Division - A j:..$ Shelf. w Received Jf9 Godetia 231 Golden Chain .410 Golden Eternal Flower 234 Golden Rod 356 Golden Senecio 354 Golden-striped Lily 264 Gomplirena 232 Gooseberry 435 Grand flowering Malope ...276 Grape Hyacinth 292 Grass, Quaking 138 Great Laurel 430 Great Snowdrop 217 Great Throatwort 150 Greek Valerian 326 Ground-nut 129 Groundsel 354 Haage's Lychnis 274 Halberd-leaved Rose-Mallow 240 Hiilesia 414 Hardhack 469 Hare- Bell 146 Hawthorn . . 409 Hearts-ease 387 Heart-seed 1 53 Heath Pea 302 Hedera 414 Hedsehog 263 Heliarithus 233 Helichrysum 234 Heliotrope 235 Heliotropium 235 Helipterurn 236 Hellebore 236 Helleborus 236 Hemerocallis 237 Hemerocallis 215 Hepatica 67-237 Herb d'amour 343 Hesperis 239 Hibiscus 240-415 High Cranberry 478 Hobble Bush 477 Holly 416 Hollyhock 116 Holly-leaved Barberry 402 Honesty 271 Honeysuckle 422 False 433 Hoop-petticoat Narcissus 296 Horned Poppv 230 Horn-stalked Datura » 187 Horse Mint 292 Houstonia 66 Hyaci nth 241 Hyacinth-Bean 205 Hyacinth, Grape 292 Hyacinthns 241 Hyacinth, Star 353 Hypericum 245-415 Iberis. 245 Ice-Plant 285 Ilex.. 416 Immortal Flower .. . 234 Impatiens. 247 Indian Cress 366 " Currant 472 INDEX. IX Indian Shot 151 Tobacco 270 Indigo, False 136 Shrub 417 Indigo Morning-Glory 250 Indigofera 417 Ink Berry 416 Insects on Garden Plants 82 " House Plants 76 Intermediate Stock 280 Ipomaea -249 IpomoRa 335 Ipomopsis .222 Iris 251 Italian Bugloss 124 Ivy .... 414 " Poison 435 Ivy-leaved Morning-Glory 250 Jacobea 354 Jacobean Lily 121 Jacob's Ladder 326 Jamestown Weed 187 Jasmine 417 Jasmimim 417 Japan Globe-flower 419 " Lily 261 " Quince 409 Jimson Weed 187 Joe Pye Weed 210 Jonquil 295 Joseph's Coat 119 Judas Tree 405 June-berry .395 Kalmia 418 Kerria 419 Kidney Bean , 319 Laburnum 410 Lady's Ear Drop 214 Lady's Slipper 140-177 Lady's Smock ..: 152 Lamium ;...254 Lantana 254 Large Bell-flower 325 Lark's-claws 1S8 Lark's-heel 1S8 Larkspur 188 Lastlienia 255 Lathyrus 256 Laurel. 418 Laurus 400 Lavaridula 479 Lavatera 257 Lavender 419 Lawns . ... 62 Laye rs 99 Laying out Flower-garden. 54 Leather Wood 413 Le Glaieul 224 Leptodactylon 222 Lepto siphon 222 Leucojum , 217 Light 81 Ligu strum 420 Lilac . . 472 Lily 257 " Chequered 213 " Persian 213 " ofthe,Field 22 " of the Valley 170 Lilium 257 Limnanthes 265 Linaria 129-265 Linuni ....266 Lippia 421 L'Iris de Constantinople 251 •« de Suse 251 Liver-wort ... 237 Loasa 266 Lobelia ... 267 Locust Tree 436 London Pride 351 Lonicera 422 Loose Strife 275 Love-grove 296 Love-in-a-mist 298 Love in a Puff 153 Love Lies Bleeding 120 Lunaria 271 Lungwort 284 Ln pin 271 Lupinus 271 Lychnis 273 Lycium 424 Lysimachia 275 Lvthrum 275 Madia 276 Magnolia 424 Mahonia 402 Mallows 277 Malope 276 Malv 277 Many-flowered Sunflower 234 Marigold 359 Marsh 144 " Pot 140 Marsh Marigold 144 Martynia 278 Marvel of Peru 290 Maryland Cassia 153 Mathiola 280 Matrimony Vine 424 Maurandia 282 Meadow Lily ...263 Meadow-Rue 361 Meado w-sweet 357 Medicago 283 Medick 283 Medusa's Trumpet 296 Melolontha stibspinosa 88 Mentzelia 283 Mertensia 284 Mesembryanthemum 285 Mexican Cobsea 166 " Sage 347 " Tiger-flower 303 Mezereum 410 Mignonette 341 Milkweed 134 Mimosa .285 Mimulus 2?8 Mlrabilis ..290 Missouri Currant 433 INDEX. Mist-flower 170 Mitctiella repens 66 Mock Orange 427 Moldavian Balm 206 Momorclica 291 Monarda 292 Moneywort 275 Monkey-flower 288 Monkshood ill Morning Glory 249 Moss Pink 320 Mountain Laurel 418 Mourning Bride 352 Mullein 379 Mullein Pink 275 Muscari 292 Musk Plant 289 Afyosotis 294 Narcissus 295 Nasturtium 366 Nemophila 296 New Jersey Tea 404 Nicotiana 297 Nierembergia 298 Nigella 298 Nine-bark 469 Ntflana ..+%**.... 299 Nun1* Whipping Rope 120 Nuphar-.,-..,,.. 71 Nuttall's, Weed 174 Nymphsea 70 Oat 136 Ocymum 299 (Enothera 300 Opium Poppy 308 Orange Lily 259 Orchis; 301-324 Oriental Poppy 309 Orobus 302 Oswego Tea 292 Paeonia 303 Pale Corydalis 174 " Daffodil 295 Palestine Mustard 208 Palma Christ! 345 Pansy 387 Papaver . ..,- 308 Parlor, Plants for 72-77 Pasque Flower 124 Pea, Everlasting 256 " Heath 302 " Sweet 256 " Wood 302 Peach 396 Pelargonium 310 Pentstemon 313 Peony . ; ..303 Perennials, Bulbous 97 " Herbaceous 98 Perilla 316 Periwinkle 3S4 Persian Fritillary 213 " Lilac 473 " Lily 213 Petilium 213 . Petit Muget 218 Petunia 316 Phaoelia 318 Phaseolus 319 Pheasant's Eye 113 Piiiladelpluis 427 Phlox 320 Physostegia 324 Pickerel-weed 71 Picotee Poppy 308 Pied d'Alouette - 188 Pimpernel ". 123 Pink 193 Pink Mullein 275 Plants, Bedding 36 Color of 40 ' Protection of 50 ' Supports for: 52 ' Training of 52 ' For the Aquarium 69 4 For Ornament*! Ponds — 69 ' Cultivation in Parlors 72 ' Re-potting 79 Platanthera , 324 Platycodon 325 Plum 428 Poet's Narcissus 296 Poison, Dogwood ..435 Ivy 435 " Sumach ..435 Polemonium 326 Polianihes 326 Polyanthus 332 Polyanthus Narcissus. 296 Polygonatiirn 3U9 Pompone Lily 260 Pond Lily 70 Pontederia 71 Poor Man's Weather-glass 123 Poppy 308 " California 209 " Prickly 133 Portulaca 329 Potentilla 331 Pot Marigold 140 Potting 79 Prickly Poppy 133 Prim 420 Primrose 332 Primrose Peerless 295 Primula 332 Prince's Feather 120 Prinos 416 Privet 420 Protection of Plants 50 Primus 428 Pulmonaria 284 Purple Cone-flower 207 Purple Everlasting 391 Purple eyed Crepis 175 Purple-leaved Perilla 316 Purslane 329 Pyrethrum 160 Quaking Grass 138 Quamoclit 335 Queen of the Meadows 357-4fi9 Ragged Robin 274 INDEX. Rag-wort 354 Ram's Head ; 178 Ranunculus 337 Raspberry, Flowering 466 Red Balm 292 Red Bud 405 Red Lily 263 Re-planting 79 Reseda 341 Resecie d'Egypte 343 Rhamnus 429 Rhodanthe 343 Rhododendron 430 Rhodora 433 Rhus 433 Ribes 435 Ricinus 345 Robi nia 436 Rock Work 63 44 " Plants for 66 Rocket, Garden 239 Roots, Division of 99 Rosa 436 Rose 436 Rose Acacia 437 Rose-bay 430 Rose Bug 88 Rose Chafer 88 Rose Campion 275 Rose-Mallow 240 Rose of Sharon 415 Rose Slug 83 Rubus 466 Rudbeckia S45 Rudbeckia 207 Rue-Anemone 361 Sabbatia 346 Sage 347 Sagittaria. 71 Salpiglossis 346 Ssilvia 347 Sambucus 467 Sanguinaria 348 Sarracenia 350 S a x i frag a . . 68-351 Saxifrage 351 Scabiosa 352 Scarlet Geranium 310 44 Lychnis 273 " Morning Glory 337 " Runner 319 " Tassel Flower 355 Schizanthus 3E2 Schizopetalon 353 Scilla 35' Scorpion Senna 406 Sea Celandine 230 Sedum 68-354 Seeds, Depth to Sow ... 29 44 Vitality of. 25 Selandria rosae 83 Seuecio 354 Senna, Wild 153 Sensitive Plant 285 Shad-Bush 395 Sheep Laurel 418 Shepherdia 467 Shooting Star 205 Shot Plant 151 Showy Lady's Slipper 178 Shrubby Althaea 415 Shrubs, Culture of. 103 44 Season for Planting 104 " Soil for 106 Side-saddle-flower 350 Silene 355 Silver-bell Tree 414 Sky-blue Commelyna 169 " Didiscus 203 4« Iris 253 Smoke Tree 434 Smooth. Lungwort 284 Snails 283 Snake-root, Black 161 Snap-Dragon 128 Sneezewort Ill Snow Ball 476 Snowberry 472 Snowdrop 216-414 Soap- wort Gentian 220 Solidago 356 Solomon's Seal 170-329 Sophora 136 Spangled-beau 285 Spanish Iris 252 Spartium 468 Specularia 356 Speedwell 384 Splice n ogyne 357 Spider- wort, 364 Spindle Tree 4'3 Spiraea 357-469 Spoon Wood ..418 Spring Crocus 175 Spurge 211 St. John's-wort 245-415 St. Peter's Wreath 4C9 Stag-horn Sumach 433 Staff Tree 404 Star-flower 135 Star Hyacinth 353 Star Petunia 297 Star-Thistle 155 Starry Morning Glory 250 Steeple-bush 469 Stock 280 Stone Crop 354 Strawberry Tree 413 Suckers 99 Sugar Pear 395 Sumach 433 Sun-flower 233 Superb Lily 263 Supports for Plants 52 Swan Daisy 138 Sweet Basil 299 Sweet Pea 256 Sweet Rocket 239 Sweet Scabious 352 Sweet Sultan 155 Sweet William 198 Sword Lily 224 XII INDEX. Symphoricarpus 472 I Symphytum 359 Syrian Mallow 277 Sy ringa 427-472 Squill 353 Squirrel-Corn 202 Swamp Honeysuckle 398 Swamp Pink , 397 Sweet Pepper-bush 405 Sweet-scented Shrub 403 Sweet Verbena 421 Tagetes 359 Tarnarix 473 Tamarisk 473 Tartarian Honeysuckle 422 Tassel Flower 355 Tecoma 474 Ten Week's Stock 280 Thalictrurn 361 Thistle, Star 155 Thorn Apple. 187 Thorotighwort 210 Thready Yucca 392 Thrift 134 Throatwort, Great 150 Thunbergia 362 Ttarella 68-362 Tiger-flower 363 Tiger Lily 260 Tigddia 363 Toad Flax 265 Tobacco. 297 " Indian 270 Tradescantia 364 Training of Plants , 52 Treacle Mustard 208 Tret, Box 403 " Cranberry 478 " Hibiscus 415 " Mignonette 342 ; Peony 304 Trillium 364 Tritoma 865 Trollius 370 Tropaeolum 366 Trumpet-flower. . . .'. 474 Trumpet Honeysuckle 422 Tuberose 3->6 Tulipa ...371 Tulip 37! Turk's Cap Lily 259 Turtle-head 157 Tutsan 245 Two-leaved Lady's Slipper 177 Unicorn Plant 278 TTvularia 378 Valerian 379 Valfi-iana 379 Variegated Spurge 2' 2 Venetian Sumach 434 Venus' Looking-glass 356 Ve'-bascum 379 Verbena 380 Verbena 421 Veronica 384 Vervain ,. . 380 Viburnum 476 Vinca 384 Viola... 67-386 Violet 386 Virginian Dragon-head 324 Virginian Convolvulus 249 Virginian Creeper 396 Virgin's Bower 163 Wahlenbergia 325 Walks 57 Wall Flower 156 Water 80 Water Lily 70 WAX work .404 Wayfaring Tree 477 Westarn Wai 1-flo wer 208 Whale Oil Soap 86 White Lily 258 Whitlavia 391 Whip-poor-will's Shoe 177 Wicopy 413 Wlfgefa 411 Wild Senna 153 Willow-herb S08-275 Wind Flower 1 24 Wistaria 478 Wolfsbane. 112 Wood Anemone 1 '25 Woodbine 422 Wood Fringe 113 Wood Pea 302 World's Wonder 291 Xeranthemnm 391 Yarrow Ml Yellow Adder's Tongue 209 Yellow Horned- Poppy 230 Yellow Lady's Slipper 177 Yucca . 39-2 Zauschneria 392 Zinnia 393 BOOK OF FLOWERS. THE UTILITY OF FLOWERS. THE HAPPY INFLUENCE OF THE PURSUIT OF HORTICUL- TURE ON THE MIND OF MAN. " Not useless are ye flowers ; though made for pleasure, Blooming o'er fields, and wave by day and night From every source your sanction bids me treasure Harmless delight." — Horace Smith. • Flowers are the expression of God's love to man. One of the highest uses, therefore, which can be made in con- templating these beautiful creations, in all their variety and splendor, is, that our thoughts and affections may be drawn upwards to Him who has so bountifully spread over the face of the whole earth, such a vast profusion of these beautiful objects, as tokens of his love to us. The more we examine flowers, especially when the eye is assisted by the microscope, the more we must adore the matchless skill of the Great Supreme. We must be ungrateful in- deed, not to acknowledge his unspeakable goodness in thus providing so liberally for the happiness and pleasure of His children here below. The Saviour of men, while on earth, often retired to the gardens about Jerusalem to spend a quiet hour with His disciples, or alone, and no doubt took pleasure in contem- plating flowers. We all know how He spake of the lily : " Behold the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil 14 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLO WEES. not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." How surely would Solomon himself have agreed with this beautiful speech ! that his wise heart loved the flowers, the lily especially, is evident from the numerous passages in his song. The object of his love in claiming a supreme dignity of beauty, exclaims: "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley." The Emperor Dioclesian preferred his garden to a throne : " Methinks I see great Dioclesian walk In the Salonian garden's noble .shade Which by his own imperial hands was made; I see him smile, methinks, as he does talk With the ambassadors, who came in vain T'entice him to a throne again. 'If I, my friends,' said he, ' should to you show All the delights which in these gardens grow, 'Tis iikelier far that you with me should stay, Than 'tis (hat you should carry me away; And trust me not, my friends, if, every day, I walk not here with more delight, Than ever, after the most happy fight, In triumph to the capital I rode, To thank the gods, and to be thought myself almost a god.' " Cowley's Garden. There is a class of men who whould pare down every thing to the mere grade of utility who think it the height of wisdom to ask, when one manifests an enthusaism in the culture of flowers, "of what use are they?" With such we have no sympathy. We will not say with the late Henry Colman, in case such an interrogatory being put to us that " our first impulse is to look under his hat, and see the length of his ears" but we are always inclined in such cases to thank God that our tastes do not correspond writh their's. "Better," (say these ultra utilitarians,) "devote our time to the culture of things useful and needed to sustain life, than to employ it on things, which, like flow- ers, are intended only to look at and please the eye." ' But why,' would we ask, * why should not the eye be THE UTILITY OF FLOWERS. 15 pleased ?' What pleasures more pure, more warming to the heart, more improving to the mind, more chastening to the affections, than those which come through the eye! Where are more luminously displayed the perfections of the Creator, than in the star spangled heavens above, and the flower spangled earth beneath? " Your voiceless lips, oh flowers, are living preachers, Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a book, Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers From the loneliest nook." — Horace Smith. Nonsense, — sheer nonsense to tell us it is useless to cultivate flowers. They add to the charms of our homes, rendering them more attractive snd beautiful, and they multiply and strengthen the domestic ties which bind us to them. We would not advocate the cultivation of flowers to the neglect of more necessary objects. Attending to the one, does not involve neglect of the other. Every man engaged in the culture of the earth, can find time to embellish his premises who has the will to do it, and we pity the family of the man who has not. "Rob the earth of its flowers, the wondrous mechanism of the Almighty, and we should lose the choicest mementos left us that it was once a paradise." " Ye bright Mosaics ! that with storied beauty The floor of nature's temple tesselate, What numerous emblems of instructive duty Your forms create. — Horace Smith. " We have no sympathy with those, who would dese- crate and pare down the loveliness of earth to the grade of mere utility — who can discover no beauty in the open- ing bud and blushing flower, and whose exertions are limited on all occasions by a parsimonious idolatry and worse than idiotic privation of sensibility to the madden- ing love of Gold." The love of flowers is a sentiment common alike to the great and little ; to the old and young ; 16 to the learned and the ignorant ; to the illustrious and the obscure, while the simplest child may take delight in them. They may also prove a recreation to the most profound philosopher. Lord Bacon himself did not disdain to bend his mighty intellect to the subject of their culture. The great men of our own age as well as those of the past, have given in their verdict in favor of the great util- ity of the practice of horticulture in refining and elevat- ing the mind. I cannot refrain from alluding to some of the remarks made by Daniel "Webster, Caleb Gushing, and other distinguished guests at the remarkable and interest- ing festival, held by the Massachusetts Horticultural So- ciety at Fanueil Hall, in September 1845. At this grand festival six hundred ladies and gentlemen sat down to a sumptuous feast. The tables, fourteen in number, were arranged lengthway of the hall, while at the end was a raised platform, where were seated the president of the society, Marshall P. Wilder, with the numerous invited illustrious guests. The tables were loaded with every del- icacy ; but their crowning glory was, the great profusion of delicious fruits and a magnificent display of gorgeous flowers, and the absence of all intoxicating liquors. The scene was exciting and brilliant, enlivened by a band of music, interspersed by appropriate songs, while the elo- quent remarks from the distinguished guests, with the nu- merous sentiments in praise of horticulture, produced a scene never be forgotten. The Hon. Daniel Webster made the following remarks : "I congratulate you, Mr. President, that our flowers are not " ' Born to blush unseen And waste their sweetness on the desert air." ' " The botany we cultivate, the productions of the busi- ness of horticulture, the plants of the garden, are cul- tivated by hands as delicate as their own tendrils, viewed THE UTILITY OF FLOWERS. 17 by countenances as spotless and pure as their own petals, and watched by eyes as brilliant and full of lustre, as their own beautiful exhibitions of splendor. " Horticulture is one pursuit of natural science in which all sexes and degrees of education and refinement unite. Nothing is too polished to see the beauty of flowers. Nothing too rough to be capable of enjoying them. It attracts, delights all. It seems to be a common field, where every degree of taste and refinement may unite, and find opportunities for their gratification." The Hon. Josiah Quincy, senior, remarked, "that in the Horticultural Hall, he had witnessed the wonders wrought by the florist's hand ; he had seen there what man could do, by labor and taste, to enlarge, beautify, and multiply the bounties of nature ; he had seen how art and wisely employed capital were permitted by heaven, to improve its own gifts, and felt how impossible it was by language, to express the beauty of fruits and flowers, which nature and art had combined to improve. Nor could he refrain from -reflecting that all was the work of well directed industry." The Hon. Caleb Gushing, who had just returned from his mission to China, made the following remarks in rela- tion to woman and flowers : " I am, Mr. President, most thankful for the opportunity to look on a spectacle like this — on the delicate and beautiful fruits and flowers before us. All our associations of beauty and taste are blended with flowers. They are our earliest tokens of affection and regard. They adorn the bridal brow at the wedding ; they are woven in garlands around the head of the con- querer ; they are strewn on the coffins of the dead. And here is another of their most grateful and beautiful uses — ornamenting the table at a festival, and enlivening the scene and enchanting the eye. In that ' central flowery land,' this is the case at all festivals ; flowers there adorn 18 the table, and meet the eye in every direction, on all festive occasions; but they are not there accompanied by what we here enjoy. Here alone — here and in Christian lands — WOMAN enchants and beautifies with her presence, the festive scene. Woman — our equal — shall I not say our moral superior. It is only here, that such a scene can gladden the human eye. I regard this exhibition as a striking proof of the point which education and intel- lectual refinement have reached in our country; that we have got beyond mere utility, and ceasing to inquire how far it is incompatible with beauty, have found that the beautiful is of itself useful. We have learned to admire art, to appreciate sculpture and painting, and to look upon fruits and flowers, as models of delicacy and beauty." The Hon. Robert C. Winthrop remarked, that, "he had never cultivated flowers, not even the flowers of rhetoric ; as to the sentimentalities of the subject, Mrs. Caudle had quite exhausted them in a single sentence of one of her last lectures, when she told her husband how 'she was born for a garden! There is something about it that makes one feel so innocent ! My heart always opens and shuts at roses.' Shakespeare had pronounced it to be 4 wasteful and ridiculous excess, to paint the lily, or throw a perfume upon the violet.' And so it would be. The violets had been called, ' sweet as the lids of Juno's eyes or Cythercea's breath ;' and of the lilies it had been divinely said, that 4 Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.' Both had already a grace beyond the reach of art. But to multiply varieties of fruit and flowers ; to increase their abundance, and scatter them with a richer profusion along the way-sides of life; to improve their quality, coloring and fragrance, wherever it was pos- sible to do so; this, the great poet of nature, would have been the last person to call wasteful. Its utility would only be questioned by those who counted it useless THE UTILITY OF FLO WEES. 19 to extend the range of innocent recreation and virtuous enjoyment ; useless to brighten and strengthen the chain of sympathy which binds man to man ; or useless to excite a fresher or more frequent glow of grateful admiration in the human breast, towards the giver of all good." " Flowers," says a writer, " flowers of all created things ? the most innocently simple, the most superbly complex, playthings for childhood, ornaments of the grave, and com- panions of the cold corpse ! Flowers, beloved by the idiot, and studied by the thinking man of science ! Flow- ers, that unceasingly expand to heaven their grateful, and to man their cheerful looks ; soothers of human sorrow ; fit emblems of the victor's triumph and the young bride's blushes! Welcome to the crowded ball, and grateful upon the solitary grave ! Flowers are in the volume of nature, what the expression ' God is love' is in the volume of reva- lation ! What a desolate place would be a world without a flower ; it would be a face without a smile — a feast with- out a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of earth, and are not our stars, the flowers of heaven? One cannot look closely at the structure of a flower without loving it ; they are the emblems and manifestations of God's love to the creation, and they are means and ministrations of man's love to his fellow creatures, for they first awaken in his mind a sense of the beautiful and good. The very in- utility of flowers, is their excellence and great beauty, for they lead us to thoughts of generosity and moral beauty, detached from, and superior to all selfishness, so that they are sweet lessons in nature's book of instruction, teaching man that he liveth not by bread alone, but that he hath an- other than animal life." Who, that was blessed with parents that indulged them- selves, and children with a flower garden, can forget the happy, innocent hours spent in its cultivation ! O ! who can forget those days, when to announce the appearance 20 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. of a bud, or the coloring of a tulip, or the opening of a rose, or the perfection of a full-blown peony, was glory enough for one morning. With tender emotions do I re- member the old white rose-bush, trained up to the top of the house b)Tthe hand of a dear mother, the abundant and fragrant flowers of which gave delight to all the household, as well as to the neighbors, who received them as ex- pressions of neighborly friendship and good-will. How many pleasant reminiscenses, crowd upon the memory of one who at the age of three-score and ten, as he looks back on the scenes of his childhood and youth, when from his sainted mother he received lessons of morality and piety, while engaged in the culture of a limited flower garden. Did she forget to love flowers ? Were they no source of pleasure to her when old age crept upon her ? No, no ! At the age of ninety, her table never lacked a bouquet, a pot of fuchsia, or a rose or some other flower, which re- ceived her tender care. How many otherwise tedious hours were spent in the contemplation of her little flower garden ; and with what cheerfulness did she pass away, from the flowers of earth, to the paradise of heaven, leaving a delightful example, of a happy, cheerful, contented old age, as a rich legacy to her numerous descendants and friends. But the gratification derived from the garden, is not confined to the young or the old. Who that has been confined to the business of the day, toiling and laboring in the " sweat of his face," does not feel invigorated and refreshed, as he takes his walk in the cool of the evening, with the happy family group about him, and notes the progress of his fruits and flowers ? Or, who that breathes the delicious fragrance of the morning flowers glittering with dew, but can look up with greater confidence and love to Him, who has strewed with such liberal profusion in every direction, the evidence of his goodness and love to the children of men! THE UTILITY OF FLO WEES. 21 Man was not made to rust out in idleness. A degree of exercise is as necessary for the preservation of health, both of body and mind, as his daily food. And what exercise is more fitting, or more appropriate for one who is in the decline of life, that that of superintending a well ordered garden ? What more enlivens the sinking mind ? What more invigorates the feeble frame ? What is more con- ducive to a long life ? What can be more grateful to the mechanic or merchant or professional man, than to recreate for a short time in a well selected garden of flowers, neatly arranged and well cultivated? In reply to the question often asked, " what is the use of flowers?" W^illiam Cobbett asks another, " what is the use of anything ?" There are many things in this wide world pleasing to the eye of man ; many of them expen- sive and not in the power of all to obtain ; but flowers may, without much or no expense, be obtained and pos- sessed by the most humble individual. Their cultivation may be made one unfailing source of happiness to the family. Let parents gather around them every source of innocent amusement and recreation for their children. They should endeavor to make their home attractive and lovely, both within doors and without. 22 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. THE LILY OF THE FIELD, or THE WONDERFUL BEAUTY OF FLOWERS. The contemplation of the beauty of flowers, with their varied tints of exquisite colors, beautiful forms and de- lightful odors, is a source of never ending pleasure to all who have any taste for the beautiful, even when examined by the naked eye ; but when placed under a powerful mi- croscope, we are introduced to the hidden wonders of God's handiworks, where we see the exquisite finish of the most minute parts of the flower, with the adorning of colors that seem to be more splendid than anything earthly ; here is no imperfection, and no blemish, but in every part of the most humble flower, we see nothing but the perfection of beauty. I was so well pleased with an article I found in the New- York Observer on this subject, entitled the " Lily of the Field," that I give the article entire, as follows, (believing that it will be read with pleasure and profit) : "In the reign of Solomon, the kingdom of Judah reached the acme of its splendor. He was the wisest, the richest, and the most powerful of kings. " So widely extended was the fame of his character and magnificence, that distant nations came to add their por- tion to the sum of his glory. The grandest manifestations of his prosperity, and power, were, when the king ap- peared, arrayed in robes of finest texture, sitting upon the throne of ivory overlaid with pure gold. It was no mere display of barbaric magnificence, dazzling to the eye of sense, with the glitter of gold, and the glare of brilliant colors. It was the suitable expression of that blessing which crowned the kingdom and its king. All that earth THE LILY OF THE FIELD. 23 could furnish and art apply, was centered upon him, who set forth in his own person the glory of the state. When our Saviour desired to impress his disciples with the superiority of the least of the works of God to the great- est of the works of man, He compared the humble beauty of the flowers at their feet, with the utmost that could be accomplished by human taste and skill. " ' Consider,' said he, ' the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.' We need not make a garland of these lilies, nor seek a meadow covered with their varied brightness, in order to find what surpasses the brilliant costume of the richest king. A single one of these frail flowers, is clothed with finer texture, adorned with richer hues, and expresses more of that perfection in form and color, which delight the eye and heart. As he stood before the altar, the royal robes of Solomon hung in graceful folds and shone with the purple blush of Tyre, but no angel's wings swept in more graceful curves, than that in which this lily of the field upturns its blushing face to the light and dews of heaven. " In these lilies of the field, there is brightness, not of materials prepared and arranged by human hands, but the living brightness that flows directly from the hand of God. There is life in these flowers : every tint glows with the warmth of the unseen love which gives it be- ing. It is not like the beaming stars, nor the glory of western clot]diness, for it shines with the mysterious power of the living principle, it has a breathing and growth toward the source of all true loveliness in this world, and that which is to come. " Let us learn another lesson from the lily of the field. How small a portion of its exquisite beauty is within the reach of our vision. Look with a true heart and loving 24 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. spirit, study its wondrous mechanism, its faultless form, seek for the secret of its ' tender grace,' and when you have read all that eye can see, and have felt all that heart can receive, remember that you know but in part, that you see the beauty of this flower only through a glass darkly. It has a wealth of beauty that to you is entirely imperceptible. Scientific aids, increasing wonderfully your natural powers of observation, only reveal the fact, that there is an infinity of beauty concealed within the compass of these leafy walls. " Now, if the God of love, the Father of glory, has con- cealed such beauty, where He reveals Himself in the light of a single flower, how much has He treasured up beyond the reach of mortal vision within those foundations of precious stones ; how much has He concealed in the buds of precious promise, in the flowers of living hope that rise with heavenly fragrance, beside still waters, in those green pastures where He makes His flock to rest at noon. "Is there a joy unspeakable in the humblest flower that springs up beneath the touch of His finger ? What must be the fullness of joy when He reveals the fashion of His own glorious body, according to His mighty power. Let uslearn from one of these lilies of the field, that we but know in part, but when that is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Then shall we know, even as we are known." It is not known what particular flower was alluded to, as the "lily of the field;" we should like very well to ascertain. It is not, however, necessary, to know the particular one : the remark is applicable to any flower. VITALITY OF SEEDS. 25 ON THE VITALITY OF SEEDS.-REMARKS ON PLANTING, Etc. " And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed is in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good." A seed, when duly considered, shews forth the infinite wisdom, power and goodness of the Almighty. As it was in the beginning, so it continues to be, true to its original creation, never diverging or degenerating from its true character. New varieties are produced from seed, and great improvements attained by the skill of the cultivator ; but the properties of the plant remain, and have so re- mained for six thousand generations of annual plants. Wheat never has, nor ever will turn to chess, as some most ignorantly and persistently affirm to be the case. Nor do potatoes ever grow upon the roots of the Gilly- flower plant. While conducting the New England Farmer many years since, a gentleman from Maine sent me a sample of potatoes, which he assured me were generated and produced, (not from seed) but originated and grew upon the roots of that plant. He called it " the Gilly- flower Potato." It was in vain that I attempted to show him the impossibility of the thing, he was certain this was the origin of the potato ; and what appeared strange to me, was, that he found those who sustained him in the theory that new species of plants might be produced by chance, and that a potato might originate on the roots of the Gilly-flower. It is interesting to notice the great diversity in various species of seeds, in their shape, size and mode of scatter- ing or spreading themselves abroad. The most minute 2 26 BEECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. seed contains a perfect germ within itself, not to be seen perhaps without the aid of a microscope, but there it is, "the seed (or bud) in itself" as perfect as that of the bean, which is seen by the naked eye : Many seeds have a ittost beautiful appearance when viewed by the microscope ; for example, the quite small seed of Portulaca, when thus examined, resembles some splendid sea shell, with all the brilliancy of color, which graces some of these wonders of the sea. By the sudden bursting of the capsule of some plants, the seeds are scattered some distance around : such for in- stance as Phlox, Lupin, and many others. The seed of Asclepias, Thistle, and others, have a silky appendage, by which they are wafted by the wind to distant parts of the country. The seeds of the Maple and other plants and trees are so constructed that they float upon the water and thus find a lodgement upon the banks of a stream many miles from their starting place ; others will not germinate until they have passed through the stomach of a bird, and such are deposited wherever the bird flies. Seeds buried in the earth may remain many years, or ages, without ger- minating, but when brought up by the plow to the surface of the ground and exposed to the air, germinate and bring forth a plentiful crop of weeds. The earth seems to be full of seed. Earth taken from the bottom of deep wells or mines, when exposed to the sun and air, often produces vegetation. Some seeds when excluded from the air and moisture, retain 'their vitality for almost an indefinite pe- riod of time. It is often asked, how long will this or that variety of seed retain its vitality. In answer to this inquiry, we re- ply, that it depends very much as to the manner in which seed was cured, and how it has been kept. We have tables stating the length of time the different garden seeds may be considered good. VITALITY OF SEEDS. 27 These tables approximate to correctness. For instance, the Cucumber, Squash, Melons, etc., are laid down as good for ten years, I have, however, known very bright- looking Marrow Squash seed be worthless the first year. This was occasioned, no doubt, by drying the seeds by the fire or in an oven. "Onion seed is sometimes spoiled in consequence of its having been packed away before it was thoroughly dry, which caused a slight fermentation so as to destroy the germ. Onion seed is worthless after the second year, but if the seed has been sunk iri water to clean it, as is sometimes practiced, the seed is good only one year. I have known Onion seed that was perfectly dry and corked up tight in a bottle, to vegetate freely when eight years old ; but if the seed should be bottled up in a damp state, its vitality would be lost within one year. Not unfrequently imported seeds, which have a long pas- sage over the water, acquire dampness so as to swell the seed and start the germ ; such seeds, if planted immedi- ately, will all vegetate, but when dried again, very few will start. I have known Peas, Radish, and other seeds to be spoiled in this way. How much longer than the ten years, laid down in the book, Cucumber seed will retain its vitality, I have not yet learned. About eighteen years since we imported from London a small lot of Sinott's Early Frame Cucumber, which was said to be very fine for forcing. The seed wag very expensive, £4 sterling for one quarter of a pound ; we sold only small packages of it, and having most of it left over, concluded to plant it for seed. It proved very productive, and the seed was sold in small parcels for ten years. Thinking it would not be safe to sell from it any longer, it was tied up in a bag and put in a tight bin in the garret, where it remained seven years, when it was discov- ered one day, and curiosity tempted me to test it. I counted out 14 seeds, 10 of which vegetated. As gardeners 28 prefer old seed if it will vegetate, it was put up for sale again. The next year, a gardener inquired for old Cu- cumber seed. He was informed we had some eighteen years old, and if he would test it and report the result, he should be welcome to the seed. He afterwards informed us that he counted out twelve seeds a*nd planted them, and every one vegetated. So I think this seed will be good until it is twenty-one. I once made a trial of Old White Turnip Radish seed, which is set down in the table as re- taining its vitality four years. We raised a large quantity of this one season, suflicient for our sales for four years. At the expiration of this time there were a few pounds left, which were tied up in a bag, marked old seed, with the year, and shut up in a tight bin in a loft. After it had re- mained ten years in confinement, it was taken out to throw away, but I had the curiosity to test its vitality. The re- sult was, every seed vegetated. I might go on and give the result of various experiments made with seeds to test their vitality, but I have given enough to show that no certain rule can be laid down on this subject, as so much depends upon the manner in which the seed was saved, cured, or kept. Flower seeds, like vegetable seeds, vary in the length of time they may be relied upon as good. Balsam seed is good from 6 to 8 years. Larkspur, Pink, and many other seeds will not vegetate freely after the second year ; the same is the case with the Aster. Hol- lyhock seed is good five years ; Gilly-fiower seed about the same length of time, and it is said the older it is the bet- ter, if it will vegetate, as it will produce more double- flowers. I should occupy too much space were I to give the result of all the experiments I have made with flower- seeds. I have found by long experience that the only safe course to pursue in relation to seeds is to test all, new and old, before offering them for sale, by counting out a certain number of seeds, and planting them in pots and VITALITY OF SEEDS. 29 placing them under the glass of the green-house or grap- eiy, and then count the number of plants which appear. But with all this care, complaints are often made that the seed was not good, — seed that I knew was good, be- cause it had been proved so, under my own inspection, by an infallible test. There are various causes of the failure of good seed. One of these is, the injudicious manner in which an at- tempt is made to start it in a hot-bed. In consequence of the seeds having been sown upon the beds in a rank heat, they are prematurely forced up and easily destroyed, by being pent up without air as soon as the plants begin to appear above ground. I once planted half an acre of Carrots, rather late in the season. I examined the field one morning, and observed the carrots were breaking through the ground finely. The day had been a very warm one, with a scorching sun, and the ground rather dry; at night I examined the field again, and to my surprise could not, at first sight, sec any vestige of the young plants I had noticed in the morning, but upon a close inspection, found them all withered and brown, burnt by the sun. In this way the plants are often destroyed before any notice has been taken of them. Young flower-plants are often destroyed in the same way as were the carrots. Many young plants are destroyed by a minute black fly, or some other small insect, just as they emerge from the ground. Small seeds are often planted so deep that they cannot push through the soil, while some large seeds are not planted deep enough. A friend has suggested the import- ance of giving some directions in this work, relative to the subject of planting seeds as to their depth, time of plant- ing, and the time required for the plants to appear above ground. In answer to these inquiries, it may be stated, that in regard to the depth of planting, something de- 30 BEECK'S NEW. BOOK OF FLOWERS. pends upon the soil. In light soils, the seeds should be planted deeper than in heavy ones; but the following di- rections may be a guide in soils of a medium texture, viz. : Sweet Peas, Lupins, Morning Glories, Four-o'clock, and other large seeds, should be planted about one inch deep. Balsams, Asters, Centaureas, etc., about one-half an inch. Cockscombs, Amaranth, and many other seeds of like size, one-quarter of an inch. Many of the very small seeds should be sown on the surface with a little fine earth sifted over them, just so as to cover the seeds, and then gently pressed with a piece of board. Great care must be taken with these minute seeds, to keep the surface of the ground moist if the weather is dry, and watch carefully for the first appearance of the plants, when they should be shaded in the middle of the day by spruce boughs, or a gauze covering, such as is used to keep oif the insects from cu- cumber vines. They should be thus cared for until the plants have acquired strength to resist the scorching rays of the sun. Cypress Vine, Indian-shot, and many other hard-shelled seeds, require a long time to vegetate in the open ground, unless first prepared by pouring scalding water over them, in which they should remain until the water is cold. When planted, thus prepared, the last of May, these seeds will appear above ground in about one week, if the weather is warm. The Three-thorned Acacia seed will sometimes remain in the ground a year before it vegetates, and I have known Asparagus seed sown late in May, remain in the ground until August, before the plants appeared ; but if treated the same as recommended for the Cypress Vine, they will vegetate in a week or ten days. Globe-Amaranth seeds, ( Qomphrena globosa) and some other seeds enclosed in a cottony substance over a shell, will not readily vegetate unless this outer covering is taken VITALITY OF SEEDS. 31 off, which may be done with a sharp pointed pen-knife ; but this is a tedious process when many seeds are to be planted. I find no difficulty without removing this coating or without scalding the seeds mentioned, if pots of the seeds are plunged in a hot-bed, where there is a powerful heat ; they will start in a week or less, according to the de- gree of heat, but great caution must be observed as soon as the plants appear, to see that they have plenty of air, or they will surely be destroyed. It is impossible to give directions for planting seeds, that will be applicable to all soils, situations, or seasons ; but judgment, discretion and care must be exercised un- der all circumstances to ensure success. Plants, long prop- agated by cuttings, lose their power to produce seeds. This is the case with many fine perennial plants, with double or single flowers, that have been propagated by divisions of the roots, as well as by cuttings. It is a great disappointment and vexation, to find, after you have made ample preparations, and planted your seed, that it was worthless, your labor all lost, and probably too late in the season to make trial of other seed. Perhaps the following hints may remind one of the importance of beginning right. " To raise your flowers, various arts combine, Study these well, and fancy's flight decline ; If you would have a vivid, vigorous breed, Of every kind, examine well the seed ; Learn to what elements your plan's belong, . What is their constitution, weak or strong ; Be their physician, careful of their lives, And see that every species daily thrives ; These love much air these on much earth rely, These, without constant warmth, decay and die; Supply the wants of each, and they will pay For all your care through each succeeding day." 32 SELECTION OF FLOWERING PLANTS. FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN, AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE VARIOUS SORTS ON THE LAWN OR BORDERS.* " How exquisitely sweet This rich display of flowers, This airy wild of fragrance, So lovely to the eye, And to the sense so sweet."— A ndreinVs Adam. "And round about he taught sweet flowers to grow " — Spencer. "The leading faults in all the flower gardens I have seen, are, the want of a proper selection of kinds, and a very bad mode of arranging them. It makes very little difference how elegant or striking a plan you may have for a flower garden, if that design is badly planted, so as to conceal its merits, or is filled in with a collection of un- suitable kinds that have a coarse, or ragged habit of growth, or remaining in bloom too short a time. * This article was written at my request by Mr. Robert Murray, Landscape Gardener, of Waltham, Mass. I have always admired the exquisite taste he has exhibited in the arrangement of the flowering plants and shrubbery, in the garden under his management on the " Gore Farm," as it is called, in Wal- tham, of which he had the sole charge for many years, while it was in the pos- session of the late Hon. Theodore Lyman, and afterwards S. C. Green, Esq. For a number of years past, Mr. Murray has devoted himself to the study and practice of landscape gardening, in which profession lie has been eminently successful. Where ornamental grounds are to be laid out, I know of no other person who is better qualified than Mr. Murray to execute the work to the satis- faction of his employer, however refined he may be in his taste on this matter. I have oftentimes been pained to see places beautifully situated by nature, and susceptible of great improvement by artistic skill, almost ruined by the un- fortunate mistake of employing a person without skill or taste in laying it out. Better that the place should have remained in a state of nature, than to have employed'an ignoramus, in such an important work. A work of this sort is a work for an age, and if badly planned and executed, cannot be corrected, with- out much expense and loss of time. Beware then of being " penny wise arid pound foolish." SELECTION OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 33 A flower garden that deserves the name, should re- semble a rich picture, where the artist has all his colors nicely contrasted and blended together ; rejecting almost every kind that does not afford a continual display of beautiful colors, and sweet odors, and have a neat and agreeable habit of growth. I know that it is difficult to restrain a passionate lover of flowers from having a great variety of species, but the most beautiful flower gardens that I have seen, and had the management of, were those where but very few kinds were introduced, and those kinds possessing the qualities I have already mentioned. And it will, likewise, add very much to the effect of the selection, to give up the 'old method of mixing and intermingling the species and varieties in all the beds, and adopt the modern style of grouping and massing the colors in sepa- rate figures, selecting the most delicate and beautiful shades of pink and white, light blues, and straw-colored yellows, with the soft tones of crimson and vermillion. These beautiful colors, when boldly brought into contrast, so as to form a pleasing attraction to the eye, make a more immediate and forcible impression than a confused mixture, not distinct enough anywhere to give a decided effect to the whole. The system of massing plants has another great advantage, of preventing you from seeing any bare surface of soil, or parts of figures not covered with foliage and flowers, the parched appearance of such bare surface, when seen, tends to impair the air of freshness and beauty of the flowers, and when beds are planted with a large mixture of different varieties, such as straggling and spread- ing, tall and short, it is almost impossible to prevent large portions of the soil from being seen. I would recommend, not to have the flower beds scat- tered promiscuously over a lawn, without any connection with each other, but a simple group of regular beds or figures of various sizes, such as circles, or ovals neatly cut 2* 34 out, and occupying about the centre of the lawn; when these are well kept, the freshness and verdure of the green turf, gives a fine contrast to the flower beds, and adds very much to the brilliant colors of the flowers themselves. In some of the beds, I would aim at producing splendid masses of one color, and in others, such as the largest beds, a mixed and choice collection of animals, which would give a variegated mass of colors throughout the season : in other beds by themselves, I would fill up with exotic flowers, or flowering shrubs, such as are brought forward under glass for bedding out, such as Heliotropes, Lan- tanas, Bouvardias, Geraniums, Fuchsias, Ageratums, Ver- benas, etc. The following collection and arrangement for a large oval bed will be found to give a brilliant display of colors from July to November. In the first row, Mignonette to be sown all round the border, eighteen inches from the edging ; after the seed is through the ground, plant all the various colors of Portulaca alternately, one foot apart in the same row. The second row, three feet from the ed FLOWERS. 45 iron in a low state of oxidation be the coloring substance of a flower, it is clear that as soon as the juice of the plant becomes more acid, a farther oxidation takes place, this would cause a change in color." " I would instance the Lilac. Iron in a low state of oxi- dation combined with manganese and carbonic acid, form, component parts of a mineral called Pearl-spar, which is of a brilliant white — it may therefore exist in the same state in the white Lilac ; and the manganese is often found, particularly in the Tiree marble, to be the cause of lilac color — as the juices ripen and grow more acid, the iron is farther oxidized, the flowers fade, turn of a rusty brown, and finally the seed vessel ripens of a dark brown." That Iron is able to produce almost every variety of color we may learn from the fact that the native miner- als, Phosphate of iron is of all shades of blue. Sulphate and arseniate of iron, are green, brown, yellowish red, brownish green. Humboldtine or oxalate of iron is bright yellow, etc., etc. Manganese is also found of most colors, from the green- ish blue of the Horn Mangan to the rose red of the Tiree marble. " The amethyst is supposed to be colored by iron and manganese, the emerald by oxide of chrome ; the topaz, the sapphire and the ruby by iron." " It is well known to the florist that aver manured soil deepens, or spoils, as he calls it, the colors of his tulips and other favorites, and that from this deterioration it is diffi- cult to recover them. " Strong manure contains a large proportion of alkali, and this always deepens and rather deadens many colors, particularly of the red and purple tinge, while acids on the contrary lighten and enliven them ; this consideration may be experimentally applied to the subject.'' A number of years since I sold to a Tulip amateur a bed 46 BBECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. of choice varieties of this flower, which had bloomed in my own garden the previous year, which I knew to be very fine. At the time of their flowering in his garden, he came to me in a great rage, bringing with him a hand- ful of the Tulips, and accused me of selling him a lot of inferior bulbs for the very best. They were indeed inferi- or, except in shape. I examined them, and found the ground color to be a dull brown, with stripes a few shades darker. I could not believe they were identical with those I sold him, but had some suspicions they might be the same, but had not received proper treatment. He in- vited me to visit his garden and judge for myself. The journey of 25 miles I cheerfully undertook, and found to my surprise, that not only my own Tulips, but also those obtained from two other sources, were indeed a sad sight, all pretty much in the same style and worthless. But I was not surprised when the mode of their cultivation had been detailed. He had not only prepared his beds with a large quantity of strong manure, but to cap the climax, he covered the bed in autumn with four inches of tanner's hemlock bark as a protection. The leaching of the hem- lock bark, and heavy manuring, satisfactorily explained the cause of the disaster, not only to myself, but to the gentleman also, when we presented the facts before my friend, Mr. Teschemacker, who affirmed that their treat- ment was sufficient cause of their deterioration. The in- quiry was then made, how the flowers could be brought back to their original beauty. The answer was, that it was doubtful whether that could be done, but it was sug- gested, that the only probable means would be, to form a compost of virgin soil from a pasture without any manure, with sand and lime rubbish. — It, however, was not suc- cessful. CONSTRUCTING BOUQUETS. 47 THE ART OF CONSTRUCTING BOUQUETS ; ARRANG- ING FLOWERS IN VASES, Etc. FOREIGN FLOWER FASHIONS. I have been requested by a number of the readers of my first "Book of Flowers," should I publish another work or a new edition of the old one, to give some direc- tions in constructing bouquets, showing how to arrange the colors, etc. Now this is about as difficult a task, as it would be to direct how a beautiful painting could be executed ; such an art cannot be communicated by writ- ing. It requires taste, skill, and practice to become a good artist, and to know how the colors should be blended to form a perfect picture. It is somewhat so in arranging flowers in a bouquet. There is very bad taste exhibited in many of the bouquets that are offered for sale in the flower shops, which to the eye of an amateur is about as annoying as discords are to the ear of an educated musi- cian. I must, however, confess that I cannot communicate the art of arranging the color of flowers in a bouquet that would be satisfactory to myself, and must give as a sub- stitute, some hints which I find in a late London paper from a report of a gentleman who gives an account of what he saw on a visit to Paris, in an article entitled, " Flowers and Foreign Flower Fashions" The article is a long one and I give only the following extracts : " Much green with a little color is a rule that has a' wide reign ; and also it is remarkable how rarely one sees one color ; but crimson and buff roses, violet and pink, 48 pale sea green and rose color, or any of these, with white. This seems the prevailing thing, as much in dress as in flowers, and as much in rooms as anywhere. But then, Parisians do compose room, and toilette, and flowers, all as a sort of picture. " But to go on to vases and to flowers in general. The great idea now in arranging them, is to show each flower separately (not in that horrid way, of all others most ob- jectionable, when, having a crowd of flowers, each flower tries to be seen, thus making up a result of a mass of ex- cited petals, like foces turned up in a crowd) — but where the view is to let each flower repose quietly and calmly upon a bed of green!, That is, after all, the natural view of flowers ; but I never saw it done perfectly till a few days agoj at Paris. " Bouquets for the hand are not made up abroad like " the run" of English ones. The prettiest mode this year is to have a kind of fern shaped spray of green going down the bouquet between each little group of flowers. It seems to me that in composing a bouquet, there are five or six separate bunches of green arranged first separately — some fern, for example, or sprays of rose leaves (to men- tion things, that every one has at hand), and then these sprays are fastened to the centre, formed, one after each little group of Azaleas or Geraniums. The effect is ex- ceedingly good. The flowers would not be mixed much — perhaps red and white in one place, and only pink in an- other ; or perhaps blue would be alone here, and next door to it buff*. The art is, not to seem to think the flowers unsuited to each other. Flowers for hair and dress are now very rarely mixed. You have some one flower and its own buds for all. Then, if more green is wanted, there are always sprays of ivy, drooping fronds of fern, long ribbons of delicate grass. As a general thing, how- ever, one flower with its own leaves is enough for one per- CONSTRUCTING BOTJaUETS. 49 son's ambition ; and the result is once more, much grace and little heaviness. " For actual use on dinner tables, the prettiest fashion I have ever seen by far, is that of the large open vase sup- ported on gilt branches, always so arranged as to look wide and low in proportion to its height. " The dish or vase, I should mention, was of plain frost- ed glass, shallow and wide, and rested on twisted supports of bright and frosted gilding. " The dish was itself filled up with bright dark green moss — one of the beautiful green-house lycopods might well be used here. Lycopodium denticulatum is, perhaps, best of all for the purpose, and is easily grown anywhere, in a shady corner of the green-house, or in a window that will not suit many flowering plants because of want of sun. The moss was raised in the centre — not a heap, but curved upwards. The flowers were as follows : one deep red Hose, one of the palest Blush white, a spray of Avhite Con- volvulus, just touched with pink, a cluster of red droop- ing flowers (I thought of the Rose acacia), one spray of pale wild Rose, one bright pink Rose, a cluster of white Acacia, and a drooping branch of the pink Convolvulus. " It is to be remarked, the colors were all shades of rose and white. The whole thing was most perfectly bright, and fresh, and beautiful. Each flower was simply laid down on the green, fairly round the vase, no attempt being made to fill up the centre at all. The flowers just touched, and had each its own green leaves ; the stems, of course, were just hidden slightly in the moss. I give this to show the style of thing, but, of course, other flowers can be used for any of those named. The great thing is, it seems to me, to have some idea to work to ; and there certainly are such ideas to be picked up, sown broadcast abroad ; where nobody is ashamed of trying to make themselves and everything else look their prettiest ! 3 50 " Another thing that struck me was the great use made of green in everything, and the immense effect thus produc- ed. A stand of flowers would really have very few plants indeed. There would be green and moss — and perhaps two plants in flower. Setting off one gem is far more the fashion than collecting a crowd that detract from each other's beauty. Each flower is thus allowed to be distinct. And then things are on a large scale. I have passed under a flower vase often in going to dinner — a tall vase on a side-table, with really gigantic flowers — Sunflowers and Dahlias, with great Roses and Gladioli, and with such large green leaves, and the flowers cut with sucli long stalks, that each seemed well detached — and the strange selection was Oriental, and beautiful in its strangeness. Of course all things of this kind must suit the rooms they are in ; but in immense lofty rooms, and with the large massive style of most of the French furniture, nothing can be in better taste than some of these brilliant vases. Then the beautiful feathery grasses are very much used in Paris ; and nothing can be more graceful, on a large scale, than are these white plumes." PROTECTION OF PLANTS. In our variable climate it is necessary to protect many of the herbaceous plants before winter sets in, especially in the vicinity of Boston and other places upon the sea coast. Farther back in the country, where the ground is covered with snow from December to April, it is not so important, as the snow is the best protection they can have. Many Alpine, Siberian, and other plants from, high PROTECTION OF PLANTS. 