OUR WINTER GARDENS 
W ERE never more beautiful than now, and they are 
always more attractive than our summer gardens, 
and quite as real, although they are but paper. Of course, 
we mean our catalogues, and do they not contain more 
flowers, vegetables and fruits that are nearer to nature 
than the real ones of our gardens? In winter all is joy 
in this garden ; no work to perform, no gardeners to annoy 
by throwing away our much valued plants, while they 
are carefully looking after their favorites ; no insect ene¬ 
mies, no dangers from frost, no droughts or hail-storms. 
All we have to do is to look over our catalogues and 
enjoy the beautiful forms and colors of the flowers, the 
luscious fruits and delicious vegetables. The imagina¬ 
tion is fully as capable of enjoyment, and is quite as dis¬ 
criminating in selection, as either the eye or the palate. 
The imagination never feeds on aphis, worms, or distorted 
forms; it only sees the beautiful and good. As we look 
over our catalogues we see in its greatest perfection 
everything that is listed ; our only difficulty is, in what to 
select and what to reject. We cannot grow all in our 
gardens, but we can in our hearts. Whatever we choose 
to cultivate the coming season we must select now, not 
because it is time to plant, but because of the dangers of 
delay. The best seed is none too good, and the only way 
to procure it, as there is always a limited quantity, is to 
order early; don’t wait until the most reliable dealers 
have sold out their stock, and then be obliged to get seeds 
from parties whose integrity has not been fully estab¬ 
lished. 
What to select is quite an important matter, and from 
the many inquiries received we judge it is one but little 
understood. In this particular we trust we are able to 
assist our readers, and we will do so to the extent of our 
ability. In so doing we shall only notice such things as 
we have tested, or have seen growing the past season. 
But where shall we commence ? Not having any indi¬ 
vidual preferences, we will look through the first garden 
(paper) that is before us. It is V. H. Hallock, Son & 
Thorpe’s, Queens, N. Y., in which we find, in addition to 
their usual collection of Bulbs, Vegetable and Flower 
seeds, Greenhouse and Bedding plants, Small Fruit 
plants, Hardy Herbaceous plants and shrubs, the follow¬ 
ing specialties: 
Clematis. —Among climbing plants the Clematis has 
no rival for beauty and elegance. The genus consists of 
a large number of species, and hybrid varieties almost 
innumerable. Among the most valued is C. Jackmani. 
This may be regarded as the type of a race of hybrids to 
the dissemination of which is to be attributed the present 
popularity of these hardy ornamental climbers. Though 
the first hybrid introduced to the public, it stands at the 
present time in the foremost rank as to merit. It is a 
free grower, and an abundant and successful bloomer, 
becoming profusely laden with very large showy flowers 
of a remarkably rich violet-purple color. To contrast 
with this is C. coccinea, one of our native species, whose 
intense scarlet flowers, produced in the most prolific man¬ 
ner the entire summer, entitles it to a prominent place in 
every collection. Of this same class is C. crispa, another 
of our native sorts, and one of the most desirable under 
cultivation. The flowers are fragrant, nodding, bell¬ 
shaped, of a lilac-purple color. The plant grows, under 
favorite circumstances, to the height of eight feet, and 
flowers incessantly from June to October. Making a 
specialty of these varieties, the prices are within the reach 
of all. 
Marigold {Eldorado ').—This is a decided improve¬ 
ment over the old and well-known African Marigold ; its 
flowers are fully four inches in diameter and very double. 
Chrysanthemums. — We notice with pleasure that 
Messrs. Hallock & Thorpe have succeeded in saving suf¬ 
ficient Chrysanthemum seed from their choice collection 
of new and rare varieties to offer it for sale this year. 
The pleasure of growing plants from seed, the result of 
cross-fertilization, is of the highest order, and when the 
certainty of getting varieties of superior, if not rare merit, 
is positive it is doubly interesting. The annals of Horti¬ 
culture do not record a class of plants that has rewarded 
the hybridist more liberally for his labor in this direction 
than the Chrysanthemum. And now that our amateurs 
can get seed saved by the most careful hands, we look 
for increased interest in Chrysanthemum culture. 
Peter Henderson & Co., 35 and 37 Cortlandt street. 
New York, Manual of Everything for the Garden, Farm 
and Greenhouse, Either of Vegetable or Flower Seeds, 
Bulbs, Plants, Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Gardener’s 
Tools and Farm Implements. This is not only the most 
complete, but the best printed catalogue that has yet 
reached us. We make a note of the following “ novelties,” 
some of which we had the pleasure of testing last sum¬ 
mer, so that we can truthfully endorse all that is said of 
them : 
Henderson s New Rose Celery. —Celery is now one of 
the leading table ornaments, both for public and private 
tables, and this new rose-color, combined with the 
“ White Plume,” which was sent out last summer for the 
first time, must add greatly to the adornment of the table. 
It is well known by all growers of Celery, that the red- 
tinted varieties are more solid and hardy than the white, 
and hence better keepers in winter, and also, that under 
the same conditions they are more crisp and superior in 
flavor to the varieties that blanch yellow or white. In 
Henderson’s New Rose Celery there is a combination of 
all the good qualities of the older varieties, together with 
a delicacy of shading that gives us something entirely 
distinct and valuable in this vegetable. Among the 
flowers of recent introduction listed, we notice a complete 
collection of Chrysanthemums, with a well executed colored 
plate: The New Double Bouvardia “ Thomas Meehan,” 
first on the list of Bouvardias, and a plant every way 
adapted for the window garden or for the flower border 
in summer; the New Yellow Carnation “Buttercup,” 
