flowers

The present species of Daffodil is the largest of the genus, and bears the most magnificent flowers, but, though it has long been known in this country, it is confined rather to the gardens of the curious.
It is a native of Spain, and flowers with us in April. As its roots produce plenty of offsets, it is readily propagated.
It approaches in its general appearance very near to the Narcissus Pseudo Narcissus, but differs in being a much taller plant, having its leaves more twisted, as well as more glaucous, its flowers (but especially its Nectary) much larger, and its petals more spreading, and these characters are not altered by culture.
It answers to the bicolor of Linnaeus in every respect but colour, and we should have adopted that name, had not the flowers with us been always of a fine deep yellow, we have therefore taken Bauhins name as the most expressive.
It varies with double flowers.

Plants growing in mountainous situations, where they are constantly exposed to strong blowing winds, are always dwarfish, in such situations, the present plant has no stalk, whence its name acaulis, but cultivated in gardens it acquires one.
Most of the plants of this family are beautiful, and, cultivated in gardens, in brilliancy of colour none exceed the present species.
As most Alpine plants do, this loves a pure air, an elevated situation, and a loamy soil, moderately moist, it is however somewhat capricious, thriving without the least care in some gardens, and not succeeding in others, at any rate it will not prosper very near London.
It flowers usually in May, and sometimes in the autumn.
Is propagated by parting its roots at the close of summer, but Miller says, the strongest and best plants are produced from seed.

In the beauty of its blossoms, this species of Cineraria, lately introduced from Africa, by far eclipses all the others cultivated in our gardens, its petals exteriorly are of a most vivid purple, interiorly white, this change of colour adds much to the brilliancy of the flower.
What renders this plant a more valuable acquisition to the green house, is its hardiness, its readiness to flower, and the facility with which it may be propagated.
It flowers early in the spring, and, by proper management, may be made to flower the whole year through, it is sometimes kept in the stove, and may be made to flower earlier by that means, but it succeeds better in a common green house, with no more heat than is just necessary to keep out the frost, indeed it may be preserved in a common hot bed frame through the winter, unless the weather prove very severe.
Certain plants are particularly liable to be infested with Aphides, or, in the vulgar phrase, to become lousy, this is one the only way to have handsome, healthy, strong flowering plants, is to procure a constant succession by cuttings, for there is no plant strikes more readily, these should be placed in a pot, and plunged into a bed of tan.

Parkinson very accurately notices the striking characters of this species of Anemone, which are its creeping roots, its large white flowers standing on the tops of the flower stalks, which sometimes grow two together, but most commonly singly, the leaves on the stalk, he observes, are more finely divided than those of the root, and its seeds are woolly.
Miller describes it as having little beauty, and therefore but seldom planted in gardens, it is true, it does not recommend itself by the gaudiness of its colours, but there is in the flowers, especially before they expand, a simple elegance, somewhat like that of the Snowdrop, and which affords a pleasing contrast to the more shewy flowers of the garden.
It flowers in May, and ripens its seeds in June.
It will grow in almost any soil or situation, is propagated by offsets from the root, which it puts out most plentifully, so as indeed sometimes to be troublesome. Is a native of Germany.

This species is distinguished by having white petals, finely reticulated with red veins, and the corners of the divisions of the leaves marked with a spot of a purplish brown colour, which Parkinson has long since noticed.
Is said by Linnaeus to be a native of Italy, is a very hardy plant, flowers in May and June, and may be propagated by parting its roots in Autumn, or by seed, prefers a loamy soil and shady situation.

This elegant and very singular species of Geranium appears to have been first cultivated in this country, its introduction was attended with circumstances rather unusual. Mr. Lee, Nurseryman of the Vineyard, Hammersmith, in looking over some dried specimens in the Possession of Sir Joseph Banks, which he had recently received from the Cape of Good Hope, was struck with the singular appearance of this Geranium, no species having before been seen in this country with spear shaped leaves, on examining the specimens attentively, he perceived a few ripe seeds in one of them, those he solicited, and obtained, and to his success in making them vegetate, we are indebted for the present species.
The shape of the leaf readily suggested the name of lanceolatum, an epithet by which it has been generally distinguished in this country, and which, from its extreme fitness, we have continued, notwithstanding young Professor Linnaeus has given it that of glaucum, though, at the same time, his illustrious father had distinguished another species by the synonymous term of glaucophyllum.
This species rarely ripens its seeds with us, and is therefore to be raised from cuttings, which however are not very free to strike.
It has been usual to keep it in the stove, but we have found by experience, that it succeeds much better in a common green house, in which it will flower during the whole of the summer. Small young plants of this, as well as most other Geraniums, make the best appearance, and are therefore to be frequently obtained by cuttings.

Most of the plants of this tribe are distinguished by the splendour of their colours, most of them also are annuals, in gaiety of colour none exceed the present species, but it differs in the latter character, in having not only a perennial root, but one of the creeping kind, whereby it increases very much, and by which it is most readily propagated.
Though a native of the East, as its name imports, it bears the severity of our climate without injury, flowers in May, and as its blossoms are extremely shewy, it gives great brilliancy to the flower garden or plantation, prefers a dry soil.

Some plants afford so little diversity of character, that an expressive name can scarcely be assigned them, such is the present plant, or Linnaeus would not have given it the inexpressive name of spuria, nor we have adopted it.
This species is distinguished by the narrowness of its leaves, which emit a disagreeable smell when bruised, by the colour of its flowers, which are of a fine rich purple inclining to blue, and by its hexangular germen.
It is a native of Germany, where, as Professor Jacquin informs us, it grows in wet meadows, is a hardy perennial, thrives in our gardens in almost any soil or situation, flowers in June, and is propagated by parting its roots in Autumn.

Contrary to the Mesembryanthemum dolabriforme, lately figured in this work, this species expands its flowers in the day time, and that only when the sun shines powerfully on them, on such occasions, the blossoms on the top of the branches being very numerous, exhibit a most splendid appearance.
It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, flowers in July, and is most readily propagated by cuttings.
Like most of the Cape plants, it requires the shelter of a green house during the winter.

There is scarcely a plant more generally cultivated than the Sweet Pea, and no wonder, since with the most delicate blossoms it unites an agreeable fragrance.
Several varieties of this plant are enumerated by authors, but general cultivation extends to two only, the one with blossoms perfectly white, the other white and rose coloured, commonly called the Painted Lady Pea.
The Sweet Pea is described as a native of Sicily, the Painted Lady Variety as an inhabitant of Ceylon, they have both been introduced since the time of Parkinson and Evelyn.
It is an annual, and not a very tender one, seedling plants sown in Autumn frequently surviving our winters.
As it is desirable to have this plant in flower for as great a length of time as possible, to have them early, we must sow them in the Autumn, either in pots or in the open border, if sown in pots, they can the more readily be secured from any severe weather, by placing them in a hot bed frame, a common practice with gardeners who raise them for the London markets, in which they are in great request others again should be sown early in the spring, and the sowings repeated every month, they grow readily in almost any soil or situation, and by this means may be had to flower most of the year through.
If sown in pots, care must be taken to water them frequently.