51 latitudes, are not hardy when exposed to the vicissitudes of our winters, but in their own localities they are snugly stowed away under deep snow, all ready to burst into flower as soon as the snows are dissolved, where summer succeeds winter, without any spring. But when exposed here to the hot suns of February and March, succeeded by cold freezing nights, when the ground is bare, by the process of freezing and thawing, the plants are thrown out of the ground, and soon perish. Even many quite hardy herbaceous plants are thus destroyed. The only remedy to prevent this damage is to give all herbaceous plants a slight protection, which should be done before the piercing cold winds of December set in. Leaves afford the best protection, and of these I prefer oak leaves, although any other kind will do very well. A thick covering of manure from the stable is injurious for many plants. Deep covering with any material is to be avoided. A covering of leaves three or four inches thick, is sufficient. A little brush laid over the leaves, will prevent them from being blown oif by high winds. Do not be in a hurry to take off the covering before the first of April, and if the weather is severe, let it remain a few days longer. Some of the hybrid Roses, denominated pillar Roses, are best protected by laying down and cover- ing with earth, in the same manner as we protect Rasp- berry canes, but care must be taken to prevent the stems from being broken. When taken up in the spring, strong stakes or poles should be substantially fastened Into the ground, to which they should be tied to prevent the action of the wind, and keep the bushes in shape. Thus treated, I have seen pyramids of Roses, twenty feet high, which, without this protection, would have died down to two or three feet of the ground. Roses will bear any quantity of manure, and should receive a heavy dressing of stable or any other coarse material, applied to the roots in No- 52 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. vember, and spread and dug lightly into the ground in April. This affords the best protection to Roses and herbaceous Pseonies. Tree Pseonies, which though very hardy, may have an additional protection of straw neatly tied over their tops, the flower buds are sometimes injured without it. Young Altheas, some of the Spiraeas, and all tender shrubs may be treated in the same way. The Chinese Wistaria will receive much benefit by laying down, and covering with earth, the same as recommended for pillar Roses, as not unfrequently the flower buds are destroyed by the severity of the winter, and it is a great disappointment to loose the bloom of this, the most elegant of all orna- mental climbing plants. Having all the plants protected, much relief will be afforded to the amateur, as he thinks of his pet flowers, securely covered and safe from the effects of the extreme changes which so often occur in our climate. SUPPORTS FOR PLANTS, TRAINING, Etc. That the plants in a garden may at all times present a neat and orderly appearance, it is important to give them proper support and training as the season advances, other- wise heavy winds and severe storms will create great dis- order and havoc in the pleasure ground. Stakes and rods, for this purpose, should be prepared in the winter or spring, and laid by for use, as they may be required. It will require some judgment and a little taste to prepare and affix these supports to plants of different habits. What would be most proper for a Dahlia, would not be appropriate for a Petunia. A strong stake, the size of a SUPPORTS FOR PLANTS, TRAINING, ETC. 53 hoc-haiKlle, about six feet long, should be prepared for the Dahlia ; it should be painted, if white, with a dull brownish green. No rods or supports should be painted a bright green ; they will not require painting with any color if they have the bark on. Hazel rods, Buckthorn trimmings, or any other straight growing stick will an- swer for one year. Stout painted wire is more durable, and will answer for many years, if carefully preserved. Put down Dahlia supports before planting the tubers, as it can be done then in a more substantial manner than when the plant has grown a foot or two high. It is then all ready to tie the plant to as it advances in height. The best material for tying, is the bass from the West Indies ; it is the bark of some tree, and is kept by most seedsmen, and is much used by nurserymen for budding. This is very strong and pliable if wet, and can be split up very fine, and looks neat, if all hanging ends be cut off. When tall plants are in masses, they may be kept in shape by supports concealed as much as possible by the foliage, using strong brown twine, fastened to these sup- ports, to surround the mass, but care must be taken that the state or twine be invisible if possible. Morning Glories and many other climbing plants may be trained on twine to some object, and will require a little assist- ance to give them a start, after which they will take care of themselves ; or in some corner they present a fine ap- pearance when trained to common bean poles. Petunias, in a mass, look best when left to themselves, as they naturally incline to a spreading position requiring only a little clipping when they grow out of shape. A single plant will make a handsome pyramid when trained to a supporting rod with an occasional trimming and tying. A few plants, well trained and supported, produce a much finer effect, than a multitude of them when left to take care of themselves. 54 LAYING OUT THE FLOWER-GARDEN. " And the sinuous paths of lawn and moss, Which led through the garden along and, across ; Some opened at once to the sun and the breeze,— Some lost among bovvers of blossoming trees, — Were all paved with daisies and delicate bells, As fair as the fabulous asphodels ; And flowerets which, drooping as day drooped too, Fell into pavilions, while, purple, and blue, To roof the glow-worm from the evening dew." SITUATION. — As to the situation of a garden, it is not always in our power to choose. A level plot, however, is to be preferred ; for, if there be considerable descent, the heavy rains will wash away the soil. A southern aspect, sheltered from the north and west winds, is a proper situ- ation for most plants. An inclination to the north, or west, or any any point between them, should, if possible, be avoided. It should be situated contiguous to or near the dwelling-house, and well exposed to the sun $nd air, that the more curious and valuable flowers may be treated with the best success. SOIL. — The soil should be a deep, rich loam. If not nat- urally so, it must be made rich and deep by trenching and manuring, by carting away poor soil and bringing on good. If naturally heavy, it should be made light with a more sandy soil; or, if too light, it should be improved by a mixture of that which is more heavy. The ground should be trenched two spades deep, or from twelve to sixteen inches, according to the quality of the subsoil. If the subsoil is poor, the depth of the mould must be made by carting on such substances as are most needed to correct the bad qualities of the soil. A compost, made of decomposed green sward from a past- LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN. 55 are, and old, rotten manure, would, in most cases, be the best application to increase the depth of the soil. If the ground allotted for the flower-garden is inclined to be wet, or springy, it should be thoroughly drained by ditches, or drains, so deep underground as not to interfere with cultivation. A location having a gravelly subsoil and exposed to drought, should be avoided, if possible. In a word, what is wanted is a deep, rich soil, natural or artificial, not too wet, nor too dry. LAYING OUT THE GARDEN. — In giving directions for lay- ing out a flower-garden, it must be borne in mind that it is not the design of the writer to give elaborate plans for extensive pleasure grounds; those who are able or dis- posed to indulge themselves in this great luxury, will, probably, consult the professional landscape gardener, or derive their information from other sources within their reach, rather than from a work written particularly for the multitude, whose means may be more or less limited. " Neatness should be the prevailing characteristic of a flower-garden, which should be so situated as to form an ornamental appendage to the house ; and, when circum- stances will admit, placed before windows exposed to a southern or south-eastern aspect. The principle on which it is laid out ought to be that of exhibiting a variety of colors and forms, so blended as to produce one beautiful whole. In a small flower-garden, viewed from the windows of the house, this effect is best produced by beds, or borders, formed on the side of each other, and parallel to the win- dows from whence they are seen ; as, by that position, the colors show themselves to the best advantage. In a re- tired part of the garden, a rustic seat may be formed, over and around which honeysuckles, and other sweet and orna- mental creepers and climbers, may be trained on trellises, so as to afford a pleasant retirement." In laying out a flower-garden, it is best to have the 56 BRECK'S NEW BOOK or FLOWERS. work all completed by the middle of October, that it may be in readiness to receive bulbous, and many of the herba- ceous and other plants, and such shrubs as are hardy enough to set in autumn. The work may, therefore, be commenced at any leisure time during the months of August and September ; or, if it is more convenient not to commence the work until spring, it should be accomplished as early as possible. If thus de- ferred, the proprietor must necessarily be deprived of the pleasure of having anything in its greatest perfection, ex- cept annuals, and tender bulbous, or tuberous plants, for that season. I should, therefore, advise, by all means, to have the work done in autumn. The quantity of land to be devoted to the object may be small; but however limited the space, it is necessary that some order should be observed in the general ar- rangement. As to the style of laying out, it will be difficult to pro- pose any plan that would be likely to give satisfaction to all, for most of our readers have a fancy of their own ; and, though they might be disposed to ask advice, yet would, probably, after all, follow the guidance of their own taste, whether it be good or bad. It may not be amiss, however, to throw out a few hints. And, in the first place, if any considerable extent is to be improved, — or if small, and it is desirable to have the business done neatly, and in a substantial, workmanlike manner, — we should re- commend that a thorough-bred, intelligent gardener be em* ployed to execute the work; for the beauty of a garden de- pends very much upon the manner of laying out, the pro- per consistency and richness of the soil, the make of the walks, and laying the edgings, whether of box, grass, or anything else. The form of the ground maybe either square or oblong, somewhat circular or irregular. The interior part may be LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN. 57 divided into oblong four-feet beds, or in the manner of a parterre, in some fanciful style ; the former being more convenient, particularly for most of what are called florist's flowers, but the latter more pleasing to the eye. In either method, a walk should be carried around the outward boundary, leaving a border to surround the whole ground. This outward border will be the most appropriate place for choice flowering shrubs, and tall herbaceous biennial and perennial plants. If the border be a wide one, groups of ornamental trees, of low growth, may be planted in the background, especially on the northern and western quarters, which will greatly protect the plants from cold winds, particularly if evergreens be planted there. Large trees should not be set so near the garden as to injure it by their roots or shade. Every fine garden should be well secured by a fence or hedge, if at all exposed to the public road. A hedge is far the prettiest, and if well managed, neat and ornamental. "The plan of the garden, be it either large or small, generally pleases when it is so constructed as to give a va- riety in the design. Formality, though often the leading feature, seldom gives that ease that is requisite. The planting of the ground should also bear the nicest consider- ation ; by which, I mean, that such shrubs and plants should be selected as will form* a pleasing contrast, and be appro- priate in the difierent places assigned to them." GARDEN WALKS. WIDTH OP WALKS. — The main walk, or walks, of a garden, should be laid out on a liberal scale. Nothing de- tracts so much from the pleasures of the flower-garden as contracted walks. When we wish to enjoy the company of a friend, in the flower-garden, it is much more agree- able to have him by our side, arm in arm, than to be un- der the necessity of making the tour of the garden in In- 3* 58 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. dian file. The main walks should, therefore, be calculated so as to admit two persons to walk comfortably in a social manner, and, if wide enough for a little one in addition, BO much the better. From five to six feet will not be too wide for the main avenue. The internal compartments, of course, should have much narrower walks, the width of which must be graduated, in a degree, by the size of the garden. The walks of the flower-garden should be constructed of such material as will make firm and dry walking at all seasons of the year. The best walks are composed of small stones, oyster-shells, coarse gravel, or broken bricks, covered with five or six inches of fine gravel. As to the color of the gravel, or coating, you must be governed by fancy and convenience ; but as to quality, it should be coarse and lively, containing a due proportion of light sandy loam, to make it bind close and firm at all seasons ; but not so redundant of loam or clay as to stick to the feet in wet weather, nor so sandy as to be loose and open in dry weather. Ground oyster shells are sometimes used, also granite chips, from a stone-cutter's, which make fine, hard walks; but these substances are too brilliant for the eye in a sunny day, and on that account are objectionable. A redish free- stone color has a better effect. • Agreeably to your design, stake out the width of the walk, and proceed to level the boundary on each side, cor- responding with the adjacent ground, and form the cavity of the walk for the reception of the gravel, — observing that the whole space, to make a good and permanent walk, should be dug twelve or fifteen inches deep, to allow a proper depth for gravel, to prevent the weeds from rising from the ground below, and worms from casting up the earth thereof. The earth dug out from the cavity of the walk, may be used to raise and level any hollow parts on LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN. 59 each side, or contiguously situated, which, with the edg- ing, if of .box, should always be completed before you be- gin to lay the gravel. The walks being thus laid out, you may first lay any stony rubbish, — such as broken bricks, small stones, etc., — for several inches deep in the bottom, which will drain off extra moisture, and thereby prevent the surface from becoming mossy or foul ; the proper gravel is then to be laid on, six or eight inches thick. As you proceed in lay- ing, observe to rake off the coarse parts into the bottom, and to raise the middle of the walk higher than the sides, in a gradually rounding form, just as much as is sufficient to carry off the water to each side. , The proportion to be observed is, — a walk of four feet wide should be one and a half inches higher in the middle than at the sides, and for every foot of increase in width, add one-fourth of an inch to the elevation of the centre. Round- ing the walk too much would make it very uneasy to walk upon, and of an unpleasant appearance. No more gravel should be laid in one day than can be finished off and rolled effectually. Clean, hard gravel walks add much to the beauty and comfort of the garden. A garden roller is indispensable where there is much extent of walks, and it should be applied as often as once a week, and particularly after a rain. PLANTING BOX AND OTHER EDGING. The surface of the garden having been levelled, and the walks dug out, according to the plan, and partially filled with stones and coarse gravel, the operator may now pro- ceed to plant the box edgings, or any other plant he may substitute for that purpose, or grass if that is preferred. Box, of all other plants, makes the neatest and most beautiful edgings. This may be set in September or Octo- ber, but will require protection, as it is very liable to be 60 thrown out by the frost, or winter-killed, without it. It may also be planted in the spring, and also in June ; but when late planted will require shading .and watering. Box takes root freely from cuttings, and is sometimes used without root fibres ; but, unless great care is taken, some of it will fail to grow, thereby making the edging uneven and full of gaps, and it will be found difficult to get it into good shape again. If it is to be raised from cuttings, it should be done in a bed by itself, where it can have the benefit of shading and watering. To make neat edgings, you should get some short, bushy box, and let it be slipped or parted into moderately small slips, of not more than six or eight inches in length, divid- ing it in such a manner that each slip shall have more or less roots upon it, rejecting such as are destitute of them, for. planting by themselves. If any have long, straggling roots, they should be trimmed off, and the plants should be made pretty much of a length. It is to be premised that the margins of the beds have all been properly levelled or graded ; then they should be trodden lightly and evenly along, to settle them moderately firm ; if for a straight, edging, stretch the line along the edge of the bed or border; with the spade make up any inequalities of the surface, according to the line ; then, on the side of the line next the walk, let a small, neat trench be cut, about six inches deep, making the side next the line perfectly perpendicular, turning the earth out toward the walk or alley. For a- curving margin, a strip of board, an inch wide and twelve or fifteen feet long, with pegs attached by screws or nails, at various distances along its length, so that it can be made fast in the ground, to correspond with the design, may be used instead of the line ; but some work- men are so expert, that, having the design transferred to the ground, they will proceed with accuracy without such LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN. 61 a guide. At any rate, the trench is to be dug out as di- rected for a straight line. The box is to be planted in the trench, close against the straight side, against the line, or strip of board, placing the plants so near together as to form immediately a close, compact edging, without being too thick and clumsy, and with the tops of the plants as even as possible, all at an equal height, not more than an inch or two above the sur- face of the ground ; and, as you proceed in planting, draw the earth up to the outside of the plants, which will fix them in their due position ; and when you have planted the row out, then with your spade cast in the earth almost to the top of the plants, and tread neatly and closely thereto. When the edging is planted, let any inequalities of the top be cut as evenly and neatly as possible, with a pair of shears. Grass makes a very neat edging if kept in order, but it requires so much attention to keep it in its place, so much edging and cutting, that I would not recommend it. If, however, it is made use of, it should be obtained from a pasture or road-side, where it may be easily cut in strips to suit, of three or more inches wide, according to fancy. The sward should be fine and tough, so as not to break in cutting and removing. The mode of laying will suggest itself to almost any one: — the surface of the grass should be on a level with the earth, and but slightly raised above the walk. Thrift, if neatly planted, makes handsome edgings to borders or flower-beds. This may be planted as directed for box, slipping the old plants into small slips and setting the plants near enough to touch one another to form a tol- erably close row. Thyme, Hyssop, Winter-savory, and pinks are frequently used for edgings, but they are too prone to grow out of bounds, and therefore not to be recommended. 62 Many other plants are often used for edgings, but there is nothing that makes so neat and trim an edging as box. It is a good time to clip old box edgings in June. They should never be suffered to grow tall, but be kept down low. It is best to give some protection to box in the winter, by coarse litter, or by throwing up a few inches of the fine gravel on one side and the earth of the border on the other. ox LAWSTS. No flower-garden can be complete without some grass. There are but very few, however, who can afford the luxury of an extensive lawn ; but every one wishes for a few rods, at least, about the house ; this may lie between the house and garden. When there is but a small surface to grass over, it may be done with turf, if it can be ob- tained of a good quality, which is not often the case. The best way is to begin at the beginning, and do the work up thoroughly. First, see that the ground is well prepared by deep digging or trenching ; for it is in vain to expect the lawn to preserve its greenness in summer, unless the soil is pulverized so that the roots of the grass may pene- trate two feet deep. After the soil is thus prepared and levelled, it should be left to settle a week or ten days-; then it is to be raked off smooth, and it will be ready for the seed. The New England Red-top, or Bent-grass, alone, makes the finest lawn for this climate ; but if it is desirable to give immediate effect to the lawn, there should be a mixture of White Clover. Three bushels of Red-top to ten pounds of 'White Clover, or four bushels of Red-top without it, is none too much for an acre. This may seem a heavy seeding, but it is none too much. After sowing the seed, it should be rolled with a heavy roller. To have a fine lawn, it is necessary not only to mow it often, but roll it also, especially after a rain. By doing thus, a close texture and fine velvety turf may be obtained. ARTIFICIAL ROCK WORK. 63 REMARKS ON ARTIFICIAL ROCK WORK. There are many plants that succeed best when planted among rocks, and for their accommodation and to show off their beauties to the greatest advantage, it is common in large gardens to have an appendage, called a rockery. This is made of a collection of stones in the rough, or natural state, laid up without much order, with soil, which should be concealed as much as possible by the fragments of rocks. As some plants succeed best in the shade, a portion of the rock work should be partly surrounded by trees. Triliiums, Orchids, Cypripediums, and many other wild plants found in the woods and swamps, with an appropriate soil, would succeed very well in such a locality. I find an excellent article on this subject, written, by my late friend J. E. Teschemacker, Esq., in one of the back numbers of the Horticultural Journal, which, as it is appropriate, I insert. He says : " There are many plants with rather small flowers which possess exquisite colors and elegant forms; the charm of these is in a great measure lost by their being planted in the bed where the pitiless shower defaces their delicate tints with earthy splashes, or their distance from the eye causes their minute yet elegant characters to pass unno- ticed ; other plants run over the surface of the flower border to great distances^ interfering with their neighbors, which would look much better hanging pendant from the crevice of a rock, or covering the sunny bank with their numerous blossoms. " Nature, who is always an interesting and instructive teacher, points out such facts plainly, by often exhibiting 64 BBECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. these her treasures inhabiting and flourishing in the cracks of her wild mountain scenery, making it as interesting on a near approach, as it is astonishing at a distance. Near Boston there are several glens, on a small scale, where the naked rock is beautifully ornamented by the Columbine, the Thalictrum, (Meadow-rue) the Violet, ferns and many other plants of great interest; they always appear to me more captivating in these their natural situa- tions than when formally planted in the parterre. In Europe, few gardens are considered complete with- out their compartment of rock work ; and even where the spot is of the smallest size, a little piece of this device is frequently seen, filling up and concealing an ugly cor- ner ; nay, in the immediate vicinity of large towns where the kitchens occupy the places of the cellars in this coun- try, the way down is sometimes metamorphosed into a rocky glen where Polypodiums, Aspleniums and other ferns flourish — one friend of mine near London has a place of this kind, where there is a collection of more than two hundred varieties of fern, many of them natives of this country, he writes to me — ' This I have turned into a rocky glen, planted all over with every variety of fern I could collect, and there are about 200 of them, in the several interstices between one piece of rock work and another, all growing beautifully, and presenting a singular and interesting contrast to the other surround- ing species of vegetation. I am quite sure that if any horticulturist who has the least feeling for the beauty of form were to see it, he would not be long without taking the hint ; the effect surpasses much what I expected.' The nurserymen in the vicinity of London, drive a con- siderable trade in these rock plants, as they are called, and generally keep them in small pots in appropriate mould, so that they may be purchased and transplanted at any time of the year ; so great indeed has been, and I ARTIFICIAL HOCK WORK. 65 believe is still, the demand for them, that any one ac- quainted with the subject will know that the Alps? the Appenines, and every mountainous chain in the moderate climates have been ransacked for the purpose of adorning these faint imitations of nature's stupendous piles. The first and great care in erecting rock work is to see that it does not resemble a pile of loose stones, the next that it is not built in a regular form, such as the segment of a circle or right line, as I have seen recommended in some works — then that the fragments of rock be of widely different sizes — for instance, a few small stones may fill a large interval between heavy masses, but there must neither be a mass of immense blocks together, nor a num- ber of small ones piled on each other. It is by no means requisite that the whole rock work should constitute one mass ; on the contrary, more variety is produced by hav- ing it in separate masses, with passages occasionally nar- row and ruggedly rising, so that it is necessary to climb over a slight impediment to make the circuit — some art is required in arranging the crevices, so that the soil fit for each plant be not washed out by heavy rain, and the roots laid bare ; the moss which grows on the surface of barren rocks is excellent for filling the lower part of these interstices, and in cases where plants that love a damp soil are cultivated, a garden pot with the hole stop- ped to hold water, and another with the plant placed in it, may be easily concealed — where there is water which might be made to trickle over the rock work this aid is not required. Due attention must also be paid to the aspect. Some flowers only open in the sunshine, others are only half hardy, for these the south and sheltered side is appropriate; ferns and many others, love the shade, and will not support the parching rays of the sun, these may clothe the northern aspect. I have already made the remark in a former communica- 66 BEECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWEES. tion that the clear and bright atmosphere of this section of the United States seems particularly adapted for col- lections of this nature ; for many delightful plants which luxuriate in the colder yet purer air which prevails in the higher regions of the Alps, will not bear the humid and foggy atmosphere of England ; these are often introduced, but as often perish ; here they would probably be perma- nent. I may possibly have enlarged more on this subject than can be interesting here, where few of these artificial struc- tures exist, yet as it is almost certain they will be shortly introduced, and if once introduced, are sure to become com- mon, especially as the materials both for their erection and ornament are in plenty, I may be pardoned for en- deavoring, while opportunity is mine, to create an inter- est in a pursuit which has afforded me so much pleasure. I conclude with a list of some of the most ' showy and conspicuous plants for this purpose, beginning with those which are found in this immediate vicinity. Houstonia ccerultfa, and longifolia, bluish and long- leaved Houstonia. The former blossoms from middle of May to the middle of June in clusters so thick, that no stem can be seen, about three inches high, and may be gathered plentifully at Cambridge and Dedham, it is only annual ; the long-leaved variety is perennial, an inch or two taller than the ccerulea, but is a much rarer plant, I have only seen it near the granite quarry at Quincy, it was then in blossom in August. MitcMlla ripens, the Checkerberry, this is almost too well known to require description, but its beautiful hairy white flowers which are extremely fragrant, and the bright scarlet fruit which succeeds them, would be greatly ornamental to rock work ; it abounds every where. Epigaea rtfpens. — Ground-laurel. I do not know that this beautiful plant grows any where in this immediate ARTIFICIAL ROCK WORK. 67 vicinity, but it covers the rocks at Gloucester, Cape Ann, Plymouth, and a variety of other places, it is held in the highest estimation in Europe, and well deserves it. The fruit is rarely seen, nor do I remember a description of it any where ; it is about the size of a small wood straw- berry, white, pulpy, with divisions like those of an orange, the interstices filled with beautiful small black seeds, the flavor of this pulp is of a most delicate sweetness, which only remains an instant on the tongue, and appears as if formed for the food only of an ethereal humming bird. (iiialtheria procumbens. — Partridge berry. This is more ornamental in its red-berried fruit than in the flower • — it is found every where in the neighborhood. Dalibarda ripens and fragrarioides, the white and yellow Dalibarda, very lively little creeping plants, some- what resembling the strawberry, but the flowers much more elegant from the delicacy of the stamens. Dr. Bigelow says they are found in woods in Princeton and in Hanover, N. H. ; I have not been to these places, but found them plentifully creeping over rocks imbedded in moss in Maine, flowering there in August, here rather ear- lier. [Dalibardia fragarioides, is now called Waldstenia.] Hepatica tri!6ba. — Liver-leaf. This beautiful flower which appears before its leaves in April and May, is found plentifully at Mount Auburn in all its variety of colors, blue, white and pink ; it is indispensable in rock work. Thalictrnm anemonoides. — Rue-leaved Anemone, and Anemone nemorosa — Wood Anemone. The first, which is from 8 to 12 inches high, is found in plenty at Dedham, the other everywhere in woods ; they are white and very ornamental. Viola pcdata, and others. — These are well known, and as they are early, are extremely desirable to satisfy the impatience of those amateurs who are constantly on the look-out for signs of the approach of their season of en- 68 joyment. Many other plants of this description abound near Boston, but I must pass on to those of other climates. The first are almost the whole tribe of Saxifrages, one of which, vernalis, though not sufficently showy for our purpose, is the .earliest flower that blows near Boston. Saxifraga granulata, which may be purchased here, I re- commend as most conspicuous. The next are a tribe of thick-leaved plants called Sedums and Sempervivums or House-leek, amongst these the yellow stone-crop and the Sedum ternatum, both ornamental, are well known here. The family of Campanula afford a liberal subscription towards our design. C. pumila, white and blue, erinus and many others adorn the rocky places bordering the Mediterranean. Several creeping Geraniums which blossom throughout the summer are appropriate plants. G. sanguineum, Lan- castriense and Wallichianum are to be had at the nur- series in this country. DianthllS niOlltailiiS; Mountain pink, with several others of this tribe, are extremely pretty. Verbena, of different varieties, eclipsing every other flower by its brilliancy ; this, however, requires protection in the house during the winter. Lysimacllia imn&miilaria. — Money Wort. This requires a damp soil to flourish, but must be kept in subjection, or it will overrun all the rest. Lobelia bicolor and erin6Mes< with several others of this tribe, small bright blue flowers, very lively. Tiartflla COrdifolia, a pretty plant with spikes of elegant small greenish white flowers, a native of the older woods in this State. Fragaria Indira, or Chinese Strawberry. The bright red strawberry-like fruit of this is very ornamental to the rock in autumn. PLANTS FOR THE AQUARIUM. 69 Cer£stilim tomentosum, Mouse-eared Chick weed, has a small white woolly beautiful leaf, and for this genus a large white flower. I have given a list of enough for a beginner, and shall be happy to continue it if these structures at all increase. There are many other plants, not referred to in this ar- ticle, which will be found in the body of this work, under the heads of their respective genera, that are recom- mended for rock-work. PLANTS SUITABLE FOE THE AQUARIUM OR ORNAMENTAL POND. When a garden is so situated that it can be supplied with living or running water, a collection of aquatic plants in an aquarium, in connection with a fish pond, will be an object of additional interest to the pleasure ground. But on no account would I advise an append- age of this sort to a garden, unless it be fed by a stream of water or spring. A dug-out, even if water can be ob- tained the year round, without an outlet or inlet, is a great nuisance, and only fit for raising frogs, musquitoes, and for the growth of green confervae upon its stagnant surface. With a stream or never failing spring of water, an aquarium can be made without much expense, if not on too large a scale. It should be at least three feet deep, and lined with a substantial stone wall ; it should have a margin of grass, or be edged with rough or dressed granite or free-stone, surrounded with a nice gravel walk. The portion of aquarium designed for most plants, should be three feet deep, in addition to a good depth of rich soil, while the bottom of the other section should be laid 70 BEECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. over with small pebbles, that the fish may be more dis- tinctly seen ; a few large shells will add to the interest of the pond. The most interesting aquatic plant of our country is the well known and universal favorite, the Nymphcea odorata, the Water Lily. Its botanical name signifies "the Nymph or Naiad of the Streams." Few plants possess more exquisite fragrance than the com- mon Water Lily. When floating upon the surface of the water, its open petals spread out to receive the genial rays of the sun; it is an object of great interest, and may be truly considered the embodiment of purity and love- liness. It is generally found in deep water, where its roots are secured from the frosts in the winter by a sort of natural hot-bed being thus provided for it. In my ex- perience, two feet of water is amply sufficient to protect it. The roots creep through the muddy bottom of ponds to a great extent. They are very rough, knotted, black- ish, and as large as a man's arm, and difficult to extract from the bottom of deep water, but when taken up there is no more trouble. Tie stones to the roots, and throw them in to the part of the pond prepared for them, and they will soon establish themselves. There appears to be two common varieties, one with stout green stems, green calyx and white within, and the petals without any tint of pink or purple ; the other has brown stems, more slen- der ; flowers with brownish green calyx and pinkish white within, the outer petals tinged with red on the under side. While I resided in Lancaster, Mass., I found a beautiful variety, in a corner of a pond in that town, with pink petals, which I transferred to a small pond in my garden, where it flourished until I left the place. The pond was afterward drained, and I suppose the root was destroy- ed. Mr. Win. E. Carter, formerly of the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, procured from the same pond a root which flourished many years in the aquarium there, but in dear- PLANTS FOR THE AQUARIUM. 71 ing it out by one of his successors, I understand this rare variety was destroyed. I fear that no more of it can be obtained, as there was but one spot in the pond where it was found, and I thought at the time that Mr. Carter and myself took possession of all the roots. IV . Odorata minor, is a rare variety with very small flow- ers and leaves, which I have found in some ponds, but cannot remember where. These varieties of the white lily will be sufficient for a small aquarium — but if it be of larger dimensions, there are a number of other species of native aquatic plants, which may be introduced. Nupaar adv£na, or Yellow Water-Lily, has roots similar to JV. odorata ; it has a very curious flower, but the odor of it is the opposite of that flower, for the smell is anything but agreeable. Pontedtfria cordata, or Pickerel-weed, is found in shallow water ; its tall spikes of blue flowers are quite ornamental. For this plant the soil should be raised to within one foot, or foot and a half, of the surface of the water. Sagittaria sagtttifdlia, is a handsome plant found about the margin of ponds and brooks in shallow water. Its white flowers arranged in whorls of three, are produced in July and August ; the depth of water over these roots need not be more than 3 or 4 inches. A por- tion of the soil on the margin may be raised a few inches above the water level, which will be a suitable place for the beautiful Lobelia cardinalis, of our meadows, for the curious Sarracenia or side-saddle flower, and for many other bog or swamp plants. ON THE CULTIVATION OF PLANTS IN THE PARLOR, " Descending snow, the golden leaf and sear, Are indications of old Time's career ; The careful florist lends his sheltered plants, Studies their natures, and supplies their wants." A FEW plants in the house are desirable, or even in- dispensable to the female portion of the family, or to in- valids who have a taste for flowers. A choice collection of plants, in the sitting-room or par- lor, will add much to the charms of home ; but as we often see them, weak, straggling, drawn up, crowded to- gether, and infested with insects, they give pain rather than pleasure. The clear sunlight through the window, is far prefer- able to a congregation of coarse earthen pots and sau- cers, with their sickly occupants. Judging from what we too often see, cultivators in parlors have very erroneous ideas of what is necessary for a perfect development of their plants. In fact, the plants are often killed with too much kindness ; too much heat, too much water, want of light and air, or want of water, are the general causes of the sickly state of plants, to which may be added, unsuit- able compost or mould. Saucers under the pots, if water is suffered to stand in them, are injurious, though neces- sary for the sake of neatness ; never, therefore, suffer the water to stand in them, nor to be poured into them. The water should always be given on the surface, but never unless the surface is dry, and then for most plants, only in moderate quantities. Rain water only should be used, and that of a mild temperature, but not warm. When PLANTS IN THE PARLOR. 73 water is necessary, it should be applied in the morning of a mild sunny day. Manure water may be resorted to, to stimulate the plants occasionally ; but an over-dose may be injurious, if not destructive. It-is useless to expend time upon plants in rooms where the windows face to the north. South, south-east, or south-west exposures are the best ; of course a south win- dow is the very best, as it admits the sun all day. Light is more important than great heat ; indeed, plants are frequently ruined, by keeping the room excessively hot. The hot, dry air of most sitting-rooms of the present day is so injurious to the Camellia, (as well as to some other plants) that it can hardly be made to flower, as the buds will fall off long before the time of flowering. But I have seen as fine blooms of the Camellia in an old-fash- ioned sitting-room in the country, as I have in the green- house. The room was so cold at night that the thermo- meter would fall nearly to freezing, with a plenty of air from the old window casements during the day. A good temperature for the Camellia is a range of 40° by night, to 60° during the day. I do not mean to be understood that this should be the highest range in the sun ; but at the back side of the room, in the shade. This tempera- ture will also do for most plants ; some will thrive better with a higher range, but their cultivation should not be attempted in a sitting-room. Where there is too much heat, without a proper expo- sure to light, the plants will spindle up, and make feeble, sickly growth, and if they produce flowers, they will be so weak and pale as to excite the pity of the beholder. Unless the pots are turned every day, the plants will grow one-sided ; every plant should receive as much light as possible. A stand for flowers should have rollers attached to the 4 74 legs, so that the plants may be readily turned round to the light, or wheeled into the middle of the room at night, when the weather is severe. COMPOST FOR PLANTS. The most important requisite, for the successful cultiva- tion of plants, is to have a stock of suitable compost for the various kinds. A plant in unsuitable mould cannot be healthy. The following materials should be obtained : 1. Good garden mould. 2. Mould from decayed turf, from a pasture or field. 3. Mould from decayed leaves. 4. Decomposed stable, or cow-yard manure. 5. Sea or river sand, free from salt. 6. Peat, from the meadows, that has been exposed to frost. 7. Coarse sand or gravel. 8. Broken flower-pots, charcoal, or oyster-shells. 9. Old mortar or plastering. Garden mould will not be needed if there is a supply of fine decayed turf mould, and will be wanted only in case of necessity. Turf mould, for a basis, is probably the best ingredient for a compost for plants. The broken pots, charcoal, etc., are used for drainage, to be placed in the bottom of the pot at the time of potting. About one-fifth of the depth of the pot may be filled with the broken up drainage materials. A little meadow moss over this will prevent the mould from washing down. Leaf mould is not always to be obtained ; but it is a pre- cious ingredient in a compost, and many plants thrive much better in it than in anything else. It takes a long time to decompose leaves so as to be suitable for compost. To have compost in perfection, the different ingredients should be mixed in advance of the time when they are wanted. They should be thoroughly mixed together, .and PLANTS IN THE PAELOE. 75 put in heaps, in the shade or under cover, and turned over every five or six weeks during the summer, as it will be wanted in August or September, when the plants are re- potted. Compost for Camellias, Pelargoniums, Roses, and most plants may be made of the following ingredients : 1 part river or sea sand. 1 " leaf mould. 1 " well rotted manure from old hot-beds. 1 « peat. 2 " turf or garden mould. Or, if no leaf mould, 1 part sand. 2 " well rotted manure. 1 " peat. 2 " turf or garden mould. If there is no peat, substitute turf or garden mould. For Cactuses : 2 parts coarse sand. 3 " leaf and turf mould. 1 " peat, and a little broken plaster. For Azaleas, Ericas, and most New Holland plants : 4 parts peat. 2 " sand. 1 " garden or turf mould. 1 " leaf do. After the plants have done flowering in the spring, and as soon as the frosts are over, the pot should be plunged in the ground in a shady place, and watered sparingly during the summer. The great object during the summer will be to keep the plants at rest, so that they may bloom with greater vigor in the winter. They must not be suffered, however, to dry up, excepting the bulb- ous roots ; these may remain in the shade without water, as the moisture would start them prematurely. Washing the leaves of Camellias, Oranges, and some other plants, with a soft sponge, gives a healthy look to the plants, and is of great service to them. 76 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. Geraniums, or Pelargoniums, should be cut in very close, as they will make much finer plants, and start with greater vigor, and give a greater profusion of bloom, than if this were neglected. It will not be necessary to repot the Roses quite so early as the Geraniums, Camel- lias, and some other plants ; they may be kept out much longer and exposed to severe frosts before they are pot- ted. The branches should then be reduced to three or four buds, and the pots stowed away in the cellar for a couple of months. Fuchsias may be treated in the same way. When brought into the room, in January, they will grow with great vigor, and give a finer bloom than if started earlier. It is better to keep most ef the plants rather cool dur- ing the months of November and December, and all the hardier kinds should be kept out of doors as long as pos- sible. A slight frost will not injure a great majority of parlor plants ; but a hard frost, although it might not de-- stroy them, would weaken them very much. Geraniums, Heliotropes, Begonias, Salvias, and others of like tender- ness, should be housed as soon as even moderate frosts are expected. INSECTS. There is a variety of insects which infest parlor plants, and, unless looked after rather closely, will destroy their beauty. The green fly is a great pest to parlor and green- house plants ; but is easily killed in the green-house, by filling the house thoroughly with tobacco smoke at the close of the day, and then shutting it up tight for the night. For parlor plants, it will be necessary to put them in large boxes, or barrels, and fill them with smoke, and cover up tight. This will effectually destroy this destruc- tive and disgusting insect. By immersing the plants in a tub of soap-suds they may be freed from the fly. To PLANTS IX THE PARLOR. 77 do this, a piece of pasteboard should be made to cover the top of the pot, cutting a side slit for the stem ; then, holding the hand over the pasteboard, the pot may be in- verted without disturbing the mould, and, by the immer- sion, the foliage will be effectually freed from the insect. The red spider may be detected by examining the leaves, which look yellow and sickly ; but they are so small it will require good eyes to see them. This minute, ugly customer is not so easily got rid of as the green fly. Plants from neglected green-houses are often infested with it. The most effectual way of destroying this insect is to give the plants repeated syringing with sulphur and water, or a solution of whale-oil soap water. The plants can be taken out of doors in a mild day, and the operation performed upon them, remembering that it is important to syringe the under side of the leaf as well as the uj^per side, as the red spider will be found in greater abundance there. There is another insect more difficult to get rid of than either of those named. It is the mealy bug, which may be found in the axils of the leaves, and on the stems of Oranges, Camellias, Heaths, etc. It looks like little specks of cotton ; but, upon picking it off, a disagreeable, ugly-looking insect will be found imbedded in this glu- tinous, cottony substance. It is sometimes very trouble- some in graperies, and requires much care to get rid of it. It is only to be destroyed by industriously picking it off. PLANTS SUITABLE FOR PARLOR CULTURE. THE parlor can be made very gay, during the month of November and part of December, by a choice collec- tion of Chrysanthemums. If they are kept out of the mid- day sun, their beauty will be greatly prolonged. Some of the new varieties of Pompone, or Button Chrysanthemums, are very beautiful, and add much in- terest to a collection. One dozen each of the best large 78 varieties, and as many of the new Pompon e sorts, will make up a good assortment. The colors of the last are more brilliant than those of the others. On some of them the flowers are not much larger than fine double Daisies, but are produced in great profusion. After flowering, cut off the tops of the plants, and stow them away in a dry cel- lar, where they may remain till spring. For the most successful mode of cultivation, see page There is a great variety of plants that succeed well in the house, besides those already named. The Cactus Fam- ily embraces a great many varieties, which succeed well in very warm, dry rooms. The Daphne odora requires but little care, and is one of the most highly odoriferous plants in cultivation. The Diosma, Heliotrope, Sweet- scented Verbena, Double sweet-scented Violets, Jasmines, Perpetual Pinks, Gardenia, or Cape Jasmine, Sweet- scented Geraniums, Mahernia odorata, Lemon, Orange, and many other plants, are highly prized for their delight- ful odor. Azalea Indica in its varieties, Acacias of many beauti- ful sorts, Begonias, Fuchsia, Myrtles, Oleanders, Primu- las, Daisies, Geraniums (scarlet, rose, and variegated leaved), Pelargoniums, Verbenas, Oxalis, Stevias, and many plants, succeed very well in the parlor. I wish it could be said that the Ericas, or Heaths, so beautiful, would succeed equally as well ; — they want a moist at- mosphere, and neither very warm nor very cool. The double Stocks and Wall-flowers are also suitable for the parlor, and are very simple in their cultivation. These are raised from seed, which, if of a good quality, will pro- duce plants half of which or more will have double flowers. As they are difficult to transplant when large, without severly checking their growth, it is best to pot them in the smallest sized pots, as soon as they show six or eight leaves, and, as they advance in growth, shift them into REPLANTING OK POTTING PLANTS. 79 larger sized ones. "When the flower buds show themselves, it will be easy to detect those that will be single, which should be rejected. Hyacinths, Polyanthus Narcissus, and many other bulbous-rooted plants, flourish in the parlor. I have named more kinds of plants than are commonly cultivated in parlors, but the directions given in this chapter apply equally to small conservatories, connected with the sitting-room, where professed gardeners are not employed. For such appendages a greater variety of plants will be required than for the parlor. BEPLANTING OE POTTING PLANTS. By the middle of August, or the first of September, the plants will require to be re-potted ; this must be done with care and judgment. The following directions are minute and to the point : To ascertain if a plant wants fresh potting, turn it care- fully out of the pot, with the earth attached to it, and ex- amine the roots. If they are matted about the sides and bottom of the ball, the plant evidently requires fresh pot- ting. Then carefully reduce the ball of earth, to about a third of its original bulk ; single out the matted roots, and trim away all that are mouldy and decayed. Proba- bly the same pot may then be large enough, but, if it re- quires a larger one, it should be about two inches broader for a middle-sized plant ; three or four for a large plant. If the roots are not matted, but the pots are filled with fibres, keep the ball entire and carefully plant it in a 80 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. larger pot. At the top of a large pot, an inch, and of a small one, half an inch, should be left for the reception of wa- ter, without danger of overflow. A little gravel, charcoal, or pieces of broken pots should always be placed at the bottom for drainage. A plant newly potted must never be exposed to a strong sun. It should be watered and placed in the shade immediately, and there remain till it is rooted, which may be known by its starting to grow. Plants are frequently destroyed by re-potting, merely from the careless manner in which it is done. Where the roots spread, plenty of room should be left open, a little hillock made in the centre of the pot, and the plant be- ing placed thereon, the roots should be distributed around it in a regular manner, observing that they are not twisted or turned up at the ends. The earth should then be filled in, a little at a time, and the pot gently shaken to settle the earth to the roots all the way down. When filled, it should be pressed down with the hand. It is very common to fill in the earth at once, and press it hard down, which not only wounds the tender fibres, but often leaves a hollow space around the lower roots, and de- prives them of their proper nourishment. But the thing most necessary to be observed is, that the roots be allowed their natural course. All plants should be kept clear of weeds, not for neat- ness alone, but because these exhaust the nutriment which should feed the plant. WATER. The best water for plants is undoubtedly rain water ; if this cannot be obtained, river water will do, pond wa- ter is not so good ; but worst of all is hard spring water. In winter, and for delicate plants, even in summer, water should be placed in the sun until it becomes tepid before it is used. REPLANTING OR POTTING PLANTS. 81 The water should never be allowed to remain in the pan under the pot, as it tends to rot the roots. It may be well to observe that plants should be watered with a rose on the spout of a watering pot, and the more finely it is perforated the better, so as to sprinkle the water lightly over the flowers and leaves, without bending them down with its weight. Many persons think it sufficient to water the roots, which is a great mistake. It materially contributes to its health and beauty to sprinkle the whole plant : — "Comforting tlie garden, woods, and flowers With the cool spray of artificial showers." — Garcilasso. Of such plants as are succulent, it is generally advised to water the leaves but seldom, lest a redundancy of moist- ure should rot them. The best way in watering all plants, is rather to cast the water at, than to pour it on them, as it falls more lightly. It will be observed that more water, as well as more shelter, must be necessary for potted plants than for those in the open ground. AIR AND LIGHT. Flowers must not be denied the light, towards which they naturally turn ; the want of it will injure their health as much as the want of water, air, or warmth. They must also be allowed air, even those that will not bear the outer air must have the air, of the room fre- quently freshened by ventilation, to preserve them in health. Care should be taken not to let plants stand in a draught, for, when so situated, one strong gust of an easterly wind will often prove sufficient to destroy them. 82 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. A DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE INSECTS THAT ARE INJURIOUS TO PLANTS IN THE FLOWER-GARDEN. To give a description of all the insects that infest the plants of the flower-garden, it would be necessary to write a volume, so numerous are the voracious tribe that prey upon the roots, stems, foliage, and flowers of the floral kingdom. The depredation of insects is one of the greatest offsets to the pleasures of the garden. To nurse some favorite plant, watching over it from day to day, anticipating its opening beauties, and then, just as one's hopes are upon the point of being realized, to see the plant suddenly smitten with some mysterious disease, or as suddenly destroyed by some noxious vermin, — perhaps dying in a night, like Jonah's gourd, — who can help feel- ing a little ruffled, or even like justifying good old Jonah, who thought it " well to be angry for his gourd ? " The knowledge we possess of the habits of the various insects is very scanty. We are indebted, mainly, to that excellent work, " A Treatise on some of the Insects of New England, which are injurious to Vegetation," by Dr. T. W. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass., for all that is im- portant in relation to them, and have freely quoted from it in the following pages. Dr. Harris' Treatise should be accessible to every one who has anything to do with the cultivation of the farm or garden. His descriptions are so plain, that almost any person may get all the desirable information of all those insects of which he treats. Some of the most annoying insects of the flower-gar- den, are the Rose Saw-fly, or Rose Slug, and the Rose Bug. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO PLANTS. 83 HOSE SLUG. — The Rose Slug has, within a few years, proved very destructive to the Rose, in the~vicinity of Boston, and probably in other parts of the country ; so much so, that many persons have almost abandoned the cultivation of this most desirable of all flowers. Several years since, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society of- fered the liberal special premium of $100 for an efficient remedy. An application of diluted whale-oil soap was discovered, by Mr. David Haggerston, to be a complete remedy, when seasonably applied, and the premium was awarded to him. We insert on a subsequent page his communication to the Society, in which he details the mode of preparation and application. The Rose Slug, if not checked in season, destroys the foliage, and the plants look as if they had been scorched by fire. We have known delicate growing roses killed to the ground by these small, but destructive insects. One great objection to the use of whale-oil soap is the disagreeable qdor it gives to the plant, and, if applied at the time the roses arc in bloom, it spoils them entirely. When the insect is in the fly-state, it may be found in great numbers on the under side of the leaves. The whale-oil soap will destroy it in that state, if it is applied with a syringe, or garden engine. If the application is made in season, and followed up, every two or days, till the roses begin to open their buds, the slug will either be exterminated, or so far checked as to preserve the foliage till the bloom is about over, when a new attack must be made upon the surviving vermin, which by this time have acquired their full size. It takes two or three days to rid the plants of the disagreeable odor, after the application. .We give Dr. Harris' descrip- tion of the insect entire : — "The Saw-fly of the rose, which, as it does not seem to have been described before, may be called Selandria rosoe, 84 from its favorite plant, so nearly resembles the slug-worm saw-fly as not to be distinguished therefrom, except by a practised observer. It is also very much like Selandria barda, vitis, and pygmcea, but has not the red thorax of these three closely allied species. It is of a deep and shining black color. The first two pairs of legs are brownish-gray, or dirty white, except the thighs, which are almost entirely black. The hind legs are black, with whitish knees. The wings are smoky, and transparent, with dark-brown veins, and a brown spot near the middle of the edge of the first pair. The body of the male is a little more than three-twentieths of an inch long, that of the female one-fifth of an inch or more, and the wings expand nearly or quite two-fifths of an inch. These Saw- flies come out of the ground, at various times, between the twentieth of May and the middle of June, during which period they pair and lay their eggs. The females do not fly much, and may be seen, during most of the day, resting on the leaves ; and, when touched, they draw tip their legs, and fall to the ground. The males are more active, fly from one rose-bush to another, and hover around their sluggish partners. The latter, when about to lay their eggs, turn a little on one side, unsheath their saws, and thrust them obliquely into the skin of the leaf, depositing, in each incision thus made, a single egg. The young begin to hatch in ten days or a fortnight after the eggs are laid. They may sometimes be found on the leaves as early as the first of June, but do not usually appear in considerable numbers till the twentieth of the same month. How long they are in coming to maturity, I have not particularly observed ; but the period of their existence in the caterpillar state probably does not exceed three weeks. They somewhat resemble the young of the Saw-fly in form, but are not quite so con- vex. They have a small, round, yellowish head, with a INSECTS INJURIOUS TO PLANTS. 85 black dot on each side of it, and are provided with twen- ty-two short legs. The body is green above, paler at the sides, and yellowish beneath ; and it is soft, and almost transparent, like jelly. The skin of the back is transverse- ly wrinkled, and covered with minute elevated points ; and there are two small, triple-pointed warts on the edge of the first ring, immediately behind the head. These ge- latinous and sluggish creatures eat the upper surface of the leaf in large irregular patches, leaving the veins of the skin, beneath, untouched ; and they are sometimes so thick that not a leaf on the bushes is spared by them, and the whole foliage looks as if it had been scorched by fire, and drops off soon afterwards. They cast their skins several times, leaving them extended and fastened on the leaves ; after the last moulting, they lose their semi-trans- parent and greenish color, and acquire an opaque yellow- ish hue. They then leave the rose-bushes, some of them slowly creeping down the stem, and others rolling up and dropping off, especially when the bushes are shaken by the wind. Having reached the ground, they burrow to the depth of an inch or more in the earth, where each one makes for itself a small oval cell, of grains of earth, ce- mented with a little gummy silk. Having finished their transformations, and turned to flies, within their cells, they come out of the ground early in August, and lay their eggs for a second brood of young. These, in turn, perform their appointed work of destruction in the au- tumn. They then go into the ground, make their earthen cells, remain therein throughout the winter, and appear, in the winged form, in the following spring and summer. "During several years past, these pernicious vermin have infested the rose-bushes in the vicinity of Boston, and have proved so injurious to them as to have excited the attention of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, by whom a premium of $100, for the most successful mode 80 of destroying these insects, was offered, in the summer of 1840. About ten years ago I observed them in gardens at Cambridge, and then made myself acquainted with their transformations. At that time they had not reached Milton, my former place of residence, and have appeared in that place only within two or three years. They now seem to be gradually extending in ail directions, and an effectual method for preserving our roses from their at- tacks has become very desirable to all persons w^ho set any value on this beautiful ornament of our gardens and shrub- beries. Showering or syringing the bushes with a liquor, made by mixing with water the juice expressed from to- bacco by tobacconists, has been recommended ; but some caution is necessary in making this mixture of a proper strength, for, if too strong, it is injurious to the plants ; and the experiment does not seem, as yet, to have been conducted with sufficient care to insure safety arid success. Dusting lime over the plants when wet with dew has been tried, and found of some use; but this and all other reme- dies will probably yield in efficacy to Mr. Haggerston's mixture of \vhale-oil soap and water, in the proportion of two pounds of the soap to fifteen gallons of water. Par- ticular directions, drawn up by Mr. Haggerston himself, for the preparation and use of this simple and cheap appli- cation, may be found in the ' Boston Courier,' for the 25th of June, 1841, and also in most of our agricultural and horticultural journals of the same time. The utility of this mixture has already been repeatedly mentioned in this treatise, and it may be applied in other cases with advan- tage. Mr. Haggerston finds that it effectually destroys many kinds of insects; and he particularly mentions plant-lice of various kinds, red spiders, canker-worms, and a little jumping insect, which has lately been found quite as hurtful to rose-bushes as the slugs or young of the Saw-fly. The little insect, alluded to, has been mistaken INSECTS INJURIOUS TO PLANTS. 