas, Spireas in variety, and the old-fashioned, but 
never-to-be-despised Snowball. 
By the time the glory of these has departed, our 
annual Roses should be opening. Then we have ten 
days or two weeks of beauty and fragrance, provided 
Tre have been able to circumvent the slugs which in 
years past have been so destructive to the queen of 
flowers. 
Dusting the bushes, when wet with dew, with white 
hellebore, plaster, or wood ashes, are said to be in¬ 
fallible remedies. 
For those desiring the hybrid perpetuals, the fol¬ 
lowing list is recommended as the best one dozen, by 
four of our prominent florists: Gen. Washington, 
Caroline de Sansal, La Reine, John Hopper, Victor 
Verdier, Gen. Jacqueminot, Baron Prevost, Annie de 
Diesbaoh, Mad. Alfred de Roquemonte, Triomphe de 
l’Expositione and Sidonie. But to my mind, nothing 
can excel the ever-blooming Roses. They are ex¬ 
quisite in form, color and perfume. In our climate it 
is hardly safe to winter them without some protection, 
but one is amply repaid for the slight trouble. I 
would recommend the following dozen: Hermosa, 
Bon Silene, Malmaison, Safrano, Isabella Spruut, 
Agrippina, Bella, Duchess de Brabant, Devouiensis, 
Louis Phillippe, Sanqumea, and Woodland Margaret. 
For bedding plants, none make a finer display than 
Jessamines. Probably the scarlet gives the best satis¬ 
faction of any other; but in the great variety offered 
by our florists, and the ease with which they may be 
propagated, we need only limit the number by the 
size of the bed. 
Then we have Verbenas in countless variety, every 
shade and marking, except the coveted yellow, and 
that, I suppose, is only desirable because it is unat¬ 
tainable. Of course, we cannot spare the Heliotrope 
and Mignonette, so lovely in their modest bearing and 
delightful fragrance. 
For those that wish a larger collection, there are 
the Pink, Carnation, and China Pansies, Ten-weeks- 
stock, Nasturtiums, Asters, Petunias, Phlox Drum- 
mondii, Salvias, and Chrysanthemums. Our list 
would not be complete without some permanent vines. 
Clematis and Wistaria are both beautiful climbers. 
Then there are the Honeysuckles; the coral and 
sweet scented varieties; these with a few running 
Roses, such as Queen of the Prairie, Baltimore Belle, 
Multiflora, should be enough to satisfy the most ava¬ 
ricious. 
There is another family of vines that I cannot for¬ 
bear mentioning, although they are not ornamental as 
bloomers. I refer to the Ampelopsis. First we have 
Ampelopsis Quinquefolia, or five-leaved Ivy, also 
called Virginia Creeper. This, in common with the 
poison vine, or three-leaved Ivy, grows in our woods 
and by the wayside, and is never more beautiful than 
in the fall, when its foliage is a brilliant scarlet. Am- 
pleopsis Veitchii is a miniature variety. The young 
growth during the summer is a dark purple, and 
changes in the fall to the brightest tints of scarlet, 
crimson and orange. 
Ampelopsis tri-color is a rapid grower, and the 
young leaves are beautifully variegated with pink, 
white and green. There is nothing more desirable for 
covering unsightly buildings, rock-work, old trees, 
etc., and these vines, unlike our English ivies, have 
the merit of being quite hardy. 
■ Mrs. E. G. Bonham. 
HARDY PLANTS AND VINES. 
I will tell you first of the Pansy, as that is a favor¬ 
ite flower of mine, and I have been very successful in 
its cultivation. These lovely and popular flowers are 
the true Violets, they all being descended from the 
well known Heartsease, which is known as Viola tri¬ 
color. The Heartsease will grow by itself, and care 
for itself, increase by self-sown seed, and bloom from 
January until December in sheltered situations. Not 
so its high-born relative, the Pansy. Its culture is 
very difficult, unless you pursue the proper mode of 
treatment. 
As I have succeeded so well, let me tell you my 
method. A year ago last spring, I thought I would 
make an effort to have a nice bed of Pansies. I pro¬ 
cured a paper of mixed seeds and planted them in 
the house in pots; in March they came up beautifully, 
grew well, and by the time the ground was ready to 
receive them they were fit to be transplanted. I set 
them out where the house shaded them in the after¬ 
noon, as they will not bear constant sunshine, neither 
will they grow under the shade of trees. I watered 
them every evening, and by the first of July they 
were blooming beautifully, and in great variety; and 
often when weary with the cares of life, how they de¬ 
lighted my heart as I gazed upon their beautiful up¬ 
turned faces, some of them looking so saucy and oth¬ 
ers so modest, and all so grateful and lovely, (I sup¬ 
pose you all know the Pansy has expression). Well, 
they bloomed and ripened seeds until I had enough for 
myself and friends. 
When cold weather came the question was, What 
shall I do to preserve them in their beauty ? How 
cruel to let Jack Frost nip them, they looked so in¬ 
telligent and so much as if they would like to be 
cared for. And as I had often tried to preserve them 
by covering them with leaves and boards, and failed, 
I thought I would try another plan, and give them a 
cold frame. So I hunted up some boards, got out my 
saw, and a window-sash that had been left when we 
were changing some windows, sawed my boards the 
proper length and width, nailed them together at the 
corners, placed the frame over the bed higher at one 
end than the other, banked the earth well around it, 
laid on my sash, and had as nice a cold frame as any 
person could wish, with very little trouble and no ex • 
pense. 
In very severe weather, I threw some old carpet 
over it and let it alone for the winter. I continued to 
gather flowers all the early part of the winter, and on 
New Year’s Day made some lovely button-hole bou¬ 
quets for friends. As soon as the heavy frosts were 
over in the spring, I removed the glass, and what a 
glorious bed of flowers I had. People came from all 
parts of the town to see them, and the Pansy fever 
raged ; all wanted seed, and I gave until the supply 
was exhausted. I pulled hundreds of flowers some 
days, and still there was plenty left. And so they 
bloomed on, until late in the summer they showed 
signs of exhaustion; then I took my seedlings and 
fixed up another bed, and in the middle of Novem¬ 
ber, I had my glass on, and expected a repetition of 
last year’s profusion. I have been very particular in 
regard to details, so that no one need fail. And if 
this article will induce any lover of flowers to go and 
do likewise, I will be amply repaid. 
And now let me tell you about a vine that is so 
beautiful that everybody should have it. Cissus 
Quinquefolia variegata; it is very rare; I have never 
seen it offered in but one catalogue. It is perfectly 
hardy in the latitude of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, 
and Ohio. The leaf is something like a grape leaf, 
but much more delicate, and beautifully marbled with 
white. The blossom is insignificant, but the berries 
are the crowning beauty, the clusters of which are 
red, blue, and green, all on one buncb, and looking as 
if they were varnished, and they remain so all the 
season, and when flowers are scarce, they are a splen¬ 
did substitute, with which to ornament the parlor or 
dining-room. West Virginia. 
The Home of Washington.— Subscribers wishing for this 
splendid steel-plate Engraving, will take special notice that the limit 
of our offer to them expires with July 1st. This is far the finest pre¬ 
mium we have ever offered, and the certificate for it which we pub¬ 
lished in March is very valuable. It is well worth $25. 
