Lamium Orvala

Few of the plants of this genus have been thought to possess sufficient beauty for the flower garden, the present one excepted, the magnificence of whose blossoms justly entitles it to rank with the more curious, if not the most beautiful of the vegetable tribes.Though not common in our gardens, it has long been introduced, having been cultivated and accurately described, though badly figured, by Parkinson in his Parad. terr.It grows spontaneously in the woods of Italy and Hungary, and flowers with us about the latter end of April, at which time, if cold winds prevail, it is apt to be injured, unless placed in a sheltered part of the garden.It may be propagated either by seeds, or by parting its roots in autumn, is a hardy plant and grows readily.