87 for a species of Thrips, or vine-fretter ; it is, however, a leaf-hopper, or species of Tettigonia, much smaller than the leaf-hopper of the grape-vine (Tettigonia vitis), de- scribed in a former part of this essay, and, like the leaf- hopper of a bean, entirely of a pale-green color." " To M. P. Wilder, Esq., President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society: " Sir, — Having discovered a cheap and effectual mode of destroying the ftose Slug, I wish to become a competitor for the premium offered by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. After very many satisfac- tory experiments with the following substance, I am convinced it will destroy the above insect, in either of the states in which it appears on the plant, as the fly, when it is laying its eggs, or as the slug, when it is committing its depredations on the foliage. " WHALE OIL SOAP, dissolved at tlie rate of two pounds to fifteen gallons of water. I have used it stronger, without injury to the plants, but find the above mixture effectual in the destruction of the insect. As I tind, from experiments, there is a difference in the strength of the soap, it will be better for persons using it, to try it diluted as above, and if it does not kill the insect, add a little more soap, with caution. In corre- sponding with Messrs. Downer, Austin & Co., on the difference in its appearance, they say: 'Whale Oil Soap varies much in its relative strength, the article not being made as soap, but being formed in our process of bleaching oil. When it is of very sharp taste, and dark ap- pearance, the alkali predominates, and when light-colored and flat taste the grease predominates.' The former I have generally used, but have tried the light-colored, and find it equally effectual, but requir- ing a little more soap, — say two pounds to thirteen gallons of water. " Mode of Preparation. — Take whatever quantity of soap you wish to prepare, and dissolve it in boiling water, about one quart to a pound; in this way strain it through a fine wire or hair sieve, which takes out the dirt, and prevents its stopping the valves of thq engine, or the nose of tbe syringe, then add cold water, to make it the proper strength, apply it to the rose-bush, with a hand-engine or syringe, with as much force a.s practicable, and be sure that every part of the leaves is well saturated with the liquid. What falls to the ground, in application, will do srood in destroying the worms and enriching the soil, and, from its trifling cost, it can be used with profusion A hogshead of 136 gallons costs forty-five cents, — not quite four mills per gallon. Early in the morning, or in the evening, is the proper time to apply it to the plants. " As there are many other troublesome and destructive insects the above preparation will destroy, as effectually as the Rose Slug, it may be of benefit to the community to know the different kinds upon which I have tried it with success. 88 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. "The Thrips, often called the Vine-Fretteiy— a small, light-colored or spotted fly, quick in motion, which, in some places, are making the rose- bush nearly as bad in appearance as the effects of the Slug. Aphis, or Plant Louse, under the name of Green or Brown Fly ; an insect not quick in motion, very abundant on, and destructive to, the young shoots of the Rose, the Peach Tree, and many other plants. The Mack Fly, a very troublesome and destructive insect, that infests the young shoots of the Cherry and the Snowball Tree. I have never known any positive cure for the effects of this insect, until this time. Two varieties of in- sects that are destructive to, and very much disfigure. Evergreens, the Balsam or Balm of Gilead Fir in particular, one an Aphis, the other very much like the Rose Slug. The Acarus, or Red Spider, that well-known pest to gardeners. "The disease Mildew, on the Gooseberry, Peach, Grape Vine, etc., etc., is checked and entirely destroyed by a weak dressing of the solution. "The above insects are generally all destroyed by one application, if properly applied to all parts of the foliage. The eggs of most insects continue to hatch in rotation, during their season. To keep the plants perfectly clean, it will be necessary to dress them two or three times. "I remain, Sir, " Your most obedient Servant, " DAVID HAGGERSTON. " Watertown, June 19th, 1841." THE ROSE BUG. — " The Rose-chafer, or Rose-bug, as it is more commonly and incorrectly called, is also a diurnal insect. It is the Melolontha subspinosa of Fabricius, by whom it was first described, and belongs to the modern genus Macrodactylus of Latreille. Common as this in- sect is in the vicinity of Boston, it is, or was a few years ago, unknown in the northern and western parts of Mas- sachusetts, in New Hampshire, and in Maine. It may, therefore, be well to give a brief description of it. This beetle measures seven-twentieths of an inch in length. Its body is slender, tapers before and behind, and is en- tirely covered with very short and close ashen-yellow down. The thorax is long and narrow, angularly widened in the middle of each side, which suggested the name subspinosa, or somewhat spined ; the legs are slender, and of a pale-red color; the joints of the feet are tipped with black, and are very long, which caused Latreille to INSECTS INJURIOUS TO PLANTS. 89 call the genus Macro dactylus, that is, long toe, or long foot. The natural history of the Rose-chafer, one of the greatest scourges with which our gardens and nurseries have been afflicted, was for a long time involved in mys- tery, but is at last fully cleared up. The prevalence of this insect on the rose, and its annual appearance coincid- ing with the blossoming of that flower, have gained for it the popular name by which it is here known. For gome time after they were first noticed, Rose-bugs ap- peared to be confined to their favorite, the blossoms of the rose ; but within thirty years they have prodigiously increased in number, have attacked at random various kinds of plants, in swarms, and have become notorious for their extensive and deplorable ravages. The grape* vine in particular, the cherry, plum, and apple trees, have annually suffered by their depredations. Many other fruit trees and shrubs, garden vegetables and corn, and even the trees of the forest and the grass of the fields, have been laid under contribution by these indiscriminate feeders, by whom leaves, flowers, and fruits, are alike con- sumed. The unexpected arrival of these insects in swarms, at their first coming, and their sudden disappear- ance, at the close of their career, are remarkable facts in their history. They come forth from the ground during the second week in June, or about the time of the blos- soming of the Damask Rose, and remain from thirty to forty days. At the end of this period the males become exhausted, fall to the ground, and perish, while the fe- males enter the earth, lay their eggs, return to the surface, and, after lingering a few days, die also. The eggs laid by each female are about thirty in number, and are depos- ited from one to four inches beneath the surface of the soil. They are nearly globular, whitish, and about one- thirtieth of an inch in diameter, and are hatched twenty days after they are laid. The young larvaa begin to feed 90 on such tender roots as are within their reach. Like other grubs of the Scaraba3ians, when not eating, they lie upon the side, with the body curved so that the head and tail are nearly in contact. They move with difficulty on a level surface, and are continually falling over on one side or the other. They attain their full size in the autumn, being then nearly three-quarters of an inch long, and about an eighth of an inch in diameter. They are of a yellowish-white color, with a tinge of blue towards the hinder extremity, which is thick and obtuse, or rounded ; a few short hairs are scattered on the surface of the body ; there are six short legs, namely, a pair to each of the first three rings behind the head ; and the latter is covered with a horny shell of a pale rust color. In October they descend below the reach of frost, and pass the winter in a torpid state. In the spring they approach towards the surface, and each one forms for itself a little cell, of an oval shape, by turning round a great many times, so as to compress the earth and render the inside of the cavity hard and smooth. Within this cell the grub is trans- formed to a pupa, during the month of May, by casting off its skin, which is pushed downwards in folds from the head to the tail. The pupa has somewhat the form of the perfected beetle ; but it is of a yellowish-white color, and its short stump-like wings, its attennae, and its legs, are folded upon the breast, and its whole body is enclosed in a thin film, that wraps each part separately. During the month of June this filmly skin is rent, the included beetle withdraws from it its body and its limbs, bursts open its earthen cell, and digs its way to the surface of the ground. Thus the various changes, from the egg to the full de- velopment of the perfected beetle, are completed within the space of one year. " Such being the metamorphoses and habits of these in- sects, it is evident that we cannot attack them in the egg, INSECTS INJURIOUS TO PLANTS. 91 the grub, or the pupa state ; the enemy, in these stages, is beyond our reach, and is subject to the control only of the natural but unknown means appointed by the Author of Nature to keep the insect tribes in check. When they have issued from their subterranean retreats, and have congregated upon our vines, trees, and other vegetable productions, in the complete enjoyment of their propensi- ties, we must unite our efforts to seize and crush the in- vaders. They must indeed be crushed, scalded, or burned, to deprive them of life, for they are not affected by any of the applications usually found destructive to other in- sects. Experience has proved the utility of gathering them by hand, or of shaking them or brushing them from the plants into tin vessels containing a little water. They should be collected daily during the period of their visi- tation, and should be committed to the flames, or killed by scalding water. The late John Lowell, Esq., states that, in 1823, he discovered, on a solitary apple-tree, the Rose-bugs ' in vast numbers, such as could not be describ- ed and would not be believed if they were described; or, at leasfe, none but an ocular witness could conceive of their numbers. Destruction by hand was out of the question,' in this case. He put sheets under the tree, and shook them down, and burned them. Dr. Green, of Mansfield, whose investigations have thrown much light on the history of this insect, proposes protecting plants with millinet, and says that in this way only did he suc- ceed in securing his grape-vines from depredation. His remarks also show the utility of gathering them. 4 Eighty-six of these spoilers,' says he, ' were known to infest a single rose-bud, and were crushed with one grasp of the hand.' Suppose, as was probably the case, that one-half of them were females ; by this destruction, eight hundred eggs, at least, were prevented from becoming ma- tured. During the time of their prevalence, Rose-bugs 92 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. are sometimes found in immense numbers on the flowers of the common white-weed, or ox-eye daisy, (Leucanthe- mum vulgare,} a worthless plant, which has come to us from Europe, and has been suffered to overrun our pastures, and encroach on our mowing lands. In certain cases it may become expedient rapidly to mow down the infested white-weed in dry pastures, and consume it, with the sluggish Rose-bugs, on the spot. " Our insect-eating birds undoubtedly devour many of these insects, and deserve to be cherished and protected for their services. Rose-bugs are also eaten greedily by domesticated fowls; and when they become exhausted and fall to the ground, or when they are about to lay their eggs, they are destroyed by moles, insects, and other animals, which lie in wait to seize them. Dr. Green in- forms us, that a species of dragon-fly, or devil's needle, devours them. He also says that an insect, which he calls the enemy of the Cut-worm, probably the larva of a Carabus or predaceous Ground-beetle, preys on the grubs of the common Dorbug. In France, the Golden Ground Beetle (Carabus auratus) devours the female Dor, or Chafer, at the moment when she is about to deposit her eggs. I have taken one specimen of this fine Ground- Beetle in Massachusetts, and we have several other kinds, equally predaceous, which probably contribute to check the increase of our native Melolonthians." BULBOUS ROOTS IX POTS AND GLASSES. DIRECTIONS FOR FLOWERING DUTCH BULBOUS ROOTS IN POTS AND GLASSES. Hyacinths may be planted in pots from the first of October to the first of November. The soil used, should consist of one-third each, of white or river sand, vege- table mould, and rich loam. The pots should measure about six inches across the top. When the bulbs are planted, the pots are to be lightly filled with earth ; the bulb may be placed in the centre, and pressed into the earth, so that it may be about half covered. After this the earth should be made solid all around the sides of the pot, to secure the bulb in place. When the bulbs are thus potted, they should be removed into a cool place, in order that they may become well rooted before the tops shoot up. Much light is not necessary at this pe- riod ; indeed, the deprivation of light causes them to root more quickly, than they would otherwise do. For the first two or three weeks after potting, they may be placed in a shed or a cellar, or in any other convenient place, provided it be cool. Little water is also required ; once watering, immediately after they are planted, being sufficient, if the situation is tolerably damp where the pots are placed. If the stock of bulbs, such as Hyacinths, early Tulips, Narcissus, etc., be large enough to occupy a small frame, the pots may be put within it after planting, and they may be covered a few inches deep with rotten tan, or any other light material. The pots will soon become filled with roots, and the shoots produced by bulbs previously well rooted will be stronger, and the flowers larger, than if they had been put in a warm and light situation. 94 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWEKS. When they are rooted, a few may be introduced occa- sionally into the room or window, or on the mantle-piece, if there be sufficient light. Light is quite essential when the tops begin to grow. By this means a succession of flowers may be had during the greater part of the spring. If it is wished to bloom Hyacinths in water-glasses, the glass should be filled up with water, but not so high as to come in contact with the bulb. Too much moisture before the roots protrude might cause the bulb to decay. The glasses may be put in a light, but cool situation, until the roots are grown half the length of the glass, at least. The longer the roots are before being forced into flower, the finer the flowers will be ; and when rooted they may be kept warm or cool, as flowers are required in succession. The flowers will not put forth, even when the glasses are filled with roots, if they are kept in a cold place. The water should be changed about twice every week, and rain or river water is better than spring water. Although the practice of growing bulbous roots in water is common, it is by no means preferable to growing them in earth. There are many failures when bulbs are grown in water, which are chiefly caused from their being more liable to rot before they begin to emit roots, than when grown in soil Keeping the bulbs quite clear of the water is a partial, but only a partial, preventive. An- other cause is, that when the roots have attained some length, they frequently decay, and the loss of the flowers is the consequence. Should success attend the growing and blooming of the greater part of those placed in water-glasses, the bulbs will be good for nothing after- wards ; but those grown in pots might be planted the year following in the garden, and they would make pretty border flowers for several years. Similar treatment to that now described is required for the large-rooted Narcissus, whether in pots or glasses. BULBOUS BOOTS IN POTS AND GLASSES. 95 To force early Tulips in pots, they should be placed about three or four in each pot, just within the earth, which may be of the same sort, and the management the same as recommended for Hyacinths and Narcissuses. Crocuses will force well. They should be planted near together, say from ten to twenty in a pot, according to its size. Let them root naturally after planting, before they are forced into flower. They require similar treat- ment to the preceding. In order that the bulbous roots, which have been forc- ed, shall not be quite exhausted, they may be planted in the garden1, with the ball of earth entire, as soon as the flowering is over, if the weather is favorable. They will thus mature their roots and leaves, and be strengthened sufficiently to bloom again the following season. If bulbs are neglected when their flowering season is over, they will not recover such neglect for a considerable time; but if carefully placed in the garden till their leaves be- come yellow, when the root will be matured, they may then be taken up and kept in a dry," cool place, until they are wanted the following season for planting. 96 THE CULTIVATION OF PERENNIALS, BIENNIALS, AND ANNUALS. " A flowery crown will I compose— I'll weave the Crocus, weave the Rose ; I'll weave Narcissus, newly wet, The Hyacinth and Violet ; The Myrtle shall supply me green, And Lilies laugh in light between , That the rich tendrils of my beauty's hair May burst into their crowning flowers, and light the painted air." Those plants which do not in their growth form either trees or shrubs, but which lose their tops, wholly or in part, every year, the roots continuing to live for several years successively, are called perennials. Biennials are those plants that flower the second and sometimes the third year from the time the seeds are sown, and then perish, as the Sweet Scabious. Imperfect Perennials continue three or more years, and then die, as the Sweet William or Fox Glove, but which, with a little care in dividing the roots every year, can be kept many years. Perennials are hardy, half hardy, and tender. Hardy perennials stand the coldest winter without protection ; half-hardy require to be well protected ; and tender perennials must be kept through the winter in the green- house. Perennials are of two kinds, bulbous and herbaceous, which, differing materially from each other in habits, re- quire, consequently, a different kind of treatment. Such being the case, a few remarks will be made on each kind separately. CULTIVATION OF PERENNIALS, BIENNIALS, ETC. 97 BULBOUS PERENNIALS. They are of three kinds, — viz.: hardy, or such that grow in the open border; half-hardy, such as will not stand out over winter, or requiring a frame or the green- house ; and stove, or those that will not grow to perfec- tion without artificial heat. Of these last we shall have nothing to say. Many of the half-hardy are perfected when planted in. the open ground in the spring, and are sometimes called spring bulbs, as the Gladiolus, etc. The Anemone and Ranunculus, are half-hardy, requiring the protection of a frame or otherwise. Hardy bulbs, with few exceptions, are remarkably easy of cultivation, and, if planted in proper soil and situation, seldom fail to produce plenty of offsets and seeds for pro- pagation. The best kind of soil for their growth is a light loam, rather sandy than otherwise, yet not too light, or the b\ilbs will be injured during the heat of summer, and, if it be adhesive, they invariably grow weakly, and seldom flower. As to the depth the different bulbs require to be planted in the ground, no certain rule can be laid down, as some species require to be planted from three to five inches, while others not more than one and a half deep. The different depths will be given as each variety is described. Encourage as much as possible the growth of the leaves, by giving them free exposure to light and air ; for on the full development ofHhese depends the flowering of another year. If the leaves grow sfrong, a good quantity of nutriment is stored up in the bulbs and a good bloom is the consequence. Never, if it can be avoided, disturb the roots by re- moval during their growth ; but if obliged to do so, select a wet day, and take them up with good balls, so as not to injure the fibrous roots. 5 98 BEECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. The only time to remove them with success, is during the time of their dormant state, at which time the offsets may be separated, and planted where the cultivator may judge best. The season of rest, for most bulbs, happens shortly after they have done flowering. Tulip and Hyacinth bulbs are generally ripe in about one month from the time of flowering. As soon as the foliage of the Tulip turns pur- ple, and begins to dry, the bulbs may be taken up ; and, with the Hyacinth, before the foliage is fully decayed. As a general rule, when the tops have quiet died down, the bulbs may be taken up and separated. With the exception of Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissus, and some others, most hardy bulbs, as the Lily tribe, Crown Imperial, etc., are injured if kept long out of ground. It is best to plant offsets of bulbs, of every de- scription, immediately, for if kept long out of ground they become exhausted and perish. Bulbs that have com- menced growing, before planting, are always weakened ; yet ignorant purchasers will frequently select such because they look more lively. If they have made much growth, the bulb will not flower at all. Some tuberous roots are classed with bulbous roots. Strictly speaking, it is not correct, but for convenience sake we shall so consider them. The Dahlia and Peony are, properly, tuberous roots. Directions for cultivating these will be given when they are described. HERBACEOUS ^PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS. The mode of cultivating this class of plants is perfectly easy ; three things chiefly have to be attended to. First, the manner of propagation. Second, the most suitable soil. Third, the requisite temperature. There are five methods of propagation practised : by divisions, suckers, layers, seeds, and cuttings. CULTIVATION OF PERENNIALS, BIENNIALS, ETC. 99 DIVIDING THE ROOTS. — This may be done either with a knife, if the plant is small, or by a spade, if it is strong and large. The best time for doing it is when the tops are just beginning to grow after having been cut down. The roots may be divided in the spring, or (with some species) almost any time during the summer, after flower- ing. The month of August is a proper time for many kinds, as the divisions will become well rooted before winter, and be prepared to flower strongly the next year. SUCKERS. — These may be taken up at any time when they appear, but the most usual time is when the plant is beginning to grow. SEED. — Sow, for the most part, in early spring, in light soil, and plant out in the following autumn in the situa- tions where they are to flower. Many of the fine double and other varieties never produce seed. LAYERS AND CUTTINGS. — Thrifty, succulent shoots, if partly cut through, and pegged down, and covered with earth, will take root, as is the case with the Pinks and Carnations. Cuttings of many plants will take root, with proper care. SOIL. — Different species of plants require rather differ-' ent kinds of soil ; but a light, rich loam, will suit the greater number. TEMPERATURE. — Hardy, half-hardy, and green-house plants require similar care, but they differ as to the amount of protection or quantity of heat they need. j ANNUALS. The plants generally known as annuals, are raised from the seed, perfect their flowers, mature their seed the same season, and then perish. There are some flowers, how- ever, cultivated as annuals, that are such only in a north- ern climate, being in their own more congenial region pe- 100 rennials or biennials. Among them are the Verbena, Eschscholtzia, Commelina, Mirabilis, and many others. This class of plants may be kept through the winter in green-houses or in any light cellar. Annuals are most ap- propriate for those who are changing their abode from year to year, as from these alone a fine display may be kept up the whole season, with the exception of the vernal months, and this deficiency may be supplied by having a choice collection of perennials, grown in pots, which can be plunged in the ground, and thus removed at any time when it is necessary to change the residence. ~No collection of plants can be complete without an abundance of animals, as they can be disposed of in such a way as to succeed the perennials, and keep up a con- tinuous bloom in all parts of the garden through the season. Annuals may be divided as follows : — hardy, half-hardy, and tender. J#-cr>v. Hardy annuals are such as may be sworn in autumn or very early in the spring, as all the Larkspurs, Clarkia, Asters, Candytufts, etc. Half-hardy are those which will not bear a hard frost, and therefore not proper to plant in the open ground before the middle or last of May, as the Balsam, Cocks-comb, Marigold, etc. Tender annuals can hardly be brought to perfection without starting them in artificial heat, in a Hot-bed or otherwise, and are very sen- sitive to cold, as the Cypress- Vine, Thunbergia, Ice-Plant, Sensitive-Plant, etc. Many of these, in a very warm season, will succeed tolerably well if planted about the 1st of June; but to have them in perfection they should be raised in a hot-bed, in pots, and turned out into the ground about the middle of June. Before sowing annuals, the soil in which they are to be grown should be made light and rich, and very finely pul- verized, as many of the seeds are very small, and require CULTIVATION OF PERENNIALS, BIENNIALS, ETC. 101 every advantage and care to get them up. The small seeds must receive but little covering, and that of the finest earth. In sowing these, my practice is to sow them in patches six or eight inches square. The soil having been well prepared, I settle the ground gently with the foot or a small piece of board, so as to make an even, somewhat firm, surface. The seeds are then evenly strewed over the surface. Then take some very fine soil and sift or strew over them, covering the seed not more than one- eighth of an inch deep, after which press the soil again gently with the board. It is now of great importance that the seeds, as they vegetate, should be protected from the scorching sun ; an evergreen bough is as good as any- thing to shade them. The soil must not be permitted to get dry until the young plants have acquired some strength ; after which they may be left to take their chance from the effects of sun or dryness. When the plants are of a proper size, and the weather suitable, they may be taken up with a transplanting trowel, and set where want- ed. A small patch of this description will afford plants enough for any common garden. In removing them, a number may be taken up together without disturbing the roots ; but when the plants have become established, all may be cut off except the strongest ones. As a general rule, a single plant gives better satisfaction than when a number are grown together, except when planted in mas- ses, or where there is to be a group. The beauty of many annuals is completely destroyed by hudclling them together. Give every plant room according to its habits. A single plant, well trained, may be made very beautiful ; while a number of the same species, grown together, without suf- ficient room, would be worthless. Larkspur, find many other seeds, should be sown where they are to remain. A bed of Double Rocket Larkspur, well managed, is almost equal to a bed of Hyacinths, when 102 in bloom. This succeeds best when sown late in autumn or very early in the spring. The seed may be sown in drills, eight or ten inches apart, in beds, and the plants well thinned out. Larkspur, and many other hardy annual seeds, if sown late in autumn, lie dormant all winter, and give much stronger plants than the same kinds of seed Sown very early in the spring, notwithstanding those sown in the spring may appear above ground as soon as those sown in autumn. The reason probably is, that the au- tumnal sown seeds are so prepared, by the action of the frost, that they start with greater vigor, and consequently are more robust than the spring sown seeds. Some seeds are difficult to germinate. Cypress- Yine is an example, the seeds of which require scalding, to facili- tate germination ; or, if the hull is carefully taken off with a penknife, so as not to injure the germ, the object is ef- fected, and it will, immediately vegetate. The seed of Gomphrena globosa (Globe Amaranth) is encased in a thick coating of woolly substance, which greatly retards vegetation. If this be taken off with the hull, the germ will push immediately; or, if the seed is soaked in milk twenty-four hours before planting, it will soon start ; but, if planted with the coating on, or without soaking, very few will appear above ground. » As a general rule, the depth of planting flower seeds is to be governed by their size. For example, the Sweet Pea and Lupine may be planted an inch deep, and so in propor- tion. Annuals have a pleasing effect when planted in masses, particularly when the pleasure-ground is extensive. For this purpose, the Verbenas, of various colors, Portulacas, N"e- mophila, Phlox Drummondii, Coreopsis Drummondii, Can- dy-tufts, and many other dwarf plants, are desirable. Beds of any of these, or others of similar habit, in a well-managed lawn, are very ornamental. The beds should be either round, oval, starry, or irregular ; but never square, dia- DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN SHRUBS. 103 mond shape, or triangular. Masses of annuals may be so arranged as to make a grand display in the common flow- er-garden. We have seen the walks of an extensive flow- er-garden deeply edged with a wide border of crimson and scarlet Portulacas ; and, throughout the whole garden, all the annuals, and other plants, in fact, were planted in masses. We have never seen a better managed garden than this one. It contained about an acre of ground. Not more than twenty or thirty kinds of annuals were cultivated in the garden, and of this class of plants more than one-half of the ground was filled. They consisted of every variety of Double Balsams, German Asters, Drum- monds, Phlox, Coreopsis, Amaranths, Verbenas, Portu- lacas, Double China Pinks, Petunias, Mignionette, Cocks- combs, Gilli-flowers, etc. ON THE CULTURE OF HARDY DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN SHRUBS. " I like a shrubbery too, it looks so fresh ; And then there is some variety about it. In spring, the Lilac and the Snowball flower, And the Laburnum with its golden strings Waving in the wind ; and when the autumn comes, The bright red berries of the Mountain-ash, With pines enough, in winter, to look green, And siiow that something lives." The flower-garden will be incomplete without a shrub- bery. A collection of shrubs and trees, embracing the different ^7arieties to be obtained at our nurseries, will add much to the interest of the pleasure-ground. They should not be planted at regular distances, or in straight lines, as in that way they look too set and unnatural ; but, when grouped together, the various sorts gracefully intermin- 104 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. gled, with the taller species in the background, they present, at all seasons of the year, an interesting sight. Shrubs are divided into two classes — Deciduous and Evergreen. Deciduous shrubs are those which lose their leaves in autumn. However uninteresting the naked branches of this class of shrubs may appear, to the care- less observer, when denuded of their foliage, they are not devoid of beauty to the lover of nature ; and, when min- gled with evergreens, are pleasing even in winter. The twigs of some species are red ; others yellow, or various shades of brown ; and then many are covered with a pro- fusion of berries, of different colors, which, contrasting with the evergreens, give a lively look to the shrubbery, even in the most dreary months. The culture of hardy shrubs is, in general, simple and easy. The chief things to be noticed are, — the proper season for planting, the situation in which the plants will thrive, the kind of soil best suited to their growth, and the encouragement to be given to enable them to thrive afterwards. The proper season for Planting. — As soon as the leaves begin to fall, in October, deciduous trees may be planted with safety, with few exceptions. Altha3as, and some other sorts liable to be winter-killed, had better not be re- moved until spring. The spring planting, of all decidu- ous trees and shrubs, should be done as early as possible, — as soon as the ground can be worked to advantage, and before the buds begin to expand. Evergreens, in general, if carefully taken up, may be planted with success during most of the spring and sum- mer, provided dull and dripping weather be taken advan- tage of for that purpose. There are particular seasons, however, when they will thrive much more readily than at others. I have been as successful about the first of June as at any other time, and have also succeeded in DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN SHRUBS. 105 planting, the 1st of July, and in August ; but, as a general rule, when they commence their growth, the last of May is the best time. It is indispensable that all large trees and shrubs be removed with good balls, and that the roots be uninjured. In planting evergreens, (and the same may be said of deciduous trees,) whether it be done on a dull day, a wet day, or a dry day, endeavor to keep the plants for as short time out of the ground as possible, — if only a few minutes, so much the better. If any quantity are to be planted, the plants should be " heeled in," as it is termed, (that is, the roots covered with earth,) and taken out, as they are wanted. I have generally been success- ful, without watering at planting ; but others think it ne- cessary, and one writer says : — " In all seasons, situations, and soils, the plants should be well soaked with water as soon as the earth is put about the roots. Where the water is not at hand, so that it may not be easily carried or wheeled by men, a horse with a water-barrel on wheels should be used. As soon as the plant has been put into its place the earth should be filled in, leaving a sufficient hollow round the stem, and as far as the roots extend, to hold water, which should then be poured on in sufficient quantity to soak the ground down to the lowest parts of the roots ; in short, the whole should be made like a kind of puddle. "By this practice, which is particularly necessary in spring and autumn planting, the earth is carried do vvn by the water, and every crevice among the roots is filled. Care must always be taken to have as much earth above the roots of the plants as will prevent their being exposed when the water has subsided. The best plan is to take an old birch broom, or anything similar, and, laying it down near the root, pour the water upon it ; this breaks the fall of the water, and prevents the roots from being washed bare of such earth as may adhere to them. In 5* 106 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. this way time is saved, for the water may be poured out in a full stream from the pail, a watering-pot, or even from a spout or pipe in the water-cart or barrel, when the situation is such that this can be brought up to the plant. "After the first watering is dried up, the earth should be levelled round the stem of the plant, and as far out as the water has been put on, but not trod. If the plants are large, a second watering is sometimes necessary ; but in ordinary sized plants, one watering is quite sufficient. And, after remaining twenty-four hours, more or less, ac- cording to the nature of the soil, the earth about the stem and over the roots should be trod as firm as possible, and, after treading, should be dressed with a rake." The Situations in which the plants will thrive. — With regard to the situation in which each shrub should be planted, little can be said here. To form a correct judg- ment of this, a knowledge of the natural habits of each is required. This knowledge may be easily obtained by re- ferring to a botanical catalogue and other works treating on the subject. Some shrubs love a dry and elevated sit- uation, and will not thrive, crowded with others ; some are rather tender, and must have warm and sheltered places; others are very hardy, and will thrive if planted any- where ; others, again, will not grow freely, unless they are placed in low damp ground ; and others, do not flourish if much exposed to the rays of the sun. The kind of soil best suited for them. — With respect to soil, hardy shrubs may be divided into two kinds, viz. : — first, shrubs requiring common soil ; and second, those shrubs which require a peculiar soil. A rich, light, hazel loam, undoubtedly suits the greater part of this first class of plants, although many of the stronger-growing kinds will make fine bushes on almost any kind of soil. The "American plants," Kalmias, Rhododendrons, Androme- das, etc., etc., will make the finest plants and the best DECIDUOUS AND EVERGREEN SHRUBS. 107 show, if they are planted in a soil composed for the most part of sandy peat; but, in the absence of this, a very good compost may be made for them of light hazelly loam, river sand, and vegetable or leaf mould, equal parts. This may have a little peat earth mixed with it. After having taken out the original soil from the proposed bor- der to about a foot and a half deep, substitute the above mixture in its place. To encourage the growth of Shrubs after being plant- ed.— Whilst the plants are small, constantly keep down all rank-growing weeds, and clear off all rubbish that would otherwise retard their growth ; also they receive much benefit by the surface of the ground being often stirred with a Dutch hoe, as it prevents the surface baking hard in dry weather. Watering shrubs,, except in peculiar situations during dry summers, appears to be of very little if any benefit ; on the other hand, it takes up much time, and is the means of the ground baking hard when dried by the sun again. When they have advanced to a large size, all the care that is required is to cut off the overhanging branch- es, so as not to allow them to smother each other, or the stems of those overhung will become naked and unsightly. 108 DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF PERENNIAL, BIENNIAL, AND ANNUAL FLOWERS, WITH DIREC- TIONS FOR THEIR CULTIVATION. " Not a tree, A plant, a leaf, a blossom, but contains A folio volume. We may read, and read, And read again, and still find something new," Something to please, and something to instruct." To cultivate all the species and varieties of flowers describ- ed in this section of the work, will require a greater extent of land than most of ray readers will be disposed to ap- propriate to a flower-garden, even if they have the time and requisite skill to devote themselves to its cultivation. It must be left to the judgment of each one to select from this list such plants as they have space for, and time to attend to. There are many other interesting orna- mental plants which might be noticed, but should I at- tempt to describe all that are known, it would require a number of volumes like the present one, to complete the list. Such have been the diligence and perseverance of col- lectors of plants who within the last fifty years, have been sent out to all parts of the world, under the patronage of wealthy individuals and associations in Europe, that one would suppose that every nook and corner of the globe had been explored, and that nothing more of interest could be garnered up to gratify the eye of the florist. But such is not the fact. Every year brings to light " something new, something to please, and something to instruct," in the floral kingdom. But, however rare and interesting many of these newly discovered plants may be DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERS. 109 to the florist, their value for ornamental purposes cannot be compared with that of some of the improved old stand- ard varieties of the flower-garden. The science, skill, and perseverance, of amateur gardeners and florists, have transformed many comparatively inferior species of flow- ering plants from a state of simplicity and inelegance, to that of gorgeous magnificence. We can hardly believe our senses, as we call to mind the great improvements that have been made in many of the races of ornamental plants, with which we have for years been familiar. Let us look at the Verbena, hardly known twenty years ago, now sporting into every conceivable color and shade, excepting yellow, always in bloom, and never tiring. Or the Portulaca, with its shining scarlet, purple, yellow, orange, white, and variegated blossoms, ever bright and beautiful, making itself perhaps too common, but certainly very gay and lively, and forming an indispensable appendage to the flower-garden. But these single varieties are now eclipsed by the recently introduced double sorts, as large and as double as a Hose, with all the brilliant colors of the single. That awkward flower, the single Zinnia, has been trans- formed into a full double flower, as large and as perfect in shape, as the Dahlia, with greater brilliancy of color. Who would recognize the Aster, the old-fashioned China Aster, since, by the florists hands, it has been transformed into the variety called " Pa3ony-flowered," a class unsur- passed in brilliancy of color, perfection of shape, and in size equal to the Dahlia ; or, into the other beautiful va- rieties of Pompon shape, Imbricated, Bouquet, and many other styles of beauty, unknown only within a few years ? Then the Dahlia, the Gilly-flower, Petunia, Balsam, Chrysanthemum, Phlox, Hollyhock, and other old denizens of the flower-garden, — how have they been transformed, their beauties made more beautiful, and their varieties multiplied! 110 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. What an unlimited field for future improvements opens before us ! We shall never arrive at perfection, but great improvements are yet to be made in many of the new as well as in the old flowers. We do not hold that the ex- citement and pleasure incident to the improvement and cultivation of a flower-garden, will wholly remove the ills and troubles of life ; but it is an occupation that has a ten- dency to remove many disquitudes of the mind, and gives employment for many odd moments, that would otherwise be spent in brooding over some real or imaginary evil. We think Cowper came near the truth when he said: " The spleen is seldom felt where Flora reigns ; The lowering eye, the petulance, the frown, And sullen sadness, that o'ershade, distort, And mar the fane of beauty, when no cause For such immeasurable woe appears ; These Flora banishes, and gives the fair, Sweet smile and bloom, less transient than her own." ABRONIA. [Name from the Greek, signifying delicate.] Abronia umbellata. — A beautiful annual, with long trailing stems, bearing clusters of elegant flowers in dense umbels ; color, delicate lilac, with white centre, highly and deliciously fragrant. The seeds are enclosed in a husky covering, and look very unpromising, but they vegetate freely. They may be sown as early in the spring as the ground is ready to receive seed of any kind. It appears to be quite hardy, and easily cultivated, and has the advantage of sowing it- self, *as there will be found in the spring an abundance of young plants on the ground where the plants of the last year were grown. The leaves are light green, of a long oval shape ; the stem rather succulent or fleshy, two or three feet in length, lying prostrate on the ground. It DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. Ill is very pretty when trained to neat sticks, or when left to its natural mode of growth. Being ever in bloom, endur- ing light frosts, beautiful and sweet, it will, we think, be- come a great favorite. ACHILLEA.— YARROW. [Named after A chilles, a disciple of Chiron, and the first physician who used it for healing wounds.] Achlllea miliefolium. — A native, and like the other species a hardy perennial, common along road sides; I have found a quite pretty rose-colored variety of this. A handsome variety with red flowers, sometimes called A. rubra ; is in bloom all the season and worthy of a place in the garden. A» Ptarmica* — Sneeze-wort, a name given it because the dried powder of the leaves, snuffed up the nostrils, pro- vokes sneezing. This is a desirable border-flower, particu- larly in its double variety, as it continues in bloom most of the season, throwing up a succession of its double white flowers in corymbs, on stems about one foot high. The foliage is dark, shining green. It is very hardy, and easy to cultivate in almost any common soil. A. aiirea, or golden-flowered, has rich golden-yellow flowers, but not so hardy as the others named. All the species produce their flowers in corymbs. ACONITUM.— MONKSHOOD. [So called from growing about Aconi, a town of Bithynia.] The species are robust, free-flowering plants, of some beauty and consequence. The stems rise from 2 to 6 feet in height, upright, strong, furnished with many digitate or palmate leaves, and terminated by panicles or loose 112 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. spikes of blue, purple-blue, and white or yellow flowers. There are many species, all handsome perennials. All of them are violent poisons when taken into the system, but harmless to handle. The root is more active than the other parts of the plant, and has sometimes been eaten by mistake, with fatal effects, and death has occurred from eating the young shoots in salad. The plants are used in medicine. Aconitum Nap^llus. — "Wolfsbane, or Monkshood. — Is a well -known inhabitant of the garden, flowering in July and August. It is increased by parting the roots, which are of a tuberous character, every piece of which will grow. This should be done soon after they have finished flowering ; the stalks should be cut down at the same time. They like shade and moisture. A, variegatum. — Is a beautiful species, throwing up spikes with branches, continuing in bloom a long time. Flowers, light-blue, edged with white ; 3 feet high. A. Japonic-urn, from Japan, has dark-blue flowers, in spikes 3 or 4 feet high ; a handsome plant. A* Sieboldij has large blue flowers, which are produced on spikes two feet high, and one of the latest flowering. A. rostratUHi) is a very tall growing species, 4 or 5 feet high, with dark-purple flowers on lax panicles. A. uncinatum, a North American species, except in fo- liage resembles A. Japonicum. There are many other species, all hardy and handsome. ACROCLINIUM. Acroclinium roseum, and its varieties atro-roseum and album, are very pretty half-hardy annuals ; with light rose, dark rose, or pure white flowers. These are a im- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 113 mortelles," which flower in August and September, and quite an acquisition in the composition of winter wreaths or bouquets. ADLTIMIA. — CLIMBING FUMITORY. I A. name given by Rafinesque in honor of Major Adlum.] Adlumia cirrhdsa. — Climbing Fumitory, Wood Fringe, Alleghany Vine. — In the older books this plant is called Corydalls fungosa / it is an elegant, indigenous, biennial, climbing vine, growing frequently, in rich ground, from fifteen to thirty feet, in one season ; with pink and white flowers, which are produced in abundance during the three summer months ; handsome foliage. Propagated from seed, which should be sown in April. The first year, the plant makes but little progress ; but the second year, it is of more vigorous growth. The young plants will do best to be transplanted where they are to remain in July and August, but will bear moving in the spring, if done with much care. ADONIS. [This owes its classical name to Adonis, the favorite of Venus ; some say its existence also, maintaining that it sprung from his blood when dying. Others again, trace its pedigree to the tears which Venus shed upon her lover's body.] Adonis autumnalis. — The flowers are globular, dark blood-red, not very large ; it is known by the name of Pheasants eye, from the resemblance it has to that bird's eye. The foliage is many parted and. delicate ; the flower and foliage together are beautiful but not showy ; a hardy annual which flowers in August and September. 114 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWEKS. ADLUMIA CIBKHOSA. — CLIMBING FUMITORY. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 115 A. vernallS) is a hardy perennial border-flower, bloom- ing in May, of easy culture. The flowers are yellow, large and rather cup-shape ; one foot high. AGERATUM. [A name employed by Dioscovides, and probably applied by him to some plants similar to what we call "everlasting."] Mexicanum, is a handsome, half-hardy an- nual, with light-blue flowers, in compound corymbs. It continues to bloom through the summer; also through thj3 winter, when kept in the green-house, and is desirable for bouquets. There is also one with white flowers, but it is not so free a bloomer, and one with variegated foliage. ALON30A. [Named by the authors of the Flora Peruviana, after Zanoni Alonzo, at the time of the publication of that work, Spanish Secretary for the Kingdom of Santa Fe, and a great patron of Natural History.] Beautiful green-house plants with scarlet flowers, but bloom finely in the open ground, when treated like other tender annuals. A, incisifolia. — Nettle leaved Alonsoa. — It has nettle shaped foliage, but delicate and pretty ; it flowers all the season. A. graildiflora has larger flowers, which are also scar- let ; plants one to two feet high. 116 ALTHJEA. "And from the Nectaries of Hollyhocks The humble bee, e'en till he faints, will sip." The humble, or bumble bee, as it is usually called, revels in this flower and is generally found in great num- bers extracting the honeyed sweets from its nectaries, to the great amusement of naughty boys, who take wicked delight in confining the poor bee, by infolding it in the flower for the pleasure of hearing him sing. Althaea rosea, the Chinese Hollyhock, is a very hand- some plant in its double varieties, and continues in beauty during July and August. It flowers the second year from seed and the year following, and then dies ; but if the stalks are cut down in August of the second year, by dividing the roots carefully with a sharp knife and plant- ing them out in a warm, light soil, they may be continued from year to year ; or they may be raised from cuttings of the young stalks, about six inches in length, taken in summer. They should be inserted half their depth, and, if a glass be placed over them, it will facilitate their root- ing. Plants so raised, will flower early the following sum- mer. Seed saved from fine improved double varieties, will generally produce a large proportion of double flow- ers ; this is the easiest, and most sure method of obtain- ing plants. The seed should be sown in May or June, half an inch deep, and when the plants have put out six or eight leaves, they should be transplanted to the place where they are to remain. If the soil is very moist and wet, they are subject to be much injured or destroyed in winter; hi that case, it is a safe way to take them early in autumn, pot them and preserve them in frames until spring. Only the choicest varieties will pay for this trouble. The Hollyhock succeeds best when planted in light, rich soil, that has been well drained. There is no flower which makes a greater show, when planted in mas- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 117 ses, than the different varieties in all their numerous col- ors and shades. Its proper locality is is in the front of the shrubbery, or in the back ground of the border. A great improvement has been made in this old-fashioned, ordinary flower, within a few years, that has brought it before the public under a new phase ; and it now bids fair to become as popular as many other flowers that have been taken in hand by the florist. We give the experi- ence of an European cultivator, found in an English paper, to show what can be done in the improvement of this flower. "If I were not afraid of advancing a horticultural heresy, I should say that many amateurs prefer Holly- hocks to Dahlias. The Hollyhocks of Belgium and Ger- many had a great celebrity long before they appeared among us. The collections of the Prince of Salm Dyck, and of M. Van Houtte, of Ghent, have been much ad- mired. In other places varieties have been obtained with leaves more or less lobed, more or less entire, more or less palmate, all with flowers large, full, or colored differ- ently from those of other plants, being sometimes of a more or less dark mahogany color, at others of a delicate tint, and varying from the purest white to the darkest glossy black. Some progress has also been made in the cultivation of those plants by themselves. Since 1830, M. Pelissier, jun., a gentleman of Pradp, has cultivated Hollyhocks, and from the seeds of a pink variety has suc- ceeded in obtaining plants with flowers of a delicate rose color, and which, in consequence of the extreme delicacy of their tints, and regularity of form, may serve both to encourage perseverance and as a good type for seed. In the following year, from the seeds of pink flowers, he obtained a beautiful, brilliant, clear, sulphur-colored speci- men, perfect in every respect. It is from the seeds of those two plants that he has obtained all the other beau- 118 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. tiful and remarkble varieties which he now possesses, after a lapse often years from his first attempts. As a general rule, M. Pelissier prefers flowers with six exterior petals, with entire edges, well open, well set out, of a middling size, of a pure, clear, brilliant color, and forming a perfect Anemone. As the flowers expand, M. Pelissier removes whatever is not comformable to the type he has chosen, or is not of a marked color, and like a perfect Anemone. It is by doing this every year that he has obtained twenty re- markable varieties, the names and characteristics of wrhich have been kindly furnished by him, and are given below." I omit the names, as these particular varieties cannot be obtained here, and besides, the named varieties are often lost, it being very difficult to perpetuate them for any great length of time. "Delicate rose, very full flower; red, very full ; pure white, flower full; rose, flower very full ; dark-yellow, flower very full ; clear red, flower beautiful, perfection ; cinnamon-colored, shaded, flowrer very full ; nankeen-colored, very full ; dark-red, very full ; dark rose, streaked, flower full, very perfect ; fleshy white, flower full, beautiful ; clear cherry, full ; clear yellow, flower very full ; beautiful white, flower well rounded ; yellow, with a tint of pink, flower very full ; dark violet, spotted with white ; white, the middle yellow ; very dark- red, flower very full ; black, flower very full." Hollyhock seed is imported from France and Germany every year, from named varieties, in packages of from 10 to 20 fine sorts, from which many kinds equal to those described above may be obtained. Semi-double and single flowering plants should be pulled up as soon as their character is determined, or the seed from the fine double sorts will be deteriorated by their proximity. As the flow- er-stems begin to advance, they should be strongly staked, as it is very slovenly to permit the plants to be prostrated in every direction by storms and wind. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 119 ALYSSTJM. [From Greek, words signifying to prevent rage. The Alyssum passed among the ancients as a plant which possessed the properties of allaying thirst.] Alyssum saxatile.-'-Rock or Golden Alyssum. — Is a de- sirable vernal flower, of dwarf habit, proper for rock work, or to be planted in masses. The flowers are of a brilliant golden-yellow, completely covering the plant, which is not more than 8 or 10 inches high; a hardy perennial. It is a suitable companion for the Phlox stolo- nifera with its red flowers, P. subulata with pink flowers ; all of which appear together in May. Raised by seeds or by laying the branches as is done with the carnation. Ai niaritimum* — Sweet Alyssum. — This is a desirable hardy annual, flowering from June to November, when planted in the spring ; and all winter in the green-house if sown in August. One foot high, with flowers in long prostrate racemes, which continually extend themselves during the season, producing flowers until killed by frost. It is quite effective when planted in masses. The plants should not be put out nearer than one foot from each other. AMARANTHS.— AMARANTH. [From the Greek, meaning unfading flower, as the flowers of some species do not wither.] A genus of annuals, some of which are ornamental, and others are coarse and troublesome weeds. Amarantus tricolor. — This is a tender annual, an old favorite of the flower-garden, and is in some places called " Joseph's Coat ;" its only beauty consists in its variegated leaves. Miller, in ancient times, says: — "There is not a handsomer plant than this in its full lustre." Gerarde thus speaks of it : — 120 " It farre exceedeth my skill to describe the beauty and excellencie of this rare plant, called Floramor ; and I thinke the pensil of the most curious painter will be at a stay, when he shall come to set it downe in his lively col' ors. But to colour it after my best manner, this I say, Moramor hath a thicke, knobby root, whereon do grow many threddie strings ; from which ariseth a thicke stalke, but tender and soft, which beginneth to divide itself into sundry branches at the ground, and so vpward, whereup- on doth grow many leaves, wherein does consist his beau- ty : for in few words, euerie leafe resembleth in colour the most faire and beautifull feather of a Parot, especially those feathers that are mixed with most sundry colours, as a stripe of red, and a line of yellow, a dash of white, and a rib of green colour, which I cannot with words set forth, such are the sundry mixture of colours that Nature hath bestowed, in her greatest jolitie, vpon this floure. The floure doth grow betweene the footstalks of those leaves and the body of the stalk or trunk, base, and of no moment in respect of the leaves, being as it were little chaffie husks of an ouerworne tawny colour ; the seed is black, and shining like burnished home." A. hypochondriac* US, — Prince's Feather. — A hardy, well-known annual, four or five feet high, with numerous heads of purplish-crimson flowers, suitable for the shrub- bery. A. superbus is an improved variety of this ; flowers dark-red ; three to four feet high ; from June to September. A. melancholicus. — Love-lies-bleeding. — This is also a well-known hardy annual, from three to four feet high, with blood-red' flowers, which hang in pendant spikes, and, at a little distance, look like streams of blood ; in July and August. It is sometimes called, in France, " Discipline des religieuses" — the Nun's Whipping Rope. There is a variety, with straw-colored flowers, but it is too mean-looking for the flower-garden. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 121 A. mdancholicus Tar, ruber, is a new variety, with blood-red leaves, pyramidical growth, 1|- foot high, of ex- cellent habit, and will supersede the Peritta. AMARYLLIS. [The name of a nymph celebrated by the poet Virgil.] This is a superb genus, nearly all of the species are green-house or stove-plants ; some few maybe planted out in the garden, but none of them will stand the winter. Amaryllis formosissima, Jacobean Lily, is a flower of great beauty. It is a tender bulb, but succeeds well when planted in May, in the open border, in a rich sandy soil. The top of the bulb should hardly be covered with earth. The* flowers are large and of a very brilliant dark crimson ; when the sun shines upon them, they look as if sprinkled with gold. The under petals hang down, the upper curl up, and the whole flower stands nodding on one side of a stalk, about a foot high, making a fine ap- pearance. The bulb rarely produces more than two flow- ers, and more frequently but one; flowers in June or July. Upon the approach of freezing weather, the bulbs must be taken up, and put away in dry saw-dust, secure from frost. It is a native of South America. AMETHYSTEA. Amethystea ccenllca, — A tender annual with pretty blue flowers, and a variety with white ; grows about 1£ foot high ; not very common in gardens ; in flower from July to October. 122 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. AMAKYLLJS FORMOSISSIMA. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 123 AMMOBITTM. [From the Greek, meaning to live upon sand.] Ammobium alatum, — Winged Ammobium. — A pretty, half-hardy New Holland annual, with dry, white, involu- cral scales, like a Gnaphalium. The flowers, when gath- ered before they fully mature, retain their shape and brightness, and are fit companions for Helichrysums, Amaranths, and other everlasting flowers for winter orna- ments. Height, two feet. The stems have a curious winged attachment their whole length. AMSONIA. [Named after a traveller, Mr. Charles Amson.] Amsonia Tabernsemontftna, — Broad-leaved Amsonia, and has been called A. latifolia, but the name here given is the oldest. A hardy perennial, about two feet high, with leaves somewhat like those of the peach and pale- blue flowers in terminal clusters. A. salicifolia* — Willow-leaved Amsonia, has narrower leaves. Both are easily cultivated native plants, which succeed in almost any soil, and flowers in June. ANAGALLIS.