border; then a walk; and next parterres of such | may be, they lose the power to please, because form and size as will suit the extent of the ground. they want variety. It must undoubtedly be If the garden contain kitchen vegetables, they acknowledged that a parterre, no matter in what should be out of sight of the windows of the form-whether circular or square, elliptical or dwelling-house, or at least not brought osten- oblong-where all the shrubs, plants, and flowers tatiously forward. It is more difficult,' says the in it, like the flowers in a tastefully arranged author of the Florist's Manual, 'than may at first bouquet, are variously disposed in neat and reguappear, to plan, even upon a small scale, such a lated order, is a delightful spectacle, and worthy piece of ground; nor, perhaps, would any but an of general imitation. Yet still, in some particular experienced scientific eye be aware of the diffi- cases, I am disposed to copy the Dutchman; and culties to be encountered in the disposal of a few I would have my bed of hyacinths distinct, my shaped borders interspersed with turf. The nicety anemones, my ranunculuses, my pinks, my carnaconsists in arranging the different parts so as to tions distinct, and even my beds of hollyhocks, form a connected glow of colour; to effect which, double blue violets, and dwarf larkspurs distinct, it will be necessary to place the borders in such to say nothing of different sorts of roses. Indea manner that, when viewed from the windows pendently of the less trouble you have in cultivatof the house, or from the principal entrance into ing them when kept separate, you have beauty in the garden, one border shall not intercept the masses, and you have likewise their fragrance and beauties of another; nor, in avoiding that error, perfume so concentrated, that they are not lost produce one still greater that of vacancies in air, but powerfully inhaled when you approach betwixt the borders-forming small avenues, by them.' which the whole is separated into broken parts, and the general effect lost. Another point to be attended to is, the just proportion of green turf, which, without nice observation, will be too much or too little for the colour with which it is blended; and, lastly, the breadth of the flower-borders should not be greater than what will place the plants within reach of the gardener's arm without the necessity of treading upon the soil, the mark of footsteps being a deformity wherever it appears among flowers.'

Whether all the flowers of a kind-such, for instance, as violets, hyacinths, &c.-should be cultivated together in beds, or interspersed and mingled with others, is a matter for taste to decide. Dr Neill judiciously observed, on the choice of flowers for borders: 'The plants are arranged in | mingled flower-borders, partly according to their size, and partly according to their colour. The tallest are planted in the back part, those of middling size occupy the centre, and those of humble growth are placed in front. The beauty of a flower-border, when in bloom, depends very much on the tasteful disposition of the plants in regard to colour. By intermingling plants which grow in succession, the beauty of the border may be prolonged. In a botanic garden, the same plant cannot be repeated in the same border; but in the common flower-garden, a plant, if deemed ornamental, may be often repeated with the best effect; nothing can be finer, for example, than to see many plants of double scarlet lychnis, double sweet-william, or double purple jacobæa. The practice of growing flowers in beds of one kind has of late years, however, become very prevalent, and has this advantage, that it gives bolder masses of colour, and enables the florist to cultivate in the open ground, and with the best effect, many tender plants that would be lost in a mixed

border.

The Dutch, who are among the best flowergardeners in the world, have lately begun to copy the English in ornamenting turf-lawns with plots of various kinds of flowers; but in all their large and regular gardens, they still dispose each kind of flowers by themselves. We ridicule this plan,' says Hogg, in his Treatise on Flowers, because it exhibits too great a sameness and formality; like a nosegay that is composed of one sort of flowers only, however sweet and beautiful they

As to front-plots in towns and suburbs, if they be limited to a few squaresyards, it will be better not to attempt the growth of flowers at all, but to lay them down in greensward, if it will grow, or clean gravel, with perhaps a selection of the finer varieties of ivy, jasmines, and cotoniasters on the side-walls or railings; and elsewhere a variegated holly, box-tree, laurel, aucuba, sweet-brier, rose, or some other hardy shrub, to enliven them. Nothing, however, can be more wretched than a few sickly plants struggling for a miserable existence amid the dust and smoke of a town; and a person of good taste will never attempt the growth of flowers unless he can command the requisite amount of air and sunshine. In laying out little front-plots of this description, circular, oval, oblong, and other simple forms should be preferred; for nothing looks more ridiculous than the imitation of labyrinths and intricate designs on so small a scale. A few plain forms, in keeping with the front of the building and size of the plot, may produce elegance; but intricate divisions, with lines of gravel between, scarcely broad enough for a human foot, are toyish and trifling in the extreme.

