flowers

The Bladder Senna, a native of the South of France and Italy, produces a profusion of bloom from June to August, when its inflated pods please from the singularity of their appearance, on these accounts, it is one of the most common flowering shrubs cultivated in gardens and plantations.It is propagated by sowing its seeds any time in the spring in a bed of common earth, and when the plants are come up, they must be kept clear from weeds, and the Michaelmas following they should be transplanted either into nursery rows, or in the places where they are designed to remain, for if they are let grow in the seed bed too long, they are very subject to have tap roots, which render them unfit for transplanting, nor should these trees be suffered to remain too long in the nursery before they are transplanted, for the same reason. Millers Gard. Dict.We have learned by experience, that a very wet soil will prove fatal to these shrubs.

To Mr. Lee, of the Vineyard, Hammersmith, the first, and as we understand, the only Nurseryman as yet in possession of this plant, which has but lately been introduced into this country from the Cape, we are indebted for the present specimen.Mr. Jacquin, jun. who has figured and described it in the Acta Helvetica, gives it the name of Lachenalia, in honour of Warnerus de la Chenal, a very eminent Swiss Botanist, and the particular friend of the late illustrious Haller. Our readers should be informed, that it had before been called by two other different names, viz. Hyacinthus orchiodes, and Phormium aloides, under the latter of which it now stands in the 14th edition of the Systema Vegetabilium, as well as that of Lachenalia.Its trivial name of tricolor it receives from the three colours observable in the flowers, but it must be noticed, that it is only at the middle period of its flowering, that these three colours are highly distinguishable, as it advances, the brilliant orange of the top flowers dies away, the spots on the leaves also, which when the plant is young, give it the appearance of an orchis, as it advances into bloom become less and less conspicuous.Like most of the Cape plants, the Lachenalia requires to be sheltered in the winter, during that season it must therefore be kept in a greenhouse, or hot bed frame, well secured.It flowers in the spring, but its blowing may be accelerated by the warmth of the stove, for it bears forcing well enough.It is increased by offsets from the bulbs.

The Hibiscus syriacus, known generally by the name of Althaea frutex, is a native of Syria, and forms one of the chief ornaments of our gardens in autumn, we view it, however, with less delight, as it is a sure indication of approaching winter.There are many varieties of it mentioned by authors, as the purple, red flowered, white flowered, variegated red and white flowered, and the striped flowered, to which may be added, another variety, lately introduced, with double flowers it varies also in its foliage, which is sometimes marked with white, sometimes with yellow.As from the lateness of its flowering, and the want of sufficient warmth, it rarely ripens its seeds with us, the usual mode of increasing it is by layers, and sometimes by cuttings, but the best plants are raised from seeds. Miller observes, that the scarce varieties may be propagated by grafting them on each other, which is the common method of propagating the sorts with striped leaves.In the time of Parkinson it was not looked on as a hardy shrub he thus writes,

This species, a native of the Alps, of Switzerland, and Austria, is frequently kept in gardens for the sake of variety, like the rest of the genus, it flowers early in the spring, in March and April, is a very hardy perennial, increases most readily in a moist shady situation, is usually kept in pots for the convenience of sheltering it in very severe seasons, but it will grow readily enough in the open border. All plants that flower early, though ever so hardy, require some kind of shelter, previous to, and during their flowering.Is propagated by parting its roots in autumn.

Grows naturally in France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey, bears our climate extremely well, is a common shrub in our nurseries and plantations, which it much enlivens by its yellow blossoms flowers from June to August, or longer in cool seasons.Is raised by seeds, which generally come up plentifully under the shrubs.Miller mentions a variety of it, which, as inferior to the common sort, does not appear to be worth cultivating.

Grows wild in the corn fields of most of the warmer parts of Europe, varies with white and flesh coloured blossoms, increases so fast, both by offsets and seeds, as to become troublesome to the cultivator, hence, having been supplanted by the Greater Corn Flag, the Byzantinus of Miller, whose blossoms are larger, and more shewy, it is not so generally found in gardens as formerly.It flowers in June.

A native of Crete, and other parts of the East.Flowers most part of the summer, but seldom ripens seeds in England, will continue for several years, if kept in pots and sheltered in winter, for it will not live in the open air during that season, if placed under a common hot bed frame, where it may enjoy as much free air as possible in mild weather, it will thrive better than when more tenderly treated.It may be easily propagated by cuttings, which if planted in a shady border and covered with hand glasses, in any of the summer months, they will take root in a month or six weeks, and may be afterwards planted in pots and treated like the old plants. Millers Gard. Dict.It is, however, a more common practice to keep this plant in the stove in the winter, one advantage, at least, attends this method, we secure it with certainty.

Grows spontaneously in Portugal, flowers in the open border about the middle of May, is an old inhabitant of our gardens, but, like the triandrus, is now become scarce, at least in the nurseries about London, in some gardens in Hampshire we have seen it grow abundantly Miller calls it the Hoop Petticoat Narcissus, the nectary, as he observes, being formed like the ladies hoop petticoats.It certainly is one of the neatest and most elegant of the genus, is propagated by offsets, and should be planted in a loamy soil, with an Eastern exposure.

This species of Violet, a native of Virginia, is very rarely met with in our gardens, the figure we have given, was drawn from a plant which flowered this spring in the garden of Thomas Sykes, Esq. at Hackney, who possesses a very fine collection of plants, and of American ones in particular.It is more remarkable for the singularity of its foliage than the beauty of its blossoms, the former exhibit a very good example of the folium pedatum of Linnaeus, whence its name.Miller, who calls it multifida from a former edition of Linnaeuss Species Plantarum, says, that the flowers are not succeeded by seeds here, hence it can only be propagated by parting its roots.The best mode of treating it, will be to place the roots in a pot of loam and bog earth mixed, and plunge the pot into a north border, where it must be sheltered in the winter, or taken up and kept in a common hot bed frame.

The Gorteria, of which there are several species, and most of them, like the present, natives of the Cape, has been named in honour of David de Gorter, author of the Flora Zutphanica and Ingrica, the trivial name of rigens is given to this species from the rigidity of its leaves, a term which it is sometimes apt to exchange for the more common botanic name of ringens, an instance of such mistake occurs in the 6th edition of Millers Gard. Dict.The greenhouse, to which it properly belongs, can scarcely boast a more shewy plant, its blossoms, when expanded by the heat of the sun, and it is only when the sun shines on them that they are fully expanded, exhibit an unrivalled brilliancy of appearance.It flowers in June, but rarely brings its seeds to perfection in this country, which is of the less consequence, as the plant is readily enough increased by cuttings.It requires the common treatment of a greenhouse plant.