— PIMPERNEL. [From the Greek, to laugh ; the name expressing the medicinal qualities of the plant, which, by removing obstructions from the liver, removed a cause of low spirits and despondency. So at least say Pliny and others.] Anagallis arvtfnsis. — Pimpernel, or Poor man's weather glass, one of the florce horologicce, opening its flowers regularly about eight minutes past eight o'clock in the latitude of England, and closing about three minutes past two o'clock. It also serves as an hygrometer, for, if rain fall, or there be much moisture in the atmospere, the flow- 134 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWEES. ers either do not open, or close up again. So says Lou* don. It is a handsome trailing weed of England, and is found in some parts of this country. Anagallis grandiflora carnea^ A. lilacea and A. fruti- cosa, are pretty annuals. ANCHTTSA.— BUGLOSS. [Derived from the Greek, meaning paint for the skin ; one of the species hav- ing been used in early times to stain the skin.] Anchfisa Italic a, — Italian Bugloss. — Is a tall-growing hardy perennial, with coarse, rough leaves, but bearing a multitude of small brilliant blue flowers all the season. There is another species with parti-colored red and purple flowers ; and still another with red flowers. All the species are tall-growing plants, from two to three feet high. Easy to cultivate and perfectly hardy, desirable only in large collections. ANEMONE.— WIND-FLOWER. [From the Greek, anemos, wind ; some say because the flower opens only when the wind blows ; others, because it grows iu situations much exposed to wind.] "Youth, like a thin Anemone displays His silken leaf, and in a morn decays." This poetical allusion is in reference to the fragility of the Anemone, which applies to the Wood Anemone of Europe and this country, and not to A. coronaria, a florist's flower, which has already been described under the head of bulbous roots. Anemone Pulsatilla, Pasque Flower, is an old-fashioned English perennial border-flower, easily cultivated, and descriped by Gerade, the herbalist, in his book written two hundred and fifty years ago, thus: — "It hath many DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 125 small leaves, finely cut or jagged, like those of carrots, among which rise up naked stalkes roughfj hairie, where- upon doe grow beautiful floures, bell-fashion, of a bright delaied purple color ; in the bottom whereof groweth a tuft of yellow thrumbs, and in the middle of the thrumbs it thrusteth forth a small purple pointell. When the whole flower is passed, there succeedeth an head or knob, compact of many gray hairy lockes, and in1 the solid part of the knob lieth the seed, flat and hairy, — every seed having his own small haire hanging at it. The root is thicke and knobby, of a finger long, running right down, and therefore not unlike those of the Anemone, which it doth in all its other parts very notably resemble, and whereof no doubt this is a kind." A. ncniorosa, or Wood Anemone, is one of our earliest flowers in spring, appearing in April, and continuing through May; found in company with violets and other vernal flowers, in woods and pastures, and by the side of walls and fences. It grows in spreading clusters, sending up its stem, bearing three leaves, which is crowned with one single white flower, the external part of which is of a reddish-purple. It requires care in transplanting and to be set in a shady and moist place. The Rue-leaved Ane- mone is placed under Thalictrum. A. horttfnsiSj or Garden Anemone, is the species from which all the fine varieties of the florist's flowers origin- ated. "See! yon Anemones their leaves unfold, With rubies flaming, and with living gold." Very little attention has been paid in this section of the country, to the cultivation of this most beautiful flower, from the fact, probably, that it will not stand our winters, unless planted in a frame, or othewise protected.. With this precaution, and some little attention, it will 126 abundantly repay all the labor that may be bestowed up- on it. I have succeeded very Well, in its cultivation, by keep- ing the roots out of ground until March, and then plant- ing them in a bed prepared in the fall, that had been kept covered till the time of planting. The roots of the. Anemones are solid, flattened masses, like those of ginger, and are multiplied by dividing them. More than one hundred and fifty choice varieties are enumerated in some of the Dutch catalogues of the present day, classed as follows : — red, or blood color ; rosy and white, flamed with purple ; sky blue ; purple or ash color ; rosy, with green-, and Avhite, and agate. A fine double Anemone should stand' upon a strong, elastic and erect stem, not less than nine inches high. The blossom or corolla, should be at least two and a half inches in diameter. The outer petals, or guard leaves, should be substantial, well rounded, at first horizontally extended, and then turning a little upwards, so as to form a broad, shallow cup, the interior part of which should contain a great number of long, small petals, imbricating each other, and rather reverting from the centre of the blossom. There are a great number of small stamens in- termixed with these petals, but they are short, and not easily discernable. The color should be clear and distinct when diversified in the same flower, or brilliant and strik- ing if it consists only of one color, as blue, crimson, or scarlet, etc., in which case the bottom of the broad ex- terior petals is generaly white ; but the beauty and con- trast are greatly increased when both the exterior and in- terior petals are regularly marked with alternate blue and white, or pink and -white stripes, etc., which in the broad petals should not extend quite to the margin. Propagation. — By dividing the roots for the fine sorts, nd by seed for new varieties. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 127 Soil and Situation. — The situation should be open, but not exposed to currents of air. As to the soil to grow them in, various composts are prescribed by florists. They require a fresh, strong, rich, loamy soil. Hogg re- commends fresh loam, with a considerable portion of rot- ten horse or cow dung. The bed should be dug eighteen inches deep, and filled with the rich compost, a little above the level of the walk ; then lay a stratum of good rich mould, two inches deep, over the compost, on which to plant the roots, as the dung or very rich compost in contact with the roots would prove injurious rather than beneficial. Planting. — After the bed is thus prepared, and has stood long enough to settle, the frame should be placed upon it. Fall planting is much the best, if the bed can be kept from very severe frost, or if not kept so warm as to start the foliage. Late fall or early spring planting is the best. The roots should be planted in rows six inches apart, and the same distance from each other in the rows. A little care is necessary, in planting, to place the roots right-side up. By close examination, the eyes, from which the stems and flowers are to proceed, can be dis- tinguished, which, of course, must be planted uppermost. After the roots are placed on the bed, they must be care- fully covered two inches deep with good sound garden mould. When th'e bed is all completed, the surface should be three or four inches above the walk. They will be in flower in June, and, if shaded from the sun, will continue to display their beauties a long time. Taking up the Hoots. — "When the foliage begins to turn brown and dry, the roots should be taken up and dried in the shade. When properly dried and kept from mois- ture, they may be kept out of ground two or three years without injury. 128 ANTHEMIS. — CHAMOMILE. [From a Greek word, signifying a flower, on account of the multitude of flowers with which the plants are covered.] Allthefflis nobilis* — Garden Chamomile. — Is in consider- able repute, both in the popular and scientific Materia Me- dica. The flowers are well known or should be well known to every housekeeper, on account of their valuable medicin- al qualities. In its double variety it is quite handsome, and a mass of it with its pure white flowers, springing from their bed of mossy-like foliage, are certainly quite charm- ing. It is easily propagated by dividing the roots. A bed of Chamomile is improved in its appearance if occa- sionally rolled or pressed down. The flowers rise from the bed three or four inches high. , ANTIRRHINUM.— SNAP-DRAGON. [Derived from words in Greek, which express " similar to a nose."] The flower bears a perfect resemblance to the snout or nose of some animal ; by applying the thumb and finger to the side of the corolla, it opens and shuts, as with a spring. Antirrhinum majus, the Great or Purple Snap-Dragon, is described by Gerarde in his Herbal, thus : — " This pur- ple Snap-Dragon hath great and brittle stalks, which di- videth itself into many fragile branches, whereupon do grow long leaves, sharp-pointed, very greene, like unto those of wild flax, but much greater, set by couples and set one opposite against another. The flowers grow at the top of the stalkes, of a purple color, fashioned like a frog's mouth, or rather a dragon's mouth, from whence the women have taken the name Snap-Dragon. The seed is black, contained in round husks, fashioned like a calf's snout, — whereupon some havec ailed it Calf's snout, — or DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 129 in mine opinion it is more like unto the bones of a sheep's head that hath been long in the water, or the flesh con- sumed clean away." Since Gerarde's day, the Snap-Dragon has sported into many varieties, not only purple, but rosy, crimson, yellow, red and white, white striped, mottled, tipped, etc. It is an imperfect perennial, and is apt to die out every few years, particularly in a moist soil — in fact I have been un- able to keep it through the winter in some seasons. The varieties may be propagated from cuttings, or division of the root. It is raised abundantly from the seed, flowering the first autumn ; but not so strong as the second year. Many beautiful varieties are in cultivation. It flourishes best in a dry, loamy soil ; is in flower in June, July, and August. Linaria vulgaris, which grows profusely by our road sides is a closely related plant ; the flowers, yellow and orange. This was formerly cultivated in the garden, but it has a propensity for running about the ground where it is not wanted, and soon becomes a troub- lesome weed. APIOS. — GROUND-NUT. [From the Greek word for pear, in allusion to the shape of the tubers.] Apios ttlberdsa. — Ground-nut, Dacotah Potato. — Indi- genous and common in rich moist woods and thickets, produces flowers in axillary, crowded racemes, of a black- ish-purple color, which would make a pleasing acquisition to the various ornaments of the border or shrubbery. Its roots are strings of oblong cylindrical tubers, frequently known by the name of pig or Indian potatoes ; when roasted or boiled, they are eatable, and said to have made an ordinary part of the vegetable food of the aborigines. 6* 130 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. The leaves are pinnated, each consisting of from five to seven ovate accuminate leaves. Stems round, twining from six to eight feet high, in July and August. ACIUILEGI A. —COLUMBINE. [From aquila, an eagle. The inverted spurs of the flower have been likened to the talons of a bird of prey.] Vlllgaris, and its varieties, are too well known to require description. They are all beautiful, and interesting when planted in beds or masses. They are of every shade of blue, purple-white, reddish-brown, rose, striped or variegated, with single, semi-double and full double flowers. Some of the single sorts are more desir- able than the double ; particularly the large single blue and purple varieties, with white centers. In bloom in June and July. Propagated by dividing the roots, or from seed from choice varieties. All are perennial. A. Canad&isis, is one of the finest species ; indigenous, common in rocky situations, flowering early in May and June. It has pendulous scarlet flowers, yellow inside. I have seen a pure white variety, growing in the crevice or seam of a rock, but, in my attempt to extricate it, the root was broken off and ruined, to my great sorrow. I have also seen a straw-colored variety at the Botanic Garden, Cambridge. This elegant vernal flower is much improved when cultivated, the stool increasing in magni- tude, throwing up many more stems, and the flowers en- larged. If some florist would undertake the task of impregnating the flowers of this variety with some of the fine garden species, no doubt, but very satisfactory results would be obtained. A, glandlllosa, is a splendid and newly introduced species from Siberia. The plant is more dwarfish in its AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS. 132 habits than the common Columbine, the leaves are more finely divided ; it is about one foot high, producing its beautiful flowers in June. The flowers are large and rich sky-blue; the inside and margin of the corolla pure white. It is one of the most desirable of the genus, propagated from seeds, or dividing the roots soon after flowering and not in the spring. This splendid species is lost to me and I cannot obtain it from Europe ; the seed which has been sent me for this, has proved to be something else. Many of the Siberian plants are pro- tected by the deep snows of that climate, and our open, winters are fatal to many plants from that region, and I suppose I lost my bed of this elegant flower on account of its being half-hardy. It should have been kept in a frame through the winter. A* alpiiia, is a very handsome species with rich, deep blue flowers ; which, instead of drooping as in other species, has its flowers erect. A* 8killll<*rii, raised from imported seed, it has large red flowers ; the spurs are of deep green color, singular and beautiful, this also is lost in my collection. I do not know its origin. A. bicolor, is a beautiful hybrid. Most of the species and varieties are at home in any good garden soil AKCTOTIS. [Named from Greek words, signifying bear, and capsule, because its fruit Is shaggy, like a bear.] Arctdtis brcviscapa, a new annual. I do not know the origin of this plant, but received it, with other seeds, from Paris. The flowers are composite, like the Calen- dula officinalis, or Pot Marigold, and have some resem- blance to that flower, but the foliage is quite diiferent. The DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 133 flowers are of a brilliant yellow, and open to the sun, but close at night. There is a succession of flowers through the season, which makes it a desirable border-plant. AHGrEMONE. — PRICKLY POPPY. [From agema, the name by which the cataract of the eye was known, and was thought to be cured by this plant.] Argemoite IHcxicaiia, is a troublesome weed in the West Indies, with a fig-shaped capsule, armed with prickles, and thence by the Spaniards, called Figo del in- ferno. The whole plant abounds with a milky juice, which turns in the air to a fine bright yellow. It has handsome poppy-shaped yellow flowers. It is some- times found inthe garden, but that is not a proper place for it, for one cannot touch it without being wounded with the spines which are upon the leaves as well as the capsules; nor break it without soiling the hand, and when the flower is gathered it is not suitable for the bouquet. A. grandiflora, like the last, is an annual in our climate, but the thick fleshy roots may be taken up in the fall, kept in the cellar, and planted out in the spring. It has a very large, showy white flower, with numerous yellow stamens and quite ornamental ; but, like A. Mexicana is only to be looked at and not meddled with. A. ochroleuca, has pale-yellow flowers. The leaves, capsules, and the whole plant are armed with formidable spines ; having had the hands or any part of the body in contact with the plant, it will be forever after viewed with feelings far from pleasureable. A. Bar- clayana is equal to the others in its powers of annoy- ance, but its more showy, brilliant yellow flowers, will, in some measure, make amends for its repulsiveness. I cannot recommend this genus of plants, only where large collections are desired. 134 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. ARMEBIA.— THRIFT. This genus contains a number of ornamental plants, generally well adapted to rock work. AriHtfria Vlllgaris, is the common Thrift of the gar- den, and next to box most desirable for edgings. It is rapidly multiplied by divisions of the root. It produces pink flowers, in little heads or clusters in June and Ju- ly ; six inches high. ASCLEPI AS. —MILKWEED. [The Greek name of the xEsculapius of the Latins.] This genus is mainly North American, many of the species are well-known as common road-side weeds ; nearly all are tall-growing perennial plants, some of which are worthy a place in the garden. We have about fif- teen or more indigenous species. The flowers of this genus produce their flowers in umbels ; all are very at- tractive to butterflies and other beautiful insects, and for this reason a few of the most ornamental should find a place in the flower-garden. Ascl(£pias Cornuti, formerly called A. Syriaca, is a very common plant, highly odoriferous, especially in the even- ing. The stems, when broken, give a copious discharge of milky, viscid juice, and for this reason'it is often called Milk-weed. Parkinson calls the plant Virginian silk, on account of the great quantity of silk, like cotton, which the capsules contain. This silky substance is an attach- ment to the seed by which it may be carried to a great distance in a windy day. This silk is characteristic of all the species, and has been used for domestic purposes, such as filling for pillows, beds, and other uses. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WEES. 135 A. tuberosa, — Butterfly-weed. — Root large, fleshy, branching, somewhat fusiform, but it is only by compar- ison with other species that it can be called tuberous ; stems numerous, growing in bunches from the root, hairy and dusky red ; flowers numerous, erect, and of a bright orange color ; blooms in August. This fine ornamental plant for the garden grows two feet high. A. pur- puraseens, A. variegata, and others, are also ornamental ; all the species would be interesting in large collections. ASTER. Nearly one hundred species of Asters, mostly peren- nials, are described by botanists as indigenous to North America. Many of them are without much beauty, and may be considered as weeds. But some of the species are quite beautiful, and would add much to the interest of the border or shrubbery, if introduced into the gar- den. The flowers are star shaped (hence the botanical name) and it is often popularly called the Star-flower. The color of the flowers varies, in the different species, from white to light-blue, dark blue to purple ; some of them are quite small as in A. multiforus, and A. diffusus, which, however, are handsome from the great profusion of their flowers. A. JSTovce-AngliceJuviS large showy purple flowers. A. puniceus, has fine sky-blue flowers. A col- lection of the different species may be successfully made when in flower, if the flower stems are cut off and the roots planted in good soil. They will flower well in the following autumn and will richly repay all the trouble, provided there is plenty of room in the garden. I have found that great improvement can be made in them by cultivation. The China Aster does not belong to this genus, but to Callistephus, under which name it will be found. 136 BEECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. ASTRANTIA, [From Greek words, signifying similar to a star ; so called in reference to the beautiful star-like dispositions of the involurum of all the species.] Astrantia major and A. minor.— Hardy herbaceous perennials, with pretty green and pink, star-like flowers, or clusters of flowers ; in bloom most of the season. The flowers are fine for bouquets. AVENA.— OAT. St&rilis* the Animated Oat, is sometimes grown as an object of curiosity, on account of its singular hy- grometrical properties. After the seeds have fallen oif their strong beard is so sensible to alternations of dryness and moisture in the atmosphere as to keep them in spon- taneous motion, when they resemble some grotesque in- sect crawling upon the ground ; or, if when dried, the seed is moistened in the mouth and then placed upon a table, will throw itself over as if it had life. BAPTISIA.— FALSE INDIGO. [From bapto, to dye ; in allusion to the economical properties of some species. A blue dye may be extracted from the leaves.] Baptisia australis, formerly Sophora australis, is con- sidered a handsome border-flower of the easiest culture, is exceedingly hardy and indigenous to some parts of North America. It produces its blue flowers in terminal spiked racemes in June. Leaves ternate, stalked, leaflets cune- ate-lanceolate , stipules longer than the stalk, lanceolate. A variety has white flowers ; another, with brown and yellow. They are hardy perennials of easy culture. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 137 BELLIS.— DAISY. [The name is derived from the Latin word bellus, handsome. The word Daisy is a compound of day and eye, Day's-eye, in which way it is written by- Ben Johnson.] pertfimis. — The Common Daisy. — "No flower has been more frequently celebrated by English poets than this. Burns' address to the Mountain Daisy will un- doubtedly be remembered by many, beginning " Wee modest crimson lipped flower." A native of England and Scotland, a well-known peren- nial, in bloom most of the season, in a cool sheltered place, but will not succeed in a warm sunny spot. There are several varieties in the improved cultivated sorts, as the double red, white, blush, red-quilled, white- quilled, variegated, etc. This beautiful little flower will not stand our winters without protection. It is best kept in a frame, where it can be preserved from the extreme cold weather, but will require air in pleasant weather. Daisies may be propagated abundantly, by dividing the roots ; also from seed, which is imported from Europe. If seed from double flowers is sown, the product will be single, semi-double, and a few full double sorts, with a variety of colors and shades. The seed should be sown in the green-house or in a hot-bed, with very little bottom heat ; the young plants must be very carefully attended to, or all the labor will be lost. 138 BOTJVARDIA. [Named after Dr. Charles Bouvard, formerly a Superintendant of the Jardin du Roi, at Paris.] The species and varieties are all shrubby green-house plants, but, when raised from cuttings and planted out in the open ground, flower all the season ; and small plants, three inches high, will begin to bloom and continue to grow and blossom until they have attained the height of two feet by October, forming fine bushy plants ; the flow- ers are rose, crimson, and scarlet. Their dazzling rich- ness of color, and pleasing form of flower, make them the most useful plants we have for cut-flowers or bou- quets. I think there can be no difficulty in preserving the plants by taking up and potting them, after the foli- age is blackened by frost, and placing them in a dry cellar through the winter. The species J9. triphylla and IB. versicolor are Mexican and South American plants ; the former with scarlet, the other with red flowers. There is no bedding plant more desirable for the borders than this. BEACH YCOME,— SWAN DAISY. Brachycome iberidifolia.— This is a beautiful hardy annual, in flower from July to September; of dwarf habit, eight or ten inches high. Flowers, various deli- cate shades of blue, lilac, and white, with brownish-black centre. A suitable plant to be grown in masses ; foliage also delicate. BRIZA,— QUAKING GRASS. [From a Greek word, to nod. in allusion to the hanging spikelets.] Briza maxima, is cultivated as a border-flower; the spikelets of the grass are curious and elegant, and when dried help to make up a bouquet of immortal flowers. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 139 BROWALLIA. — BLUE AMETHYST. [Named by Linnaeas, in honor of John Browallius.] Browallia data* — A tender annual from Peru. It grows one and a half foot high, and bears an abundance of small brilliant blue flowers, from July to September. There is also a variety with white flowers. To have it in perfection, it should be sown in hot-beds, and transplanted into the border in June. The plants are quite minute when they first make their appearance, and unless protected from the sun, are liable to be destroyed. The same be said of nearly all plants with very fine seed. In the open ground, about the middle of May, is a suitable time for planting. CALANDRINIA. [Named after Calami rini, a German botanist.] Calandrinia grandiflora. — Great-flowering. — This is a half-hardy annual ; grows two feet high ; blooms from June to October. It is a fine plant for growing in mas- ses. When the fine, rosy lilac flowers of this very beau- tiful plant are fully expanded, being produced in vast profusion, and continuing for so long time in bloom, they make a pleasing appearance, and never fail to give ample satisfaction. To have it in its greatest perfection,the seed should be planted in pots, and placed in a hot-bed early in the spring. In June the plants should be turned into the ground. The soil should be a rich sandy loam. C. discolor is in habit very much like the other; the foliage is purple on the under side ; it requires the same treatment. C. Burridgii, G. speciosa, and C. umbellata, are all handsome species or varieties, but rather delicate, and not perhaps desirable except in extensive collections. 140 CALCEOLARIA. — LADY'S SLIPPER. [From calceolus, a slipper, in allusion to the shape of the corolla.] Calceolaria pinnata. — This species, a native of Peru, may be raised from seed in a hot-bed in spring, and trans- planted to 'the borders with other tender annuals. The regions of Chili and Peru abound in many splendid spe- cies, from which very beautiful hybrids have been pro- duced ; but all are too tender and delicate for out-door culture, unless planted in a sheltered situation. CALENDULA. [So named because it may be found in flower during the calends of each month, or, which is the same thing, during every month of the year. This can- not be the case in our climate.] Calendula officinalis. — Pot Marigold. — A hardy annu- al, common to the gardens time out of mind, and form- erly much used in soups and broths. Flowers deep orange, and continue all the season. Some of the double varieties are very handsome. G. ranunculoides superba, and C. sulphurea, are highly improved-varieties ; one with bright orange, the other with sulphur-colored flowers, very large and double ; as they are always in bloom, they are a great addition to the flower-garden. CALLIRRHOE. Callfrroe pedata, a handsome annual, introduced from Texas, two feet high, with crimson mallow-shaped flow- ers. C. verlicittata, is double the size of (7. pedata, and very beautiful ; a perennial or biennial. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 141 CALLISTEPHTTS.— CHINA ASTEB. [From the Greek, meaning beautiful crown.] Callisttfphus Cllin&isis. — The China Aster. — Is the on- ly species with which we are acquainted, and of this the varieties are almost infinite, embracing in color white, blue-purple, red, variegated red and white, blue and CALLIRHOE PEDATA. white-purple, and white, etc. ; also in variety of shapes as the Pompon, Chrysanthemum, Paeony, Imbricate, Crown, Globe, etc. ; of different heights as the Tall, Semi-dwarf, Dwarf, and Pigmy, also in the different arrangements as 142 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. the bouquet, etc. All these varieties, as now cultivated, have full double-flowers. No others are tolerated. The improvements that have been made in this flower within the last dozen years, are wonderful. The French call the China Aster la Reine Marguerite, which has been render- ed in English, the Queen -Margaret. By this name they are sometimes called ; also the German Aster, from the improvements which have been made by the florists of that country. Some of the very finest are called French Asters or the Truffaut Paeony Aster, from a Mr. Truifaut, a celebrated florist at Versailles, who has produced some of the most superb varieties, nearly the size of Dahlias, of most brilliant colors, and very double and full. These varieties* cannot be too highly recommended. No class of Asters surpasses them in splendor, perfection, softness, brilliancy and variety of their colors. It would seem hardly possible that such a wonderful transforma- tion could be made from the original, inferior, single flow- er; but Mons. Truifaut has made this a specialty, and his perseverance and skill have been crowned with com- plete success ; he has the honor of introducing a class of flowers which must stand in the first rank among the or- namental plants of the flower-garden. His packages of these grand Asters embrace from ten to twelve varieties. The flowers are so full and double that they produce very few seeds, hence they will always command a high price. The double German Globe Aster forms another distinct class, embracing all the variety of colors found in the Paeony Aster. The flowers are large and very full, of a globular shape ; plants about two feet high. Boltze's Miniature, or Pigmy Dwarf Bouquet Pyramidal Asters, are a great curiosity as well as very beautiful. A bou- quet of Chrysanthemum-shaped Asters, of five to ten finely shaped flowers, with very rich colors, and of good size, spring directly from the ground, not more than six DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 143 inches high, with very little foliage, presenting a very pleasing sight when planted hi a bed or groups by them- selves. These varieties are new ; perfected by Mr. Boltz, of Germany. Newest Chrysanthemum-flowered Dwarf Double Asters. — This new tribe of dwarf Asters is highly recommended as a very important acquisition to the flower-garden. They flower rather later than the other varieties, attain the height of about ten to twelve niches, and produce clusters of flowers nearly as large as the Pseony, flowered so abundant, that very few leaves are seen ; they sport in- to all the colors of the other classes. New Double Corcadeau or Crown Aster. — This class of Asters have very large flat flowers, with white centres ; the colors are violet, blue, crimson, and deep scarlet. The contrast between the rich colors of the outer petals, and the pure white centre is very fine. The varieties are very double ; height, two feet. Double Dwarf Pyramidal Bouquet-flowered Aster. — • This is also an interesting class of about twelve varieties of colors; height ten or twelve inches. They produce immense bouquets of quilled flowers, when planted in rich soil. Double Pyramidal-flowered German Aster. — This divi- sion of Asters grows about two feet high, flowers in pyr- amids, Chrysanthemum shaped, with all the colors of the other sorts; some of them are beautifully striped or ribboned with blue, rose or red, on white ground. New Giant Emperor Aster. — A beautiful Aster, flowers of great size, very double, and well up in the centre ; style of growth very distinct, in about ten distinct colors ; height one and one-half foot. Victoria Aster. — Color carmine rose ; an extra fine double variety of a globular shape, well up in the centre; of the size of the Giant Emperor Aster, having a fine 144 pyramidal habit of II foot, covered with ten to twenty flowers ; of this there is as yet but one variety. Imbricated Pompon Aster. — This class embraces twelve or more varieties of exquisite shaped flowers, very full and double, with narrow petals closely imbricated, form- ing a most perfect pompon. Asters, styled Bombee, are convex shaped, and are in- cluded among the PaBony-flowered. Imbricated, like the Pompons, are closely imbricated with an immense number of petals, having larger flowers and more flat and spreading ; some of the varieties have a rich metallic lustre ; height 1-J- foot. To have Asters in perfection, the ground should be dug deep and highly manured. For early blooming plants, the seed should be sown in frames with a little bottom heat in April. But for late-flowering plants, they succeed full as well when sown in the open ground, from the 1st to the 10th of May. — Asters have the most pleasing effect when planted in beds. The tallest growing plants should be placed one foot to fifteen inches apart; the dwarf- varieties from six to ten inches. The plants, when cov- ered with flowers, will require a little support, with light rods, as a heavy rain or wind often prostrates them unless thus protected. Asters are in perfection from the middle of August to the middle of September. GALTHA. — MARSH MARIGOLD. [Caltha signifies in Greek a goblet, and refers to the appearance of the flower when not fully expanded.] ( aliha palustris. — Marsh Marigold. — This is a handsome indigenous perennial, seen in the early part of May, or- namenting the margin of brooks and wet places with a great profusion of its yellow blossoms, by which the course of a stream may be traced a great distance by the DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 145 abundant bloom in the green grass. This plant, in its tender state, is gathered for greens and is brought to market under the name of Cowslip. It is a plant well re- membered in our juvenile days as being one of the most conspicuous May-day flowers, and for wet feet, caused in gathering it. It is also a native of England, and the north of Europe, where it makes the same brilliant ap- pearance in their meadows as it does in our own. The flower buds, gathered before they expand, are said to be a good substitute for capers, and their juice, boiled with alum, stains paper yellow. In Lapland it is the first flower that announces the approach of spring, although it does not appear there till the end of May. There is a double variety which is quite ornamental, and succeeds very well in garden soil, if not very dry. It flowers most of the season, and is more dwarfish than the wild single variety. The flowers are very full double, and have some resemblance to the Trollius. It is propa- gated by parting the roots ; it likes the shade, and if in a wet place, so much the better, for its natural place of growth is — — " Not the sunny plain, But where the grass is green with shady trees, And brooks stand ready for the kine to quaff." CALYSTEGrIA,— BRACTED BINDWEED. [From the Greek for calyx and to cover in reference to the bracts which en- close the calyx.] sepium, — Hedge or Large Bindweed. — A native species which climbs over fences and bushes in low grounds. Stem twining, a little angular, smooth; leaves large, arrow-shaped; the upper ones with the lobes mostly cut off. Flowers large, white or rose color, blooming in June and July. A beautiful perennial, which, 7 146 were it not for its propensity to fill the whole ground with plants from its abundant suckers, would be very de- sirable. C. pufotfscens. — Downy Bindweed. — A Chinese species with elegant double rose-colored flowers, which was in- troduced into our gardens a few years ago, but which has proved a great nuisance. In my garden, it would throw up young plants at a great distance from the old one ; in fact, it would establish itself everywhere, and it required several years of vigilance to eradicate it. €• Spithamas — Low-Bindweed. — A native perennial species of dwarf habit, growing in dry sandy woods. It is about a foot high, with leafy branches which never twine. From the lower part of the stem arises a long peduncle (sometimes two) bearing a large white flower of much beauty. It is found from Maine to Wisconsin and southward, in rather barren localities, but not very com- mon. This was formerly called Convolvulus stans, and the other species were also included in Convolvulus, from which they are separated on account of the two broad leafy bracts which surround the calyx. CAMPANULA, —BELL-FLO WEB. [A diminutive of campana, a bell ; on account of the form of the corolla, which resembles a little bell.] This is a large genus of plants, mostly handsome, hardy perennials, with a few annuals ; some of them very beau- tiful and nearly all suitable for ornamenting the borders. Campanula rotundifolia,— Hare-Bell. — An indigenous species, which is very pretty and worthy of cultivation; It is found on the banks of the Merrimac river, above Lowell, and in many other places. It has nearly round, heart-kidney, crenate radical leaves, from which the spe- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. U7 CAMPANULA ROTUNDIFOLLi. 148 cific name is given, and linear entire cauline ones, with, drooping, solitary, fine blue flowers ; those of the English, plants being rather the largest. In flower, in July; a perennial one to one and a half foot high. It is known by the name of Hare-bell in England also, and Sir Walter Scott speaks of it by that title ; " What though no rule of courtly grace To measure'! mood had trained her pace? A foot more light, a step more true. Ne'er from the heath-flower dashed Ihe dew ; E'en the .slight Hare-bell raised its head Elastic from her airy tread." — Lady of the Lake. C. Lortfi, — Lore's Bell-flower. — A hardy annual, of considerable beauty, introduced in 1825, from Mount Baldo. It is of easy culture, very hardy, produc- ing seed very abundantly ; it grows about nine inches high, flowering freely. Some of the blossoms are of a fine purple-blue color, and others of a pure white. Each flower is two inches and upwards across. When the plant is cultivated in masses, the flowers are very showy and ornamental, and continue in bloom a long time. C. pentagonia, or five-angled, is another annual with blue or purple flowers, is also very pretty; from Turkey, one foot high. ^ C. medium, — Canterbury Bells. — This species, with its varieties, is one of our oldest ornamental plants, it having for a long time been cultivated in our gardens ; it is, nevertheless, a showy plant, and will doubtless al- ways be retained as a prominent ornament of the border. The varieties are rose, blue, and white, double and single. The double varieties, however, are much inferior to the single ones, and will be cultivated only for their oddity. Being biennial, it will be necessary to sow the seeds every year. The young plants must be transplanted to the place in which they are to flower, in August or Septem- ber, for if deferred until spring the bloom will be greatly DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEKS. 149 weakened ; the same holds good with all biennials, and most seedling perennials. C. persicsefolia, — Peach-leaved Bell-flower. — This is one of the finest species, containing a number of beautiful varieties, with large, showy flowers, more bowl-shaped than the last. The varieties are single and double blue, single and double white, maxima, or large peach-leaved, etc. All of them are perfectly hardy, with handsome foliage, which makes them valuable as border flowers. Stems angular; leaves stiff; obsoletely crenate-serrate ; radical ones, oblong-ovate ; cauline ones, lanceolate-line- ar ; three feet high ; in flower in June and July. C. pyramidalis, — Pyramidal Bell-flower. — This is a grand ornament, when cultivated in perfection, forming a pyramid from four to six feet high, producing innumer- able flowers for two or three months, if shaded from the sun. It was formerly a great favorite in England, but its popularity has long since passed away to give place to other more fashionable flowers, which have in their turn also been succeeded by other rivals more fair. But the old-fashioned Hollanders are not quite so fickle ; flowers with them seem to be esteemed, notwithstanding their antiquity. The Pyramidal Bellflower is said to be in demand there still, as an ornament to halls, stair-cases, and for placing before fire-places in the. summer season. Plants raised from seeds are always stronger, and the stalks rise higher, and produce a greater number of flowers. They are to be sown in pots of light earth, soon after be- ing gathered, protected by a frame during winter, and will come up in the spring. When the leaves decay, in October, they are to be transplanted to beds of light, sandy earth,'1 without any mixture of dung, which is a great enemy to this plant. Here they are to remain two years, being protected by rotten tan ; they are then to be 150 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. removed to their final destination, in September or Octo- ber ; and the year following, being the third year from sowing, they will flower. Seedling plants, in our climate, will flower the second year generally, some not until the third. A slight protec- tion is necessary during winter. Under our fervid sun, there will be no difficulty in ripening seeds. C« noMlis* — This is a handsome, low growing peren- nial, with creeping roots, with very large drooping bell- shaped flowers ; one variety a purplish brown, the other white. C. Trachllium. — Great Throatwort. — It is a native of Europe. It has purple or white flowers, blooming in June and July. A handsome perennial, three to four feet high. The name of Throatwort was given to these plants, from a notion that they would cure inflammation and swelling of the throat. Increased by dividing the roots, or from seed. It prefers a loamy soil. The Giant Throatwort is a native of England, is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in the poem of Rokeby : he laid him down, Where purple heath profusely strown Ahd Throatwort with its azure bell, And moss, and thyme, his cushion swell." %. C« Garganica* — A beautiful perennial alpine plant, with delicate, star-shaped, blue flowers, with distinct white throat ; indispensable for basket or rock-work. C. aggregata. — Has pale-blue flowers, in a crowded head. C. grandis, C. latifolia speciosa, glomerata, and many others, are fine border-flowers, growing from one to four feet high. There is also a class of dwarf species, growing from three inches to one foot in height, very ap- propriate for rock- work, as C. hederacea, alpina, Caucasi- ca, Carpatica, pumila^ rotundifolia, etc. This genus em- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 151 braces about one hundred species. Several, which were formerly included in it, have been removed to other gene- ra. See Specularia and Platycodon. CANNA.— SHOT PLANT. [From a Celtic word, signifying a cane or reed.] The Cannas are mostly tropical plants, from four to eight feet high, with elegant foliage. Canna patens, Indica, and coccmnea, are found wild within the tropics on all the continents, and chiefly in moist woods, or spongy, woody wastes. In Brazil and other parts of America, they are known by the name of "Wild Plantain, and their leaves are used as envelopes for many objects of commerce. In Spain and Portugal, the inhabitants use the seed for making their rosaries ; in the East Indies, the seeds are sometimes used as shot. The seeds of most of the species are round,- hard, black, shin- ing, heavy, and about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. Caima Indica. — Indian Shot. — This is the most common species, and succeeds well as an annual if the plants are started in a hot-bed. If the seeds are planted in pots, and plunged in the bed when it has its greatest heat, the plants will soon appear ; and, if turned into the ground in June, will make large plants^ which will flower in July and August. In the green-house, it is a perennial, and may be propagated by dividing the roots. This is desirable, not only for the beauty of its spikes of scarlet flowers, but also for its elegant foliage. The leaves are of a rich deep green, three feet long and four to six inches wide ; very handsome as they unfold them- selves ; the flower-stem rises five or six feet high. I have cultivated twelve or thirteen of the different species, all of them characterized by long, broad, and 152 handsome foliage, with either scarlet, orange, or yellow flowers ; but I find C. Indica the best for this climate. All the species require a rich garden soil. CARDAMIWE.— CUCKOO FLOWER. [An ancient Greek name for Cress.] Cardamine prattfnsis, — Cuckoo-flower, or Lady's Smock, is a native of England and is a common plant in meadows and brook-sides. The Double Cardamine, is the only va. riety cultivated or deserving a place in the borders, and not very common in this country. " This flower has been usually described by the poets as of a silvery whiteness, which shows the season they have chosen for their rural walks to have been a late one ; as, in its natural state, it is more or less tinged with purple, but becomes white as it fades, by exposure to the heat of the sun. The various shades of these flowers, with the little green leaves that en- close their unopened buds, have an exceeding pretty effect when a quantity of them are collected ; and, if kept in fresh water, and well supplied, they will survive their gathering for a fortnight or more. The height of the plant is about one foot. The double varieties are purple and white ; they are increased by parting the roots in au- tumn. They love the shade, and require a rich moist soil. It is called 4 Lady's Smock,' from the white sheets of flow- ers they display ; and ' Cuckoo-flower,' because it comes at the time with the Cuckoo. Shakespeare's Cuckoo buds are yellow, and supposed to be a species of Ranun- culus. Indeed, he expressly distinguishes his Cuckoo bud from this flower " : " When daisies pied, and violets bine, And Lady's-smoeks all silver white, And Cuckoo buds of yellow hue, Do paint the meadows with delight." DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WEES. 153 CARDIOSPERMUM.— BALLOON VINE. [From Greek words, signifying heart and seed, in allusion to its round seeds, which are marked wiih a spot like a heart.] Cardiosp&'miiffl Halicacabum, — Balloon Vine. — Heart- Seed. — A half-hardy annual from the West Indies ; a climber. The seed should be sown between the first and tenth of May, and the plant supported with brush ; four to six feet high. The plant is remarkable for its inflated membranous capsule, from which it is sometimes called Balloon Vine, or Love in a Puff. The flowers are white and green, without any claim to beauty. CASSIA. Cassia Marilandica. — Maryland Cassia, Wild Senna. — A hardy, indigenous perennial, four feet high, with yellow flowers, from August to September. Many of this genus are beautiful plants, but mostly tender ; some species are sensitive, and close their leaves in wet weather, or at the approach of night. CATANANCHE. Catananche cocrulca. — Blue Catananche. — A handsome perennial, from the south of Europe, one and a half foot high, with brilliant blue flowers, in July and August. It has not proved perfectly hardy with me ; but believe it will stand the winter better in a lighter soil than mine. It grows about two feet high. Yaillant explains the meaning of Catananche, by deriving it from two Greek words, and signifying necessity, that is to say, a plant which compels admiration. The name was employed by Dioscorides, to designate a plant used by the women of Thessaly, in philtres and love potions. 7* 154 CELOSIA,— COCKS-COMB. [From a Greek word, signifying burnt, because the flowers of some of the species appear as if they were singed.] Celosia cristata. — Cocks-comb. — Is a well-known ten- der annual, of which there are many varieties, as in the balsam, and which, like that plant, will attain a large size, and singular beauty by repeated shiftings. Thunberg states that in Japan the flowers or crests are frequently a foot in length or breadth. The following account is in- serted, to give some idea of what may be done by artifi- cial means. " Mr. Knight, in October, 1820, sent to the London Horticultural Society a Cocks-comb, the flower of which measured eighteen inches in width and seven in height, from the top of the stalk ; it was thick and full, and of a most intense purple-red. To produce this, the great object was to retard the protusion of the flower- stalk, that it might become of great strength. The com- post employed was of the most nutritive and stimulating kind, consisting of one part of unfermented horse-dung, fresh from the stable, and without litter, one part of burnt turf, one part of decayed leaves, and two parts of green turf, the latter being in lumps of about an inch in diameter, in order to keep the mass so hollow that the water might escape and the air enter. The seeds were sown in the spring, rather late, and the plants put first in- to pots of four inches diameter, and then transplanted to others a foot in diameter ; the object being not to com- press the roots, as that has a tendency to accelerate the flowering of all vegetables. The plants were placed with- in a few inches of the glass, in a heat of from 70° to 100° ; they were watered with pigeon-dung water, and due at- tention paid to remove the side branches when very young, so as to produce one strong head or flower." The color of the scarlet varieties is highly brilliant. None of the other colors are so rich. The yellows are DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WEES. 155 generally rather dull — some of them dirty-looking. The scarlets and crimsons are the only colors that look well. There are the tall and dwarf varieties, and some that are somewhat branching ; but these last should be rejected. To produce fine combs, the soil cannot be made too rich ; the plants must also be forwarded in a hot-bed. Very showy plants can be raised by sowing in the open ground the middle of May, but they cannot be raised in perfec- tion. The appellation, Cocks-comb, was given it from the form of its crested head of flowers, resembling the comb of a cock. Sometimes the heads are divided like a plume of feathers. CENTATTREA.— STAR THISTLE. [It is said that with this plant, (he Centaur Chiron cured the wound in his foot, made by the arrow of Hercules.] cyan us, is a popular border hardy annual. It is known by the common name of Blue-bottle. In Europe it is a common weed, in cornfields and on gravely soils, having blue flowers ; but when cultivated, it sports into varieties of white, purple, pink, parti-colored, etc., and is a handsome flower. €• Americana, — American Centaurea. — Is a handsome hardy annual, discovered by Nuttall, on the alluvial soil of the Arkansas and Red rivejs. It nas large purplish- lilac flowers, somewhat resembling a large thistle ; it grows two or three feet high, flowering in August and September. It is of easy culture, and should be sown the first of May. C. MoscMta, varieties pnptirea and alba, are handsome border annuals of easy culture, natives of Persia, two feet high, with fragrant flowers ; from July to October. It is commonly known by the name of Sweet Sultan. 156 €. SUavtfolens. — Yellow Sweet Sultan. — A handsome annual from the Levant, one and one-half foot high, with lively rich yellow flowers ; from July to September. Time of sowing and culture, the same as the others. C. Cen- taurium, Montana, splendens, and others, are among the most ornamental of the perennials. The genus is a very extensive one, embracing more than one hundred species, including many thistle-like, weedy-looking plants. CENTRANTHTTS. [From Greek words, signifying a spur and a flower, in allusion to the shape of the corolla.] This genus comprises several handsome border annuals, with flowers arranged in corymbs, which are either red, rose, or white. Centranthus macrosiphon has varieties with all these colors, about one foot high. There are also dwarf varieties of the same colors. CHEIRANTHTTS.— WALL FLOWER. [So called from the Arabic name of a plant with red, sweet-scented flowers.] CheiranthllS Chciri.— Wall Flower.— This is a well- known plant, which, were it perfectly hardy, would be more highly esteemed. It is a native of Britain, where it is hardy; here it is half-hardy, and must be preserved through the winter in the green-house or in a frame. Sometimes it can be kept through our winters in favor- able situations with some protection. It grows one and one-half foot high, with various colored flowers in its dif- ferent varieties. Yellow and orange predominate, but these colors are more or less shaded with rich brownish-red or violet. There are also varieties of all these colors with DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 157 double flowers, which are rich and handsome. It is raised from seed ; the plants flowering the spring following. CHELONE.— TURTLE-HEAD. [A Greek word, signifying a tortoise, to the back of which the helmet of the present genus has been fancifully compared.] Chclone glabra, also called G. oUiqua, is a North American species with white, rose-colored or purple flow- ers. The plant formerly called Ghelone barbata, is a Pentstemon. Handsome border perennials, of easy cul- ture in loamy soil, or loam and a little peat. CHRYSANTHEMUM.— CHINESE CHRYSANTHEMUM. [From the Greek words for Gold and flower.] Chrysanthemum Indicum. — This is one of the hand- somest autumnal flowers, and easily cultivated in almost any soil. It stands the winter without covering, but is best cultivated in pots, where it can receive protection when in bloom, in severe weather in autumn. In warm seasons, it flowers well in October and November, in a sheltered place, in the open ground. The plants may be cultivated in the garden till they are *in bud, when they may be safely transferred to pots ; but it would be better to commence their cultivation from the slip or cutting, in the spring, and sink the pots into the ground, in a shady place, until the time of taking up. The varieties are end- less, early and late, tassel-flowered, quilled, flat-petalled, pompon, etc., with every shade of light purple, yellow, white, iilac, blush-brown, red-brown, etc. For common culture, divide the roots in the spring, and plant them out, where they are to stand, in a warm ex- 158 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. posure, in good rich loam. As they are coming into bud, give them occasional waterings with liquid manure. To produce handsome, dwarf, bushy plants, the follow- ing course may be adopted, as practised by Youell & Co., England, which plan,. they say, "if carried out, will ensure dwarf plants from one and one-half to two feet high, cov- ered with rich dark-green foliage, and carrying blooms from five to seven inches in diameter. In the last week in May we select the tops of the strongest shoots for cut- tings, putting four or five round the edge of a three-inch pot, and placing them in a gentle warmth. When rooted, they are potted singly in the same-sized pot, and kept in a close frame for a few days, until they have become es- tablished. The tops may then be pinched out, leaving five or six joints to remain for lateral shoots. After a few days' hardening off, they are then removed to an open sit- uation, allowing the plants a sufficient distance from each other to prevent their drawing, care being observed that they do not suffer from want of water. About the third week in July, we shift, for blooming, into seven-inch pots, using a small handful of coarely-broken bones at the bottom. The soil we use consists of equal parts of well decayed (one year old) pig manure, turfy loam, and leaf- mould, adding half a barrowful of peat, and half ditto of road-drift to every four barrows of the above. When potted, they are placed in rows two feet apart, and they require but little attention, except watering, for two months. At the expiration of this period, we commence watering twice a week with liquid manure made with one bushel of fresh pig manure (free from straw) to about eighty gallons of water. This will be ready for use in two or three days. As soon as the plants show flower-buds, we tie each shoot to a stick, a#d train them fan-shaped. Disbudding ought now to be attended to, reserving only one, or, at most, two, at the top of DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 159 each shoot ; but where two are left, it is better to take out the second bud, and leave the third, to prevent confu- sion. As soon as the buds show color, the plants are then removed to the green-house or conservatory, giving plenty of air, and substituting water for liquid manure. We ought to have mentioned that, where a profusion of bloom is required, two or three plants may be inserted in the pots where only one is usually grown. This will af- ford an opportunity of cutting away the weakest shoots, and reserving the strongest only." C. COronarium,— The varieties of this annual species are hardy garden plants, of some beauty in their full dou- ble varieties of white and yellow ; two or more feet high ; in bloom most of the season. Easily raised from seed. The single sorts should be pulled up as soon as the blos- soms appear. Extra fine double varieties can be raised from cuttings, and kept through the winter in the green- house or setting-room. Of the Dwarf Yellow variety, Yilmorin, of Paris, says : — " This new variety has been obtained in our own grounds; it is of a low habit, forming a thick, branchy brush, about 15 inches high on 20 to 24 inches in diameter, and pro- duces on this reduced space about as many flowers as the old variety on its much larger plants. As a bedding and border-plant this new Chrysanthemum will soon be a fa- vorite and reconquer the place which the tall variety seems to have been obliged to give up to other plants, more in consequence of its ancientness than for the superiority of the merits of its younger competitors." C.* carinatum, — Tri-colored Chrysanthemum. — Is a hardy annual from Barbary ; one and one-half foot high ; in flower all the season. Disk of the flower purplish- brown, inner circle of the rays yellow, margined with white, very pretty. Some of the improved varieties of this flower are C. venustum and Burridgeanum. 160 C. Parthenium, — Fever-few. — A plant much resembling Chamomile in appearance, having a strong, unpleasant smell and a bitter taste. The double variety of this plant, known as the Double Fever-few, is a half-hardy perennial, which gives a succession of double pure white flowers, re- sembling Daisies, from June to November; two feet high. It can hardly be kept through the winter except in frames,* or as is most common in the green-house or conservatory. It is raised from cuttings very readily, or from divisions of the root. When raised from seed, most of the plants will be worthless, not much better than weeds, as there is no beauty in the single flowers. C. Ciimeum, — This is also called Pyrethrum roseum, but we follow the best authorities and place it with Chry- santhemum,. Within a few years we have received from France a number of varieties of this species with double flowers, which are perfectly hardy. One variety has car- mine, one rose, another with white flowers. There are also a number of named varieties, all hardy perennials, propagated by divisions of the root; in flower most of the summer ; about two feet high. The flowers are as large and of the shape of that pest of the farmer, the White Weed, and related to that nuisance, at least as near as second cousin, but I have not noticed that it has any pro- pensity to intrude itself upon good society as that plant has. When propagated from seed, most of the plants will be single and worthless. Like the Double Fever-few, the plant has a strong, unpleasant smell. * In the winter of 1864-5 it stood without protection. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEBS. 161 CIMICIFTTGA.— BUGBANE. [From the Greek, signifying to drive away bugs.— A Siberian species being used as a bugbane.] Cimicifuga racemosa, — Black Snake-root. — Black Co- hosh. — A native plant, not often seen in gardens, but which, from its stately habit, is worth growing where there is room for it. The leaves are large and much divided ; the flower-stalk grows to the height of six or eight feet, and produces numerous long spikes of small white flow- ers. The root of this is one of the many things that have had a reputation as antidotes for snake bites. This is sometimes called Actcea racemosa ; the Actseas have ber- ry-like fruit, while this has dry pods. Actcea spicata of our woods, is rather showy for its fruit ; there are two varieties, alba and rubra, with white and red berries, which may find a place in large collections. CLARKIA. [Named in honor of Capt. Clark, who discovered it in his expedition, with Capt. Lewis, to the Columbia river.] Clarkia pulclitflla. — Beautiful Clarkia. — A handsome dwarf-plant, eight to twelve inches high, with beautiful rose or light-purple flowers ; annual, as are all the species. In bloom from July to September. If the seed is planted in April or May it will succeed very well, but the plants will be much stronger from seed sown in August or Sep- tember. The young plants will stand the winter very well, if protected with a few leaves. The soil should not be over-rich or moist, as the plants frequently damp off if so situated. In a good, rather light loam, it succeeds best. The varieties of this species are numerous, viz. : — white, rose, lilac, with double varieties of the same : Tom Thumb varieties, maryinata, etc., integripetala Jimbriata and integripetala. 163 C. llegans. — Elegant Clarkia. — This beautiful species was found in California, by Mr. Douglas, and was first raised in the garden of the London Horticultural Society CLARKIA FULCHELLA. in 1832. Since then, this and the other species, with their numerous varieties, have been generally disseminated throughout Europe and America, or wherever choice flowers are cultivated. This plant grows one and one- half to two feet high, and is raised from seed. All the DESCKIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 163 varieties, when grown in large masses, are hignly orna- mental. The varieties of C. elegans are those with purple and rose-colored flowers ; also, double-purple, rose, flesh color and white. It is sometimes called C. rosea. C. rhomboidea. — Entire petaled, or C.gauroides. — This is also an annual, growing about two feet high. The flow- ers are an inch across, purple and white, near the bottom of each petal, spotted with white. All the varieties are fine for bouquets, as the foliage, as well as the flowers, is delicate and pretty. CLEMATIS.