An error not uncommon in deciding what flowers shall be planted, is to select numbers merely for their rarity or novelty, without reference to what will be their appearance when in bloom. Unless for botanical illustration, make a choice of flowers on three principles-those that will thrive in the situations assigned to them; those which will be beautiful when in bloom or leaf, although common; and those which will bloom or produce effective foliage at the particular seasons required, to insure a succession of varied beauty throughout the year.

Bowers and rustic seats often form a pleasant feature in connection with the flower-garden. The forms of these are so numerous, that there is ample scope for choice; but there is one mode of forming a bower so natural in character, as to be deserving of special notice that of cutting over old hard-wood trees at suitable heights for sitting upon, and allowing their young coppice shoots to grow up around, as illustrated by the accompanying sketches. Fig. 1 shews the stump of a tree, with the young branches growing up round it; and fig. 2 illustrates the fashion in which these branches may be made to form an elegant canopy;

the branches being simply tied together by means of wire; and if a few plants of ivy, choice climbingroses, honeysuckles, or clematises are planted

around the base, the whole will soon become very compact and beautiful. The wires should not be

tied tightly, lest they cut the branches in the course of time; and perhaps, for this reason, ordinary string-ties would be preferable.

CHARACTER AND TREATMENT OF FLOWERS.

The design of the flower-gardener is less to produce size and strength in his plants, than to cause them effectually to bloom. It is proper, then, to mention, that whatever tends to give excessive vigour to the stems, will prevent the formation of flower-buds. Thus a too rich and moist soil, or recent manure, is injurious.

become much deteriorated. They are produced by seed, but some of the finest double varieties are continued by cuttings. Perennials continue for many seasons to grow and blossom annually; those termed herbaceous having stems which grow up, bloom, and fade every year; while those termed ligneous comprise both shrubs and trees. A deciduous plant is one which sheds its leaves every autumn, and reproduces them in spring. An evergreen retains its leaves in permanent succession, the old ones never falling off till after one or more years.

The prevailing colours of flowers are yellow, orange, white, pink, scarlet, red, blue, purple; only few are blackish, and many are variegated, or composed of different tints. Proper culture, pure air and sunshine, increase the brilliancy of the tints, and give massiveness to the corollas. Plants of kindred species may likewise be improved by hybridising or crossing, the general principle of which is the artificial application of the pollen of some of the most beautiful flowers have been one plant to the stigma of another, by which means originated. The changes effected on the daisy, the rose, and the violet, occur as striking instances of metamorphoses induced by selection, crossing, and culture. Speaking of the laws by which a change of colour is produced, Dr Lindley observes: 'A blue flower will change to white or red, but not to bright-yellow; a bright-yellow flower will become white or red, but never blue. Thus the hyacinth, of which the primitive colour is blue, produces abundance of white and red varieties, but nothing that can be compared to brightyellow; the yellow hyacinths, as they are called, being a sort of pale yellow-ochre colour, verging to green. Again, the ranunculus, which is originally of an intense yellow, sports into scarlet, red, purple, and almost any colour but blue. White flowers, which have a tendency to produce red, will never sport to blue, although they will to yellow-the rose, for example, and the chrysanthemum. It is also probable that white flowers, with a tendency to produce blue, will not vary to yellow; but of this I have no instance at hand.'

PROPAGATION.

Seed.-In sowing seeds, it is of the utmost importance to regulate the depth of their covering according to their size. Thus, while peas and beans may be buried to a depth of three or four inches, very minute seeds, such as those of lobelias and tobacco, should be thinly covered, or merely scattered over the surface, and the soil kept moist till the young roots have taken secure hold.

