ON PHLOX VAN HOUTTII AND OTHERS. 18? 
attain a medium and convenient height, and continue to bloom 
throughout the autumn. 
It has struck me that from this genus being so thoroughly 
useful for flower-gardening purposes, a brief notice of the more 
attractive species will perhaps afford information to some of 
your readers. 
P. Van Houttii, already described, emanated from the 
nursery, in Ghent, of the gentleman whose name it bears; it is 
perfectly hardy, though the purity and brilliance of colouring is 
improved by a slight protection, such as a cold pit or frame will 
afford. 
P. Princess Marie or Marianne is a variety resembling very 
nearly the above ; there is a slight difference in the ground¬ 
colour of the flowers, and with me the plant is rather more 
tender. The history of this variety I am not acquainted with. 
P. omniflora may be regarded as most decidedly the best of 
the old kinds; its large dense heads of pure white flowers are 
truly magnificent: it is an English hybrid, but as hardy as an 
oak. The stems attain a height of about three feet. 
P. Ingramiana , another British hybrid, was raised, I believe, 
in the neighbourhood of Huntingdon. Its flowers are lilac, not 
so large as the foregoing, but very pretty; it is a taller-growing 
kind than either of the above, which renders it suitable for the 
centre of a bed, or for vacant spaces among shrubs. 
P. odorata , a North American species, is equally desirable 
for its fine rosy-lilac flowers, and their very agreeable odour: it 
is an autumnal flowering kind, rising about three feet in height, 
and well suited to plant on mosses along with omniflora. 
p, lata, — Also from North America, bearing very large 
flowers, but the white is rather deficient in purity; and, unfor¬ 
tunately, they are produced at the same time with those of 
omniflora, whose greater density affords an unfavourable com¬ 
parison. 
P. paniculata is an extremely pretty pink-flowering North 
American species : it will attain a height of five feet, and com¬ 
mences blooming about the middle ot August. 
P. Shepherdii , an hybrid, with dark purple flowers, is a very 
good variety for contrasting with the other paler-coloured kinds. 
P. Carolina is, perhaps, the most common of them all, but is 
still valuable, from its extreme hardihood : it will grow on any 
soil, and under almost any circumstances : the flowers are pale 
purple ; height four feet. 