— VIRGIN'S BOWER. " [From the Greek, for tendril ; in allusion to the climbing habits of most of the species.] The species are mostly climbing shrubs, or herbaceous perennials, of rapid growth, free bloomers, very ornamen- tal, and some are highly odoriferous. Cl&natis Virginiana is a native plant, well known as a great climber, growing profusely upon the banks of our rivers and wet places ; taking possession and covering all the shrubs in its neighborhood, to which it attaches itself by its petioles, (which are given off, at intervals, in pairs,) twining round objects for support, and serving the pur- pose of tendrils. The flowers are white, borne in cymes, and make a handsome appearance the beginning of August. The most remarkable appearance of this plant is wrhen in fruit ; the long feathery tails of the fruits separating like tufts of wool. It grows twenty feet or more in a season, most of the stein perishes, leaving but a small shrubby portion. It makes an appropriate covering for an arbor or wall ; for, whether in flower or fruit, it is ornamental. Ci erecta is strictly an herbaceous plant, growing from three to four feet high, producing large clusters of white 164 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. flowers in August. It requires support, as it has the pro- pensity to attach itself to everything in its neighborhood, like the last, by its petioles. C.. integrifolia. — Entire-leaved. — A handsome, upright plant, about two feet high, producing nodding, bell-shap- ed, blue flowers, most of the season. C. Vitictflla is a much admired species, with blue flow- ers, which are produced from June to September, on long peduncles from the axils of the leaves; rather bell-shaped, and nodding. It is a climber, growing from eight to ten feet in a season, dying down to the ground, in this climate, but otherwise hardy. There is a variety with double flowers, others with brownish-red flowers, and several im- proved varieties. C. Flammula is a luxuriant climber, having clusters of small white fragrant flowers, in August and September. C. fldrida has large white flowers ; like the last, a luxuri- ant climber.. There is a variety with double flowers. C, Sieboldi!,— Siebold's Virgin's B.ower.— This magni- ficent plant is said to be a variety of C.florida, and, till lately, treated as a green-house plant, but it has proved as hardy as the other sorts. The flowers are three or four inches in diameter, the outer sepals, or petals, a creamy white, filled up with others, disposed iu many series, the groundwork of the petals is white, suffused with a rich purple. No plant possesses a stronger claim to a place in the flower-garden, from its graceful habit, and from the size and beauty of its blossoms. The plant thrives best in a mixture of loam and peat, and is increased by layers. It was introduced by Dr. Siebold, from Japan, a few years since. I have kept it two winters, by covering it lightly with coarse manure. C. azurea grandiflora, or Great-flowering Blue Virgin's Bower, has still larger flowers than the variety Sieboldii. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERS. 165 It has the reputation of being more tender, requiring greater heat to bring it to perfection. With me, it stood near the other species two winters, with the same protec- tion. The flowers are produced only on the old wood ; it is necessary, therefore, to lay down, and cover the growth of the season, to insure bloom the next year. The flow- ers are four or five inches in diameter, of a rich blue, in July ; a climber, like the last, but not of so robust growth. C. Sieboldii is certainly the most showy of the genus, but since the first edition of my "Book of Flowers" was published, I have found by experience, that it is not so hardy as C. azurea grandiflora, which has proved quite hardy when the vines are laid down, producing a profusion of its rich blue flowers. Wherever a lattice is mentioned by the Poets, it is expected the Clematis will run over it : " In the calmness of a cloudless eve, How gently dies a long, long summer's day, O'er yon broad woods, as loth to take its leave, It sheds at parting its most lovely ray, And golden lights o'er all the landscape play, And languid zephyrs waft their rich perfume "Where the wide lattice gives them open way, And breathe a freshness round the twilight room, From Jasmine, Clematis, and yellow-blossomed broom." • All the climbing species are shrubby, and if laid down and covered with earth late in autumn, will flower much bet- ter than the plants exposed in winter. C« cirrhosa is a beautiful white-flowered, sweet-scented species. Besides the species and varieties enumerated, there are many others, esteemed ornamental. CLEOME. • This is an elegant genus of plants, and very curious in their structure. The petals range themselves on the upper side, and the stamens and pistil are protruded a consider- 166 BBECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. able length on slender filaments, forming beautiful airy groups. (Iconic grandiflora is one of the most showy of the genus. It is easily raised from seed, when planted in the open ground, in April or May, and blooms abundantly from July to September ; grows from three to four feet high. Its spikes, continually increasing in length, are al- ways surmounted with a crest of beautiful buds and flow- ers, which are of a pale pink-purple. It is beautiful in the garden, but withers very quickly when cut. C. pcntaphyila* — This is also a handsome annual, of the same habit of the last ; about two or three feet higli ; the flowers pure white ; the odor of the plant is most of- fensive. C» Spinosa is a spiny plant, which grows about four feet high, and bears a spike of beautiful white (sometimes pinkish) flowers. All the species flourish in any common garden soil. However beautiful and curious these plants may be, and desirable for show, they are repulsive to the smell and un- pleasant to the touch, and therefore, will not be favorites. COBJEA. — MEXICAN tin honor of Hernandez Cobo, a Spanish Jesuit, who wrote upon the subject of natural history in the middle of the 17th century.] Cobaea SCandens. — This is the most rapid growing green- house plant known, having been found to grow two hun- dred feet in one summer, in a conservatory. It, is a perennial, but will not stand the winter, and, unless cultivated in a green-house, is classed with tender annuals. It flourishes well in the open ground, if it is first started in a hot-bed, in pots, and turned out in June. I have found it to con- tinue blooming after a number of moderate frosts. The DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 167 flowers are large, purple, and bell-shaped. The foliage is handsome, and the tendrils, which are fine and silky, will attach themselves to anything within reach, even a cob- COLEUS VERSCHAFFELTII. ireb. If located in a warm place, it will cover a large surface before it is destroyed by the frost. It can be raised by cuttings, but requires care to keep it through the winter. 168 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. COLEUS. €oltfus Verschafitfltli. — This is unsurpassed as a leaf- plant. Its peculiar and beautiful marking of crimson, green and bronze, makes a strong and agreeable contrast, in groups, or along the margin of borders in the flower- garden. The beauty of the plant consists entirely in the leaf; the flowers are of no consequence. It is a tender plant, which must be housed in the winter. It is easily raised from cuttings, and is sold by dealers in bedding plants in the spring. If planted out the last of May, or 1st of June, it forms a handsome spreading plant by Sep- tember, two feet high. The colors are more brilliant when planted in the shade. I do not know the origin of this beautiful plant, but from the specific name suppose it was introduced by Mr. Verschaflelt, a German florist. COLLINSIA. [Named for Z. Collins, a Philadelphia Botanist of the last generation.] Collinsia Mcolor. — Two-colored Collinsia. — A beautiful hardy annual, with purple and white flowers, which are numerous and pretty ; in July and August; one foot high. C. grandiflora. — Large flowering Collinsia. — This is an- other beautiful species, with large blue and purple flowers ; at the same time and height, but more spreading than the other. There are also many other ornamental species or varieties of the same habit, viz : carnea alba, candidissl- ma, heterophytta, multicolor, etc. All are suitable for planting in masses and easily propagated from seed; sow May 1st. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEKS. 169 COLLOMIA. Collomia COCCinea. — A very lively flower, growing in heads of bright carmine-red ; a desirable dwarf annual, flowering early in June and July. The seeds have, like some of the Salvias, the curious property of becoming in- vested with mucus when moistened with water. COMMELYNA. [So named by Pluinier, in honor of the brothers John and Gasper Commelin, Botanists and Dutch Merchants.] Commelyna coelestis, — Sky-blue Commelyna. — Tender annual from Mexico, or perennial if the roots are taken up and housed. The splendid blue flowers of this plant can- not be excelled, and its profusion of blossoms renders it deserving of cultivation in every flower-garden. The plant blooms from the middle of June to October. The roots are tuberous, and keep well through winter, if taken up after the blooming season, and preserved like Dahlia roots. Plants from the old roots grow, in good soil, from two to three feet high ; those from seeds reach only from one to two feet. The following is the mode of manage- ment I have practised ; — I fix upon a circular bed, eight feet in diameter, and in the first week in May I plant four feet of the center with the old roots, placing the crowns just under the surface of the soil. The outer portion of the bed I plant with spring-sown plants, that have been raised in pots placed in a frame. Both the roots and plantsv should be planted about six inches apart. Thus, the cen- ter of the bed being much higher than the outer part, the appearance is that of a splendid blue cone of flowers, scarcely to be excelled in beauty. Seeds are produced in abundance, and may be had of seedsmen at a small cost. 8 170 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. CONOCLINTTM.— MIST-FLOWER. [Name derived from the conical shape of the disk, on which the florets are placed.] Conoclinum CCelestinum. — Sky-blue Conoclinum, Mist- flower. — A perennial; two feet high. This is the most beautiful species. It grows wild, from the Potomac to the Mississippi. Its flowers, produced very late in autumn, are of a beautiful smalt or sky-blue. The roots of this species are creeping, from which it is easily propagated. It was formerly called Eupatorium ccelestinum. CONVALLAEJA.— SOLOMON'S SEAL. " No flower amid the garden fairer grows Than the sweet Lily of the lowly vale, The queen of flowers.1' fom allaria majalis, — Lily of the Valley. — An elegant and delicate, sweet-scented plant, which for ages has been a favorite flower, and highly prized. It succeeds well in the shade in any soil, and soon spreads itself, by its slen- der, creeping roots, beyond the desire of the cultivator. It flowers in May and June. Gerarde describes it, in his quaint way, thus : " The Lilly of the Yally hath many leaves like the smallest leaves of Water Plantaine, among which riseth vp a naked stalke, halfe a foot high, garnished with many white floures, like bels, with blunt and turned edges, of a strong savour, yet pleasant enoughf, which be- ing past, there come small, red berries, much like the ber- ries of asparagus, wherein the seed is contained." That, which was formerly called C. racemosa, will be found un- der Smilacina and C. multiflora is now Polygonatum— which see. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 171 CONVOLVULUS,— BIND-WEED. [From convolvo^ to entwine.] Convolvulus arvtfnsis. — This is a perennial from Europe, with small nearly white flowers. The leaves arrow or heart-shaped with acute lobes. Stems numerous, climbing ; on account of its twining propensity, covering bushes and fences in its neighborhood, it is called Bind-weed. In Britain it is one of the greatest pests to gardeners and farmers. It is worse than the Hedge Bind-weed ; for that, for the sake of climbing, confines its ravages to the bor- ders of the field and garden, while this wanders over the whole ground, and is with difficulty rooted out. And yet it must be acknowledged that this little red and white flower is extremely beautiful ; and, if it were a little more modest, would, doubtless, be a general favorite. As it is, it must suffer the consequence of its impertinence, not on- ly in being avoided, but positively turned out. Like the Calystegias, notwithstanding its great beauty, it must not be encouraged in the garden. C. tricolor. — Dwarf Convolvulus.— This is C. minor of the catalogues ; a native of Spain and Portugal ; the flowers are often pure white, but sometimes variegated with blue and yellow, or blue and white ; the most beau- tiful kind is a bright blue, fading by delicate gradations to a pure white in the centre. It resembles the blue at- mosphere, relieved by fleecy clouds on a fine summer day. " When on high Through clouds of fleecy white, laughs the cerulean sky." Nor is the form of this flower less beautiful than th& color, either when spread out in full beauty to the mid-day sun, or when, at the approach of night, it closes its blue eye to sleep. The plant spreads out much in every direc- tion from the center, so that a bed of them, with the plants two feet distant from each other, will interlock. It 172 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. CONVOLVULUS TRICOLOR. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERS. 173 is not exceeded in elegance by any plant when profusely covered with its flowers, which continue open all day, if peasant, but shut in case of rain. Sown in March. It affords a large mass of beauty, from July to October. COREOPSIS. [The name is from Greek words, signifying a bug and resemblance. Its fruit is convex on one side, and concave on the other ; it has a membranous margin, and it has two little horns at the end which gives it very much the appearance of some insect.] The genus has been divided, and C. tinctoria and its varieties are now classed in the genus Calliopsis, but as they are generally known as Coreopsis, I shall consider them under this head. The genus includes both perennials and annuals. The perennials are hardy border-plants, with yellow flowers and most of them quite showy. The most desirable are C. tenuifolia, with very delicate pinnated foli- age, about one and one-half foot high ; C. lanceolata with lance-shaped and large flowers ; G. latifolia, C. verticilla- ta, C. tripteris, and others, all continuing long in bloom. Propagated by dividing the roots. The following are an- nuals. Coreopsis Drtimmoildii is a fine bedding plant, where a mass of brilliant yellow flowers are wanted ; the flowers being very large, and continuing in bloom most of the season. It is about one and one-half foot high. C. Coronaria has flowers of a paler yellow, each petal or ray is marked or penciled with brown at the base. •Most of the genus of Coreopsis are natives of N. America. C. Drummondi, was discovered by Mr. Drummond, and named after him. C. tinctoria was introduced by Nutall, who found it in great profusion in Missouri and other southwestern States. 174 It is so liberal in scattering its seed, that, unless it is kept under it, becomes so much of a nuisance, that it has received the name of " Nutall's weed." It is, however, very beautiful when confined within proper bounds. It grows from two to three feet high in rich soil, and its dark-yellow flowers, with rich brownish-crimson centre are very fine. From this many superb varieties have been obtained. C. atrosanguinea has large dark- brown velvet flowers, with yellow borders. C. nigra, or black Calliopsis is another variety without any border, which, in the sun, assumes a very dark crimson hue. These varieties are all the same height of C. tinctoria. But the most beautiful are the dwarf-varieties, which are from six to twelve inches high. Those called Pigmy, are only six inches high, with flowers nearly as large as the taller varieties, among them are the black or very dark ; dark with a very small edging of yellow ; yellow with dark centre, and mottled ; another variety has curious quilled petals. All these varieties are hardy and easily propagated by seed. The Pigmy sorts are desirable for bedding, as they keep in bloom all summer. It must be observed, that all the varieties are liable to sport, and vary from the original plant, but a great majority will be like the mother plant. Plant out rather thick, so that those, which depart from the original, may be weeded out as the flowers ap- pear. CORYDALIS. JThe ancient Greek name for Fumitory, to which this genus is closely related.] CorydaliS glatica. — Pale Corydalis. — An indigenous biennial, growing in rocky places, from one to three feet high, with glaucous leaves; flowers yellow, red, and green, in June ; propagated by seed. This, and the less DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 175 common C. aurea, which has golden yellow flowers, are both pretty plants for rock-work. CREPIS. M name made use of by Pliny, a plant of which he gives no description.] Crtfpis barfoata. — The Purple-eyed Crepis, is an uncom- monly hardy and beautiful annual, of the easiest culture. The flower-stems are prostrate like those of Convolvulus tricolor. Grown in masses and the plants thinned out to eighteen inches distant, it makes a fine appearance. It begins to flower the first of July, and continues till Octo- ber or November, covered with beautiful flowers, the rays of a light-yellow, finely contrasted with the bril- liant purple-brown of the centre. CROCUS. [Crocus, an unhappy lover, whom the gods in pity were said to hare changed into this flower.] " Glad as the spring, when the first Crocus comes To laugh amid the shower." Crocus Vtfmus.— The Spring Crocus is a bulbous rooted plant, of which there are many varieties annually imported from Holland, and sold at very low prices. The most prominent sorts are the great yellow, deep-blue, light-blue, white with blue stripes, blue with white stripes, white with a purple base, pure white, cloth of gold, etc. It flowers in April, and in warm seasons, in sheltered places, fre- quently in March. Where there is a plenty of them, they make a magnificent show. The bulbs are small, solid, and flat. They should be planted in September or October, about one inch or one and one-half inch deep, in any good 176 garden soil. They are very hardy, and the only difficulty is their liability to be thrown out by the frost, when the ground is bare, towards spring. To remedy this evil, some light substance should be thrown over them, to shade them from the action of the sun. After flowering, when the leaves have decayed, the roots may be taken up, and kept, until they are wanted to plant in autumn, in some cool, dry place ; or they may remain in the ground a num- . elatum. After this experience, who can blame me if I did feel a little waspish. The annual Larkspurs are familiar to almost every one. Some of the species and varieties are among the most common ornaments of the garden. They are all hardy, and flower stronger when self-sown in summer, or planted in beds or borders in August or September. There are two distinct species of Annual Larkspur : D. Ajacis, or Dwarf Rocket, with a variety called the tall German Rocket ; and D. consolida. • D. consolida, or Branching Larkspur. — This species grows from two to three feet high, producing its flowers in spikes, which are continually pushing out from the main stem and branches, affording abundance of bloom through the season. The double varieties are the most desirable. Masses of the different colors appear to great advantage. There are the double white, rose, pale-blue, dark-blue, lilac or ash color, striped red and white, blue and white, and variously mottled. D, Ajacis* — Dwarf Rocket Larkspur. — A bed of the double varieties of this species is almost equal in beauty, when properly grown, to a bed of Hyacinths ; early sown plants are in bloom in June and July, but do not continue in bloom so long as those of D. consolida ; grows a foot high. We import them in packages of ten to fifteen va- rieties. To have them in the greatest perfection, the seed should be sown in autumn. D. Ajacis major. — Tall Rocket Larkspur. — Appears very much like the last described, except the flower-stems are a foot and one-half to two feet high. In flower at the DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 193 perfectly hardy like the others. This is im- ported in about ten varieties ; colors similar to the last, viz : pink or rose, white, grey, violet, blue, striped, spot- ted, etc. DIANTHUS.— PINK. [The name of Dianthus is of Greek origin, and signifies the Flower of Jove ; which name is, according to some, bestowed upon the flower for its beauty; others say from its fragrance. That distinction is surely just, which exiles a doubt only for which, of its good qualities it is conferred. French, (Billet..] Most of the species of this genus are highly valued, not only for the beauty and fragrance of the flowers, but also as being evergreens; their foliage during winter, being as abundant and as vivid as in summer. The fragrance of some of the species is peculiarly grateful, and no plant in this repect surpasses the Clove, and some other varieties of the Pink. Diaiithus Caryophyllus. — Clove Pink and Carnation. — There is no flower more desirable in the flower-garden than the Carnation. A well-grown, superior variety, can- not be surpassed in elegance, beauty, or odor, by any other flower ; yet we scarcily ever see it in perfection. Its cultivation in our climate is attended with many diffi- culties, which may account for its rarity. Our winters are too severe, and springs too changeable, to keep it in perfec- tion in the open ground ; and then our summers are too dry and hot for the full development of its beauties. Seedlings stand the winter and spring without difficulty, with a light covering of leaves and evergreen boughs, and flower very well ; but then not one plant in a hundred will be considered worth saving by the florist, although they will all be interesting as single, semi-double, or irregular flowers, and richly repay all the labor. Valuable varieties are generally propagated from layers, which often keep 9 ' 194 very well in the open ground by letting them remain with the parent plant, and covering them with leaves and pine boughs ; but the most certain way is, when the layers have taken root, to pot them, and at the approach of win- ter put them in a frame where they may be kept with per- fect safety, provided air is given them in mild weather, and they are not exposed to the sun when in a frozen state. The mice are very destructive to all Pinks ; there- fore the frame must be tight. Carnations are arranged by florists into three classes, viz: Flakes, JBizarres, and Picotees. Flakes have two colors only ; their stripes are large, going quite through the petals. Bizarres are variegated, in irregular spots and stripes, with not less than three colors. Picotees have a white ground, spotted or pounced with scarlet, red, pur- ple, or other colors. The finer sorts are regularly edged with these colors, on a clear white or yellow ground. The petals of a perfect flower should be rose-leaved, or with entire edges ; the flower should be filled up in a reg- ular manner with petals of this description. It flowers in July. On a strong plant the stem will be three feet high. The propagation of the Carnation by layers is a very simple operation. When the plant is in perfection of bloom, lay around it one and one-half or two inches of compost, first gently stirring the surface so that it may mix well ; remove the lower leaves of the shoots selected ; pass the pen-knife, slanting upwards, half through the joint ; fasten the shoot, where so cut, about two inches under the surface, with a small hooked peg, bending carefully so as not to break it at the incision ; then fix it firmly by gently pressing the earth around with the fin- gers, and finish by cutting off about half an inch of the upper extremities of the leaves with scissors. The sap soon begins to granulate at the wound, and throw out DESCBIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WEES. 195 roots. In about a month or six weeks, if the soil has been kept moderately moist, the layers may be severed from the parent plant and established for themselves ; or they may remain where they are, if the stem to which they are attached be carefully cut off. The Carnation requires a rich, generous, deep soil. A compost of three parts of good, strong garden loam, three parts hot-bed manure, two years old, three parts of coarse river sand, two parts dry manure from a hen-house, sifted, and two parts of soot from a wood fire, has been recommended for the Carnation. ClOVC Pink is more hardy than the Carnation, of which it is the parent ; the petals are more fringed, and the fragrance more powerful, resembling that of the Clove. In France it is called the Clove Gilly-flower. " Some suppose this latter name to have been corrupted from July-flower, July being its flowering time. Drayton so names it." " The curious choice July flower. Whose kinds hight the Carnation, For sweetness of most sovereign power Shall help my wreath to fashion ; Whose sundry colors of one kind, First from one root derived, Them in their several suits I'll bind, My garland so contrived." Perpetual Carnation Pink — Tree Carnation, or Win. ter-flowering. — The great improvement in this tribe has added an invaluable feature to the section of winter* blooming plants for the drawing-room, conservatory, 01 green-house. The delicately rich and grateful odor, in connection with the brilliant color and good outline of the flowers now offered, will secure for them a prominent place in the forcing department, and, ere long, be regarded as an indispensable requisite in the portable drawing-room flower vase. 196 The flowering period of these plants may be prolonged beyond the winter by retaining the terminal, or upper growth, but to ensure a fine early autumn or winter bloom, the upper growth should be shortened or pruned back (where requisite), in the spring or early summer months, and the plants placed in a cool, airy green-house, or cool east or south pit throughout the summer, to ma- ture the requisite vigor of growth for bloom. During the warm summer months, the plants should not be placed in any position where a free ventilation of air cannot be af- forded by day and night ; and when the requisite growth is obtained, they may be exposed in the open air until au- tumn, with the usual daily attention given to plants in pots. D. horttfnsis, — Garden Pink. — This species is in perfec- tion about the last of June. The foliage is more grass- like, and the plant much hardier, than the Carnation. The double varieties are very desirable, not only for their beauty, but also for their fragrance. They may be prop- agated by dividing the roots, by layers, and by pipings. The surest mode of propagation is by layers, but piping is generally resorted to for Pinks. These are shoots cut from the plant at the second or third joint, according as they are more or less woody or juicy, and inserted, close to each other, in a bed of well pulverized proper compost; water moderately, so that the earth may adhere closely about the shoots ; when the moisture has somewhat evaporated from the leaves, cover them up with a hand glass, which must be forced a little depth into the ground so as to confine the air. This need hardly be removed until the plants have taken root ; they must be shaded, however, the first fourteen days, with mats over the glas- ses, when the sun is very hot. If properly managed, not one in twenty will miss, and between one and two hun- dred may be planted under one glass ; in a month or six DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 197 weeks they will be sufficiently rooted to move. Carna- tions are sometimes raised from pipings, but they are not so sure as Pinks to take root. This variety is often called the Paisley Pink, on account of its having been raised in the highest perfection among the weavers near Paisley, in England. A good Pink should have a strong, elastic, and erect stem, not less than one foot high. The petals should be large and broad, with very fine-fringed edges, the nearer rose-leaved the better. The ground-work of the flower should be pure white, or rose-colored, with a dark, rich crimson, or purple eye, resembling velvet ; if nearly black, so much the richer. A delicate margin, or lacing, round the entire petal, if of the color of the eye, increases its beauty. The flower should be from two to two and a half inches in diameter. D, Chin^nsiS,— China Pink. — This species is a biennial of dwarf habits ; of great beauty, but without fragrance. The foliage is of a yellowish green. It flowers from seed the first year ; it is perfectly hardy, and flowers strong the second year. The colors are exceedingly rich ; crimson, and dark shades of that color approaching to black, are often combined in the same flower, with edgings of white, pink, or other colors. Seed, saved from double flowers, will produce a great portion of double varieties. In beds where there may be a hundred plants, scarcely two will be found alike. They are in flower a number of months. Of this species a number of fine dwarf varieties, not more than six inches high, have been obtained. D. latifolius. Broad-leaved Pink, is a variety of D. Chinensis, very or- namental ; it has oblong-lanceolate leaves ; flowers crimson and various shades of red ; in bloom all the season ; an imperfect perennial. A Pink, called CooUs mule, is a beautiful hybrid, somewhat like the Broad-leaved Pink. The flowers are of the deepest crimson, very double, and appear in succession through the season. 198 D, barbatus. — Sweet William. — Is an old inhabitant of the flower-garden, and was much esteemed in Gerarde's time, " for its beauty to deck up the bosoms of the beau- tiful, and garlands and crowns for pleasure." It is an im- perfect perennial, but fine varieties are perpetuated by dividing the roots, soon after flowering in June and July. It is easily raised from seeds. A bed of fine sorts presents a rich sight; it sports into endless varieties, viz. : white, pink, purple, crimson, scarlet and variously edged, eyed, and spotted. There are also double varieties, but in my opinion, no improvement over the single. D. h^bridus.— There is a large class of these beautiful flowers, produced from crossing the different species of China, Broad-leaved, Imperial, Sweet William, and other species, which are worthy of cultivation ; the seed can be obtained at some of the seed stores. The greatest novel- ties that have appeared in the Pink line for many years are the celebrated Heddewigii varieties raised from seeds obtained from Japan. The following description is from a seedsman, in Erfurt, Prussia : — • D, ChinlnsiS-Hcddewigii, D. Ghinensis giganteus,— (Heddewig). These superb pinks are splendid beyond ex- pectation. The raiser, Mr. Heddewig, c received the golden medal,' in Petersburgh, in 1858, and besides there was a prize set on them by the Horticultural Society and by the Botanical Society in Regent's Park. The plant is very proliferous (free flowering,) and of a dwarf compact size. The flowers are very large, and have a diameter of nearly three inches; they are of different colors and shades; rose-colored, crimson, brown, dark-brown and white, mar- bled-flamed, etc. An excellent acquisition." D. Chin^USis-laciniatus (Heddewig). — Described by the. raiser, Mr. Heddewig, as follows : — u I had the fortune to raise from Japan seed, a new splendid Pink, which Dr. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 199 Kornicke describes already in Regels Gartenflora as Dian- thus laciniatus. I raised last year 800 seeds from it, which I sowed early ; and already at the end of May they commenced to display their most magnificent flowers, of a diameter of four inches. I was greatly rejoiced to see a part of them of splendid, dense, double flowers, in the greatest variety of colors, viz. : pure white, rose, lilac, carmine, crimson, purple-violet, the darkest black-brown, spotted and striped ; a splendid sight, far beyond descrip- tion. August 3, 1859, I exhibited 18 plants in as many different varieties, and received the highest reward for novelties, ' the Golden Medal,' from the Imperial Horti- cultural Society. This Pink grows two feet high; the small leaves have a length of four inches, and the double varieties, from their dense double form, and the laciniate petals, somewhat resemble the flower Papaverpceoniflorum. Some plants endured our last Russian winter without be- ing covered." I have had the pleasure of cultivating these novelties since 1861, and find them to correspond nearly with these descriptions. I have not had any that attained a greater height than a foot, or foot and one-half, but have had all the shades of color mentioned by Mr. Heddewig. The foliage is somewhat glaucous and lance- olate. Both varieties produce double flowers. To ascer- tain whether they would survive over winters, I protected a large bed of them with leaves in the autumn of 1864, and they came out bright in the spring of 1865 and flow- ered superbly during the summer. If they are not hardy enough to stand the winter without covering, they are very valuable acquisitions to the flower-garden as annuals. Like the China Pinks, they are destitute of fragrance. D, Vcrschafltfltii. — Verschaffelt's Hybrid Pink. — A remarkably novel and beautiful hardy flower-garden plant, from M. Ambroise Verschaffelt, nurseryman, Ghent. It has a neat and compact half-shrubby, densely-branched 200 habit of growth, from nine to twelve inches* in height. The flowers, in their general aspect of growth, resemble a large specimen of the Florist varieties of Pinks, as grown for competition, but differ in showing a single expansion of flower-lobes, rather than of double petal series, and each entire blossom being from two to three inches in di- ameter, whilst the entire series of petals, instead of all combining to form a single blossom, with the usual dark ray or center, as is the case in the varieties above quoted, in the present example range themselves into a series of distinct inner flower circles, or rays, each marked with its own beautiful series of colored spots at the base, converg- ing to a crimson belt or zone, and together forming a large aggregate cluster or flower-head. The arrangement of these concentric series of picturesque petal-rays within one simple base or crown, forms one of the most novel and singular combinations yet known in gardens. D. suptfrfous, — This is one of the most fragrant of the Pink family ; the petals of the flower are very much cut or fringed ; one foot and a half high ; flowers in July and August ; white or rose color. D. alpfniiSi — Alpine or Dwarf Pink. — A pretty little perennial, suitable for rock-work, with creeping roots ; although not aspiring (not exceeding 3 or 4 inches in height) it soon takes possession of all the ground in the neighborhood. The flowers are small, white, or flesh col- ored, variegated with a circle of red or purple. D. are- narius, or Sand Pink ; D. plumarius, D. diminutus, and some other dwarf species are also proper for rock-work. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERS. 201 DICENTRA. [From the Greek, meaning t wice and spurt on account of the two spurs or sacs at the base of the flowers.] This genus has had a hard time with regard to its name. When first published, it was by a typographical error, printed Dictytra / it was next called Dielytra, a name by which it goes in many of the catalogues. Several species which the older botanists grouped under Corydalis are included in this genus. Dictfntra spectabilis. — Showy Dicentra, Bleeding Heart. — This, one of the finest hardy herbaceous peren- nials in cultivation, was brought from China, by Mr. For- tune. It is a plant of neat dwarf habit, when grown in pots, and two to three feet high, when grown in rich soil in the garden. The branches of the plant are most grace- fully curved. It is one of the most striking objects in the whole range of floral attraction. The foliage is of a light transparent green ; the flowers, which are produced on stems in sprays, are of a bright rose pink, about the size of a lozenge, and are heart shaped ; the corolla pearly white, set in frosted silver ; the stalks are literally gem- med, with these beautiful flowers, by. hundreds. To cul- tivate it in perfection, it must have a season of frost ; let those for blooming in winter, be taken up early in Octo- ber and potted, then place them in a cold frame, and let the weather act on them till after Christmas ; remove them in-doors, and they will flower in March. It is well to fill the frame, in autumn, with decayed leaves, in which plunge the pots to the rims. For out-door culture, for which it is eminently calculated, it needs not the slightest protection ; will endure the cold of Canada, and come up in April, and flower splendidly in May ; can be divided either in fall or spring. Grown in clumps, in a favored part of the garden, it shows to a great advantage. D. CXiuiea, — Red-flowered Dicentra. — A handsome in- 9* 202 digenous perennial, with flesh-colored or reddish flowers, from May to July ; from six to ten inches high. This is the Corydalis formosa of the former edition. D. CllCllllaria* — Dutchman's Breeches. — An indigenous perennial, with elegant, finely-divided leaves, of a pale and delicate green : from the midst of the cluster of leaves arises a scape bearing a one-sided, simple raceme of white, singular-looking, pendulous flowers. It is popularly called Dutchman's Breeches, on account of the resemblance of the corolla to that article of dress. Flowers in May. D. Canad&isis* — Squirrel-corn. — Also indigenous, and resembles the proceeding in habit and foliage, but the flowers have rounded spurs, are slightly tinged with red, and have a pleasant fragrance. The root has tubers as large as peas, hence the popular name. DICTAMNTJS. — FRAXINELLA. [An ancient^name adopted from Virgil. Fraxinella is in allusion to the simi- larity which exists between the leaves of the plant and Fyaxinus, the Ash.] Dictamnusf raxilltflla, — Fraxinella. — The whole plant, especially when gently rubbed, emits an odor like that of the lemon-peel ; but when bruised, has something of a balsamic scent. This odor is the strongest in the pedi- cels of the flowers, which are covered with glands of a rusty red color, exuding a vicous juice, or resin, which exhales a vapor, which may be set on fire. The root was formerly used as medicine. There are two varieties known in flower-gardens ; one with purplish-brown, the other with white flowers, which are produced in June and July. They are hardy perennials, natives of Germany, and should find a place in every good collection. The height of the plants, from two to three feet, in rich soil. They may be propagated by dividing the roots, which requires some DESCRIPTIVE- LIST OF FLO WEES. 203 care if the stools are large, as they are very tough, re- quiring a strong, sharp knife to divide them ; each por- tion of the root must have an eye, as it will not grow without. The time to separate the roots is very early in the spring, or after it has done flowering in August. It may also be propagated by sowing the seeds as soon as they are ripe. The seeds are very hard, and do not vege- tate freely. If sowed in the spring, boiling water should be poured upon them. The plants will flower the second year from the seed. DIDISCUS. Didiscus ccerulea. — Sky-blue Didiscus. — This is a hand- some annual ; stem very much branched, producing its fine sky-blue flowers in numerous umbels, or hemispheri- cal heads, of the size and shape of a large quilled Aster ; two feet high ; in flower July and August. Sow the seed in the open ground in May. Plants, forwarded in a hot- bed, will begin to flower in June. DIGITALIS.— FOXGLOVE. [So named by Fuchs, from digitalis, a finger of a glove, in allusion to the form of the flowers.] Digitalis purpurea> with purple flowers ; also a variety D. alba, with white flowers. Ornamental plants of great beauty, producing dense spikes of flowers on stems, three, four, or five feet high, in June and July, and straggling spikes most of the season. It is a biennial, propagated by sowing the seeds ; flowers the second year. It may be perpetuated by dividing the roots every year, and is sometimes called an imperfect perennial. It is suitable for the border, and may be introduced in- 204 to the shrubbery with fine effect, as its tall, spire-like spikes, crowned with its large thimble or bell-shaped pur- ple or white flowers, will finely contrast with the green foliage of the shrubs. D. ferrilgineaj or Iron-colored Foxglove ; a hardy per- ennial, with brown flowers, from July to August ; four feet high. D. llltea, or Small Yellow Foxglove ; a hardy peren- nial, with light yellow flowers," from July to August; two feet high. D. ochrolciica. — Great Yellow Foxglove. — A hardy perennial, with large light yellow flowers, from July to August ; four feet high. D. la ii at a, — Woolly-flowered Foxglove, with white and brown flowers, from July to August ; two feet high. All the species are poisonous when taken into the system, and the leaves are used medicinally. " It is a pity this plant is poisonous, for it is extremely beautiful, particularly those kinds which are of a deep- rose color. They are all speckled within the bell, which adds still more to their richness. Mrs. C. Smith invites the bee to " Explore the Foxglove's freckled bell." Brown uses a similar epithet when he describes Pan as seeking gloves for his mistress, a curious conceit : " To keep her slender fingers from the sunne, Pan through the pastures oftentimes hath runne, To piuoke the speckled Fox-Gloves from their stem And on those fingers neatly placed them." " The bee appears regardless of its poisonous qualities : 44 Bees that soar for bloom High as the highest peak of Furnace Fell?, Will murmur by the hour in Fox-Glove bells."— Wadsworth's Sonnet. " The Fox-Glove, in whose drooping bells the bee Makes her sweet music."— B. Cornwall. " Let me thy vigils keep 'Mongst boughs pavilioned, where the deer's swift lean Startles the wild bee from the Fox-Glove bell."- Keats. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEKS. 205 " But it is not the bee alone that braves this powerful poison ; women of the poorer class, in Derbyshire, drink large draughts of Fox-glove tea, as a cheap means of ob- taining the pleasures, or forgetfulness, of intoxication. It is said to produce a great exhilaration of spirits. Well may the word intoxicate originate in poison." It is a native of England, Germany, and other parts of Europe. DODECATHEON.— AMERICAN COWSLIP. [A fanciful name, signifying the twelve gods or divinities.] Dodecatheon Mcadia* — American Cowslip, Shooting Star. — A highly ornamental plant, displaying its flowers in May and June ; throwing up stems a foot high, with a large, umbel-like cluster of singularly beautiful pale-pur- ple flowers. The petals are reflexed, or thrown back from the centre, like the Cyclamen. There is a variety with white flowers. Soon after flowering, the foliage dies down, and the plant is dormant during the summer, when it may be propagated by parting the roots, leaving a bud, or the rudiments of one, on the crown of each. It is a native of the West and South, and perfectly hardy. " DOLICHOS. — HYACINTH BEAN. [A name under which Dioscorides describes a plant supposed to have been the kidney bean of the moderns.] Dolichos Lablab, — Purple Hyacinth Bean. — A fine tender annual climber, with flowers in clustered spikes; purple, with a white variety. It grows from ten to twen- ty feet in a season ; treatment very much like that of the common bean. A native of Egypt. 206 BBECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. DO]WNINGIA. [Dedicated by Doct. Torrey, to tlie late A. J. Downing.] Downingia Regans,— Elegant Downingi.%— A beautiful tender annual, with delicate foliage, and rich blue flowers in great profusion ; six inches high ; in July and August. D. pulchella, — Pretty Downingia. — It is a pretty flow- ering tender annual, of very humble growth, only rising a few inches high. The flowers are rather larger than D. elegans, blue, with a broad white spot at the centre, stained with a rich yellow. The flower, is about half an inch across. Its delicacy of growth will prevent its spreading rapidly through the country. When grown in pots in the green-house, both are very beautiful. The Downingias are natives of California and are gen- erally called Clintonia, by florists ; a name given by Douglas, who did not know that it had already been ap- plied to another genus. DRACOCEPHALUM.— DRAGON'S HEAD. [From Greek words, signifying a dragon's head, because the flowers are fan- cied to resemble one.] Dracoclphalum Speciosum,— Showy Dragon's Head.— Is a native of Siberia ; perennial ; three feet high, with pink flowers ; in July and August. D. Sibiricum, — Siberian Dragon's Head. — From Siberia, perennial ; one foot high, with light blue flowers ; in July and August. Some of the annual species are handsome border-flowers. D» Mohlavica. — Moldavian Balm. — An annual from Moldavia with blue, and a variety with white flowers; in July and August ; two feet high. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 207 D, Canaritfnse, — Balm of Gilead. — This plant smells of citron, especially when rubbed between the fingers. Sown on a hot-bed early in spring, it may be planted out in the borders like other tender annuals. Flowers pale- blue or purple ; from July to September ; three feet high ; From the Canaries. ECCREMOCARPT7S. [From the Greek words meaning suspended fruit.] E ce r em o car pus scaber. — Rough Eccremocarpus. — > This, which is sometimes called Calampelis, is a beautiful climber, a tender perennial, which flowers the first year. The flowers are produced in panicles or racemes, are of a bright orange color ; it flowers profusely the latter part of the summer, but it is necessary to start the plants very early in a hot-bed, and when the plants have five or six leaves, they should be transplanted into pots, and turned into the ground in June. The seeds are difficult to vege- tate. Properly speaking, it is a green-house plant. ECHINACEA.— CONE-FLOWEB. [Name from the Greek for Hedgeboy, in allusion the spiny chaff of the disk.] EC hi 11 HELICHRYSTIM. — EVERLASTING OB IMMORTAL FLOWER. [From Greek words, signifying the sun and gold, in allusion to the brilliant yellow color of the flowers.] The species are much admired for the brilliancy of their colors in a dried state. If gathered when they first open, and carefully dried in the shade, the flowers retain their color and shape for many years, and with Amaranths and other immortals, are highly prized for winter mantel bou- quets, wreaths, and ornaments for vases, etc. Annuals of easy culture, in any rich garden soil. Plants forwarded in frames, and planted out in June, will be in flower from July to November. With the exception of a few Dwarfs, they are all about two feet high. Hclichry sum bracteatum. — Golden Eternal Flower, with golden yellow, and a variety with white flowers, were first cultivated among us. H. macranthrum. — Large Everlasting Flower. — Has flowers much larger than the last, with varieties of yellow, white, white tipped with red, and yellow tipped in the same way. H. COmpOSitum monstrdsum,— This variety has very large full double flowers of various shades and colors, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 235 viz. : brown, orange and brown, white-yellow, purple, carmine, and rich rose, variously shaded and tipped. H. nanum atrosanguineum, — A beautiful everlasting plant, with brilliant deep crimson flowers, very constant ; one and one-half foot high. HELIOTROPITTM.— HELIOTROPE. [The name was given by Linnaeus, from Helios, the sun, and trope, a turn ; in allusion to the flowers being turned to the sun.) If Clio tro pi Hill Peruvianum, — Peruvian or Sweet Helio- trope, Peruvian Turnsole. — A native of Peru, whence it was introduced in 1757. It is an elegant and delicate plant, but not showy ; it is chiefly admired for its fra- grance. The blossom is very small, of a pale blue, often inclining to white ; with varieties of a dark-purplish blue. It sheds an almond-like perfume, which has gained great favor. It will not stand severe weather, and must be housed as soon as there is an appearance of frost. Notwith- standing the tenderness of the plant, it is valuable for mas- sing in beds. It produces an abundance of bloom through the summer months, and will repay any care that may be requisite for its treatment. Plants may be obtained from nurserymen in the spring, and may be preserved through the winter to plant out the following summer. When they have done flowering, the plants should be taken up and potted, and placed in the house, in a cool room, trim- ming off the young soft wood ; before freezing weather, they must be removed to the sitting room where they will soon begin to throw out new leaves, and by February or March, produce flowers. When planted out in June, they should be cut down again, so as to form thick bushy plants. Young plants may be easily raised from cuttings, but as a general rule, it will be found more economical to 236 BBECK'S iraw BOOK OF FLOWERS. purchase new plants for summer planting, than to attempt it, unless you have a person in your employ who under- stands the process. The name Heliotrope is sometimes given to the Sun- flower, commonly so called : (Helianthus), as in the fol- lowing passage — " These lovely flowers profuse Appear as vivid stars ; The snowy rose is there A silver moon, the Heliotrope the sun." » HELIPTERTTM. [From Greek words, for sun and wing.] Helipternm Sanfordii, — This very pretty and distinct everlasting is of dwarf tufted habit, growing in ordinary Boil about nine inches high, with neat oblong-lanceolate entire foliage, and large globular clusters of bright golden yellow flowers. It is not only a valuable addition to our summer flowers, but is also an excellent plant for winter bouquets, its flowers remaining long in perfection. HELLEBORUS.—HELLEBORE. [From Greek words, signifying to injure, and food, on account of its dan- gerous qualities.] Leathery leaved-plants, most of which are evergreen, and flower in winter and early in spring. If clllborus niger. — Christmas Rose.— So called because it is in bloom about that time in England. The leaves are deeply divided, evergreen, and of a leathery texture. The flowers are handsome, pinkish-white, tinged with green, as large as a small single rose. With us it com- mences flowering the last of November, and continues all DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 237 winter to throw up flower-stems, if the season is open and mild ; cold does not seem to affect it. Propagated by di- viding the roots in the spring. HEMEROCALLIS.— DAY LILT. [Name derived from Greek words, signifying beautiful, and day.} It is an ornamental genus of hardy perennials of the easiest cultivation, and suitable for the borders. Hemerocallis flava.— Yellow Day Lily. — Has a brilliant yellow lily-shaped flower, in June, two feet high ; leaves long, linear, keeled. H. fiilva« — Copper-colored Day Lily. — An old inhabi- tant of the flower-garden ; in flower most of the season ; four feet high ; flower, yellowish copper-color ; leaves like the last, but much larger. HEPATICA.— LIVER-WORT. [Hepatica— from Greek words, signifying belonging to the liver, the three lobes of the leaves having been compared to the lobes of the liver.] Hepatica trfloba. — This is a great favorite in the flow- er-border, on account of its abundant blossoms and great variety of colors and shades. It is a hardy perennial, with varieties of double-red, blue, and white. This charming early flower is found in its single state both red, blue, and white, in great abundance in old woods and copses, where it embellishes the ground with its clumps of numerous flowers. About the latter end of April and beginning of May they appear before the new leaves, which show themselves only when the flower is gone, but the old leaves remain through the winter. The leaves are divided into three lobes (triloba) of a brownish-green color, by which the plant may be known in the summer. 238 Another species, JET. acutiloba, is less common than H. triloba, has more pointed lobes to the leaves, but is similar in other respects. The double flowers are extremely handsome, colors very bright ; they are quite hardy here, and will thrive well if HEPATIC A ACOTILOBA. not planted in too damp a soil. I have seen, the red in per- fection at a garden in Koxbury, where it had endured the winter in the open air. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 239 If required to grow in thick clumps, they should not be often moved, and then with great care, pressing the earth close to their roots ; a strong, rich, loamy soil is best for them ; seed for varieties and double flowers should be sown in July or August, or as soon as ripe — some say the transplanting should take place in August ; I am of a dif- ferent opinion, and think it should take place as soon as the flowering is over ; in August the blossoms for the en- suing spring are forming at the base of the foliage, and to check this operation would destroy the flowers, whereas, moving in May only endangers the ripening of the seed which is not wanted. Double Hepaticas in pots are sold in large quantities by the gardeners in England, and from the absence of foliage the pot appears entirely filled with flowers. The double white variety is considered rare. HESPERIS.— GARDEN ROCKET. [Hesperis— from a Greek word, signifying evening. The flower is more fragrant towards evening, than at any other period of the day.] Htfsperis matronalis, Dame's Violet— Sweet Rocket. — The single varieties of this fragrant flower are common in most gardens. It is a biennial or imperfect perennial, three to four feet high, easily raised from seeds, producing the second year flowers of various shades, from pure white to purple, on long spikes ; in May and June. Fine va- rieties may be perpetuated by divisions of the root, or by cuttings. The double varieties of this flower are superb, and highly esteemed for their fragrance and beauty. There is a purple and white variety, both very double, forming a spike about one foot high. It was known in Gerarde's time, and cultivated by him in 1597. He re- marks : " By the industry of some of our florists, within 240 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. these two or three years, hath bin brought unto our knowledge a very beautiful kind of these Dame Violets, having very fair, double, white floures." These double varieties are very difficult to preserve, consequently rarely to be seen. HIBISCUS.— ROSE-MALLOW. Hibiscus militaris. — Halbert-leaved Rose-Mallow. — This is a fine species, growing six to eight feet high, pro- ducing very large white flowers, with a deep-red center. A native of the middle and southern States blooming August and September. H. Moschcutos, formerly H. pa- lustris. — Marsh Rose-Mallow. — Is found growing by the margins of streams, and in marshes near the Atlantic coast. It has large pink flowers, about five inches in diame- ter. Numerous stems about five HIBISCUS MOSCHEUTOS. feet Mgh . an(J leaves with a soft down on the underside. It is easily propagated from seeds or divisions of the root, and sue- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 241 ceeds in any good garden soil ; but better in a moist low ground. It is well adapted for planting in the shrubbery. H. vesicarillS,— African Hibiscus.— This is a plant of extremely easy culture; should be planted early in the spring. The petals are large and showy, of a straw color, the centre a deep rich brown or purple, finely contrasted with the brilliant gold color of the anthers. The flowers quickly perish, but, to compensate for their frailty, it con- tinues to bloom from June to September. HYACINTHUS.— HYACINTH. IA name from ancient Mythology.] " Hyacinth, with sapphire bell Curling backwards." "The youths whose locks divinely spreading, Like vernal Hyacinths in sullen hue." Hyacinthus orientalis.— The Garden Hyacinth. — Is a highly esteemed florist's flower, of easy culture, of which more than one thousand varieties are cultivated in Holland, forming quite an important item in the exports of that country, and from whence, Great Britain, the United States, and all Europe, and, in fact, all parts of the world, receive their annual supplies. Hyacinths are double and single ; of various colors, embracing every shade of red, from a deep crimson pink, down to white ; of blue, from white to almost black, and some few yellow and salmon color ; but the shades of yellow are not very brilliant, and appear yellow only in contrast with the white. Some of the white, and other light varieties, have red, blue, pur- ple or yellow eyes, which add much to the beauty of the flower; and others are more or less striped or shaded; and some are tipped with green. The double varieties are generally considered the finest, but many of the single 11 sorts are equally desirable, as what is deficient in the size of the bells, is made up in the greater number of them; some of the single sorts are the richest in color. The stem of a fine double Hyacinth should be strong, tall, and erect, supporting numerous large bells, each sus- pended by a short and strong pedicel, or foot-stalk, in a horizontal position, so that the whole may have a compact pyramidal form, with the crowning, or uppermost bell, perfectly erect. The bells should be large and very double ; that is, well filled with broad petals, appearing to the eye rather con- vex, than flat or hollow ; they should occupy about one- half the length of the stem. The colors should be clear and bright, whether plain red, white, or blue, or variously intermixed, or diversified in the eye ; the latter, when it occurs, gives additional lustre and elegance to this beautiful flower. Strong bright colors are, in general, preferred to such as are pale ; there are, however, many rose-colored, pure white, and light blue Hyacinths, in high estimation. Hy- acinths begin to flower the last of April in this climate, and, if shaded by an awning from hot suns, may be kept in perfection the greater part of a month. They never require watering at any season. Keep them free from weeds, ancj. as the stems advance in height, they should be supported by having small sticks, or wires, painted green, stuck into the ground back of the bulb, to which they should be neatly tied ; otherwise, they are liable to fall down by the weight of the bells, and, as the stem is very brittle, it is sometimes broken off when exposed to storms. The most suitable time to plant Hyacinths is in October and November. The finer sorts will appear to the best advantage in beds, while the more common varieties may be distributed about the borders where most convenient. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEES. 243 The dimensions of the bed should be marked out, and the soil taken entirely away to the depth of two feet ; the earth on the bottom should then be dug and well pulver- ized, and the space above filled with the following com- post : — " Four parts of river sand ; four of fresh, sound earth ; three of rotten cow dung, at least two years old ; and one of decayed leaves, or decayed peat. The fresh, sound earth of the compost should be of the best quality of what is called virgin soil, or that obtained from pastures or the roadside ; or, if that is not attainable, the best gar- den mould, free from noxious vermin of every description. These ingredients should be well mixed and incorporated a considerable time before wanted. About ten days be- fore planting, the bed should be filled up with the com- post, even with the path, or so as to be even when the roots are set. The surface of the bed should be raked perfectly smooth before planting, and the exact situation for every bulb marked on it as follows : — BBWEBWBBW W B B , W B B W E B EBWEBWEBW W E B W * B B W E B E B W E B W E'B W WEBWEBWEB The letters E, B, w, denote the color of the flower tc foe planted there, viz. : red, blue, or white ; under these heads, all Hyacinths may be comprehended, except a few yellow sorts, which may be classed with the white." The bed should be four feet wide ; the bulbs to be planted eight inches distant from each other Li the rows, and to be covered four inches deep. First, place about one inch 244 of fine sand where each root is to be placed, then press the bulb into the soil nearly its whole thickness, and cover it completely with fine clean sand. Having com- pleted the planting, the whole may be covered with sound, fresh, sandy earth, four inches deep. Before winter sets in, Hyacinths should be covered a few inches deep with leaves, straw, meadow hay, or any other light substance ; they are, however, perfectly hardy, but the bloom is more perfect when thus covered. In selecting bulbs, be careful to procure good sound roots ; for an imperfect root is not worth planting, and there are many sold every year, by thousands, at auction, which are generally the refuse of the Dutch gardens. A good root is perfectly hard, and bright, without specks of rot upon it, and one that has not pushed a bud. Roots of the finest varieties can be pur- chased for fifteen to twenty dollars per hundred, with their names and colors ; and very fair sorts for less ; and mixed sorts, with colors distinct, from six to ten dollars a hundred. In about one month after the bloom is over, and the foliage begins to turn yellow, the bulbs may be taken up ; then cut ofi" the flower stems, but not the. foliage, and, hav- ing prepared a sloping bed of light earth, the bulbs may be laid upon it, so as not to touch, with the foliage down- wards, covering the roots and 'fibres with earth. Here they remain till the bulbs are sufficiently ripened, which will be in about a fortnight, when they may be taken up, and, after they have been dried, cleared from the fibres, soil, etc., they are wrapped up in papers, dry sand, or dry sawdust, and kept in a dry place until wanted for use. Or the roots may remain in the bed until the foliage has completely died down, and then taken up, dried and cleaned, as before stated. