flowers

There being no English name to this plant, we have adopted that of Slipper wort, in imitation of Calceolaria, which is derived from Calceolus, a little shoe or slipper.
This species of Calceolaria is one of the many plants introduced into our gardens, since the time of Miller it is an annual, a native of Peru, and, of course, tender though by no means a common plant in our gardens, it is as easily raised from seed as any plant whatever. These are to be sown on a gentle hot bed in the spring, the seedlings, when of a proper size, are to be transplanted into the borders of the flower garden, where they will flower, ripen, and scatter their seeds, but being a small delicate plant, whose beauties require a close inspection, it appears to most advantage in a tan stove, in which, as it will grow from cuttings, it may be had to flower all the year through, by planting them in succession.
This latter mode of treatment is used by Mr. Hoy, Gardener to his Grace of Northumberland, at Sion House, where this plant may be seen in great perfection.

This most beautiful tree, though long since figured and described, as may be seen by the above synonyms, was a stranger to our gardens in the time of Miller, or at least it is not noticed in the last edition of his Dictionary.
It is a native both of China and Japan.
Thunberg, in his Flora Japonica, describes it as growing every where in the groves and gardens of Japan, where it becomes a prodigiously large and tall tree, highly esteemed by the natives for the elegance of its large and very variable blossoms, and its evergreen leaves, it is there found with single and double flowers, which also are white, red, and purple, and produced from April to October.
Representations of this flower are frequently met with in Chinese paintings.
With us, the Camellia is generally treated as a stove plant, and propagated by layers, it is sometimes placed in the greenhouse, but it appears to us to be one of the properest plants imaginable for the conservatory. At some future time it may, perhaps, not be uncommon to treat it as a Laurustinus or Magnolia the high price at which it has hitherto been sold, may have prevented its being hazarded in this way.
The blossoms are of a firm texture, but apt to fall off long before they have lost their brilliancy, it therefore is a practice with some to stick such deciduous blossoms on some fresh bud, where they continue to look well for a considerable time.
Petiver considered our plant as a species of Tea tree, future observations will probably confirm his conjecture.

Few plants are more admired than the Cistus tribe, they have indeed one imperfection, their petals soon fall off this however is the less to be regretted, as they in general have a great profusion of flower buds, whence their loss is daily supplied. They are, for the most part, inhabitants of warm climates, and affect dry, sheltered, though not shady, situations.
The present species is a native of Spain, and the south of France, and being liable to be killed by the severity of our winters, is generally kept with green house plants.
It may be propagated either by seeds, or cuttings, the former make the best plants.

Linnaeus in this, as in many other genera, certainly makes too few species, having only two, Miller, on the contrary, is perhaps too profuse in his number, making eight. The ascertaining the precise limits of species, and variety, in plants that have been for a great length of time objects of culture, is often attended with difficulties scarcely to be surmounted, is indeed a Gordian Knot to Botanists.
Our plant is the Cyclamen persicum of Miller, and has been introduced into our gardens long since the European ones, being a native of the East Indies, it is of course more tender than the others, and therefore requires to be treated more in the style of a green house plant.
It is generally cultivated in pots, in light undunged earth, or in a mixture of loam and lime rubbish, and kept in frames, or on the front shelf of a green house, where it may have plenty of air in the summer, but guarded against too much moisture in the winter.
May be raised from seeds in the same manner as the round leaved Cyclamen already figured in this work, p. n. 4.
Flowers early in the spring, and is admirably well adapted to decorate the parlour or study.
Varies with fragrant flowers, and the eye more or less red.

Linnaeus considers the Crocus, or Saffron of the shops, which blows invariably in the autumn, and the spring Crocus, with its numerous varieties (of which Parkinson, in his Garden of Pleasant Flowers, enumerates no less than twenty seven) as one and the same species, other Botanists have considered them as distinct, particularly Prof. Jacquin, whose opinion on this subject we deem the most decisive.
We have figured the yellow variety, which is the one most commonly cultivated in our gardens, though according to the description in the Flora Austriaca, the Crocus vernus, in its wild state, is usually purple or white.
The cultivation of this plant is attended with no difficulty, in a light sandy loam, and dry situation, the roots thrive, and multiply so much as to require frequent reducing, they usually flower about the beginning of March, and whether planted in rows, or patches, on the borders of the flower garden, or mixed indiscriminately with the herbage of the lawn, when expanded by the warmth of the sun, they produce a most brilliant and exhilirating effect.
The most mischievous of all our common birds, the sparrow, is very apt to commit great depredations amongst them when in flower, to the no small mortification of those who delight in their culture, we have succeeded in keeping these birds off, by placing near the object to be preserved, the skin of a cat properly stuffed a live cat, or some bird of the hawk kind confined in a cage, might perhaps answer the purpose more effectually, at least in point of duration.

