flowers

The Dwarf Almond, a native of Russia and Tartary, is justly considered as one of our most ornamental shrubs, it rarely rises above the height of three feet, and hence becomes very suitable for the shrubbery of small extent. It flowers about the middle of April, somewhat later than the common Almond.Miller observes, that the roots are apt to put out suckers, by which the plant may be increased in plenty, and if those are not annually taken away, they will starve the old plant.Cultivated in 1683, by Mr. James Sutherland. Ait. Hort. Kew.

Though the Sanguinaria cannot be considered as a handsome shewy plant, yet we scarcely know its equal in point of delicacy and singularity, there is something in it to admire, from the time that its leaves emerge from the ground, and embosom the infant blossom, to their full expansion, and the ripening of its seed vessels.The woods of Canada, as well as of other parts of North America, produce this plant in abundance with us it flowers in the beginning of April its blossoms are fugacious, and fully expand only in fine warm weather. It is a hardy perennial, and is usually propagated by parting its roots in autumn, a situation moderately shady, and a soil having a mixture of bog earth or rotten leaves in it suits it best.Its knobby roots, when broken asunder, pour forth a juice of a bright red or orange colour, whence its name of Sanguinaria with this liquid the Indians are said to paint themselves.Dillenius, has figured it in his admirable work, the Hortus Elthamensis, where three varieties of it are represented, viz. a large one, a small one, and one in which the petals are multiplied, but which can scarcely be called double.It appears from Morison, that the Sanguinaria was cultivated in this country in 1680, the date of his work.

Most of the plants of this genus are natives of North America, and remarkable for their beauty, they were first introduced under the name of Lychnidea, which, though a Latin term, is now familiarized to the English ear.Mr. Aiton has given to this species the name of early flowering, it coming much sooner into blossom than any of the others, beginning to flower in May with the yellow Alyssum, its blossoms, however, are not of so long duration, nor so ornamental as some others of the same family.It seldom exceeds a foot in height, and, on this account, may be regarded as a suitable rock plant.It rarely ripens its seeds with us, but is readily increased either by cuttings or layers, succeeds best in a pure air and a situation moderately dry.Like most other American plants, it is of modern introduction, was cultivated by Mr. Miller, in 1758, and figured in his Icones.

This species of Ranunculus, an inhabitant of the dry pastures South of France and Italy, and a hardy herbaceous plant of ready growth, recommends itself by the earliness of its flowering and the delicate glaucous colour of its foliage. Parkinson figures it with double flowers, though he describes it with semi double ones only, we have not observed either of these varieties in the gardens about London, they have most probably fallen victims to the rage for novelty, at the shrine of which many a fair and goodly flower is yearly sacrificed.It flowers towards the end of April, and is propagated by parting its roots in autumn.The synonyms of this and other species of Ranunculus described in Gerards Fl. Gallopr. are very inaccurately quoted in Professor Murrays edition of the Syst. Vegetab.

Our readers are here presented with the figure of another Geranium of modern introduction, not enumerated by Linn?us or Miller, and which in point of beauty, duration of flowering, and facility of culture, is equal to most.
It was introduced to the Royal Garden, at Kew, from the Cape, by Mr. Masson, in 1774.
There are several varieties of it, but the one here figured is the most beautiful.
It strikes readily from cuttings, by which it is usually propagated.
Requires the same treatment as the more common Geraniums, and flowers, from March to July.

Linn?us has described this plant minutely in his Mantissa Plant, so that no doubt remains of its being his maritimus.With us, it has been customary for Gardeners and Nurserymen to distinguish this species by the name of Virginia Stock, a name highly improper, as it is found to be a native of the Mediterranean coast.The blossoms which this plant first puts forth are of a lively red, in a few days they become of a blueish purple colour, to this variety of hues the plant owes its chief beauty.Being of humble growth, and producing a profusion of bloom, which is of long duration, it is frequently used as an edging to borders, and sometimes sown in little patches with other annuals, in whatever way used, it contributes greatly to enliven the borders of the flower garden.

It is one of those annuals whose seeds should be sown in the autumn, as it thereby comes much forwarder into bloom, and its blossoms are more lively than those arising from seeds sown in the spring, by varying the time of sowing, it may be had to flower in spring, summer, and autumn.Small pots of it in bloom have a pretty appearance, and may be used to decorate the windows of those who reside in cities or great towns, where the pleasures of the garden are not to be enjoyed.