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 245 HYPEBJCTTM.— ST. JOHN'S WORT. [A name of unknown meaning-] calycinum. -— Large-calyxed St. John's Wort. — Bears a very large yellow flower, and its numer- ous stamens form a beautiful appearance ; it creeps over the ground and prefers the shade of trees, which makes it a valuable ornament for shrubberies; the foliage is broad, thick and shining. A native of Ireland. I imag- ine it to be sufficiently hardy to bear our climate, but do not know that it has been tried. H. andr6S£BmilDi9 also called Androscemum officinale, is a shrub about three or four feet high, flowers yellow, showy. The juice expressed from the foliage is claret colored. The leaves were formerly applied to fresh wounds, hence the French name, toute saine (all heal) from which it obtained its common English appellation Tutsan. Flowers in July. There are several wild species, one of which, H. perforatum, is a troublesome weed. IBEBJS. —CANDY-TUFT. [Named from Iberia., the country now called Spain.] The species are generally pretty plants, and some of them cultivated in gardens as hardy annuals, under the name of Candy-Tuft, — a name which was originally ap- plied to the I. umbellata only, which was first discovered in Candia. All the species and varieties of the Candy- Tuft are very hardy, and easy to cultivate. The fall-sown seeds flower early, those sown in April, from July to September ; and some of the species until the frost in October. All the varieties look best in beds, or masses. IMris amara. — White Candy-Tuft. — Has numerous white flowers, in umbel-like clusters. A hardy annual, of no little beauty, from England, and worthy of cultiva- 246 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. tion. The seed should be sown early in April ; height about one foot. I. COronarla. — Rocket Candy-Tuft. — This hardy annual is of considerable beauty, being very showy, with pure white flowers. The clusters or racemes are numerous and very large, being three or four inches long. At a dis- tance, the fine flowers very much resemble the Double White Rocket. It blooms for several months during the summer. It well deserves a place in every flower-garden. I. Odorata, — Fragrant Candy-Tuft. — Is white, the foli- age delicate and pretty. I. umbellata* — Purple Candy-Tuft. — Is very showy and bright, particularly when the rays of the setting sun are on it. Independently of its own beauty, we always culti- vate this flower for the sake of seeing the most beautiful color the vegetable kingdom offers ; this is produced by placing the lighted end of a cigar under the petals, when their color instantaneously changes to a brilliant green ; this alteration is produced with many other flowers, but in none have we witnessed a color at all approaching to this. I. Semptfrvirens, — Perennial Candy-Tuft. — This plant is deserving a place in the garden ; it is half shrubby at the base, with delicate linear evergreen foliage, covered with a profusion of its pure white blossoms in June and July. The stems are rather decumbent and spreading; about six or eight inches high. It is propagated by layers and cut- tings. As it does not produce seeds, it is not inclined to make itself too common, like some plants ; for, unless spe- cial spains are taken, it will not increase. It will require a little protection in the winter so as to have it come out in the spring, bright and green. I. Tenoreana is similar to this, and the two are much confused in collections. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 247 IMP ATIENS,— BALSAM. [A name given to these plants on account of the elastic force with which their capsules burst, and scatter their seeds upon the slightest touch.] Impatieas Balsamina.— Garden Balsam. — This is one of the most beautiful of popular annuals, forming a showy cone of finely variegated Carnation-like flowers. The pre- vailing colors of the petals are red and white, the former extending to every shade of purple, crimson, scarlet, rose, lilac, carnation or flesh color, and white ; but some of the most superb sorts are elegantly spotted with white. The spotted varieties form a class by themselves, and are justly regarded as the most brilliant ornaments of the garden. There are the crimson, scarlet, rose, purple, and violet spotted ; another class is striped after the manner of car- nations with purple, crimson, rose, scarlet on pure white grounds, some with one color, others with two or more colors, some are curiously mottled and striped. The most improved varieties are very double, and styled Camellia- flowered by the French ; some of the flowers are almost as perfect and as double as those of the Camellia, and nearly as regular in shape. The Germans call them Rose- flowered, as many of them approach the perfection of that flower in shape and fullness. There is a class of Dwarf Balsams, that do not grow over a foot high, but very full and bushy in habit; they do not produce flowers so dou- ble as the Camellia or rose-flowered varieties, but are de- sirable for the garden. They should not be planted with the tall varieties, which attain the height of two or three feet, when properly cultivated. The only way to prop- agate the Balsam, is from seed, which does not always produce kinds exactly the same as the parent, but ap- proaches very near, when great care has been taken to keep the different varieties by themselves, as is now prac- ticed by those who make a business of raising the seed. We procure the best seed from France, which, after many 248 years' experience, I have found to produce flowers accord- ing to the label. The very double varieties produce seed very sparingly ; sometimes, from a large plant, hardly a single capsule with perfect seed can bo gathered. The seed of the Balsam will germinate when four or five years old, and perhaps when much older. Gardeners prefer old seed, believing that more double flowers can be raised from it. To have fine plants, the seed should be sown in the hot-bed in March. As soon as the plants are furnished with two to four leaves, they should be transplanted into small pots ; and, if there is a good bottom heat, they will soon fill the pots with roots, when they should be shifted into those a size larger, and thus shifted from time to time into larger pots. By the first of June, they will generally begin to show the character of their flowers ; the best be- ing selected, they should be planted out in rich garden soil, in beds, or in the border, at least two feet apart. If the soil is rich and rather moist, the plants will attain a monstrous size, flowering from the middle of June to the middle of September. The Balsam is a general favorite for the number, beauty, and sweetness of its flowers, and the uprightness and transparency of its stem : — "Balsam, with its shaft of amber" says the poet. The Balsam is a native of the East. The Japanese are said to use the juice prepared with alum to dye their nails red. By cultivation this beautiful flower has been much enlarged, and the numerous varieties have been produced, which form a striking contrast with the very inferior single ones formerly seen in our gardens. Mr. Martyn, in his edition of Miller's Dictionary, speaks of having seen one, " the stem of which was seven inches in circumference, and all the parts large in proportion, branched from top to bottom, loaded with its party-col- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 249 cured flowers, and thus forming a most beautiful bush." London speaks of a gardener who, by transplanting only from three to four times from 'No. 48 pots to those of eight inches in diameter, produced Balsams four feet high, and fifteen feet in circumference, with strong thick stems, furnished with side branches from bottom to top, and these covered with large double flowers.'' This is a pretty large story, to those who have only seen the Balsam as it is generally cultivated, huddled together in a bunch with- out any space for enlargement. It must be remembered, however, that in England they are raised in pots upon bottom heat, and cultivated with great care. I think, if Balsams can be started in February, and shifted from time to time into pots of the richest mould, then transplanted into the garden in equally rich soil by the middle of June, four feet apart, astonishing results would be attained^ even if not so extraordinary as those mentioned. IP OMJE A, — MORNING- GLORY. [The name said to indicate its resemblance to Bindweed.] Ipomae a purptirea , — Morning-Glory. — This popular flower is too well known to need any description, it being found in almost every garden. It is a native of Tropical America, and has sported into a number of beautiful va- rieties, viz. : indigo-blue, crimson, rose, white, pale-blue, striped, etc. This plant is highly ornamental when trained to a trellis, or supported on poles. Nothing is more de- lightful in the morning walk than the sight of these showy flowers, which were seen curiously twisted in the bud the night previous; ; but with fair morning's touch Rise on their stems, all open and upright." I. pandurata. — Virginian Convolvulus. — This is a beau- 11* 250 tiful perennial from Yirginia, with large white flowers, with purple centre ; in bloom from June to September. It is a climbing plant, and grows about twelve, feet high. It has large tuberous fleshy roots, similar to the Sweet Potato. There is a variety with double flowers, but it is not so handsome as the sinle. I. lacunosa. — Starry Morning-Glory. — A handsome North American species, with delicate blue flowers, ap- pearing from July to September ; grows ten feet high. There is a variety with white flowers. The seed should be scalded before sowing, or not be put into the ground until it is thoroughly warmed. I. Nil. — Indigo Morning-Glory. — This highly beautiful species which is found growing wild in the Southern States, but it is supposed to have been introduced from Tropical America. It attains the same height as the last, flowers at the same time, and the seeds require the same treatment. The flowers are usually of a clear blue color, and its name is said to be from Anil, one of the names for the Indigo-plant. I. hederacea. — Ivy-leaved Morning-Glory. — Of this species there are a number of splendid varieties. I. gran- diflora superba, superba alba, atro-violacea, lilacea, and others. The flowers of all these varieties are much larger than other Morning-Glories, with flowers of the most del- icate light-blue, blue with a white edge, blue with a pur- ple center, white with pink center, and those with blue and white flowers, shaded with purplish-red. It must be treated in the same way as I. lacunosa, to produce satis- factory effects ; but, when well established, they will af- ford a fund of pleasure through the season. I. violacea vera, I. rubro ccerula, I. limbata elegantissama, with beau- tiful blue and white flowers, and many other varieties and hybrids, are splendid ; eight to ten feet high. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 251 THIS. — FLOWER-DE-LUCE. [The Greek name for the rainbow, applied to this genus on account of its varied colors.] il The Flowers-de-Luce, and the round sparks of dew That hung upon their azure leaves did show Like twinkling stars, that sparkle in the evening dew." According to Plutarch, the word Iris is signified in the ancient Egyptian language, eye ; the eye of heaven. This beautiful genus abounds in Europe, but is rare in America. Some are bulbous, but the greater part tuberous rooted, of easy culture, and propagated by seed or division of the root. Iris Sustana, — Chalcedonian Iris. — In French, Uiris de $use, or de Constantinople, is one of the most beautiful of the genus ; it is not a bulbous root, but tuberous, im- ported with bulbous roots from Holland, and planted at the same time, and manner, except that the soil should be of a more loamy character. It has the largest flowers of any of the species, and is the most magnificent of them all. The colors of the flowers arc of various shades of the richest purplish-brown, beautifully mottled and spotted, so as to give it a very rich and unique appearance. It produces its flowers in June, on stems a foot high. It may be increased by parting the roots in autumn. This splendid flower is reputed to be tender ; but I have planted it in October and November and even in December, with success, giving the same protection as to Tulips or Hya- cinths ; but, if the roots are suffered to remain in the ground after flowering, it is not so likely to flower again, and will probably perish. If left in the ground through the summer, it commences growing in autumn, forms its flower-buds before winter sets in, and dies. Observing this, I have taken up the roots the first of August, and kept them out of the ground till the time of planting in autumn, with perfect success. After drying, the roots should be kept in a cool place in dry moss or sand. 252 One of the most esteemed of the bulbous rooted Irises, is the Persian, on account of the beauty and fragrance of its flowers. It is also very early but not perfectly hardy. It is valued for flowering in the green-house, or sitting- room. A few of its flowers will scent a whole room ; the colors are pale sky-blue, purple, yellow, and white. I. XipMum. — The Spanish Iris, is a handsome border- flower, with bulbous roots, perfectly hardy, embracing the most delicate shades of light and dark-blue, brown, pur- ple, yellow, and white, and variously colored, striped and spotted; the bulbs are small, tooth-like, sending forth rush-like foliage, flowering in June ; stems about eighteen inches high. The bulbs of this and the English Iris should be planted in autumn, about two and one-half inches deep in any good garden soil. The bulbs need not be taken up oftener than once in three years. I* XyphioidCSi — The English Iris, is somewhat similar to the last, but more robust in growth; the bulbs are larger ; the stem two feet high, producing its flowers in June ; colors as various as in the Spanish, and as desirable for the border. I. samblicina,— Elder-scented Iris.— A very beautiful species, with brilliant, pale-blue, variegated flowers, on stems four feet high, with many flowers, standing above the foliage; the foliage is long and narrow, or more grass-like than the common tuberous sorts. The roots of it are of a more fibrous character than in most of the genus, and mat together so hard, that they are with difficulty separated. A clump of this, with its nu- merous rich flowers and graceful foliage, makes as much show as any other plant of the season ; last of June. I. pseudacorus* — The Yellow Iris of England, has handsome yellow flowers ; in June ; two to three feet in height. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 253 I. CftlCStina* — Sky-blue Iris. — This is a magnificent spe- cies, with long broad leaves and very large light-blue flowers, on stems three feet high. !• VCrsicolor. — Blue Flag. — This is a fine indigenous species, a showy ornament of our meadows in the early part of summer. It succeeds well in the garden. I, Virginica, — Slender Blue Flag. — This is another na- tive species, but not very common. It has grass-like fo- liage, with flower-stems one foot high; its flowers are purple, veined with yellow, and not so large as any of the other species or varieties. A very pretty plant for the border. I« Gcrmanica* — German Iris. — This is the common Flower-de-Luce of the gardens, well known to all. Flow- ers large, dark purple, and light-blue, or three-colored ; in May and June, two feet high. I. Florentine*,. — Floren- tine Iris, has large white flowers ; flowering at the same time with the last, of the same height and habit. The series of Hybrid Iris is very extensive, at least one hundred varieties are cultivated by some florists, many of them however, have, so near a resemblance, that there are but very few cultivators that would be desirous of encum- bering their grounds with all the sorts. They are of nil col- ors and shades of blue, purple, yellowr, and brown ; some are beautifully spotted, variegated, striped, parti-colored, etc. A bed of the many varieties makes a flue show. The roots increase so fast, that it is necessary to make new beds of them every three or four years. Although the Iris is not considered as a Lily, the French have given it the name of one ; it is the Fleur-de-Lys, which figures in the arms of France. The following conjectural origin of this name is given by the Abbe la Pluche, a French writer : — " The upper part of the Lily, when fully expanded, and the two contiguous leaves beheld in profile, have," he ob- 254 serves " a faint likeness to the top of the Flower-de-Luce, which often appears on the crowns and sceptres in the mon- uments of the first and second race of kings, and which was most probably a composition of these three leaves. Lewis the Second, engaged in the second crusade, distin- guished himself, as was customary in those times, by a par- ticular blazon, and took this figure for his coat of arms ; and as the common people generally contracted the name of Lewis into Luce, it is natural to imagine that this flower was, by corruption, distinguished in process of time by the name of Flower-de-Luce." Shakespeare ap- pears to consider this flower as a Lily only by courtesy : " Lilies of all kinds The Fiower-de-Luce being one." {.Lamium was a celebrated sea-monster. The flowers of this genus are sup- posed to resemble the grotesque figure of some beast.1 Lamium rugosum, or Rough-leaved Lamium, produces clusters of its curious white flowers all the season ; there is a variety with light-purple flowers ; they are suitable plants for rock-work. The odor of the plants is rather unpleasant. Most of the species are coarse weeds. LANTANA. [One of the ancient names of the Viburnum, which this resembles a little in foliage.] The species are rapid growers and free flowerers, and readily increased by cuttings. They form small bushes, with heads of flowers of brilliant changeable colors, and of a peculiar aromatic odor. Lantana Camara, formerly L. aculeata. — Changeable- colored, is a native of the West Indies and South Ameri- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 255 ca, and is probably the species from which so many beau- tiful varieties, that now decorate our green-houses and gardens, have originated. The plant is tender, but flow- ers in great profusion from June to October, when planted out in the garden, and will attain the height of two or three feet from small plants ; but, when old plants are turned out, they form quite large shrubs, from four to eight feet high, with bushy heads two or three feet thick. It presents a pleasing appearance when the different varieties are planted in groups on the back side of the flower-border, on the lawn, or in front of the shrubbery. The flowers are arranged in numerous hemispherical com- pact heads, an inch or more in diameter ; the varieties now in cultivation are : those with scarlet flowers in the outer rows of the head, with orange ones in the center ; purple, delicately edged with straw outside, orange center ; pure white, with yellow eye; yellow and white; purple and violet-red, etc. ; the colors changeable. The heads of flowers are produced in pairs from the axils of the leaves. The stems are angular and somewhat prickly. The foli- age is elegant, of a deep shining green ; leaves in pairs, opposite, ovate-acuminate, roughish, deeply veined, edges finely serrate. The flowers are succeeded by clusters of green drupes or berries, which turn to a deep-blue when ripe. The flowers and foliage wilt so readily and the flow- ers drop so soon, that I could not recommend them for bouquets, even if the odor were more agreeable. LASTHENIA. L asthenia glabrata,— A dwarf annual plant from Cal- ifornia, ten to twelve inches high, bearing a profusion of small yellow flowers, in the style of a Sunflower. Not likely to become very popular. 256 LATHYR-TTS.— SWEET PEA. [A name employed by Theophrastus, to designate a leguminous plant.] Latkyrus latifolillS, or Everlasting Pea, is a most beau- tiful, large, diffuse perennial, producing a long succession of large light-purple or pink flowers, in clusters of eight or ten each. The plant is suitable for the shrubbery, ar- bors, or for training to a trellis. When supported, it at- tains the height of six feet. " It attaches and supports it- self, like many scandent plants, by means of the branching tendrils terminating its single pair of broad leaflets." A variety has white flowers. It may be propagated by dividing the roots, or more extensively by sowing the seeds. Young plants will flower the second year feebly, but the third and fourth year they produce a profusion of foliage and flowers. It has been suggested that it might be applied to agricultural purposes with profit, on account of its yielding so great a quantity of fodder and seed. Lt graildlflorus. — Great-flowered Everlasting Pea. — The flowers are very large, rose-colored, and appear two or three together ; the foliage and stems light and elegant ; not in common cultivation. The roots of the Ever-bloom- ing or Everlasting Peas are very long and fleshy, and in a loamy soil send down a tap root, three or four feet into the ground, and will remain for many years without injury from the severest winter. f Li OdoratllS. — Sweet Pea, is one of the most beautiful an\ii it is separated from Campanula on account of the manner in which the pod opens. It has dlso been called Wahleribergia. It is a hardy perennial growing about one and one-half foot high, with smooth and serrate leaves. The stem bears one or a few very large shallow flowers. The buds are quite orna- 326 mental, being large and balloon-shaped. Blue, with a white variety and often semi-double, Culture the same as that of Campanula. POLEMONTITM. — GKEEK VALERIAN. [From a Greek word meaning war; of doubtful application.] Polemonium cwrulciim. — Jacob's Ladder. — This is one of the old standard border-plants, with blue flowers. The common name of Jacob's Ladder is from its beautiful pin- nately-cleft leaves. It has lively blue flowers, nodding on the ends of the branches. There is a variety with white flowers. It is a perfectly hardy perennial, and of easy cultivation, flowering in June ; one and one-half foot high. Propagated by seeds or division of the roots. POLIANTHES.— TUBEROSE. [From the Greek words for many andflower.l PoliftntllCS tuberdsa. — The Tuberose. — A native of In- dia, and very popular on account of its highly fragrant flowers. In the warmer parts of the European continent it thrives as well as in its native soil. In Italy, Sicily, and Spain, the roots thrive and propagate with ease when they are once planted. The Genoese cultivate it and send the roots annually to England, Germany, Holland, and France, and from thence it comes to this country. * These imported roots thrive much better than those raised here. This plant has long been cultivated in English gardens for its extraordinary beauty and fragrance. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 327 The Malayans style the Tuberose the mistress of the night : — " The Tuberose with her silver light, That in the gardens of Malay Is called the mistress of the night. So like a bride, scented and bright, She comes out when the sun's away." — Lalla Rookh. " The variety with double flowers is the one generally in cultivation ; the single variety is not so much esteemed. This double variety was obtained from the seed by Mon- sieur Le Cour, of Leyden, in Holland, who for many years was so tenacious of the roots, even after he had prop- agated them in such plenty as to have more than he could plant, that he caused them to be cut in pieces to have the vanity of boasting that he was the only person in Europe who possessed this flower." Luckily, that man died in due course of time, and as he could not carry them with him, they have since been disseminated among florists and amateurs throughout the world; but no thanks to that mean man. The roots are the best which are large and plump, provided they are sound and firm, and the fewer offsets they have the stronger they will flower. The un- der parts of the roots or bulbs should be particularly ex- amined, because it is there they first begin to decay. The best compost for the Tuberose, is said to be " two wheel- barrows of light maiden loam, one djtto of decomposed hot-bed dung, and a little white sand should be well chop- ped and mixed together in autumn ; this should be exposed to the frost during the winter, that it may become ame- liorated and thoroughly decomposed. To have flowers in perfection in August or September, the bulbs should be potted and set to growing in March. The bulbs should be first prepared by taking off the loose rind and super- fluous offsets, or side bulbs, being careful not to injure the principal one. Then provide a quantity of six-inch-pots, well drained with broken pot-sherds ; they must be filled 328 with the above compost and well shaken down, but not pressed with the hands. A little white sand must be placed in the middle of the top of the compost and the bulb must be pressed gently though firmly, down to with- in a quarter of an inch of the top of the bulb. After the bulbs are potted, plunge them in a strong hot-bed where they must remain till they have grown to the height of three or four inches ; they must be kept quite close t'll they begin to vegetate, when a little air may be admitted ; shaded when the sun is powerful, and covered up with mats at night; water must be supplied very sparingly while they are here, for the steam arising from the bed an- swers in a great measure the purpose of water. When they have grown to the height above stated, take them in- to a warm spot in the green-house, allowing them a plenti- ful supply of air and water, setting them where they will get a plenty of light, or they will be apt to draw up weakly." In June, when the weather becomes quite warm, the plants may be turned out carefully into the open ground. As they advance in height, tie them up to green sticks, six or seven ieet long. By the middle of August they will begin to show flowers. For plants to flower in October, the bulbs may be planted in pots in May and carefully tended during the summer, but brought into the house before they are overtaken by frost. We had about fifty bulbs unsold the last season, which lay in the store until the 20th of August ; they were then potted in a compost similar to that described, and although weak, ened by having been so long out of the ground, most of the*n blossomed and gave a succession of their exquisite fragrant flowers from the middle of November to Christmas. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 329 POLYGONATTIM.— SOLOMON'S SEAL. [From Greek words signifying many and knee, in reference to the numerous joints upon the stems.] Polygonatum multiflornm, or Giant Solomon's Seal, is a perennial, two or three feet high, with white flowers in the axils of the leaves, in June ; appropriate for the shrub- bery or borders. Gerarde, our old author, speaking of the virtues of the plant, says, " that the roots are excellent good for to seale or close up greene wounds, being stamped and laid thereon, whereupon it was called Sigillum Salo- monVs, for the single virtue it hath in sealing or healing vp wounds, broken bones, and such like." He further says, " The root of Solomon's Seale, stamped while it is fresh and greene, and applied, taketh away, in one night, or two, at the most, any bruise, blacke or bleu spots, got- ten by fals, or women's wilfulnesse, in stumbling vpon their hasty husband's fists, or such like." A very useful plant, one would think, for some families to cultivate. We have two native species which resemble this, P. bifto- rum and P. giganteum, which are common on river banks, etc. PORTTTLACA. — PURSLANE. Portulaca grandiflora. — Showy Portulaca. — Every person who has had any experience in the garden is too well acquainted with the weed Purslane, or Pursly, and would gladly see an extermination, not only of that plant, but all its kindred. It is indeed a troublesome weed ; but as no one should be condemned because he happens to have bad relations, neither should Portulaca grandiflora^ which is a splendid Purslane. In speaking of it we leave off the Purslane and call it the splendid Portulaca, for, were its family connections generally known, we should 330 fear it might not receive the attention it deserves ; for, truly, it is a great acquisition to the flower-garden, and no plant presents a more brilliant show than this, when planted in masses. The flowers are rosy-crimson, large and beautiful, opening with the bright morning sun. It makes a rich bed from July to October. The plant is dwarf and trailing ; leaves small ; about six inches high. All the other varieties have the same habit, and equally beautiful. From this, and probably P. G-illiesii, have come all the showy varieties of the garden, some of which have received distinct names, such as P. Thelussoni, P. alba, P. aurantiaca, etc. The Portulaca, though one of the most common, is still one of the most showy and beautiful annuals, admirably adapted to our climate, growing freely and flowering abundantly under conditions of soil and treatment where many other flowers would scarcely make any display ; the old orange and scarlet, when planted out in large patches, vie in brilliancy and decorative effect with the showiest "Verbenas. For a long time there were but two or three shades of red and orange, but with the skill of cultiva- tors they have crossed and fertilized till we have nearly a dozen different sorts. They had hardly become well known before we had another improvement, obtained by the German florists, in double flowers, as double as a rose. "The double varieties are in fact charming objects, and may well claim a prominent place among the novel things of recent introduction. The flowers are perfectly double, about the size of a silver dollar, and a bed of them in full bloom presents a gay appearance, not unlike that of the beautiful Ranunculuses, or the little Burgundy Rose, so that the Germans call them ' Portulaca Roses.' " The Portulacas need a warm and rather light soil, and a dryish situation to flower well. They need not be planted early, unless in a frame or hot-bed, as the seed will not DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 331 grow freely till the ground is warm. About the middle of June the plants begin to appear in the open ground, and grow with great rapidity, soon covering a large bed, and making a dazzling display with their many-hued flow- ers, from July to frost. " The double varieties, like all other double flowers, can- not be relied upon with certainty to produce all double flowers, but the largest part of them will be double, and the single sorts may be pulled up and thrown away or transplanted, unless it is desired to retain them in the same bed with the double kinds. These and the Double Zin- nias are grand acquisitions of the German cultivators." — • Hovels Magazine. I was very successful in the cultivation of these double varieties, with seed from Germany, the last season. I had double snow-white, orange, scarlet, and purplish-crimson. The flowers so much resembled little roses, that when gathered, persons who were strangers to this beautiful flower thought they were roses, and were surprised to see, as they thought, scarlet and dark-orange roses. The single varieties produce an abundance of seed, so much, that the ground where the plants are grown is filled with young plants the following spring, and frequently it becomes a troublesome weed; but the double varieties produce seed so sparingly, that it is with the greatest dif- ficulty that enough can be gathered 'for the next year's sowing ; on some plants not more than one or two cap- sules of seed could be found. POTENTILLA.— CINQUEFOIL. [Named from potens, powerful, in allusion to the supposed virtue of some" species in medicine.] A large genus, some of the species being weedy, and oth- ers are worthy of cultivation. Some of these appear 332 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. much like the strawberry in foliage. The flowers of most of our native species are yellow. Potentilla atrosanguinca. — Dark-blood colored Poten- tilla. — From Nepal, with dark-crimson flowers and elegant silvery foliage ; is in flower from June to September; one and one-half foot high. P« XcpaltfilsiSi — Another fine species, also from Nepal, with fine rose-colored flowers. From these two, and per- haps others, have arisen numerous garden varieties and hybrids, among which are : P. Russelliana, a splendid hybrid with scarlet flowers. P. Hopwoodiana, with rose and scarlet flowers is another beautiful hybrid ; P. aurea, with orange ; and P. cardinalis, with scarlet. There are also many other beautiful hybrid varieties ; some of the most remarkable are those with double flowers. All these described species and varieties are hardy perennials, not requiring protection in the winter ; propagated from seeds and divisions of the roots. They all look well in the bor- ders when the sun shines, but the flowers last but one day and are not suitable for bouquets ; but a succession of flowers is produced through the season. PRIMULA. — PRIMROSE. [Name from primus, first, as the flowers of some species appear very early In. spring-] " Primroses, the spring may love them, Summer knows but little of them.1' Primula Y^ris, — Cowslip, Primrose and Polyanthus are probably all varieties of this species, but this is a point upon which botanists differ, and it will suffice for our purpose to consider them under their garden names. English Cowslip. — The flowers are produced in umbels, raised upon a stem above the leaves ; they are of a pale- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWEKS. 333 yellow, and sometimes red. A hardy perennial blooming late in April or early in May, and will succeed in cool shady localities. Propagated by seeds and division of the roots. Primroses, — In the varieties included under this name the flower-stem is very short, and the flowers are close down among the leaves. They are very early flowering, and embrace many beautiful varieties. Polyanthuses. — The varieties so called have the umbel of flowers raised upon a flower-stalk, which rises three to six inches or more in height. The varieties are innumer- able as each sowing adds to their number, and it is use- less to attempt to catalogue their names. The rules for judging of the beauty or merits of a va- riety are wholly artificial, and founded on an imaginary form far removed from ordinary nature. These rules or cannons are agreed on by the general consent of florists. Polyanthuses were first brought forward by the Dutch, and were formerly in extensive cultivation in Europe ; but in more modern times they have given place to new spe- cies of flowers. They are, however, well worthy the at- tention of amateurs, for they are very beautiful, and suc- ceed well in sheltered spots, in a rich and rather moist Foil with little care They are in flower all the month of May, and some of the Primroses by the middle of April. The flowers are of various colors ; brown with yellow eye, with a delicate edging of yellow, is very common ; also various combinations of crimson, yellow, sulphur, rich brown, almost black, either plain or shaded. The flowers to be perfect, should be round, in regular trusses, on stiff erect stems well above the foliage ; each flower or pip should be of a plain black, brown, crimson or some dark color, with a yellow or sulphur eye, edged with white, sulphur, orange, or yellow color. The choice va- rieties are increased by dividing the roots, which should 334 be done soon after flowering, and new varieties may be obtained from seed. A little protection of leaves in the winter will be beneficial. P. Auricula* — The Auricula is a florist's flower of great beauty. It is a native of the Alpine regions of Switzer- land and Germany. The most common colors in its wild state are yellow and red, sometimes purple, and occasion- ally variegated or mealy. In this country the cultivation of this beautiful flower has received but little attention, probably on account of the severity of our winter and spring months, or the great heat of the summer, which is more destructive to it than cold. The extremes of heat and cold render its cultivation difficult. But in England, near most of the manufacturing towns, and in Scotland, the cultivation of this flower has formed a favorite amuse- ment of weavers and mechanics. The flower-stalk springs from radical leaves, is six or eight inches high, and bears a truss of six or eight flowers, which are of various colors. These flowers are called pips, which should -be -. raised with a light-colored eye; the ground color j when Tery dark-purple, blue or brown, edged with green, contrasts finely with the eye, and such are considered richer than those varieties where the color is lighter. The best soil for the Auricula is a compost made from loam from an old pasture, kept and turned over occasionally during a year, and then mixed with hot-bed dung rotten, to a mould, or with leaf-mould and some sand, to keep it open. The soil and manure must be well mellowed by time before using, and not mixed until it is wanted. P, Sin£n§iS» — Chinese Primrose. — This beautiful green- house species is a native of China, and is too tender for out-door culture ; but is fine for the green-house or sitting- room, where it will produce a succession of flowers all the winter and spring, and if turned out in the open ground in June in a cool shady place, will continue to bloom all DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 335 summer. But the old plants will not answer for another winter, as it is requisite, to have good blooming plants, to sow the seed every year. The best compost for the Chi- nese Primrose consists of rich light loam, and peat soil in equal parts. The seed should be sown in May in a box or pan lightly covered, and placed in a cold frame. When the plants have formed their first two rough leaves, they should be transplanted singly into three-inch pots ; when their roots have filled these, they should then be re- moved into those a size larger, and afterwards into pots still larger, keeping them in the same situation, and finally when removing them into the green-house or conservatory, give them a shift into those of a larger size. It is necessary in all the pottings to give a good drainage of broken crocks or cinders. The Chinese Primroses are in many varieties ; pure white, rose, red or variegated, in umbels rising a little above the foliage. There is a succession of these umbels through the winter. The flowers with fringed: edges, are most admired. One of the most attractive new varieties is P. Sinen- sis macrophylla, with long massive foliage and beautiful large flowers of great subtance, beautiful form, finely fringed, of a rich purplish-carmine, with pentagonal, large yellow eye, surrounded by a broad zone ; very conspicuous and splendid acquisition. Other varieties are white and red fringed, rose striped, rose carmine, etc. QTTAMOCLIT.— CYPRESS-VINE. [Name supposed to be of Mexican origin.] Quamoclit VUlgaris, — Cypress-Vine. — Ipomcea Qitamo- dlt of some authors. There is no annual climbing plant that exceeds the Cy press- Yine, in elegance of foliage, gracefulness of habit, or loveliness of flowers. The only difficulty in its successful cultivation in our climate, is in 336 the shortness of the season. It requires heat to bring it to perfection, unless the plants are brought forward in a hot-bed. If planted in the open ground, it will not be of any advantage to sow the seed before the last of May, as it will not vegetate till the ground is warm. Previous to sowing, the seed should have boiling water poured over it, and remain until the water is cold. It is then sown in a warm place, and the plants will appear above ground in a few days. The young plants are difficult to transplant, therefore the seeds should be sown where the plants are to remain. Without scalding, or unless the hull of the seed is taken off, it will remain in the ground a long time without vege- tating. Plants thus raised will, in a warm season, do very well, but will be much inferior to those that have been forwarded in the frame. The seeds should be sown in a hot-bed, with a brisk heat, in March, in small pots, a num- ber of seeds in each pot, so as to be sure of two or three plants in each. In a month, if carefully attended, the roots will have filled the pots ; it will then be necessary to shift the plants into larger ones. Before the first of June, the plants will begin to flower ; but do not be in haste to put them into the ground ; keep them in the frame, where they can be protected in case of cold storms, but expose them during the day to the full influence of the sun and air, by taking the sashes entirely off. By the 10th of June, the plants may be turned into the ground very care- fully, so that the roots may not be disturbed. The ground should be made rich with well-rotted manure ; the plants should be placed at the distance of one foot, or one foot and a half, if the object is to cover a wall or trellis. I have covered a trellis by the middle of August, twenty- five feet long and five high, with its elegant feathery foli- age, so as to form a complete screen. The flowers, like those of the Morning Glory, appear in the morning and perish before noon. They are of a deep-crimson color, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERS. 337 and contrast finely with the rich green of the leaves. There is a variety with white flowers. It should be sheltered from, the northerly winds by a fence, trees, or buildings. An elegant cone may be made 'by setting a straight pole substantially into the ground, eight feet high from the surface ; describe a circle round it, having a diam- eter of three feet ; let about ten pots of plants be turned into the circle ; drive down a stake by the side of each, nearly to the surface, to which tie a strong twine, that may be stained or painted green ; let it be carried to the top of the pole and fastened there ; then bring it down to the next stake, and so on until the whole is completed. With a little assistance the vines will climb the strings, and by the middle of August will be at the top of the pole, making a splendid show, which more than pays for the trouble. It may be trained over an arch or in any other way as fancy may direct. Q. COCCinea. — Scarlet Morning Glory. — A handsome species flowering in great profusion towards the close of the season, growing ten feet high ; a native of the West Indies. The flowers are bright scarlet in one variety, and in another, yellow and quite small; from July to the first' hard frost. The seed may be sown from the 1st to the 10th of May, or treated like that of the Cypress Vine. RANUNCULUS.— CROW-FOOT.— BUTTER-CUP. [The name is the diminutive of rana, a frog, as some of the species grow iff. damp places.] Some of the species are weeds, a few are border-flow- ers, and R. Asiatieus is one of the most esteemed florist's flowers. There are a number of varieties of Butter-cups, which are found double, and are frequently introduced ki- to the flower-garden. 15 338 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. Ranunculus rtfpens flore pleno, is a double variety ; the roots are creeping, and therefore the plant is rather troublesome. The flowers are pretty, of a glossy yellow, and in bloom a number of months. J?. acris flore plena is a variety with upright stems; two feet high, with bright-yellow double flowers, in June and July. R. aco~ nitifolius flore pleno. — This beautiful plant has fine doa- ble white flowers, in June ; one foot high ; for some reason it is not much cultivated in this country. It goes by the name of " Fair Maids of France." R. Asiaticus, is one of the most splendid florist's flow- ers in cultivation ; but, unfortunately, our climate is so uncongenial for its perfection, and it requires so much skill and care, that it has received but little attention, except by a few individuals. To have it in all its beauty and strength, it should be kept growing very moderately all winter.; but our climate is so severe that this is impossible, in the open air, without too much covering, which would cause the plants to become drawn and weakened in such a man- ner as to be ruined. In a green-house this may be done ; but how" shall they be managed in the open air ? Samuel •Walker, Esq., formerly President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, has been the most successful of any person in this neighborhood, in blooming the Ranunculus in the open air. The following are the directions he gave for their cultivation, as published some years since : — " The soil should be trenched eighteen or twenty inch- es, and composed of good rich loam, to which add one- sixth part of very old, well-rotted cow manure, and the same quantity of clay, broken into small pieces ; add to this a little sand, and thoroughly mix. the whole; if the soil binds, add some sandy peat ; make the bed on a level with the path or walks ; the plants would do better if the bed was below, rather than above, the level. " Having prepared the soil, as above, some time during DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 339 the summer or autumn, take the earliest opportunity, in the spring succeeding, to stir up the bed one spit, and take off one and a half inch of the soil ; then place the plants in an upright position on the surface, six inches apart each way, and replace the soil carefully, which will cover the crown of the Ranunculus about one and one- half inch; deeper planting would be injurious. After ; the plants appear, keep them free from weeds and press ; the soil firmly around them after they get two inches high. If the weather prove dry, water them freely early in the morning, and shade them from the sun from 9 A. M., to 3 o'clock, P. M. As soon as the foliage becomes yellow, take the roots up, and dry them thoroughly in the shade, and keep them in a dry place." "The Ranunculus loves a cool and moist location, but no stagnant water should be permitted, nor should they be placed under the shade or drippings of trees. The morning sun, free circulation of air, and shade, as direct- ed, will ensure success." The root of the Ranunculus is a cluster of small tubers, like claws, united in the crown, which send up several bipartite leaves and an erect, branched stem, eight or twelve inches high, with a terminating flower, variously colored. It is a native of the Levant, and was cultivated by Gerarde in 1596. Though rather a tender plant, in- numerable and highly beautiful double flowered varieties have been raised from seed, chiefly by the English florists, from the middle to the latter end of the last century. In a Dutch catalogue, about seven hundred varieties were named a few years since, and in an English catalogue about five hundred. Criterion for a fine Double Ranunculus. — The stem should be strong, straight, and from eight to twelve inches high, supporting a large well-formed blossom or corolla at least two inches in diameter, consisting of nu- 310 merous petals, the largest at the outside, and gradually diminishing in size as they approach the center of the flower, which should be well filled up with them. The blossom should be of a hemispherical form ; its compo- nent petals should be imbricated in such a manner as neither to be too close and compact nor too widely sepa- rated, but have more of a perpendicular than horizontal direction to display their colors with better effect. The petals should be broad, and have perfectly entire well rounded edges ; their colors should be dark, clear, rich or brilliant, either consisting of one color throughout, or be otherwise variously diversified, on an ash, white, sul- phur, or fine colored ground, or regularly striped, notted or mottled in an elegant manner. It is .d, that in no instance does the seed of the Ra- nunculus produce two flowers like the original. Those who have made the attempt to cultivate the Ra- nunculus, and have given it proper treatment, have been well rewarded for their pains, and we should be glad to see it more generally cultivated ; but unless good varie- ties are obtained, and the roots sound and plump, it will not be best to make the experiment. There is another Ranunculus, called the Great Turban or Great Turkey Ranunculus, producing large, double, and very brilliant flowers. The roots are somewhat larger, but similar to the other species, and the mode of cultivation the same. The varieties are not so numer- ous, but very brilliant. The bed for Ranunculus should be prepared in autumn and protected from frost by leaves, and the frame covered with boards to keep out the wet. In pleasant weather the last of February or beginning of March, the roots should be planted as heretofore directed, the soil having first been dug over and made smooth. The frame is then to be placed over the bed and the lights put in. In cold DESCRIPTIVE LIST Otf FLO WEES. 341 weather there must be a protection of mats to keep out frost, but give air and sun as soon as they begin to vege- tate. The bloom will be much more perfect and continue for a much longer time if screened by an awning, as the flowers begin to expand. The hot mid-day sun will soon spoil the bloom. RESEDA. — MIGNONETTE. [From resedo, to calm, to appease. The Latins thought it useful as a topical application in external bruises.] " No gorgeous flowers the meek Reseda grace, Yet sip with eager trunk yon busy race Her simple cup, nor heed the dazzling gern That beams in Fritillaria's diadem." Reseda Odor at a, — Common Mignonette. — This fragrant hardy annual is too well known to need any description. A bed of it should be found in every garden. It con- tinues to bloom and send forth its sweetness all the sea- son. Self-sown plants begin to produce flowers in June. The plants are in great demand in and about London and other great cities, being sold in pots and in bouquets. Some idea of the extent of its cultivation may be derived from the fact, which I heard from a creditable London seedsman, that he alone sold a ton and a half of the seed yearly. To obtain plants for blooming from December to Febru- ary, a sowing should be made in July in the open ground, and the plants potted in September. The crop for March, April and May, should be sown not later than the twen- ty-fifth of August ; the plants of this sowing will not suffer by exposure to rain whilst they are young ; they must, however, be protected from early frosts, like the winter crops. The third crop should be sown in pots the last of February. Thus, by attending to the sowing 342 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. of the seed at these three several times, and nursing the plants in a proper manner, this fragrant flower may be had to perfume the bouquet the year round. The following remarks on the Tree Mignonette are taken from the English Floral Cabinet : — " Sow the seed of the Common Mignonette towards the end of February, in pots the size thirty-two, such being six inches deep and four inches and a half in diameter, inside measure. Use a good rich loamy soil after the seed is sown, place the pots in a cucumber or melon-frame (hot-bed.) When the plants are up, they must be placed where they can get air, to prevent them being drawn up weakly, as well as to preserve them from damping off. When the plants have made a few leaves, pull up all the plants but two, which must be allowed to remain till they get over danger from damping off, when the best may be retained and be secured to a support. As the plants grow, side shoots will push, they must be pinched off, al- ways leaving the leaf at the base of each shoot which contributes to its growth. If the leading shoot should show flower, it must also be pinched off. When the plants have grown ten or twelve inches high, they should be removed to a warm part of the green-house. Water must be given when the plants are dry. As the season ad- vances the plants must be placed in more airy situations, which will gradually harden them. When the plants have reached a desirable height, from half a yard to two feet, pinch out the heads ; this will induce a number of lateral shoots to push and form a bushy head. Plants thus treated will bloom early the following spring ; after they have showed flowers, the plants, if vigorous, may be removed with balls entire, into pots a size larger ; they will then bloom all the season." This plant is supposed to be an Egyptian, and to have been brought to England from the south of France, where DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 343 it is called Reseda d^Egypte^ and herb d ^ amour (love- flower.) It is a favorite plant, and has well justified this affectionate name, Mignonette or Little Darling ; its sweet' ness wins all hearts. " The luxury of the pleasure-garden," says Mr. Curtis, " is greatly heightened by the delightful odour which this little plant diffuses ; and as it grows more readily in pots, its fragrance may be conveyed into the house. Its per- fume, though not so refreshing as the Sweet Brier, is not apt to offend the most delicate olfactories. People have not been satisfied, however, with growing this little darl- ing in pots ; it is often seen cradled in the sunshine, in boxes the whole length of the window it is placed in." " the sashes fronted with a range Of orange, myrtle or the fragrant weeds The Frenchman's darling."— Cowper. •* RHOD ANTHE. [From the Greek words for rose and flower. Rhodanthe MangUfcii. — A most delightful plant, from the Swan River ; it is one of the tribe called everlasting, from its remaining perfect throughout the winter, if gath- ered when in bloom, and resembles the Heliclirysum. R, maculata. — Is a larger-flowered variety, in which each of the rosy florets have a dark spot at the base. The following are more recent varieties of the same. R. atrosaiiguinea. — This beautiful and very distinct variety differs from the R. maculata in its dwarfer and more branching habit ; longer and more pointed foliage, which is dotted near the tip ; and especially by the color of its flowers, which have the entire disk of the dark-pur- ple, or crimson-brown shade, varying in some specimens to almost dark-violet and maroon, as in Coreopsis tincto- 344 BKECK7 S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. ria and its varieties. The ray scales are of a bright puis pie or magenta color, deeper than in R. maculata. It is more floriferous than H. maculata^ but the capitules are RHODANTHE MACULATA. somewhat smaller, the average diameter being about one Introduced from Australia, by William Thompson. inch. R. maculata alba. — This charming variety from the beautiful H. maculata^ is identical with it in habit, differs from it only in the color of the ray scales, which are of the purest and most silvery white ; the disk being yellow as in 72. maculata. It is unquestionably the finest white everlasting in cultivation. DESCBIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 345 RICINTTS.— PALMA CHRISTL— CASTOR-OIL PLANT. [From the Latin name for the tick, an insect which the seeds resemble.] Ricinus communis. — This is the common Castor-oil Plant. A very luxuriant, strong-growing annual, some- times found in the garden, not so much for its beauty as for curiosity. Some of the species are ornamental as well as curious. R. sanguine US, is well worthy of a place in the flower- garden, where there is a plenty of room. The seeds should be started in a hot-bed or green-house, and trans- planted into small pots when they are three or four inches high, and turned out into the garden in June. They make a vigorous growth, and attain the height of eight or ten feet before the frost overtakes them, with numerous side branches, with terminal spikes of greenish-yellow flowers, one or one foot and one-half long ; these are suc- ceeded by thorny capsules of a light-scarlet color, which are very ornamental. The stalks of the plants as well as the foot-stalks of the leaves, are brownish-red. The leaves are very large, palmate, and elegant. RUDBECKIA. [Named after Olaus Rudbeck, professor of botany at Upsal.] A genus of North American plants, some of them valu- able for the border ; all are hardy, and easily propagated by dividing the roots. Rudblckia fulgida has large, brilliant yellow flowers, with a dark center, or disk ; about two feet high ; continu-r ing in bloom all the months of July and August ; peren- nial. R. amplcxi folia, — An herbaceous annual plant, grows from two to three feet high ; straight branching stems ; lanceolated radical leaves, sinewy and petiolatcd ; the 15* 346 cauline narrow embracing the grayish-green colored stem. Flowers large, solitary terminals, with broad streaks of a fine yellow, marked with a lively stripe of purple at the base ; conical disk of a deep brown ; in blossom from June to September. This plant is remark- able for the brilliancy of its flowers, and for the length of time that it continues in bloom. It is hardy, and its cultivation requires no particular care. 8 ABB ATI A. — AMERICAN CENTAURY. [Named after Sabbati, an Italian botanist.] A pretty North American genus of plants, not much cultivated, but if properly managed, would no doubt prove valuable in the flower-garden. Sabbatia chloroides, is found on the margin of ponds ; it has large, showy pink flowers ; in July. It is a bien- nial and must therefore be propagated from seed, which should be sown in moist ground as soon as ripe, or early in the spring. SALPIGLOSSIS. [From the Greek for trumpet and tongue, in allusion to the shape of the style.] Salpigiossis piimata,— A species from Chili, where it is a perennial, but in cultivation it is treated as a biennial in the green-house, and as an annual in the open air. It has given rise to many varieties, some of which have received distinct names. The flowers in all the varieties are fun- nel-shaped, something like those of the Petunia, but not so broad, and more delicate. The variety called S. atro- purpurea is of a fine, rich, dark velvety puce color ; S. straminea, has pure yellow flowers ; 8. Barclayana and DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 347 fiylrida are iron-brown, and yellow-veined with brown ; S. sinuate flowers a dark-blood color, veined or striped ; S. picta has beautiful striped flowers, all grow from one and a half to two feet high. They succeed finely when started in a hot-bed, flowering profusely from August to October. The best soil for their cultivation is a mixture of loam and sand, enriched with rotted horse-manure and a little leaf-mould. In heavy soil it will not succeed so well. SAL VIA.— SAGE. [From salveo, to save, on account of the healing quality of the plants.] The common Sage (Salvia officinalis], is well known as a garden medicinal plant. It was formerly in great repute in medicine. In cookery it is used for sauces, stuf- fings, etc. This genus is very large, and consists of herbs and un- der-shrubs, the leaves of which have generally a roughish appearance, the smell aromatic, and the flowers commonly in spikes, two or three together from a bract or leaf. They are all of easy culture, and some of them are orna- mental green-house plants or border-flowers. Salvia spllndens. — A Mexican plant of extraordinary beauty for the green-house or border, but tender, and will not bear the frost. It is easily raised from cuttings, which, when well established in pots and turned out into the garden in June, will soon become large plants and pro- duce a profusion of large scarlet flowers in spikes, which continue to give brilliancy to the garden until cut down by the frost. The plants become quite bushy, often three or four feet high. S. fulgcns, — This is also tender, but may be used as a border-flower, when treated like S. splendens. It is not so free a flowerer. The flowers are scarlet-crimson, some- 348 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. what rough or hairy, but very beautiful. Two or three feet high. S« coccinca. — This is a tender annual, with smaller scarlet flowers in spikes ; one and one-half foot high ; in flower most of the season ; easily raised from seeds. S» patcnSt — A green-house plant, which flowers rather sparingly in the border. The flowers are large, of the most exquisite blue, but very fragile. S. angUStifolia. — This beautiful species is a native of dry mountainous situations in the cooler districts of Mex- ico ; it requires a light soil and protection during the win- ter; although called only an annual, its existence, like many others, may be perpetuated by raising plants from cuttings, which strike readily. The whole flower is a beautiful deep azure-blue, the spikes tolerably dense, the lower lip broad and spreading ; a plant of elegant growth. There are a number of other fine species and varieties of Salvia, which do not succeed very well in the garden, but are fine for the green-house. SANGTIIN ARIA. —BLOOD-ROOT. [From sanguis, blood, as all the parts of the plant, on being wounded, dis- charge a blood-colored fluid.] Sanguinaria Canadlnsis.— This is a singular and very delicate-looking indigenous perennial plant, producing shining white flowers in April. It has a tuberous fleshy root, and is easily transferred to the garden, where it shows off to advantage with the Crocus and other vernal flowers. "Though the Sanguinaria cannot be considered as a showy plant," says Mr. Martyn, " yet it has few equals in point of delicacy and singularity ; there is something in it to admire, from the time the leaves emerge from the DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 349 SANGUINARIA CANADENSIS. 