The blossoms of the Leucojum and Galanthus, or Snow Drop, are very similar at first sight, but differ very essentially when examined, the Snow Drop having, according to the Linnaean description, a three leaved nectary, which is wanting in the Leucojum, the two genera then being very distinct, it becomes necessary to give them different names, we have accordingly bestowed on the Leucojum the name of Snow Flake, which, while it denotes its affinity to the Snow Drop, is not inapplicable to the meaning of Leucojum.
As the spring Snow Flake does not increase so fast by its roots, as the Snow Drop, or even the summer Snow Flake, so it is become much scarcer in our gardens, it may, indeed, be almost considered as one of our plantae rariores, though at the same time a very desirable one.
It does not flower so soon by almost a month, as the Snow Drop, but its blossoms, which are usually one on each foot stalk, sometimes two, are much larger, and delightfully fragrant.
It is found wild in shady places and moist woods in many parts of Germany and Italy. The most proper situation for it is a north or east border, soil a mixture of loam and bog earth, but by having it in different aspects, this, as well as other plants, may have its flowering forwarded or protracted, and, consequently, the pleasure of seeing them in blossom, considerably lengthened.
In a favourable soil and situation, it propagates tolerably fast by offsets.

A native of South America according to Linnaeus, first known in Europe in 1593, figured by Parkinson in 1629, and placed by him among the Daffodils, stoves and green houses were then unknown, no wonder therefore it did not thrive long.
Is now become pretty common in the curious gardens in England, and known by the name of Jacobaea Lily, the roots send forth plenty of offsets, especially when they are kept in a moderate warmth in winter, for the roots of this kind will live in a good green house, or may be preserved through the winter under a common hot bed frame, but then they will not flower so often, nor send out so many offsets as when they are placed in a moderate stove in winter. This sort will produce its flowers two or three times in a year, and is not regular to any season, but from March to the beginning of September, the flowers will be produced, when the roots are in vigour.
It is propagated by offsets, which may be taken off every year, the best time to shift and part these roots is in August, that they may take good root before winter, in doing of this, there should be care taken not to break off the fibres from their roots. They should be planted in pots of a middling size, filled with light kitchen garden earth, and, if they are kept in a moderate degree of warmth, they will produce their flowers in plenty, and the roots will make great increase.

The present species of Narcissus is considered by the Nursery men near London as the triandrus of Linnaeus, which it no doubt is, though it does not accord in every particular with his description his triandrus is white, ours is pale yellow, but colour is not in the least to be depended on, for it is found to vary in this as in all the other species, his triandrus he describes as having in general only three stamina, whence the name he has given it, ours, so far as we have observed, has constantly six, three of which reach no further than the mouth of the tube, a circumstance so unusual, that Linnaeus might overlook it without any great impeachment of his discernment, he says, indeed, that it has sometimes six perhaps, the three lowermost ones may, in some instances, be elongated so as to equal the others, if he had observed the great inequality of their length, he would certainly have mentioned it.
This species is found wild on the Pyrenean mountains, was an inhabitant of our gardens in the time of Parkinson (who has very accurately described it, noticing even its three stamina) to which, however, it has been a stranger for many years it has lately been re introduced, but is as yet very scarce. Our figure was taken from a specimen which flowered in Mr. Lees Nursery at Hammersmith.
It grows with as much readiness as any of the others of the genus, and flowers in March and April.

Of this genus there is at present only one known species, the alpina here figured, which is a native of Germany, and, as its name imports, an alpine plant.
Its blossoms are bell shaped, of a delicate blue colour, sometimes white, and strikingly fringed on the edge.
It flowers usually in March, in the open ground, requires, as most alpine plants do, shade and moisture in the summer, and the shelter of a frame, in lieu of its more natural covering snow, in the winter, hence it is found to succeed best in a northern aspect will thrive in an open border, but is more commonly kept in pots.
May be increased by parting its roots early in autumn.

This species of Iris is a native of Germany and Siberia, and is distinguished from those usually cultivated in our gardens by the superior height of its stems, and the narrowness of its leaves, from which last character it is often, by mistake, called graminea, but the true graminea is a very different plant.
The Iris sibirica is a hardy perennial, and will thrive in almost any soil or situation, but grows most luxuriantly in a moist one, and flowers in June.
Is propagated most readily, by parting its roots in autumn.