The magnificent and highly curious species of Sophora here represented, is one of the many plants discovered by Sir Joseph Banks at New Zealand, where it forms a tree of a considerable size.A finer sight can scarcely be imagined than a tree of this sort, extending to a great breadth on a wall with a western aspect, in the Apothecaries Garden at Chelsea, where it was planted by Mr. Forsyth about the year 1774, and which at this moment (April 28, 1791) is thickly covered with large pendulous branches of yellow, I had almost said golden flowers, for they have a peculiar richness, which it is impossible to represent in colouring, in the winter care is taken to cover it carefully with mats, least it should suffer from any extraordinarily severe weather.It usually produces a few seed vessels of an uncommon form, having four wings, whence its name of tetraptera, from some of the seeds which have ripened in this country plants have been raised, and by these the plant is found to be propagated with the most success, it may also be increased by cuttings and layers.

We have our doubts whether the plant here figured be the pavonia of the Systema Vegetabilium, as it does not accord so well with the description there given, as we could wish, as such however it has been regarded by some here, and it must be allowed to answer extremely well to the name.It is a small delicate Iris, about a foot and a half high, with very narrow leaves, bearing on the top of the stalk one or at most two flowers, three of the petals are large and white, with a brilliant blue spot at the base of each, edged on the outer side with deep purple, the delicacy of the flower, and the eye like spot at the base of three of the petals, render at one of the most striking plants of the genus.The figure here given was drawn from a plant which flowered with Messrs. Grimwood and Co. last June, who received it from Holland, and treat it in the same way as their Cape bulbs, of which country it is said to be a native.It is not mentioned either in Mr. Millers Gardeners Dictionary, or the Hortus Kewensis.

It will appear strange, we presume, to most of our readers, when they are informed, that the Ixora coccinea, a plant at present in few hands, and which a short time since was sold in some of our nurseries for five guineas, should have been known in this country a hundred years ago, and yet Mr. Aiton, who has so laudably exerted himself, in ascertaining the precise period, when most of the exotics cultivated in the royal garden at Kew first made their appearance in Great Britain, informs us on very respectable authority, that this plant was introduced by Mr. Bentick in 1690.There is every reason to suppose, that this splendid exotic did not long survive its introduction, on inquiry, we learn that it was reintroduced about fifteen years ago, by the late Dr. John Fothergill, a name, to medicine and botany ever dear, in whose rich and magnificent collection at Upton was first known to flower, about the same time, the late Mr. Thoburn, Nurseryman at Brompton, raised a few Ixoras from foreign seeds, and from these (an accident having happened to the plant which was Dr. Fothergills) are said to have arisen the plants at present in this country.

Both Rheede and Rumphius describe and figure this plant in their respective works, the Hortus Malabaricus and Herbarium Amboinense, it is mentioned also by several other authors from their various accounts we discover, that in different parts of India, where it grows wild, it forms a slender shrub, or tree, about six feet high, rising generally with a single stem, that its clusters of flowers, seen from afar are so brilliant as to resemble a burning coal, especially in a dark wood, whence its name of Flamma Sylvarum, that it grows in the woods, and flowers in September and October, producing a black fruit, the size of small cherries, on which the peacocks are supposed to feed, and from whence they have obtained the name of Cerasa Pavonina. The Chinese call it Santanhoa, with them it produces flowers and fruit the year through, and they hold the blossoms in such veneration, as to use them in the sacrifices they make to their idol Ixora, whence Linn?us has taken the name applied by him to this genus. The root is said to possess some acrimony, and to be made use of by the natives in curing the toothach.It is customary in this country, to treat the Ixora as a stove plant, perhaps it may be less tender than we are aware of, it flowers in July and August, but has not been known to produce fruit, is increased from cuttings, without much difficulty.Our drawing was taken from a small but very healthy plant in the stove of Mr. Whitley (late Thoburn and Whitley, Brompton).Linn?us describes, and some authors figure this plant with stipul?, which our plant had not, not being arrived at an age, perhaps, to produce them.

The plant here figured, a native of the German Alps, is one of those whose beauty cannot be shewn in a small detached piece of it, to be admired, it must be seen in a tuft of some considerable size, which it is much disposed to form when growing among rock work, for which, like many other small Alpine plants, it is well suited, thus elevated above the surface of the ground, the various beauties of this humble race are more distinctly seen, and their curious structure more readily inspected.This species is the more to be esteemed, as it flowers very early in the spring, in March, and the beginning of Apri, and continues in blossom about six weeks.Linn?us originally confounded it with a similar plant, the Draba alpina, a mistake since rectified in his Mantissa Plant. p. 91.