350 BBECK'S XEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. ground and embosom the infant blossom, till their full ex- pansion and ripening of the seeds." It is found in abun- dance in our woods. The Indians are said to paint their faces with the juice. The flowers expand only in fine warm weather. Three or four stems spring from one root, six or eight inches high. The plant succeeds best in a rather shady spot. SARHACENIA. — SIDE-SADDLE-FLOWER. [Named in honor of Dr. Sarrazin, a French physician who first sent the plant from Canada to Europe.] Sarraetfnia purpurea. — Side-saddle-Flower. — Pitcher Plant. — An evergreen herbaceous perennial and one of the most curious of our indigenous plants. It is called Side- saddle-Flower, from the resemblance of the stigma to a woman's pillion : also, " Our Forefathers' cup," from the singular form of the leaves, which are tubular and hold water, and when full-grown, contain from a wine glass full to a gill, and are rarely empty. Report says our worthy ancestors made use of them to drink from. No matter how this may be, they certainly look as if they might be thus used, having the appearance of little pitchers, but not very inviting from their unpleasant odor, and from the fact, that they are generally found to contain many dead insects. The cup is hairy within, the hairs pointing downwards : in these the insects get entangled, and perish. The flowers are destitute of much beauty, but are very curious in their structure. To attempt to give a botanical description of this plant would be out of place in this work. As this is always found in wet, boggy, or mossy grounds, it is rather difficult to manage in a common garden, unless there is a wet corner in it. I have suc- ceeded with it by taking with a spade, a large ball of earth with the plant, and transferring it to a moist place, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 351 exposed to the sun, and it, without much care afterwards, continued to nourish a number of years. With a peat soil, the surface covered with moss, and occasional sup- plies of water, I have no doubt but it would succeed very well, if not in a very dry situation. SAXIFRAGA.— SAXIFRAGE. [Named from saxum, a rock, and frango, to break, many of the species growing in the clefts of rocks.] A genus which comprises a number of Alpine plants, which have long been favorites in European gardens, but not much cultivated in this country. Many of them are quite easy to cultivate, and though naturally mountaineers, are not incapable of breathing the more impure air of towns and villages, others are delicate and difficult to rear. Most of the species are perennial, with either fibrous or granular roots, and a few are annuals. Saxifraga Virginitfnsis. — This fragrant well-known plant is one of the earliest flowers upon rocks and dry hills. The leaves are mostly radical, spreading, fleshy, elliptical, a little downy and serrate; stem erect, fleshy, nearly destitute o*f leaves. Flowers numerous, crowded, white, arranged in corymbs on the ends of the branches, which, collectively, form a sort of panicle; April and May ; perennial. This sweet flower is associated with my youthful floral rambles for May flowers. S, crassifolia, — A hardy perennial border flower with broad, thick leaves, rising from the root, from which are thrown up thick fleshy stems one foot high, with panicles of pink flowers in May and June. S, limbrosa. — London-Pride. — This is a beautiful peren- nial, growing about one foot high. The flowers are in panicles, white or flesh color, dotted with yellow and dark- 352 red. It is a native of Ireland. For some reason it does not succeed well in this country. SCABIOSA. — MOURNING BRIDE. [From Scabies, a skin disease, in which this plant was said to be useful.] Scabidsa atropurpurca. — Mourning Bride. — This is a handsome species, and has been cultivated as a border t annual so long that its native country is unknown. Lin- nams and Miller consider it a native of India. It is some- times called Indian or Sweet Scabious ; it is chiefly valu- able for its exceeding sweetness ; yet its colors are often extremely rich. It is sometimes of a pale purple, some- times so dark as to be almost black ; hence, I suppose, the common name, " Mourning Bride ;" but its finest hue is a dark mulberry red. Some of the dark varieties are ele- gantly tipped with white. Si candidissima. — An entirely new variety of Sweet Scabious, and being pure white, is very desirable for a contrast with the other kinds in such very general cultivation. " The Scabious blooms in sad array, A mourner in her spring." The flowers are produced in heads, upon stems nearly two feet high, and continue to bloom from July to Octo- ber. A bed of Mourning Bride of the different varieties is very fine. SCHIZANTHUS. [From Greek words to cut, and a flower, in allusion to the numerous divisions of the petals. 1 Tender annual plants, with finely cut pale-green leaves and terminal panicles of elegant flowers. SchizailthllS pinnatllS. — Pinnate-leaved Schizanthus, is DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 353 one of tlio most common species, from which a number of beautiful and improved seedlings have been produced. All the varieties are very pretty in the open ground, and bloom most of the season, but are much injured by the sun or severe rains. They can only be brought to the highest state of perfection when grown in pots in the green-house, where they can be made to attain the height of three or four feet ; in the open ground about two feet ; from August to October. The varieties are : £ humilis, 8. porrigens, /S. retusus, S. HookerU, S. Priestii and S. Grahamii. SCHIZOPETALOff. Schizopltalon Walktfri,— Walker's Schizopetalon.— This is a singular plant, about one foot high, with curious white flowers ; the segments of the corolla are finely cut into many feathery divisions. The flowers are very frail, being soon spoiled by the sun. A native of Chili, whence it was originally introduced in 1821. It is a hardy annual, thriving best in a light, sandy soil, and is increased by seeds, which it however perfects but sparingly, and that only in dry and warm summers. To hasten their growth, and thereby insure the maturing of seeds, the young plants should be raised in a frame, and planted out in a sunny border about the middle of May. The flowers are very fragrant, especially in the evening. SCILLA.— SQUILL. Scilla Peruviana.— The Star Hyacinth.— A very pretty bulbous-rooted plant, with dark-blue starry flowers ; in May and June. The stem grows about nine inches high. The bulb is rather tender and should be well protected. 354 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. SEDTTM.— STONE CROP. [The name from sedeo, to sit ; these plants, growing upon the bare rock, look as if sitting upon it.] The species are low succulent plants, some of them pretty, others curious ; but none of them remarkable in any way. They seem destined by nature to clothe rocks and dry arid places, after a certain portion of vegetable soil has been generated by lichens and mosses. ScdilKl Sieboldii,— Siebold's Sedum.— This is a hardy perennial plant of considerable beauty and interest, on ac- count of its being one of the last to flower in the garden. The leaves are very thick and succulent, of a glaucous green. The *flowers are very pretty ; pink ; in numerous heads ; the last of October. This species nourishes in any good garden soil. Some of the Sedums are suitable for rock-work. SENECIO. — GROUNDSEL. [Name from stnex, an old man, in allusion to the hoary appearance of the pappus, or hairs upon the fruit.] Senlcio aureus. — Golden Senecio. — This is a handsome indigenous species, and makes a fine appearance in mea- dows in May and June. From one to three feet high. Flowers, a golden yellow or orange ; perennial. It is not often introduced into the flower border, although much handsomer than many plants that are cultivated. S« tflegans. — Jacobea, Groundsel or Rag-wort. — A handsome annual in the open ground, or biennial in the green-house. The double varieties are the only sorts worth cultivating, of which there are a number of colors, viz., double-purple, crimson, rose, flesh-colored and white. The fine double sorts are propagated from cuttings, which grow very readily, not one in fifty failing. It is also raised from seed, but .few of the plants will produce double DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 355 flowers. It is a very pretty plant in its foliage and in flowers, grows freely and most profusely, scarcely anything surpassing it for a neat and handsome show. It succeeds best in soil composed of fresh loam mixed with leaf mould, and upon a dry subsoil, the layer of com- post over it about eight inches. I find that when the soil is much enriched, the plants have a tendency to pro- duce much foliage ; but when grown in this compost, an amazing production of bloom is the result. It grows about eighteen inches high, and continues to bloom all the season. S. COCCinea. — Scarlet Tassel-Flower, Cacalia coccinea, is a handsome half-hardy annual, with neat tassel-shaped, scarlet flowers ; one and a half foot high. G. aurea is a variety with orange flowers. In shape and habit they are the same. So \v the first of May. SILENE.— CATCH-FLY. [Name from tlie Greek for saliva, in reference to the viscid secretion which covers the stems of many species.] SileilC Pennsylvanica, — A native species, found in dry, sandy soils in June, quite a handsome plant ; sometimes called " Wild Pink," from its similarity in habit to some of that genus. The whole plant is viscid or glutinous; the flowers are light purple. S. Arm^ria. — Catch-fly. — This plant is covered with a glutinous moisture, from which flies, happening to light upon it, cannot disengage themselves. This circumstance has obtained it the name of Catch-fly, to which Gerarde adds the name of Limewort. It is a hardy and very common annual, found in almost every garden, producing umbels of pink, and a variety with white flowers. Silene compaeta, S. pendula, S. Schafta, S. Saxifraga are also handsome annual border flowers. Having the plants of 356 the most of these species in the ground, there will always be plenty from self-sown seeds in the spring. SOLIDAGO. — GOLDEN ROD. [From solido, to unite, on account of the alleged vulnerary qualities of the plants.] The species are all autumnal coarse-looking herbaceous plants with yellow flowers ; in the shrubbery they make a pretty appearance with other coarse plants. About all of the species are indigenous. SoIidagO odora.— Sweet-Scented Golden Rod.— This species may be admitted into the garden not only for the fragrance of the plants, but its inflorescence is also inter- esting. The flowers grow in a compound, panicled ra- ceme, with each of its branches supported by a small leaf, and of a brilliant yellow. The whole plant has a smooth appearance; the leaves have a very pleasant anisate odor, and yield by distillation a fragrant, volatile oil. S. nemoralis. — Grey Golden Rod.— This is a very pretty dwarf species, not more than one foot high, common in dry- fields, where it appears as if stunted by drought. Panicle small, leaning ; bright yellow ; August and September. SPECULAJtIA. — VENUS' LOOKING-GLASS. [From Speculum Veneris, a name by which one of the species was formerly called.] Specularia speculum, — Venus' Looking-Glass, also called Campanula speculum. — This is an annual border- flower of some beauty ; very hardy ; having it once in the ground it will sow itself; the young plants may be taken up in the spring and planted where they are to remain, DESCKIPTIVK LIST OF FLOWERS. 357 set one foot apart ; or sow the seed in April. One foot high ; very branching ; producing a long succession of blue flowers, which close at the approach of rain and in the evening. There is also a variety with white flowers. SPH still another with rose-colored flowers. These varieties are in perpetual bloom, and are easily propagated by cut- VINCA. ROSEA. tings under a hand glass. Young plants planted out in June, will flower through the summer. 17 380 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. VIOL A. —VIOLET. [The ancient Latin name.] " Violets, sweet tenants of the shade, In purple's Holiest pride arrayed, Your errand here fulfil ; Go biy Cuttings, to be successful, ought to take place at the end of May or early in June. If left till July or August, the success ~will be doubtful, because the flower-stems get hollow and pithy. The cuttings may be- placed singly in thumb-pots, in a little light sandy loam and well-rotten dung, and set in a frame with a moderate bottom heat, to be kept rather moist and shad- ed ; or they may be stuck in the ground under a common hand-glass, with coal ashes under to prevent the worms casting them up ; but if placed on gentle bottom heat, the glass ought by no means to be shut down close, or they will be liable to damp off. Propagation l)y Dividing the Hoots, may be done in moist weather, any time from July to September. The readiest and most certain way is by layers, which may be made in either of the above named months. Make an in- cision in the joint near the top of the stem, which pin DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 391 down gently and cover half an inch deep with rich, light mould ; if dry weather follows, water moderately, and the layers will soon take root. The plants thrive best in well manured loam, in a shady situation, and preserve their flowers longer ; though they will grow and flower abundantly in almost any situation. A Pansy, to be per- fect, should stand up well above the foliage ; the petals should be flat without any curl or wrinkle, the edges without notch or serrature ; the upper, lower, and middle petals so arranged, as to form as near as possible a perfect circle or oval. WHITLAVIA. [Named in honor of F. Whitlow, an Irish botanist.] W hit hi via grandiflora. — An elegant annual from Cali- fornia, with blue, bell-shaped flowers. It produces its flowers in continued succession, from June to October. In habit the plant resembles the Phacelias, but the flow- ers are more like the Campanula / of a very rich dark- blue. In heavy, wet soils, this plant does not succeed well, but flourishes in light, sandy loam. There is a va- riety with white flowers. XEBANTHEMTTM. [Name from Greek words signifying dry and a Jlower, on account of the dry nature of the flowers, which retain their color and form for many years.] Xeranthemum ailimum, — Purple Everlasting, — and a variety with white flowers, are popular border annuals, of easy culture-ill light, rich soil. Like the Helichrysums, they are valued for their properties of retaining their col- ors and form, when gathered and dried, and are much prized in forming winter bouquets for vases, etc. 392 YUCCA.— ADAM'S NEEDLE. This is an ornamental genus of plants, mostly natives of the Southern States and South America. Some of them succeed well in the open ground in the Northern States, and form a pleasing contrast with other plants, 'On account of the peculiarity of their foliage. The leaves are sharp-pointed, stiif, and rigid ; and, in some of the species, the edges of the leaf are margined with long threads. Yucca filamentosa, called Thready Yucca, from the long threads that hang from the leaves, is one of the most hardy sorts. The flower-stem grows to the height of five or six feet, and nearly the whole of it is covered with large, bell-shaped, white flowers ; all the species are rather shy flowerers ; in August and September. Y. gloriosa* and the variety superba^ produce an im- mense number of fine bell-flowers on their tall stems. The foliage of all the species is evergreen, and they closely resemble each other. The severity of our winters often blackens the foliage ; to prevent this, the leaves should be gathered up and tied together, and covered with straw. Propagated from suckers. ZATJSCHNEEIA. [Named for M. Zauschner, a German.] An elegant herbaceous perennial plant from California, where it is found in very sandy soils. The plant grows in bunches; the flowers a brilliant scarlet, tubular or trumpet-shaped, terminating in five unequal divisions ; stamens and pistil projecting ; flowers solitary, produced in the axils of the leaves ; continuing in bloom most of the season ; tender in wet soil, but has proved hardy in light soil, with little protection. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 393 ZINNIA. [Named in honor of J. G. Zinn, a German professor of botany.] Handsome border annual plants, requiring the same cultivation as the Marigold. Zinnia tflegans, with its varieties, are all handsome flowering plants ; in bloom from July to October ; two DOUBLE ZINNIA. or three feet high. The colors of some of the varieties are very brilliant, and particularly the scarlets. The col- ors are white, pale to dark-yellow, orange to scarlet ; shades from rose to crimson, from crimson to light-purple, IT* 394 lilac, etc. The flower is handsome when it first com- mences blooming ; the central, or disk part of it, which contains the florets, as they begin to form seed, assumes a conical shape, and a brown, husky appearance, which gives the flower a coarse, unsightly look. Double Zinnia. — Within a few years, the great novelty of Double Zinnias has been disseminated. This, of all other flowers, was considered one of the most unlikely ever to become a pet, as the large central disk greatly disfigures the flower ; but in the double flowers, this un- sightly portion is transformed into regular petals, which, when fully expanded, form a hemispherical shape, be- come regularly imbricated, and the flower might be taken for a well-formed Dahlia, as they are nearly as large. The colors are the same as in the single varieties. The plants require considerable room to show off to ad- vantage, and should not be planted less than two feet apart ; they produce an abundance of bloom through the summer; a plant in full bloom is very showy. It is well to put out the plants within six inches of each other at first, as many of them will show semi-double flowers, which should be rejected; but the plants with full double flowers, as soon as they appear, may be removed to the bed prepared for them. With a little care, they will not be much checked. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 395 DESOEIPTIYE LIST OP HAEDY FLOWEEBKJ SHEUBS, SUITABLE POE THE SHEUBBEEY, LAWNS, ETO. AMEL ANGRIER. — JUNE-BERRY. — SHAD-BUSH. [A name by which one of the species is known in Savoy.] Amelanchicr Canad&isis. — June-berry, Shad-bush, Sug- ar Pear. — A shrub so variable that in its different states it has received at least a dozen different names. It is found as a low shrub and as a tree twenty feet high. Its leaves differ much in shape and smoothness, and the flowers are in some forms much larger and produced in greater abund- ance than they are in others. It is found along streams and in woods, and is conspicuous about the first of May for its white flowers in pendulous racemes. The crimson or purple bracts at the base of the flower-stalks, con- trasted with the pure white flowers, and the glossy, silken, scattering pairs of the opening leaves, give a delicate beauty to this shrub. The fruit is berry-like and eatable. Easily transferred from the woods to the shrubbery. AMORPHA.— FALSE INDIGO. [Named from the Greek, meaning wanting form, from the absence of parts of the corolla.] Amorpha fruticosa. — False Indigo.— A native shrub, found on the banks of streams from Pennsylvania, west- ward. It is very variable, and its different forms have re- ceived several distinct names. It grows about six feet high, lias foliage somewhat like that of the Locust, and long spikes of dark-violet purple flowers which appear in July. Of easy propagation by seeds or by cuttings. 396 AMPELOPSIS.^- VIRGINIAN CHEEPER. [From Greek words signifying a vine and resemblance.] Ampelopsis quinquefolia. — Virginian Creeper, Ameri- can Woodbine. — u This is the most ornamental plant of its genus. It recommends itself by its hardiness, the rapidity of its growth, and the luxuriance and beauty of its foliage. It is a native of our woods, and climbs rocks and trees to a great height. In cultivation it is often made to cover walls of houses, forty or fifty feet high, clinging by suckers which proceed from its tendrils. The flower is of a reddish-green, and not showy, and is suc- ceeded by clusters of dark-blue, nearly black, berries when mature. At the same period the fruit-stalks and tendrils assume a rich crimson or red color. " The great variety of rich colors, shades of scarlet, crimson, and purple, which the leaves and sterns of this plant assume, and the situations in which we see it, climb- ing up the trunks and spreading along the branches of trees, covering walls and heaps of stones, forming natural festoons from tree to tree, or trained on the sides and along the piazzas of dwelling-houses, make it one of the conspicuous ornaments of the autumnal months. Often, in October, it may be seen mingling its scarlet and orange leaves, thirty or forty feet from the ground, with the green leaves of the still unchanged tree on which it climb- ed."— (Emerson.} This luxuriant climber is easily propagated by layers and cuttings. It flourishes best in a rich, moist soil. AMYGDALTJS. — ALMOND. — PEACH. [The Greek name for the Almond.] AmygdaluS Iiail a. — Dwarf Almond. — The double vari- ety of this, usually called Flowering Almond, when in blossom, is not inferior to any other shrub. It is loaded DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERING SHRUBS. 397 in the spring with elegant flowers resembling small roses. Easily propagated by suckers. When budded upon the plum stock it is much more hardy than when grown on its own roots, and in this way a magnificent head may be formed at any desired height from the ground. A. Ptfrsica-flore-pleno. — Double-flowering Peach, — is very beautiful in the shrubbery. The flowers are very large and full, and there is a purple and a white variety. The trees should be kept well headed in, or they will be- come straggling and unsightly. This may also be budded upon plum stocks, and if properly pruned will make a great show when in flower. ANDROMEDA. [Named in allusion the virgin Andromeda, who, like this plant, was confined in a marsh, and surrounded by the monsters of the water.] Andromeda poll folia, — Water Andromeda. — This beau- tiful little shrub is from twelve to eighteen inches high, found in wet, mossy bogs, from Pennsylvania to the ex- treme north of the continent. The flowers are red before they open, but, when fully expanded, of a rosy hue. It flowers in June. It is difficult to manage in cultivation, unless it has a moist situation and a soil composed mainly of peat. There are a number of North American species, which might be introduced into the shrubbery with good effect. Most of them are dwarfs, and succeed well with the same treatment that is given to the Azalea. A. speciosa and all its varieties are very beautiful, and flower in great profusion, and continue in leaf nearly the whole year, although they are not, strictly, evergreen shrubs. They grow about three feet high. They are all propagated by seed, layers, or cutting*. BBECK S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. ARXSTOLOCHIA.— BIRTH-WORT. AristolOChia Sipho. — Pipe Vine. — Dutchman's Pipe. — A singular climbing plant, with handsome, broad foliage, with brownish-purple, and very curious, somewhat pipe- shaped flowers. It grows fifteen or twenty feet high ; blooms in June and July; propagated from layers and cuttings. It flourishes in any good, strong soil. AZALEA. — SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE. [From Greek signifying arid, a name quite inappropriate to our species, which grow mostly in moist places.] Aziilca IndlC a. — This is not hardy enough to endure our winters, but is one of the most beautiful of the hardy green-house shrubs in cultivation. The colors are from pure white to dark crimson, scarlet, and light purple, with intermediate shades ; it continues a long time in bloom during the winter months ; it is suitable for the sitting- room as well as the green-house. A. viscosat — Clammy Azalea, "White Swamp-Honey- suckle, may be found in abundance among the brush- wood in low grounds, and is much admired for the fra- grance of its flowers, which are produced in terminal, umbel-like corymbs ; mostly pure white, but sometimes varying to blush or variegated ; hairy and glutinous on the outside ; stamens longer than the corolla, which in all the species is bell or funnel form, terminating in five un- equal segments. A, luidi flora • — This, as well as A. viscosa, is called by the country people Swamp Pink, probably on account of the odor of the flowers, which has some resemblance to the Garden Pink. By them they are eagerly sought after, nnd form a conspicuous part of the decoration of the mantel-piece, in its season, the month of June. The color DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERING SHRUBS. 399 is commonly a fine pink, varying to a deep red, which is rare. Their beauty is much increased by the thread- like stamens being much longer than the corolla. There are several indigenous species, besides many va- rieties to be found in different parts of our country ; all handsome and worthy the attention of the florist. Some of the cultivated varieties are the following; A., coccinea, with scarlet flowers ; A., rutilans, with deep red flowers ; A. carnea, with pale-red flowers ; A. alba, with white flowers ; A. partita, with flesh-colored flowers parted to the base ; A. papilionacea, with red flowers, the lower divisions white ; A. potyandria, with rose-col- ored flowers, with from ten to twenty stamens. A. Pdntica is a beautiful species from Pontus, with yel- low flowers, emitting the most exquisite odor. The juice "in the bottom of the flower is said to be poisonous, and communicates its bad properties to the unwholesome hon- ey of that country ; the famous honey of Trebizond spoken of by Xenophon, in his history of the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, as having produced the effect of temporary madness, or rather drunkenness, on all who eat of it, without, however, producing any serious consequences. All the beautiful varieties now in cultiva- tion, have been raised from hybridized seeds of the Pontic and American species. The Azalea is a well-known plant throughout Belgium, and forms one of tlje most splendid decorations of the flower-garden. It is generally considered to be the most beautiful genus of the flowering shrubs. The neat form and bushy growth, the vast profusion of its flowers, the extensive variety and splendor of colors in the flowers, their appearance at a season when few other flowers are in bloom, and the little trouble which the plant requires when grown in a suitable soil and a good situation, all combine to cause the plant to be much admired, sought 400 after, and introduced into nearly every pleasure-ground in Belgium. The varieties of this handsome genus are very numer- ous and have been raised in a short period. Twenty years since there were only a very few moderate species, having small, insignificant flowers, in large clusters, con- tinuing through the month of June. The colors are White, yellow, orange, scarlet, and pink, with every inter, mediate shade. Notwithstanding the exceeding beauty of this tribe of shrubs, and their perfect hardiness, they are rarely to be seen in our gardeus. Azaleas require a moist, peaty soil, or black, sandy loam, and rather shady situation. Plants may be freely raised from seed, or from layers and suckers. If taken from the woods, the best way is to cut them off close to the ground. They will throw up numerous shoots and form fine healthy plants. BENZOIN.— FEVER BUSH. [So named from the resemblance of Hbs odor to tiiat of the drug Benzoin.] Benzoin Odoriferum. — This was formerly called Lauras Benzoin, by botanists, and is popularly known as Fever Bush. It is a graceful shrub, from four to ten feet high, with large and handsome leaves. In April or early in May, clusters of from three to six flowers, of a green- ish yellow color appear in the axils of last year's leaves. The fruit is berry-like, of an oval shape, an 1 dark-red or purple. All parts of the plant have a strong aromatic odor which, to some persons, is disagreeable. Common in damp woods, where it grows most vigorously, but does not flower and fruit as freely there as in more exposed situations. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 401 BERBEBJS. — BARBERRY OR BERBERRY. [Derived from the Arabic name for this plant.] Vlllgaris. — Common Barberry. — This shrub is too common about Boston; but where it is not found growing in such profusion, it will most assuredly be con- sidered a valuable acquisition to the shrubbery. It has often been said, and generally believed, that Barberry bushes were prejudicial to rye, causing it to blast ; but this is not our experience, having grown heavy crops of this grain with Barberry bushes on all sides of the field. Loudon says : — "J3. vulgaris is at once an ornamental shrub, a fruit tree, a hedge plant, a dye, a drug, and a re- puted enemy to the corn farmer. When covered with flowers in the spring, or with fruit in autumn, it is a fine object. Every one, who is an observer of nature, must have been struck, in May or June, with the beauty of the upper arching shoots of the Barberry, springing from a mass of rich green, and sustaining numerous pendant racemes of splendid yellow flowers. It is hardly less at. tractive when its blossoms have been succeeded by the cluster of scarlet fruit in autumn." The leaves are of a blueish-green, and gratefully acid to the taste. The smell of the flower is offensive when near, but pleasant at a cer- tain distance. The berries are so very acid, that birds seldom touch them. They are sometimes pickled and used for garnishing dishes, or when boiled with sugar, form a most agreeable jelly. The roots boiled in lye, yield a yellow color. There is a variety or species with purple foliage, which is desirable in large collections. B« dulcis, — Sweet-fruited Barberry, is more dwarf in habit, the foliage more delicate, and almost evergreen ; the flowers dark orange, scattered along the branches, among the foliage. It is a pretty plant, but I have found that it is not perfectly hardy here ; but in England, 402 it makes a handsome fancy hedge. The species are all easily propagated from suckers. B. A qili folium, — Holly-leaved Barberry, Mahonia. — This is an elegant evergreen shrab, three or four feet high, with clusters of yellow flowers, in May or June, succeeded by bunches of blue berries. The leaves are compound, with somewhat prickly points, very glossy green, inclining to purplish-brown, and, in those that are young, various shades of crimson and purple, giving the plant a very rich appearance. The foliage remains in per- fection during the winter, where screened from the sun by trees, or covered with snow or straw. In autumn the foliage is very gay, as on the same plant there will be bright-green, purple, brown and crimson leaves. BUXUS.— Box. [The ancient Greek name.] BUXUS semptfrYirens. — Garden Box. — This is a delicate shrub, which may be pruned to any shape to please the fancy. It is an evergreen, and easily propagated by cut- tings. It is in general use, and the best material for forming edgings to beds, walks, and grown singly, will make large shrubs in some locations. It is necessary to plant Box for shrubs in a shady place, and they will gen- erally require to be matted in the winter. There are va- rieties with yellow and white striped leaves, called the gold and silver striped. There are a number of species, among which are the D \varf and Tree Box. The last kind is suitable for the shrubbery, as it will grow and thrive well under the drip of trees. The Box is a native of most parts of Europe. It is one of the most useful of evergreen shrubs, not only for its beauty and adapta- bility in the garden for edgings, but the Tree Box is valu- able for various mechanical purposes. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 403 -~ singular fashion prevailed many years since, to cut and clip Box trees into the shape of beasts, birds and various fantastical forms. "This preposterous taste in gardening was at last reformed by the pure and classic taste of Bacon, who, though no enemy to sculpture, did not approve of this absurd species of it, at once disfigur- ing art and nature." The Yew and other trees, were also tortured in this strange fanciful way. I noticed in an old garden, a few miles from Boston, a small parterre, which was laid out in the year 1794; the beds were all edged with box, which had, for more than 60 years, been regu- larly trimmed. The edging was about six inches thick, and at least four feet high. The sides were smooth and the top even, without any break in the foliage from the ground to the top. Great attention had been given it by the old lady who was in possession, that it might remain as it was at the time of her husband's decease, many years before. The beds of various shapes were small, so that no plants could nourish, and the only thing of inter- est about this strange arrangement was, as a relic of olden time. If Box is used for edging, it should, in all cases, be kept low, by regular trimming every year, and kept down to the height of not more than four or five inches ; and when it becomes too thick, should be taken up and re-set. CALYCANTHUS.— CAROLINA ALLSPICE. [Name from the Greek words for cup and flower, from the colored cup which contains the stamens and pistils.] Calycantkus llorid us, — Carolina Allspice, Sweet-scented Shrub. — This well-known shrub grows from three to five feet high, and bears from June to August a profusion of dark brownish-purple flowers, which have the odor of ripe 404 melons. The wood is also very fragrant. There are sev- eral other species of the same general appearance, but differing in the character of their leaves. C. Icevigatus, has smooth leaves, and C. glaucus has the leaves white underneath. All are easily propagated by suckers or by layers. CEANO THUS.— NEW JERSEY TEA.. [An ancient Greek name of obscure application.] CeanothllS AmericanilS, — New Jersey Tea. — A low bushy shrub, found growing on the margins of woods in dry sandy soil. The minute, delicate, white flowers are very pretty, and are produced in crowded clusters in June and July. The leaves have been used as a substitute for tea, and the root to dye a nankeen or cinnamon color. CELASTB,TrS.— STAFF-TREE. [An ancient Greek name for some evergreen, but our species is deciduous.] CelastFUS SCandenS. — Wax-work, Climbing Bitter- sweet.— A strong woody vine, growing around trees and over rocks, in moist situations. It is very useful for cov- ering arbors, walls, or trellis work, or it may be trained to a pillar in the shrubbery. The foliage is of a deep green, and handsome. The flowers, which are small, greenish and in racemes, make but very little show, but the fruit is very ornamental. The fruit is a round three- valved capsule, which, when ripe, opens and discloses the seeds, which are of a deep scarlet, and contrast finely with the orange color of the valves of the capsule. A vigor- ous climber, which will grow fifteen or twenty feet high. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 405 CERCIS.— JUDAS TREE. [The ancient name applied lo the Eastern species.] Canadtfnsis, — Judas Tree, Red Bud. — A shrub or low tree, indigenous to the Southern and Western States. It is curious from being covered with bunches of rose-colored flowers before the leaves begin to appear. They give a brilliant appearance to the whole tree, ex- cept the extremities of the branches. It is also a hand- some tree when in full foliage in summer. CHIONANTHUS.— FRINGE TREE. [From the Greek words for snow and flower, in allusion to the snow-like whiteness of the racemes of delicate flowers.] Uiionaiithiis Virginica. — Fringe Tree. — A fine decidu- ous shrub or small tree, sometimes growing twenty feet high, but flowering when but six or eight feet high. Its leaves are six or eight inches long, and two to three inches wide. The flowers are white, numerous, and in long bunches, which have a fringe-like appearance. It is a na- tive of Pennsylvania and southward, and is quite hardy. A light loam is the best soil for it. It is rather difficult to propagate, and it succeeds best grafted on the Ash. CLETHRA. [The Greek name for the Alder, to which this plant has some resemblance In its foliage.] (Icthra alnifolia.— Alder-leaved Clethra, Sweet Pep- per-bush.— A shrub from two to eight feet high, with long spikes of fragrant flowers which appear towards the end of summer. It is found in wet places and by the sides of streams, but succeeds well when removed to the garden, 406 and blooms even more freely there than it does in the wild state. C. acuminata, and other species, are found in the Southern States. COLTTTEA.— BLADDER SENNA. [Name from the Greek, signifying to make a sound ; probably in allusion to the noise produced by the bursting of the bladder-like fruit ] Colutea abortfscens, grows about ten feet high, with yellow or orange pea-shaped flowers, which are succeeded by seed-vessels like bladders ; in June and July. C. cru- enta, four feet high, has reddish flowers. All are free growers, and well adapted to introduce into extensive shrubberies. COROKTLLA.— SCORPION-SENNA. [Named from corona, a crown. Its pretty flowers are disposed in little tufts like coronets.] Coronllla &nerilS9 or Scorpion Senna, is a native of most parts of Europe. It has yellow, pea-shaped flowers in little heads, in June. It is a delicate shrub, with hand- some foliage ; somewhat tender when exposed to the full rays of the sun, but when grown among other bushes suc- ceeds very well. Its height rarely exceeds three feet. CORNUS, — CORNEL — DOGWOOD. [Name from the Latin, cornu, a horn, the wood being very hard and durable.] The larger species of this genus are hardy ornamental shrubs, mostly North American, and are prized not only for their flowers and different colored berries, but for their red, purple or striped bark, which has a fine effect in winter, especially among evergreens. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 407 Cornus alternifdlia. — Alternate-leaved Cornel. — " A beautiful shrub, six or eight feet high ; sometimes a grace- ful small tree, of fifteen, twenty, or even twenty-five feet high, throwing off, at one or more points, several branch- es, which, slightly ascending, diverge, and form nearly horizontal umbrageous stages, or flats of leaves, so closely arranged as to give almost a perfect shade. Recent shoots, of a shining light yellowish-green, with oblong scattered dots. The older branches, of a rich polished green, striped with gray. Flowers in an irregularly branched head, yellowish-white ; fruit, blue-black. A beautiful plant, with a variety of character. It grows nat- urally in most woods, or on the sides of hills ; but, when cultivated, flourishes in almost any kind of soil, and even in dry situations. It flowers in May and June, and the fruit ripens in October." C. florid a, — The Flowering Dogwood. — This species is more of a tree than any of those described, and one of the most desirable of all the genus. It is a conspicuous object, in some of our woods, the last of May. The tree is then loaded with a profusion of its large, showy, white flowers, which are produced at the ends of the branches. What is generally taken for the flower is not in reality such. The flowers are small, and without much interest, except to the botanist. Twelve or more of them are clustered together in a head, and surrounded by a whorl of four large white floral leaves, which constitutes the principal beauty of the flower. These floral leaves are nerved, somewhat heart-shaped, shaded with flesh color, or purple ; the fruit is of a bright scarlet. " The leaves early begin to change to purple, and turn to a rich scarlet, or crimson, above, with a light-russet be- neath ; or to crimson and buff, or orange ground, above, with a glaucous-purple beneath. These, surrounding the scarlet bunches of berries, make the tree as beautiful an 408 object, at the close of autumn, as it was in the opening summer." C» circinata* — Round-leaved Cornel. — A spreading shrub from four to six feet high, with roundish leaves. The young shoots are green, blotched with purple ; flow- ers white ; fruit blue, turning whitish, and ripe in October. C« stolonifera, — Red-stemmed Cornel. — The main stem is usually prostrate and sends up slender erect branches, five to eight feet high; flowers white, and fruit lead-col- ored. This plant is conspicuous towards the end of win- ter for the rich red color of its stems and shoots. C. panic lllata, — Panicled Cornel. — About six feet high, with rather irregular branches. Flowers produced in great profusion in May and June, and are succeeded by white berries, which ripen in August and September, at which time the fruit-stalks become a delicate pale scarlet. .— THE THORN. [Name from the Greek, signifying strength, from Ihe hardness of the wood.] In relation to this genus Mr. Emerson remarks : — "It is found that a greater variety of beautiful small trees and ornamental shrubs can be formed of the several species of Thorn, than of any kind of tree whatever. Thus they give persons, whose grounds are not extensive, the means of ornamenting their grounds with great facility. If trained as trees, they have an appearance of singular neat- ness united with a good degree of vigor ; and the read- iness with which they are pruned and grafted, renders them susceptible of almost any shape which the fancy of the owner would have them assume. Some of the species, native to Massachusetts, often take, even in a state of na- ture, the shape of handsome low trees Of these, the flowers and foliage have great beauty, and the scarlet DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 409 haws, which remain on into winter, till, ripened by frost, they are gathered by the birds, give them additional charms. Into these tall species all the others, very vari- ous, and many of them very beautiful, may be grafted. The four principal species, natives of our State, are : — Cratcegus coccinea, Scarlet-fruited Thorn ; G. tomentosa, the Pear-leaved Thorn; G. crus-galli, the Cockspur Thorn, and G. punctata, the Dotted-fruited Thorn ; — all handsome, with white, fragrant flowers, in clusters. €• Oxyacantha is the common Hawthorn of England, which is also an ornamental shrub, as well as a very im- portant one for the formation of hedges. Of this species there are a number of beautiful varieties, viz. : rosea, with deep red flowers ; double white and double red, which are very beautiful, besides some others not so well known. CYDONIA.— JAPAN QUINCE. [So called from being a native of the ancient town of Cydon, in the island of Crete.] Cydonia Japonica, formerly Pyrus Japonica. is indige- nous to Japan, and embraces two varieties, the scarlet and variegated flowering. When in bloom, there is no plant that equals it in splendor. The Gydbnia may be seen budding and bursting into bloom in April. The flowers are in aggregated clusters, along the branches, interspersed with the young leaves. The scarlet color of the flowers is most brilliant. There is a paler variety which has flow- ers of a fine blush, shaded with red, which, when con- ] trasted with the other, forms an agreeable relief. The perfect hardiness of this shrub, and the brilliancy of its flowers, render it valuable in the shrubbery, lawn or flow- er-garden. It grows from six to eight feet high, but com- mences to flower when the plants are quite small. A 18 410 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. writer says: — "One of the most pleasing .and picturesque objects we recollect ever to have seen, was a large Cy- donia whilst in full bloom, partially imbedded in a late snow; the branches weighed down thereby, and the rich brilliant blossom*, peeping through their chaste covering." /A variety with double flowers lias recently been introduc- ed. It succeeds in any good garden soil, and is prop- agated by layering and by suckers. CYTISUS.— LABURNUM. [An ancient classical name.] Cf tisus LaMrnum, — Golden Chain. — A tall and elegant shrub or low tree, which, when in bloom, is laden with long, pendulous clusters of golden, pea-shaped flowers, similar in appearance to those of the Locust. Blooms the last of May or in June, and is most rich and beautiful. The variety C. leucanthum, has cream-colored flowers. There is also a purple-flowering species, C. purpureus, which grows two feet high, but the first mentioned is the most desirable of all the species and varieties. DAPHNE. — MEZEREUM. [A name from ancient mythology.] Daphne Meztfreum, — Mezereum. — This has long been in cultivation, and is much esteemed for its early flower- ing and fragrance. The flowers come out before the leaves, early in the spring; they grow in clusters, all around the shoots of the former year. " Though leafless, well attired, and thick beset With blushing wreaths, investing every spray." The flowers are succeeded by brilliant scarlet berries, which are a powerful poison. Another variety has white DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WEEING SHRUBS. 411 flowers and yellow berries. When a large number of bushes are planted together, they will perfume the air to a considerable distance. It thrives well in a loamy soil, and will grow in the shade and even in the drip of trees. DETTTZIA. [So named by Thunberg, in compliment to John Deutz, one of the senators of Amsterdam, a patron of botany, and one of the proinotors of the voyage of the former to Japan.] Deutzia scabra* — A very elegant shrub, a native of Japan. Is height is about six or eight feet, and during the early part of summer it is covered with a profusion of white blossoms, which are highly fragrant. The speci- fic name of the plant is given on account of the rough- ness of its leaves. D, gracilis. — This is a very graceful and elegant dwarf shrub, two or three feet high, with arching branches, which are loaded with pure white flowers in June ; leaves smooth and deep green. This plant is useful for forcing in the green-house, where it flowers in as great profusion as out of doors, and should be taken up and potted as soon as the foliage is destroyed by frost. Both of these varieties are of easy culture, being sufficiently hardy to endure our winters without protection, and readily prop- agated by cuttings or from suckers. DIE B, VILLA. — WIEGELA. — BUSH-HONEYSUCKLE. [Named in honor of Dierville, a French surgeon.] Diervilla trifida, — Three-flowered Bush-Honeysuckle. — A neat little native shrub, from two to three feet high, with handsome opposite leaves, from the axils of which spring three yellow honeysuckle-shaped flowers, in June and July. 412 • D. rdsea. — Wiegela rosea. — Rose-colored Wiegela. — This shrub was first introduced from Japan as a new ge- nus, to which the name of Wiegela was given. Botanists have since placed it in the old genus Diervilla, but the name Wiegela has become so well established that it will serve for the common name of the shrub, it being the only one that it has. " When I first discovered this beautiful plant," says Mr. Fortune, the gentleman to whom we are indebted for its introduction, " it was growing in a Man- darin's garden, on the island of Chusan, and literally loaded with its fine rose-colored flowers, which hung in graceful bunches from the axils of the leaves and the ends of the branches. Everyone saw and admired the beauti- ful Wiegela. I immediately marked it as one of the fin- est plants in Northern China, and determined to send plants of it home in every ship, until I should hear of its safe arrival. It forms a neat bush, not unlike a Syringa in habit, deciduous in winter, and flowering in the months of April and May. One great recommendation to it is, that it is a plant of the easiest cultivation. Cuttings strike readily, any time during the winter and spring months, with ordinary attention, and the plant itself grows well in any ordinary soil. It should be grown in this country as it is in China, not tied up in that formal unnatural way in which we see plants brought to our ex- hibitions; but a main stem or two chosen for leaders, which, in their turn, throw out branches from their sides, and then, when the plant comes into bloom, the branches, which are loaded with beautiful flowers, hang down in graceful and natural festoons." Several fine varieties are now in cultivation. The variety amabilis, formerly con- sidered a species, and called Wiegela amabalis, has a more drooping habit, rather larger leaves and somewhat smaller and deeper colored flowers. The variety Isoline has white flowers. Desboisii, has very dark flowers, and DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 413 there are two varieties with variegated foliage. All that we have tried have proved as hardy as a Lilac, flower most profusely, and are very handsome and sweet-scented. DIRCA, — LEATHER-WOOD. [Dirca is the name of a fountain near Thebes, and probably applied to this plant because it grows near mountain rivulets.] Dirca palustris. — Leather-wood, Wicopy. — This is a much branched shrub, from three to six feet high, found in wet, marshy and shady places. It is conspicuous, when in flower in April, for the number of yellow blossoms, which fade and fall rapidly as the leaves expand. The wood is very pliable, and the bark of singular toughness and tenacity. It has such strength, that a man cannot pull apart so much as covers a branch of half or third of an inch in diameter. It is used by millers and others for thongs. The aborigines used it as a cordage. EUONYMUS.— SPINDLE TREE.— STRAWBERRY TREE. [Euonymns was a heathen divinity; according to Epirnenides she was the mother of the Furies by Saturn.,] E lion ymtis Americanus.— Burning Bush. — An elegant shrub, growing eight to fifteen feet high, producing rather inconspicuous purple flowers in clusters, which are suc- ceeded by brilliant scarlet fruit, that remains after the foliage has fallen ; highly ornamental. The foliage is handsome; the branches erect, of a fresh green color. There is a variety with purplish-red berries, and another with white berries. Upon the opening of the valves which enclose the seeds, the white variety shows to great ad- vantage, the valves being white, and the berry-like seeds a light scarlet. The fruit is produced in great profusion. 414 Plants may be raised from seed, which should be planted in autumn ; or by layers or cuttings. E. Europaeus. — The European Spindle Tree. — This is a handsome evergreen shrub, with deep shining-green leaves, with a variety having silver-edged leaves. The European species and varieties are somewhat tender in this latitude. They should be planted in a sheltered, shady place. HALESIA. — SNOWDROP. — SILVER- BELL TREE. [Named after Doct. Hales, author of Vegetable Statics.] Halesia tetraptera. — Four- winged Silver-bell Tree. — A native of Virginia and southward, where it is found on the banks of rivers. An ornamental shrub five or six feet high, which, in May, produces flowers in small bunch- es, all along its branches ; each bud produces from four to nine flowers, ot* a snowy whiteness; these appear be- fore the leaves, and last for two or three weeks. II. diptcra. — Two-winged Silver-bell Tree. — This is also a native of the Southern States, but is hardy at the North. It is much less common than the last. It has leaves twice as broad and flowers of a larger size, and the pods have only two wings. It blossoms three or four weeks later than the four- winged species. Both are raised from seeds and by layers. HEDERA.— ENGLISH IVY. [From hedra, the Celtic name for cord.] lltflix. — Common Ivy. — The ancients held Ivy in great esteem, and Bacchus is represented as crowned with it to prevent intoxication. It is a highly esteemed ornamental evergreen climber, and much used in England DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHBUBS. 415 for covering naked buildings or trees, or for training into fanciful shapes, or a stake so as to form a standard. In this country it is not very common, but it appears to succeed well in shady situations. There are some speci- mens in the city of Boston, which flourish finely upon the rough granite or brick walls of buildings. It is easily propagated by cuttings or layers. There are a number of varieties of this, all of which are desirable. It grows to a great height, and attaches itself firmly to whatever it grows upon, without any assistance. HYPEBICUM.— ST. JOHN'S-WORT. Some of the species of this genus have been noticed under Herbaceous Plants. Hy peri cum prolificum,— Shrubby St. John's-wort, is a native woody species worth cultivating. It is found in New Jersey and westward, grows from one to four feet high, and from July to September is covered with a pro- fusion of yellow flowers. HIBISCUS.— ROSE OF SHARON. Hibiscus Syriacus. — Tree Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon; also called Althaea jrutex, Shrubby Althaea.— The herba- ceous species of Hibiscus have been mentioned in another place ; this is an old and well-known shrubby species of easy cultivation. A great number of varieties have been produced, both single and double, and ranging in color from white to dark-purple. The single varieties are gen- erally more hardy than the double ones. Easily raised from seeds and from cuttings. It requires very severe pruning to keep it from growing loose and straggling. 416 ILEX.— HOLLY. [An ancient Latin name.] Ilex Aquifolinm. — English Holly. — An evergreen shrub or low tree, of which innumerable varieties have been raised. The silver and gold edged varieties are very beautiful. This species does not succeed well in this country, on account of our hot suns. I. opaca. — American Holly. — This species is found plentifully in some parts of Massachusetts and southward. Mr. Emerson says of it : — " The American Holly is a handsome low tree, with nearly horizontal branches, and thorny evergreen leaves. The berries are scarlet, and re- main on the tree into winter. The plants, formerly called Prinos, are now considered by botanists as deciduous species of Ilex. I. verticillata.— (Prinos verticittatus.) — Black Alder. — This indigenous shrub, so ornamental in low grounds and swamps in autumn, is worthy of a place in every col- lection of shrubs. " It is a handsome shrub, five or six — rarely ten or twelve — feet high, with crowded branches and leaves, conspicuous for its bunches of axillary blos- soms and scarlet berries, remaining late in the autumn, or even into the winter. The recent shoots are clothed with an apple-green bark, which, on the large branches, turns to a pearly gray, and, on the older stems, is of a polished and clouded dark color, whence the plant derives its com- mon name." The flowers are white, and not very orna- mental. The berries are of a bright scarlet, covering the twigs, the size of peas, in bunches of two or three, and remain long on the bush. The flowers expand in June ; the berries are ripe in September. The Black Alder will require a peaty, moist soil. I. glabra,— (Prinos glaber.)—ThQ Ink Berry. — "An elegant, delicate-looking, evergreen shrub, with slender branches, growing in sheltered places, to the height of. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 417 from two to eight or nine feet. The elegance of the ev- ergreen foliage causes it to be much sought after to be mingled with bouquets in winter ; and for this purpose it is brought from considerable distances, and carefully kept in cellars, sometimes for months." The leaves are lance- shaped, an inch or more long, and one-third or half an inch wide. INDIGOFEKA.— INDIGO SHRUB. [The name means a plant bearing Indigo.] Indigofera decora* — Indigo Shrub. — A handsome plant, growing four or five feet high, bearing spikes of small purple flowers ; suitable for the shrubbery, free flowering, and of easy culture. JASMINUM.— JASMINE. [From the Arabic j;ismin, (ysmyn).] Jasminuin OfficinalC.— White Jasmine, is a native of the East Indies; it is an exceedingly elegant plant for training over a wall or arbor, and will bear the winter in the Middle States, with some protection. It is a delicate and fragrant shrub, not surpassed by any of the species. It is of this that Cowper speaks, in the following passage : " The Jasmine, throwing wide her elegjtnt sweets, The deep dark-green of whose nnvarnished leaf Makes more conspicuous, and illumines more The bright profusion of her scattered stars." In New Haven I have seen it in a garden, and was as- sured that it did not require protection there. The proper place for the Jasmines in Massachusetts, is the green-house. 18* 418 KALMIA. — AMERICAN LAUREL. [A small genus of handsome evergreen indigenous shrubs. Named in honor of Peter Kalm, a pupil of Linnaeus.] Kalmia latifolia. — Mountain Laurel, Spoon Wood, etc. — Its general height is from five to ten feet, but may some- times be seen rising from fifteen to twenty feet, among the rocks, and forms almost impenetrable thickets, by its crooked and unyielding trunks, locked and entangled with each other. The leaves are about three or four inches long, evergreen, giving much life to the forests in the winter, by their deep shining-green. The flowers are disposed in large corymbs, at the extremity of the branches ; numer- ous ; of a pure white, blush, or a beautiful rose-color, and more rarely, a deep red. The season of flowering is in the months of June and July. Nothing can exceed the mag- nificence of its appearance when in full bloom. The soil in which it best succeeds is soft, loose, and cool, with a northern exposure. The foliage is the richest when the plant is grown in the shade. The soil suitable for its growth, is the same as recommended for the Azalea. Young plants, taken up with balls of earth attached, will succeed well in the garden, in the shade. Those from open pastures will flourish best, if such can be found. There is no shrub, foreign or native, that will exceed this in splendor, when well grown. K. angustifolia* — Narrow-leaved Kalmia, Sheep-Laurel. — This is a low shrub, that covers large tracts of cold, moist land, in almost every section of the country. It is a great nuisance to the farmer, who looks suspiciously upon it, as it has the reputation of being poisonous to sheep and other animals, which, for the sake of variety or want of other food, sometimes feed upon it. Blooms in June and July ; flowers red, or deep pink, and I have seen a white variety ; leaves evergreen ; growing from one to two feet hi oft. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 419 KERIIIA.— JAPAN GLOBE FLOWER. lNames.1 in honor of Mr. Kerr, a farmer superintendent of the botanical gar- den at Ceylon.] Ktfrria Jap6nica9 — formerly called C or chorus Japon- ica — Is an elegant shrub, growing from three to six feet high, and producing a profusion of double-yellow, globular flowers. The branches are bright green, and the foliage handsome. In some localities it is a little tender, and the tops are killed down ; but it sends up fresh shoots, which flower the same season. Easily propagated by suckers. LAV ANDTTLA.— LAVENDER, learned from lavo, to wash, referring to its use in baths.] Lav£ndula spicata. — Spike-flowered Lavender. — This is a most desirable dwarf shrub, with delicate glaucous foli- age, and spikes of blue flowers, in July ; three feet high. The whole plant is delightfully fragrant, but more partic- ularly the flowers. These yield the oil from which tho Lavender water is made. In some soils and situations the plant is tender. In cold, moist soil, it is almost sure to be winter-killed ; but, in a dry, loamy, or gravelly soil, it endures our winters with but little protection. We have been successful in the cultivation of it in a soil of the latter quality, and, from the flowers that grew upon the edging of a circular bed, six feet in diameter, obtained more than one ounce of the pure oil, one drop of which would perfume a room. It is sometimes used for edgings, in milder climates, but grows too high for general use. As an edging for a bed of Moss Roses, we have seen it used with pleasing effect. " The agreeable scent of Lavender is well known, since it is an old and still a common custom to scatter the flow- ers over linen, as some do rose leaves, for the sake of their sweet odor." 420 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. Lavender is easily propagated by cuttings or slips. It is a great pity that it is not perfectly hardy ; but as it is, with a little choice in its location, it is easily preserved through the winter, and worthy of all the care and trou- ble that may be given to its cultivation. LIGUSTRUM.-PKIVET. [The ancient classical name.] LigUStrum VUlgire, — The common Privet, or Prim. — The Privet is a native of Europe, and introduced from thence to this country, and now has become domesticated in many parts of New England. In England, the Privet is an evergreen, or the leaves remain until driven off by new ones. In this climate it is deciduous, shedding its leaves late in autumn. " In France and Great Britain, the Privet is much used for a hedge plant, either alone or with other plants. Its use for this purpose is recommended by the beauty of the foliage, the flowers and berries, by its rapid and easy growth, and by the fact that it grows well under the drip of other trees, except evergreens. It flour- ishes in almost any soil, as may be easily seen from the variety of ground on which it has sown itself in the vi- cinity of Boston ; and it is propagated by seeds, or by cuttings, and requires very little pruning. It grows in clumps, from strong, matted, bright-yellow roots, in height six or eight feet. Flowers white, in short, terminal pan- icles, in June ; the berries are of a shining black." The blossom of the Privet, when exposed to the noonday sun, withers almost as soon as blown. In the shade, it not only lasts longer, but is much larger. The leaves too, are much larger and finer when so placed. The English Privet is much used for ornamental hedges, and is also desirable in a shrubbery, on account of the DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 421 permanency of its elegant foliage ; it retains its foliage much longer than the American variety, and bears green berries. In England it is an evergreen, and nearly so here. The American variety is also very desirable. It sheds its foliage much sooner, and has black berries. There are a number of other varieties or species of Privet, which are also desirable. The Golden-edged Privet is a very striking variety, with variegated leaves. L. lucida has elegant, thick, glossy, green foliage, and is a valuable acquisition. L. Japonica has large, long, glossy leaves, of a bright green, and where it is hardy, will be very desirable. LIPPIA. — SWEET VERBENA. [In memory of A. Lippi, a French botanist, who was killed in Abyssinia.] Lippia Cltrioddra. — Sweet Verbena, Lemon-scented Verbena. Aloysia citriodora and Verbena triphylla, of the older botanical authors. — A desirable green-house shrub, which also succeeds well when planted in the bor- der in the summer, and, if in rich soil, will form a neat little bush before hard frosts set in in autumn. Before freezing weather, the plants should.be taken up, and housed, either in the green-house or sitting-room. This delightful little shrub is a native of South America ; it is indispensable in the flower-garden, on account of its ex- quisite fragrance, which partakes of the scent of the lemon and almond. The leaves are elegant, linear-lance- olate, rough, arranged in threes upon the stem. Flowers minute, pale-purple, almost white; numerous, in dense upright regular panicles. It may be increased by cut- tings, and also from seeds, when they mature, which is not often the case in common cultivation. 422 LONTCERA.— HONEYSUCKLE.— WOODBINE. [Named after Adam Lonicer, a German botanist of the 16th century.] This genus now includes botli the erect and climbing ones, the latter were formerly called Caprifoliiim. Loiiirera Tartarica. — Tartarian Honeysuckle. — This species grows to the height of eight or ten feet, and in June is covered by a profusion of pink flowers, which are succeeded by red berries. It is a desirable shrub, whether for its foliage, flower, or fruit, and will thrive in almost any soil and situation. A native of Russia and Siberia. There are several varieties with white and red-striped flowers, and yellow and white berries. Easily propagated by cuttings, layers, and seed. L. semptfrvirens, — Scarlet Trumpet-Honeysuckle. — Na- tive, from New York southward ; perfectly hardy, and in general cultivation. The foliage is evergreen at the South, but deciduous at the North ; flowers trumpet-shap- ed, of a rich scarlet without, tinged witli orange within, without fragrance. The plant grows rapidly, throws out a multitude of fine branches, and his a singularly rich* ap- pearance, from the deep green of its leaves and the splen- dor of its scarlet flowers. In bloom from June to Octo- ber. L« flava, — Yellow Honeysuckle. — A native species, found in the mountains at the South and West. It ha.s very pale, glaucous, thick leaves, and slender, light yellow flowers. In bloom all the season. Li hirsuta. — Hairy Honey suckle. — This is a native of the Northern States, found on damp, rocky banks, often growing to the height of fifteen to thirty feet ; the flow- ers are of a pale-yellow without, hairy, and of a rich orange within ; flowers in June and July. L, Periclymtfnum, — Woodbine. — This is a vigorous- growing English species ; flowers pale-yellow, in June ; highly fragrant. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERING SHRUBS. 423 The variety Belgicum, or Dutch Sweet-scented Honey- suckle, is a well-known fragrant climber, giving a pro- fusion of bloom in June, which emits a delightful odor ; flowers yellow, variegated with red or purple. The Dutch Monthly Sweet-scented Honeysuckle is an- other variety, with flowers somewhat like the last, but produced in succession through the summer and autumn, until hard frosts. .The buds, before they expand, are of a dark-red or purple. When the flower opens, the interi- or is pure white, which changes to a cream color, and from that to an orange, giving the cluster a variegated and rich appearance. A variety has oak-shaped leaves. L. Japonicum. — Japan, or Chinese Honeysuckle. — Botanists seem to be in much confusion about this species and its allies, and one botanist has called it L. confusa. We give the name adopted by the best authorities. It is a very desirable species, with evergreen leaves, and del- icate flowers through the season ; stem flexuous and twining. It readily supports the rigor of our winters, and, blooming with an exhaustless profusion, presents, from May till late in autumn, rich wreaths of flowers, va- rious in tint, and of an exquisite orange-flower perfume. The buds are purple ; as they expand, the spotless white of the gaping corolla is exhibited, with its protrud- ing stamens tipped with yellow anthers. On exposure to the air, the flowers gradually assume a cream-like tint, and, finally, a perfect orange color ; and, as they mature in succession from the base to the extremity of the branch, the colors are all present on the same shoot. The stems and nerves of the leaves are purple ; it is nearly ever- green. In rich loam, the growth is luxuriant. The White Italian Honeysuckle has pale-yellow, almost white flowers. There are many other fine varieties and species of this beautiful genus, but not much known. In raising the Honevsuckle from seeds, they should be 424 BKECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. sown in the autumn after they are ripe ; otherwise they will not come up the first year. Cuttings are sometimes apt to rot, owing to water lodging in their tubular stems, above the last joint. To obviate this inconvenience, some make the cuttings of double the usual size, and insert both ends into the ground, leaving the part* above ground in the form of a semi-circle. Commonly, however, such cuttings root only at one end. LYCIUM.— MATRIMONY VINE. [Name said to be named from Lycia, its native country.] Lyciuni Barbarum. — Barbary Box-Thorn, Matrimony Vine, Willow-leaved Lycium. — A climbing shrub, w^hich grows from four to six feet in a season, and valuable for covering arbors, naked walls, etc. The foliage delicate, and the whole plant is covered with small, but handsome, violet flowers, from May to August ; these are succeeded by small red berries. It will grow in almost any soil, and is easily propagated by suckers or from cuttings. It may be permitted to ramble, or trained to suit the fancy. MAGNOLIA. [NHmed for Magnol, a distinguished French botanist.! Most of the genus are lofty trees, some of them, how- ever, bloom when quite small, and may be considered as shrubs. Magnolia glatica. — Small, or Laurel Magnolia, Sxveet Bay. — The most northern boundary of the habitation of this beautiful plant is supposed to be in a sheltered swamp, near Cape Ann, and not far from the sea. It is, however, common along the southern coast. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 425 " Few ornamental plants are better worth the attention of the gardener. Carefully trained, it forms a beautiful little tree. No plant is, at any season and in every con- dition, more beautiful. The flower, pure white, two o.' three inches broad, is as beautiful and almost as fragrant as the White Lily. The fruit is a cone, about two inches long, covered with scale-like, imbricated ovaries, from which, when mature, escape the scarlet obovate seeds, which, instead of falling at once to the ground, remain some time suspended by a slender thread. The bark of the young shoots is smooth and of a rich apple-green, after- wards becoming of a soft glaucous or whitish color." Although naturally growing in wet ground, it will flourish in almost any good garden soil, if not exceed- ingly dry, particularly if partially shaded from the sun. It may be propagated by layers, — which require two years to root sufficiently, — or by seed, if great care is observed. M. COnspicua.— -White Chinese Magnolia, Yulan.— This is called M. Yulan by some botanists. This forms a large tree, but flowers when only a few feet high. Flow- ers white, appearing before the leaves. Mi purptirea. — Purple Chinese Magnolia. — Similar in habit to the foregoing, with long dark-purple flowers. Each of these presents several varieties, and there are some hybrids. The late A. J. Downing, says : — " They are certainly among the most striking and orna- mental objects in our pleasure-grounds and shrubberies in the spring. Indeed, during the months of April and the early part of May, two of them, the White, or Conspicua, and Soulange's Purple, or 8oulangiana, eclipse every other floral object, whether tree or shrub, that the garden contains. Their numerous branches, thickly studded with large flowers, most classically shaped, with thick, kid-like petals, and rich, spicy odor, wear an aspect of novelty 426 BRECK'S XEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. and beauty among the smaller blossoms of the more com- mon trees and shrubs that blossom at that early time, and really fill the beholder with delight. The Chinese White Magnolia (M. conspicua,) is, in effect of its blossoms, the most charming of all Magnolias. The flowers, in color a pure, creamy white, are produced in such abundance, that the tree, when pretty large, may be seen at a great dis- tance. "The Chinese name, Gulan, literally, Lily-tree, is an apt and expressive one, as the blossoms are not much un- like those of the White Lily in size and shape, when fully expanded. Among the Chinese poets, they are consid- ered the emblem of candor and beauty." "The next most ornamental Chinese Magnolia," he says, " is Soulange's Purple, (Magnolia Soulangiana.} This is a hybrid seedling, raised by the late Chevalier Soulange Bodin, the distinguished French horticulturist. The hab- it of the tree is closely similar to that of the conspicua ; its blossoms, equally numerous, are rather larger, but the outside of the petals is finely tinged with purple. It par- takes of the character of both its parents, having the growth of Magnolia conspicua, and the color of M. pur- purea, (or, indeed, a lighter shade of purple.) Its term of blooming is, also, mid-wny between that of these two species, being about a week later than that of the white, or Gulan Magnolia. It is also perfectly hardy in this lati- tude." The Magnolia pur pur ea is sometimes seen in large gardens about Boston, but fs a little tender. " It is a shrub of six to eight feet high. The blossoms are white within, of a fine dark-lilac or purple on the outside, and quite fragrant, like the others." The flowers begin to open early in May, and continue blooming a number of weeks, or, if in the shade, through most of the summer. The same gentleman remarks, that, "If these noble flowering trees have a defect, it is one which is insepar- DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERING SHRUBS. 427 able from the early period at which they bloom, viz., that of having few or no leaves when the blossoms are in their full perfection ;" and suggests, that the planting of the American Arbor Yitae and Hemlock would remedy this defect, by forming a dark-green background on which the beautiful masses of Magnolia flowers would appear to great advantage. PHILABELPHUS. — SYRINGA, MOCK ORANGE. The Syringa is a most delicious shrub ; the foliage is luxuriant, the blossom beautiful and abundant, white as the purest Lily, and of the most fragrant scent. In a room, indeed, this perfume is too powerful, but in the air it is remarkably agreeable. There is a variety which has no scent, and also a dwarf variety, which does not usu- ally exceed three feet in height. The flowers sweet, and some double. " The sweet Syringa, yielding hut in scent To the rich Orange, or the Woodbine wild, That loves to hang on barren boughs, remote. Her wreaths of flowery perfume." All the species are propagated by suckers, layers, or cuttings, and thrive in any good garden soil. PhiladllphllS grandiflorus, — Large-flowering Syringa. — This is the handsomest of the genus, and is properly only a variety of P. inodorus. It is perfectly hardy, growing in any soil or situation, forming a spreading shrub about six feet high ; flowering in June and July. P, hirsutus. — This shrub grows from four to five feet high. Like the last, it is a native of North America, and was first discovered by Mr. Nuttall. It thrives in the shrubbery in any common garden soil, and is propagated like the others. 428 P. coroiuirius, — or Common Syringa, — greatly resem- bles the others ; grows about five feet high, and is delight- fully fragrant when in bloom. Flowers in June and July. PRTTNTTS.— PLUM AND CHERRY. [The ancient classical name of the plum.] The cherry was formerly placed in the separate genus of Cerasus, but it is now united by botanists with the Plum in JPrunus, the chief distinction between the two being in the form of the stone. Primus c&ndicans. — This is a delightful, hardy, decidu- ous shrub, growing about six or eight feet high. It is very easy of cultivation, and in May and June, when in full flower, is a perfect picture, the white flowers nearly hiding the young leaves, which are beginning at that time to cover the branches. It may either be propagated by layers, or by budding and grafting on the common plum stock. P. C^raSUS. — The Common Cherry, in its double vari- ety called the Double-flowering Cherry, Cerasus commu- nis plena, is a very desirable addition to the shrubbery, on account of its immense number of large, double, pure white flowers, which cover the tree in the early part of May. The flowers are like small white roses, very full and beautiful. By proper training, it can be kept in a low, shrubby state, if desirable. It will grow in any gar- den soil, and is propagated by budding or grafting. The Weeping Cherry is formed by budding a delicate drooping species of Bird Cherry upon the Mazzard stock, at any height that may suit the fancy. By inserting a number of buds, at the desired height, a large drooping head may be formed, which continues to increase in diam- eter, but not much in height. Its pendent branches, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHETJBS. 429 covered with delicate foliage, are at all times a pleasant sight, but more particularly when covered with its pro- fusion of bloom. EH AMNUS, —BUCKTHORN. [The ancient Greek name.] Rhamnus catharticus. — The Common Buckthorn. — The great value of the Buckthorn, with us, is for hedges. It is perfectly hardy, grows rapidly, and bears pruning better than any other shrub with which we are acquaint- ed. Another important item in its value is, that it is never attacked by insects of any description. It is, also, very tough, and flourishes in any soil. No animal, ex- cept sheep or goats, will feed upon it. We consider it, therefore, the only plant for general use for the formation of hedges. " It puts forth its leaves early in the spring, and retains them late in the fall, and its bunches of rich berries are very showy in autumn." The plants are easily raised from seed, which may be planted either in the fall or very early in the spring. When planted in autumn, it may be done as soon as the berries mature. The berries should be first mashed and washed, so that they may be planted more evenly. The seed may be sown in drills eighteen inches apart, or in beds. The fall- sown seed will vegetate very early in the spring, while those sown in the spring will not appear under four or five weeks from the time of planting. The second year, the plants may be transferred to the nursery, and should be headed down as soon as they begin to grow. This causes them to thicken at the bottom ; a very important point to be remembered, for unless they are first grown with branches from the bottom, no after-cultivation can remedy the neglect. 430 The best hedges we have seen were those where the plants were placed in a single line, six inches distant from each other. RHODODENDHON.-RosE BAY. [The ancient Greek name, meaning rose-tree.] Rhododendron maximum. — Great Laurel. — In the Northern States this is a straggling shrub of very irregular growth, but one of the most magnificent in foliage and flower the country can boast of. It is abundant in the Middle States, and in the mountainous tracts of the South- ern, but rare in New England. It is generally under ten feet in height in this part of the country, but sometimes attains the height of twenty or twenty-five feet in a less rigorous climate. The places where it is found in ISTew England, may be considered as beyond its proper natural limits, and it is met with only in warm swatnps, under the shelter of evergreens, and where the roots are protected by water, which usually overflows these places. The flower-buds are often destroyed, even when it is thus situated, in very severe seasons. When the leaves are beginning to unfold themselves they are rose-colored, and covered with red down. When fully expanded, they are smooth, five or six inches long, of an elongated oval form, and of a thick texture. They are evergreen, and partially renewed once in three or four years. It puts forth flowers in June and July, which are, commonly, rose- colored, with yellow or orange dots on the inside, and sometimes pure white, or shaded with lake. They are always collected at the extremity of the branches, in beau- tiful groups, which derive additional lustre from the foli- age that surrounds them. Previous to their expansion, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERIXG SHRUBS. 431 the flowers are in one large compound bud. resembling a cone, each individual bud being covered by a rhomboidal bract, which falls off when the flower expands. The co- rolla is monopetalous, (one piece or petal,) funnel-shaped, with a short tube, the border divided into five large, un- equal segments. There is but a small chance of plants succeeding which have been taken from swamps. The surest way to propagate it is by seed, from which it read- ily grows, but requires time and patience to bring it into a flowering state. Shade and humidity seem almost indispensable to the growth of this shrub. Deeply shaded situations, where the atmosphere is laden with vapors, are most congenial to its growth. It is, therefore, well calculated for the shrub- bery. With a little attention, it may be insured to stand the sun, and then forms a stately ornament for the lawn or grass-plot. The proper soil is a light, rich, peaty loam, with moisture. It will grow, however, in almost any, and flourish on a strong, heavy loam. It may be propagated from cuttings and layers, from young, healthy branches of ripened wood. There are many exotic species, which are beautiful, and highly ornamental to the green-house. R. CatawMtfnsCi — A low species from the mountains of Virginia and southward. It has shorter and more rounded leaves than the preceeding, and large lilac-purple flowers. Quite hardy. R. P6nticum. — A native of Asia Minor, where it is a large shrub. Though usually hardy if protected, it forms here only a low bush, with large purple flowers. These three species are hardy, and from them have been pro- duced numerous beautiful hybrids, which are equally har- dy, and are among the most interesting and valuable of flowering shrubs. My friend, Mr. Robert Murray, Landscape Gardener, Waltham, Mass., has been very successful in the manage- 432 ment of the Rhododendron, and has, at my request, fa- vored me with a letter, from which I extract the following : " The heautiful hybrid varieties sent us a few years ago from the English nurseries, have proved as hardy and as well adapted to our climate, as our native It. maximum ; the flower-buds are sometimes killed by severe winters, but that may be avoided by a slight covering of white pine boughs, laid over the plants before winter sets in ; by so doing, I never had a bud inj tired. I will now state for the information of all amateur florists, the best method of preparing the soil for a luxuriant growth, and gorgeous display of flowers. The following kinds of American shrubs, along with the Rhododendrons, will all flourish and do well with the same soil and treatment : Kalmia latifolia, Andromedas, and all the fine, new, hardy, hy- brid Azaleas. Select a piece of ground in a partially shaded situation, then excavate and cart away all the soil to the depth of two feet ; then fill the hole, about one- half full, of dry peat mud ; then from the hollow places of an old oak wood, dig six or eight inches of the soil, which is principally decomposed leaves ; cart and fill up the whole excavation ; then lay all over the top six inches of clear white sand ; then begin at one side, turning, breaking up, and mixing the whole together twice, allow- ing the bed to stand for some time to settle ; it will ulti- mately be no higher than the surrounding ground. In the months of April or May, plant all the sorts and vari- eties of those I have named, from two to two and one- half feet apart, mixing the different colors to suit 'the taste. Afterwards, lay a covering of leaves, six inches in depth, all over the ground, amongst the plants, the same never to be removed; and as they have decayed through the summer, add more to those that have blown amongst them by the fall winds. They are all propagate! by seeds or layers ; but as both methods take a number of years to DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLO WERIXG SHRUBS. 433 get good-sized flowering plants, I would, therefore, leave their propagation to the nurseryman. Fine plants, full of flower-buds of all the new, hardy, hybrid Rhododen- drons, and Azalias, can be bought at all the principal nurseries at very moderate prices, considering the time it takes to get good-sized flowering plants." ROBERT MURRAY. RHODORA. [From the Greek word for rose, from the color of the flowers.] Rhodora Canadlnsis. — False Honeysuckle. — This beau- tiful shrub is found on the margins of swamps, and in wet meadows, frequently in large masses, many yards in cir- cumference, which, when in bloom, in May, present a mag- nificent appearance. The flowers appear on the extremity of the branches, before the leaves are perfectly expanded, are of a fine purple color, and in shape somewhat resemble the Honeysuckle. I have been successful with this fine shrub, by taking large masses of it from the meadows, with the earth attached to the roots, and planting in moist soil ; also by taking the suckers, which it throws up as freely as the Lilac. It will flourish without difficulty. RHTTS. — SUMACH. [The ancient classical name of the genus.] Rhus typhina. — Stag-Horn Sumach. — This is highly ornamental in the shrubbery, on account of its elegant compound leaves, and bunches of rich scarlet berries. The shrub, which grows to the height of twelve to twenty feet, is ugly shaped, its branches being rather naked and crooked. It must, therefore, be planted with other 19 434: BRECIv's NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. shrubs, so as to conceal, as much as possible, its crooked, irregular stems and branches. There is no particular beauty in the flowers ; but, in July and August, the heads of berries begin to assume a rich scarlet color, afterwards turning to purple, and remain conspicuous and beautiful into winter ; while in autumn the leaves begin early to turn, and become of a red color, with various shades of yellow, orange, and purple. The ends of the branches, from their irregularity, and the abundant down with which they are covered, resemble the young horns of the stag, whence the popular name. R. copallina. — The Dwarf, or Mountain Sumach, — is another beautiful species, " found growing on dry rocks, or sandy hills, about the same height of the last, in favor- able, protected situations, but usually about three to five feet. The varnished polish of the leaves, and the rich purple they assume in autumn, as Avell as the scarlet of the leafy heads of fruit, make this species one of the most beautiful of the genus." R, glabra* — The Smooth Sumach. — This is a handsome, spreading, leafy bush, usually four to six, rarely ten, feet high. % The leaves are compound, smooth, of a rich green. The flowers are disposed in a large green head, of yel- lowish-green color, and agreeable fragrance. The velvety- crimson heads of berries on this plant, as on the others, are acid and astringent. The leaves are used in tanning. R. ( OtimiS. — Venetian Sumach or Smoke Tree. — This species is much cultivated as an ornamental shrub. It is a crooked, straggling growing plant, from ten to fifteen feet high. No attempt should be made to make it grow straight by pruning, as it looks the best when left to itself, clothed with branches to the ground. Persons, ignorant of the habits of the shruby often complain of nurserymen, because they do not give them regular-shaped plants ; but this is impossible, and it is not desirable. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 435 The foliage is handsome ; the flowers are disposed in large panicles, first green, changing to a reddish-brown, and afterwards a brownish smoke color. The flowers, or appendages to them, have the appearance of downy silk, in light, airy masses, and the plant is nearly covered with these graceful clusters, which have some resemblance to puffs of smoke emerging from among the graceful leaves. It is propagated from layers very readily. We have two poisonous species of Mhus, which are briefly mentioned that they may be avoided. H,. venena- ta, the Poison Sumach or Dogwood, is a handsome shrub, with foliage somewhat resembling that of R. gldbra, but the leaflets are entire. The berries are in loose panicles, smooth and whitish. R. Toxicodendron, the Poison Ivy, is a very common climber upon trees, rocks, stone walls, etc. The leaves are compound, of three variously lobed or entire leaflets. This character of the leaves will dis- tinguish it from the Virginia Creeper, for which it is some- times mistaken, as that has five leaflets. To some persons these species are poisonous to the touch, and very suscep- tible persons are affected by being in their vicinity. KIBES. — CURRANT. — GOOSEBERRY. [The name said to be of Arabic origin.] Ribes sanguineuittt — Red-flowering Currant. — This is a very handsome ornamental species, producing pendent ra- cemes of rich deep-red flowers, in May. The shrub is about three feet high ; the foliage elegant. The plant is easily propagated by cuttings. I find it is rather tender, the extremities of the branches being often killed in this climate. Probably, if planted the north side of a wall, or where it is partially shaded with evergreens, it would succeed better. There is a white-flowered variety, and one with double flowers, which is very fine. 436 R. speciosum. — Showy Gooseberry. — The flowers are of a bright crimson, and far superior in brilliancy to the preceeding, and like that somewhat tender. R, aiireiim. — Missouri Currant, Buffalo Currant.— A native of the far West; has in May a profusion of yellow fragrant flowers, which perfume the whole neighborhood. All the species are propagated from cuttings, in the same manner as the common Currant. ROBINIA.— LOCUST-TREE. [Named in honor of Jean Robin, herbalist to Henry IV., of France.] Robinia Viscosa. — Clammy Locust. — This is a small tree, with large pale-pink flowers. The branches are cov- ered with a gummy substance that is unpleasant to the touch. It looks well with other trees and shrubs. R» hispida* — Rose Acacia. — This is a beautiful flower- ing shrub, growing from three to ten feet high, bearing a great profusion of elegant rose-colored flowers, which are produced in dense, pendent racemes. The shrub com- mences flowering when only two feet high. It has long, rambling roots, which throw up numerous suckers. The branches are thickly clothed with stiff hairs. This is a very desirable species. The Common Locust, .72. Pseudacacia, is a well-known ornamental tree, but its liability to be destroyed by borers, makes it useless to attempt its cultivation. A va- riety of it, H. crispa, has curiously contorted leaflets. ROSA.— ROSE. [The ancient Latin name.] " And first of all the rose ; because its breath Is rich beyond the rest ; and when it dies, It doth bequeath a charm to sweeten death." DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 437 The Rose has been a favorite flower from time imme- morial among the civilized nations of Europe and Asia. The Rose, in its wild state, is found in almost every coun- try in the temperate zones. We have a few species in New England, none of which have been taken in hand by the florist for improvement, but are suffered to remain in. their wild state for the pleasure of the botanist. This well-known and highly esteemed genus, embraces many distinct species, which, by the skill of the florist, have multiplied into thousands of varieties. They vary in height from one to twelve or fifteen feet, producing flow- ers, single, semi-double and double, and generally of ex- quisite fragrance. The colors are pure white, white-tint- ed, shaded, striped, or mottled ; every shade of red to purple, and all these shades and colors variously mixed ; also a few yellow varieties. There are no black Roses, although we sometimes hear of them. Such as are sold for Black Roses, are those of dark shades of purple or crimson. The foliage is also various in the different spe- cies or varieties, but of a general character. They differ also as to the appendages to the plant, some having form- idable thorns, while others are entirely destitute. Some flower only once in the season — others are perpetual, or everblooming. Most are hardy, but many require protec- tion. It is a flower beloved by every one, not only in the present age, but has been in all ages past, and will, no doubt continue to be the most prominent and desirable flower as long as the world stands. It may, with propri- ety, be styled the Queen of Flowers. We have not space in this work to do justice to its merits, and must refer our readers, for the details of its culture, and for a mass of valuable and interesting particulars, to a work published by S. B. Parsons, Esq., of Flushing, 1ST. Y., a volume of 280 pages, octavo, upon the Rose, which we heartily com- mend to all the lovers of this universal favorite. Mr. Par- 438 sons treats of it historically, poetically, and scientifically, as well as in a practical manner. We must, of course, say something of the Rose ourselves poetically, — for who can dwell long upon this beautiful flower without some aspirations of this kind ? — but not having a faculty of soaring upon our own wings, we must cull from others, and finding in a work entitled " Flora Domestica" all we desire under this head, we give the following copious ex- tracts, which may not be unacceptable to a portion of our readers at least : — " The Rose is preeminently the flower of love and poetry, the very perfection of floral realities. Imagination may have flattered herself that her power could form a more perfect beauty j but, it is said, she never yet discovered such to mortal eyes. This, however, she would persuade us to be a mere matter of delicacy, and that she had the authority of Apollo for her secret success : — No mortal eye can roach tlie flowers, And 't is right just, for well Apollo knows 'T would make the poet quarrel with the Rose.' It is, however, determined, that until the claim of such veiled beauty, or beauties, shall rest upon better founda- tion, the Rose shall still be considered as the unrivalled Queen of flowers. ' I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields, A fresh-blown Musk Rose.' "It is said, however, that the angels possess a more beautiful kind of Rose than those we have on earth. David saw in a vision a number of angels pass by with gilded baskets in their hands. ' Some as they went, the blue eyed Violets strew, Some spotless Lilies in loose onler threw ; Some did the way \\ith full-blown Roses spread, Their smell divine, and color strangely red ; Not such as our dull gardens proudly wear, Whom weathers taint, and winds' rude k DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 439 Such, I believe, was the first Rose's hue, Which at God's word in beauteous Eden grew ; Queen of the flowers that made that orchard gay, The morning blushes of the spring's new day.'— Cowley. "The Rose, as well as the Myrtle, is considered as sacred to the Goddess of beauty. Berkley, in his Utopia, describes the lover as declaring his passion by presenting to the fair-beloved a Rose-bud just beginning to open ; if the lady accepted and wore the bud, she was supposed to favor his pretensions. As time increased the lover's affec- tions, he followed up the first present by that of a half- blown Rose, which was again succeeded by one full-blown ; and if the lady wore this last, she was considered as en- gaged for life. " Poetry is lavish of Roses ; it heaps them into beds, weaves them into crowns, twines them into arbors, forges them into chains, adorns with them the goblet used in the festivals of Bacchus, plants them in the bosom of beauty, — nay, not only delights to bring in the Rose itself upon every occasion, but seizes each particular beauty it posses- ses as an object of comparison with the loveliest works of nature : — as soft as a Rose-leaf; as sweet as a Rose ; rosy clouds; rosy cheeks; rosy lips; rosy blushes; rosy dawns, etc., etc. It is commonly united with the Lily : — > ' In the time that the morning did strew Roses and Violets on the heavenly floor against the coming of the sun.' ' A bed of Lilies flower upon her cheek, And in the midst was set a circling Rose.' ' Rosed all in lovely crimson are thy cheeks, Where beauties ever flourishing abide, And as to pass his fellow either seeks, Seem both to blush at one another's priJe' "The Red Rose is said to be indebted fur its color to the blood which flowed from the thorn-wounded feet of Venus when running through the woods in despair for the 440 loss of Adonis ; as the White Rose is also said to have sprung from the tears which the goddess shed upon that occasion. Ample reasons these for dedicating them to her. 4 White as the native Rose before the change, Which Venus' blood did in her leaves impress.' Anacreon tells us that it was dyed with nectar by the gods when it was first formed ; he speaks of it, too, as the flower of Bacchus : — 'With nectar drops, a ruby tide, The sweetly orient buds they dyed, And bade them bloom ; the flowers divine Of him who sheds the teeming vine.' Some say they were dyed with the blood of Cupid and 'T is said, as Cupid danced among The gods, he down the nectar flung ; Which, on the White Rose being shed, Made it forever after red.' But the general opinion is, that the Rose is indebted to Venus for its beautiful blushes. " Perhaps the most beautiful season of the Rose is when partly blown; then too she still promises us a continuance of delight ; but, when full-blown, she inspires us with the fear of losing her. "Constance, expatiating on the beauty of her son, says : ' Nature and fortune joined to make thee great; Of nature's gifts thou mayst with Lilies boast, And with the half-blown Rose.' " The bed of Roses is not altogether a fiction. c The Roses of the Sinan Nile, or garden of the Nile, attached to the Emperor of Morocco's palace, are unequalled ; and mattresses are made of their leaves, for men of rank to re- cline upon.' "The Eastern poets have -united the Rose with the nightingale ; the Venus of flowers with the Apollo of DESCRIPTIVE LIST OP FLOWERING SHRUBS. 441 birds ; the Rose is supposed to burst forth from its bud at the song of the nightingale. " A festival is held in Persia, called the Feast of Roses, which lasts the whole time they are in bloom. 'And all is ecstasy, for now The valley holds its Feast of Roses ; That joyous time when pleasures pour Profusely round, and in their shower Hearts open, like the season's Rose, — The flowret of a hundred leaves, Expanding while the dew-fall flows, And every leaf its balm receives ! ' " ' Persia is the very land of Roses. — a On my first en- tering fhis bower of fairy land," says Sir Robert Kerr Porter, speaking of the garden of one of the royal palaces of Persia, " I was struck with the appearance of two Rose- trees, full fourteen feet high, laden with thousands of flowers, in every degree of expansion, and of a bloom and delicacy of scent that imbued the whole atmosphere with exquisite perfume. Indeed, I believe that in no country in the world does the Rose grow in such perfection as in Persia ; in no country is it so cultivated and prized by the natives. Their gardens and courts are crowded by its plants, their rooms ornamented with vases filled with its gathered bunches, and every bath strewed with the full- blown flowers, plucked with the ever-replenished stems. * * * * But in this delicious garden of Negaaristan, the eye and the smell are not the only senses regaled by the presence of the Rose. The ear is enchanted by the wild and beautiful notes of multitudes of nightingales, whose warblings seem to increase in melody and softness with the unfolding of their favorite flowers. Here, indeed, the stranger is more powerfully reminded that he is in the genuine country of the nightingale and the Rose." — (Persia in Miniature, vol. iii.) " Sir William Ouseley, accompanied his brother, the am- bassador, on a visit to a man of high rank at Teheran ; 19* 442 and though there was a great profusion of meat and fruit at this entertainment, 'it might,' he says, 'have been styled the Feast of Roses, for the floor of the great hall, or open-fronted talar, was spread in the middle, and in the recess, with Roses forming the figures of cypress-trees ; Roses decorated all the candle-sticks, which were very numerous. The surface of the hawz, or reservoir of wa- ter, was completely covered with rose-leaves, which also were scattered on the principal walks leading to the man- sion.' " He says that the surface of this reservoir was so en- tirely covered with rose-leaves, that the water was^visible only when stirred by the air, and that the servants, during the entertainment, were continually scattering fresh Roses both upon the waters and the floor of the hall.* "We must not dismiss the subject of the Rose, without recalling to the minds of our readers those beautiful lines from Milton : — • Eve separate he spies, Veiled in a cloud of fragrance where she stood, Half spied, so thick the Roses blushing round About her glowed ; oft stooping 10 support Each flower of tender stalk, whose head, though gay Carnation, purple, azure, or spcck'd with gold, Hung drooping unsustained ; them she npstays Gently with myrtle band, mindless 1he while Herself, though fairest unsupported flower, From her be t prop so far, and storm so nigh.' " In two different poems, where Venus is represented, she has a crown of white and red flowers : — ' 1 saw anone right her figure Nakid yfletyng in a se, And also on her hedde parde • Her rosy garland white and redde.1 1 Then father Anohises decked a oanacious bowl with garlands, and filled U up witli wine.' — (Davidson's Translation.) * See Sir W. Ouseley's Travels in the East, vol. iii., pp. 352 and 353. DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 443 " c To crown the bowl,' says Mr. Davidson, l sometimes signifies no more than to fill the cup to the brim; but here it is to be taken literally for adorning the bowl with flowers, according to the ancient custom. Otherwise, implevitque mero would be mere tautology.' Horace re- peatedly speaks of crowning the bowl with Roses. " The Romans were at great expense to procure Roses in winter ; Suetonius affirms that Nero spent upwards of 4,000,000 of sesterces, about thirty thousand pounds, for Roses, at one supper. Horace alludes to this custom in his thirty-eighth Ode, Book i. ' Seek not for late-blowing Roses ; I ask no other crown than simple Myrtle. " It is said that the Turks cannot endure to see a Rose- leaf fall to the ground, because says Gerarde, 'some of them have dreamed that the first Rose sprang from, the blood of Venus.' " It may, perhaps, be worth while to quote Gerarde's translation of a passage from Anacreon, rather for its cu- riosity than beauty : — ' The Rose is the honor and beauty of flowers, The Rose is ihe care and the love of the spring, The Rose is the pleasure of th' heavenly powers ; The boy of fair Venus. Cythera's darling, Doth wrap his head round with garlands of Rose, When to the dances of the Graces he goes.' " Many species of the Rose preserve their sweet per- fume even after 'death ; as the poet observes in the follow- ing passage : — ' And first of all, the Rose ; because its breath Is rich beyond the rest ; anlountjiius, AH large clumps, or clusters. It is eaten 468 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. or browsed by the Buffalo, from which it derives its com- mon name. The tree is graceful in its appearance, grow- ing from ten to thirteen feet high ; the branches are rather pendulous ; the leaves are small, of a soft, woolly nature, and have a silvery appearance. It has staminate and pistillate flowers on different plants, hence both kinds should be grown together. The branches of the female trees are thickly studded with clusters of small crimson berries, nearly the size of the red currant. The fruit has a pleasant acid flavor, and is sometimes used for jelly or preserve. There is an astringent taste in addition to the acid, which makes the fruit of little value, in comparison with the common currant. For an ornamental tree or shrub, it deserves a place among other plants. It is beau- tiful in fruit. The flowers cannot boast of much beauty. SP ARTIUM. —BROOM. [From the Greek, signifying cordage; the earliest ropes were made of this aniJ similar plants.] Spartilim SCOparium. — Common Broom. — A shrub, thick-set with verdant, flexible, rush-like twigs, which are very ornamental in winter, and generally profusely cov- ered with showy, white, or yellow, pea-shaped flowers in summer. A very ornamental shrub in the garden scenery. It is not very common in New England, as our winters are rather severe upon it. In the interior of the country, we find no difficulty in keeping it, when the snows are deep. If planted on the north side of a wall, and covered with snow, it will be found perfectly green in the spring, and will flower abundantly. DESCEIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 469 SPIRJEA. Spiraea hypericifolia. — Hypericum-leaved Spiraea, or, St. Peter's Wreath. — This is a very elegant shrub, pro- ducing its numerous small white flowers in long garlands, upon the delicate curving branches of the plant. The bush, when in flower, has the appearance of being covered with a light fall of snow. The foliage is elegant ; it is in flower in May and June ; grows about four feet high ; the extremities of the branches are sometimes winter-killed ; easily propagated by suckers, divisions of the root, or by layers, as all the species are. S« opulifolia* — Nine-Bark. — " An ornamental native shrub, found from Canada to Georgia ; from five to seven feet high, distinguished for the abundance of its showy heads of flowers, and for its conspicuous fruit. The stem is rugged, with loose, gray bark, easily detached, and fall- ing off. Flowers in hemispherical heads, on a short stalk, — each flower on a slender, downy thread ; white, with a rose tinge." S, salicifdlia,— The Queen of the Meadows.— This is a very pretty native shrub, from two to four, and sometimes six, feet high, with terminal heads of neat, white, some- times rose-tinted flowers, in June and July. S. tomentosa. — Steeple Bush, — Hard-Hack. — This is a very common, leafy shrub, from two to five feet high, growing in wet ground, and distinguished in the flower- ing season for its long, tapering spire of purple flowers. A few years since, we ordered all the handsome Spira3as from England, excluding all that we possessed. When they came into flower, we found among them, this old, familiar country friend. It is, however, handsome when cultivated and pruned of the previous year's stems, which disfigure it very much, when growing in the pastures. S. pmnifolia pllna. — Double Plum-leaved Spiraea. — This is one of the most desirable species or varieties of the Spi- 4TO BRECK'S NEW BOOK JF FLOWERS. raea, and is perfectly hardy. The following account is from the Gardener's Chronicle. " This charming shrub was in- troduced into Europe by Dr. Siebold, to whom our collec- tions are indebted for so many novelties, only to be pro- cured with the utmost difficulty. It deserves the atten- tion of all amateurs, as well for its hardiness as its elegant habit and beautiful flowers. The Dutch traveller found it cultivated in the Japanese gardens, and supposes its na- tive country to be Corea, or the north of China. It is a shrub, from six to nine feet high, and has upright, close, bushy, slender branches, which are covered with a smooth, ash-colored bark, that detaches itself at later periods in thin scales. The leaves are oval, or ovate-elliptic, rounded at their base, obtuse or a little acute at their apex, downy beneath, denticulated at the edge. The flowers, which grow by threes or sixes, cover the whole length of the branches, are as white as snow, and very double, in conse- quence of a complete abortion of their stamens. Their shape is exactly like that of the Ranunculus aconitifolius with double flowers, and their number and arrangement, with a light and elegant bright-green foliage, render this plant a charming addition to the shrubs which grow in the native air." It flowers in this climate in May. S. Douglasii. — Mr. Douglas's Spiraea. — This shrub is from California, and has some resemblance to S. tomentosa, flowering in the same manner ; flowers fine rosy-lilac, con- tinuing in bloom from July till the autumnal frosts com- mence. S. SOrbifolia. — Pinnate-leaved Spira3a. — This is a vigor- ous shrub, a native of Siberia. It develops its handsome pinnate foliage very early in the spring. The leaflets are serrated, or with notched edges. The flowers are yellow- ish-white, produced in large, dense panicles, in June. The flowers seem to be peculiarly attractive to the rose-bugs, which sometimes disfigure and spoil their beauty by the DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 471 immense numbers which delight to revel in its sweets. This shrub propagates itself too fast, as it throws up its suckers in great profusion, and makes itself quite too com- mon ; otherwise it would be a desirable plant for the shrubbery. S. Reevesiana. — Mr. Reeves's Spiraea. — We consider this one of the most elegant and desirable species of the whole genus. The flowers are of a snowy whiteness, produced in clusters, the whole length of its graceful, arching stems, which, intermingled with the handsome fo- liage, produce a pleasing effect. The shrub is delicate in its growth, about four feet high, and flowers in June. It is propagated by cuttings, layers, and suckers. S. airsefolia, — This is a very delicate species which we have in our collection, with exceedingly graceful foliage, with small heads of white flowers ; two or three feet high. S. laevigata. — Smooth-leaved Spiraea. — This species has smooth lanceolate leaves, without serrature or notch. The flowers are white, in compound racemes, somewhat fra- grant. It is not very showy, but, in a collection, makes up a variety ; about two or three feet high. St trilobata. — Three-lobed-leaved SpiraBa. — The leaves of this species are bluntly three-lobed, and toothed, or notched. The flowers are white, in stalked umbels, about three or four feet high. Altogether, we do not know any genus of plants where the foliage is so diversified. When grouped together, they make a fine appearance, cither in flower or foliage. There are many other species that have not come under our observation, which, no doubt, are as valuable for the shrubbery as those described. 472 SYMPHOBICARPUS.-SxowBERRY. [The name is from a combination of Greek words, signifying " a plant which bears its fruit together in clusters."] Synipliorf carpus racemoSUS. — Common Snowberry.— This is a delicate, hardy, North American shrub, extensive- ly known and much cultivated on account of its fine white berries, which are quite ornamental, after the leaves have fallen. The flowers are pink, and rather inconspicu- ous ; the shrub grows about four feet high ; easily prop- agated by suckers. S. VUlgaris,— Indian Currant, Coral Berry. — This has no claims to beauty, as to the flowers, which, like the last, are small and inconspicuous, of a pink color. These are succeeded by dark brownish-purple berries, which are thickly clustered upon the branches, three feet high. It is propagated in the same way. Both these species thrive in the shade and under the drippings of trees. SYBINGA.-LILAC. f A Persian name.} " Various in array, now white, Now sanguine, and her beauteous head now set With purple spikes pyramidal." All the species are most beautiful flowering shrubs, readily propagated by suckers, which they throw up in abundance. The common Lilac seems to have been intro- duced before or during the reign of Henry VIII. , for in the inventory, taken by the order of Cromwell, of the ar- ticles in the gardens of the palace of Nonsuch, are men- tioned six Lilacs, — ^ trees which bear no fruit, but only a pleasant smell." — (Loudon.) Syringa VUlgaris, — The Common Lilac. — This is so well known that it needs no description. The purple variety DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 473 is found in almost every garden ; the white is more scarce. Grown together, they are very beautiful ; and, notwith- standing they are old-fashioned, common, and vulgar, with some people, we esteem them as some of our most valuable and ornamental shrubs of the season. S. Ptfrsica. — Persian Lilac. — This species is "far more delicate and pretty than the common Lilacs, both in leaf and blossom. The bunches of flowers are frequently a foot long, and weigh down the tender terminal slender shoots so as to give the plant a very graceful appearance. The white and purple, both beautiful ; the Cut-leaved Lilac has interesting and delicate foliage." The Persian Lilac grows about four or five feet high. All the species bloom the last of May and the first of June. The common Lilacs are suitable for the back of the shrubbery. " This was one of the first plants introduced by our forefathers, and is universally found ; often in the front of ancient houses, growing almost to the size of a tree." To make a small tree of it, care must be taken to destroy all the suckers and keep a clean stem. The Persian varieties are suitable for planting in clumps, or in the front of the shrubbery. Some beautiful new varieties have been imported within a few years, producing immense clusters of flowers. There is one variety with double flowers, but it is not an improvement. TAMARIX.— TAMARISK. [From Tamarisci, a people who inhabited the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, where one species grows abundantly.] Tamarix Gallica,— French Tamarisk. — An elegant, de- ciduous, hardy shrub, which, for some reason, has not re- ceived much attention in New England. The foliage is ^ery graceful, and h;is some resemblance to that of the Heath. The pink flowers are produced in lateral spikes, 474 in July and August ; small, but very numerous. It grows about ten feet high. On account of its delicate, graceful habit, and heath-like flowers and foliage, it makes a desi- rable addition to the shrubbery. The German Tamarisk is a hardy shrub of similar habits. There are also a number of other species and varieties. TECOMA.— TRUMPET-FLOWER. [Said to have been altered from the Mexican name.] The species are trees or shrubs, inhabitants of hot cli- mates ; the leaves are opposite, pinnate, ternate, or conju- gate ; the flowers in panicles, large and handsome, of various colors, red, yellow, blue or white, and eminently beautiful. The hardy species will grow in almost any good soil, and easily propagated by layers or cuttings of the root. The species here mentioned were formerly in- cluded in the Genus Bignonia. Tecoma radio a us, — Scarlet Trumpet Flower. — This is a magnificent climbing plant, producing large, trumpet- shaped, orange-scarlet flowers, of great beauty, from July to October. They are produced in clusters ; handsome in bud, as well as when fully expanded, and when con- trasted with the elegant glossy, pinnate foliage, present a most splendid sight when trained to a pillar or trellis. The plant is a little tender in some locations, and will do best to be laid down and covered over, or secured with straw or mats. T, grandiflora has flowered with us, but it is rather tender in this climate. It is a native of China and Japan. " In the growth of the wood it is rather more slender, and the leaves more coarsely serrated than those of T. radicans. The vine has the same habit of attaching itself firmly to a wall, or building of stone, brick or wood, or DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 475 to the trunk of a tree within its reach, by the numerous small aerial-rootlets, which it sends out from the inner sides of its shoots. " In the blossoms of the T. grandiflora, however, lies its peculiar beauty. These are produced, in great profu- sion of clusters, in July and August, so as to give the whole plant an exceedingly gay and lively appearance. They are not long and tubular, like those of the common Trumpet Flower, but somewhat cup-shaped. * * * The color is beautifully varied, the outside being a rich pure orange-scarlet, marked with brighter streaks. These gay clusters open their blossoms in succession, so as to keep up a brilliant appearance for a long time ; and we are ac- quainted with no climbing shrub, except the Chinese Wistaria, which at all vies in elegance or brilliancy of ef- fect, in the garden or pleasure-ground, with this during the season of bloom. Last season, we counted over three hundred in bloom, at once, upon a plant in our neighbor- hood ; and the same profuse display continued a fortnight or more. " T. grandiflora may be grown with perfect ease where the old Trumpet Flower (T. radicans) thrives. North of -this (Newburg, N. Y.) it will, perhaps, require a little protection in winter, such as a layer of straw tied over the larger shoots, or some branches of evergreens laid against them at the approach of winter. A northern site will al- so be found the better one at the north, wherever there is a doubt of its hardiness, since the temperature will, in such a site, be more uniform and less injurious than in a southern aspect. Wherever the Isabella grape ripens, this handsome climbing shrub will be easily cultivated in almost any situation. If there are any fears of its hardi- ness, it may be protected, as we have pointed out, for a couple of years, till the wood gets strong and well hard- ened. Any dry, light, well-drained soil, suits this climb- 476 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. er. It should be made moderately rich, and in such soil, when planted against a wall, it will cover a space twelve or fourteen feet square, in two or three seasons. It is well worthy the attention of those who are looking for climb- ers of a permanent kind, to cover unsightly walks, or close fences, or to render garden buildings of any kind more ornamental, by a rich canopy of foliage and bloom." — (Downing. VIBURNUM.— SNOW BALL. [An ancient Latin name.] Viburnum Lentago, — Sweet Viburnum. — A native spe- cies of great beauty. Mr. Emerson describes it as a "beautiful small tree, rising to the height of fifteen to twenty feet, with rich foliage, and clothed, in June, with a profusion of delicate, showy flowers." The flowers are produced in terminal cymes, and from them a very agree, able fragrance is diffused. " There is a softness and rich- ness about the flowers and foliage of the Sweet Viburnum which distinguish it above all others of the same genus. It is hardly less beautiful in fruit, from the profusion of the rich blue berries hanging down among the curled leaves, which are beginning to assume the beautiful hues of autumn. A tree of this kind makes a fine appearance at the angle of a walk, or in the corner of a garden, as its delicacy invites a near approach, and rewards examina- tion. With this delicacy of appearance, it is a hardy plant, and may sometimes be seen on the bleak hillside, where it has encountered the north-west stormy winds for a score of years." We think this Viburnum much more desirable than the common Snowball. As it is found growing in uplands, DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 477 no doubt it will flourish in any garden loam, and is prop- agated the same as the Snowball. We have a number of other species, which would well repay cultivation. Most of them would require the same treatment as the Azalea, and that class of plants, as they are found in swamps and woods. Some of them are very beautiful, viz. : V. dentatum, nudum, acerifolium, etc. V, lantanoides.— Wayfaring Tree, Hobble Bush.— This fine native plant " received its specific name, lantanoides^ from its resemblance to the English Wayfaring Tree, V. lantana, the tree which William addresses, when he ' Wayfaring Tree ! what ancient claim Hast thou to that right pleasant name ? ***** Whate'er it be, I love it well,— A name, methinks, that surely fell From poet, in some evening dell, Wandering with fancies sweet.' " That tree rises to the height of eighteen or twenty feet, and has an ample head of white flowers. Ours, less fortunate in its name, is a stout, low bush, found in dark, rocky woods, and making a show, in such solitary places, of a broad head of flowers, the marginal ones often an inch across." * * ' * " The leaves are from four to six inches in length and breadth, roundish, heart-shaped at base, ending in a short, abrupt point, and unequally ser- rate on the margin. They are smooth above, but beneath downy on the veins, which are thereby rendered striking- ly distinct. * * * The fruit is ovate, large, of bright crimson color, turning afterwards almost black." — (Emer- son.} The first time we beheld this crooked, straggling shrub, in flower, in its native haunts, a dark swamp, we thought it one of the most ornamental shrubs of the coun- try. It is certainly worthy of a place in every collection of shrubs. It will no doubt succeed with the same treat- 478 ment as the Rhododendron or Azalea, and may be propa- gated by seeds, layers, or cuttings. V. OpulllS. — Cranberry Tree, High Cranberry. — " A handsome low tree, five to ten feet in height, ornamented throughout the year with flowers or fruit. In May, or early in June, it spreads open at the end of every branch, 9, broad cyme of soft, delicate flowers, surrounded by an irregular civcle of snow-white stars, scattered, apparently, for show. The fruit, winch is red when ripe, is of a pleas- ant acid taste, resembling cranberries, for which it is sometimes substituted." This is the parent of V. OpulllS, var Stlrilis, the Guelder Rose or Snow- ball. — A common ornament of the garden, producing large bunches of white flowers, shaped like those of the Hydrangea. When grouped with the Laburnum, Lilacs, — the double-flowering Thorns, etc., it has a fine effect. In flower the last of May, and early in June ; eight or ten feet high ; readily propagated from suckers, layers and cuttings. V. macroctfphalum, — Great-clustered Snowball. — " This is a new and splendid species, that has not been much, if any, cultivated in this countiy. M. Van Houtte describes it as found growing in the gardens about Chusan, China, where it forms a shrub, or tree, twenty feet high. It flowers every year, in May, prodacing its enormous clus- ters, which equal those of the old garden Snowball, or ' Guelder Rose,' in purity of color, and far eclipses them in size and beauty. Each blossom is more than an inch across, and the clusters measure eight or ten inches in di- ameter. The leaves are regularly oval, with short petioles^ and about three inches long. It flourishes in the open border, in the same soil as the common Snowball ; and M, Van Houtte considers it one of the most beautiful addi tions to the shrubbery." — \I)owningI\ DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERING SHRUBS. 479 WISTAEIA. [Named by NuttalK in honor of Dr. Caspar Wistar.} W. Sintfnsis,— The Chinese Wistaria.— This, which is sometimes called Glycine, is one of the most magnificent climbing shrubby plants in cultivation. It was formerly treated, at the North, as a tender plant, and might be seen trained to the rafters of the green house, in full flow- er, in March, with its thousands of rich clusters, or pendu- lous racemes of delicate pale-purple blossoms, so numerous that the whole space it occupied seemed to be covered with them. Each raceme is from ten to twelve inches long, and densely filled with its delicate and richly per- fumed flowers. It is easily raised from cuttings or layers. In the open ground, we have known it to make a growth of thirty feet in one season ; and, with us, has not failed, excepting one year in the last twelve, to produce an abun- dant bloom, and that without the least protection. The December previous to the year in which it did not bloom, was a very warm one. The buds prematurely started, and were winter killed ; it however, flowered in August, but not so perfectly as it would have done in the spring. In another locality, in low ground, which is not well drained, the flower buds are frequently killed. The foliage is abundant, and its color a lively, pleasant hue of green. The flowers make their appearance before the foliage starts, the last of May, in the open ground. The plants for the first few years are somewhat tender, at the North, and should be laid down before the winter sets in, and covered with earth, or coarse manure. It grows freely in almost any soil ; but to have strong plants, it is important to have a rich, deep loam. It will not flower till the plant gets strong. A new variety with white flowers, has been introduced from China into England, by Mr. Fortune^ and can, at the present time, be obtained at many of our nurseries. 480 BRECK'S NEW BOOK OP FLOWERS. Plants generally produce a few scattering racemes of flowers, in the last summer months, but are not to be compared with the clusters produced in the spring. 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