Dividing the Root.-This is one of the most simple methods of propagation. The root of the growing plant is partially uncovered, and one or more portions are removed; the root is then covered up, and the detached parts transplanted Flowering-plants are usually classified under in soft earth prepared to receive them. NineAnnuals, Biennials, and Perennials; but flori-tenths of herbaceous perennials may be treated in culturists usually separate the last into Herbaceous and Ligneous or woody plants, and add another division under the name of Bedding-out plants. Annuals generally require to be sown annually, as they live and bloom only one season; but some kinds are capable of being perpetuated by cuttings. Biennials, in general, do not blossom till the second season after sowing, and then die or

this way.

Suckers.-These are young shoots thrown up from the roots of the main plant, round which they cluster. They may be removed in winter or spring by taking up with a part of the root attached, and immediately planting out. If any flower-buds appear on them, take them off, so as to give strength to the leaf and root-developing powers to the plant.

of the other plant, in a slit made for the purpose, and the whole tied with a strip of mat or thick worsted, soft cotton twist, &c. to keep out the air. The preceding cut represents the various parts in budding: a is the bud cut out, with a shield of bark attached to it; b, the stem, with a slit in the bark to receive the shield attached to the bud; the bud inserted, and the leaf cut away.

Layers. Some plants send out layers or runners along the ground; these have joints at certain points, which have a tendency to take root. Nothing is more easy than to propagate by causing the layers of some plants to take root; but there is a little more care required with others, such as the carnation, the young side-shoots of which, called grass, are selected for layering. These are stripped, of their lower leaves, and the stem is cut half through by an oblique slit near the base; it is then fixed to the ground with a hooked stick or peg, and is covered slightly with mould, giving a little moisture. Roots will in general strike out in a few weeks; and at the end of the season, the plant is ready for being cut from its parent and transplanted.

Pipings.-Propagation by piping is an expeditious mode of raising young plants. 'Take off the upper and young part of each shoot close below a joint, with a sharp knife, cutting each off at the third joint, or little knob; and then cut the top leaves down pretty short, and take off the lower and discoloured ones. When you plant the

pipings, let the earth be light and sandy, and recently loosened; dibble no hole, but gently thrust each piping half-way down into the soft earth, and fix it in the bed. Water them often, if the weather is dry, but moderately, just to keep them moist; and shade them from the hot sun in the day. If pipings are covered with a hand-glass, they root sooner than those which are exposed. Piping is done in June and July; and the plants will be well rooted and fit to plant out in Octo

ber.'

Cuttings are strong shoots cut from the parent stem or branch, and set in the ground. The cutting should be cut off slantingly and smoothly; and the soil requires to be dry, or not too moist. Roses and honeysuckles are among the shrubby plants usually propagated by cuttings; and familiar examples of more succulent ones are seen in geraniums, verbenas, petunias, fuchsias, calceolarias, &c.

Grafting is a mode of propagation occasionally adopted with roses and some other floweringplants, but it is more applicable to the FRUITGARDEN, which see.

Budding, a method of propagation specially applicable to rose-bushes, consists in inserting the fresh-cut bud beneath the bark of another plant. The leaf on the selected bud is to be taken off, for if it remained it would exhaust the sap, and the bud would in all likelihood wither and die. Along with the bud, a small slip of bark is to be

SELECT FLOWERS FOR THE GARDEN.

Flowering plants are now so numerous, both as respects species and varieties, that a bare list of them would more than fill the present sheet. All, therefore, that can be reasonably expected from

us is a few hints as to those which are most

approved, and cultivated chiefly in the open air. A person with little experience should stock his of different sorts every year, according to fancy, garden only by degrees-adding a small number and what he finds to be the capabilities of the soil and exposure. In commencing to make a choice for a moderately sized garden, or for still smaller plots of ground and borders, we should also recommend the plan of cultivating a mixed variety of different colours and different heights-those which are smallest being in front, and nearest the eye, and the other rows rising in height and massiveness as they recede. With as few as four colours, four sizes, and six different periods of coming into bloom, a mingled border may be established with ninety-six sorts, which will present a pleasing assemblage to the eye.

ANNUALS.

Some annuals are hardy, and others halfhardy. The hardy kinds will grow and blossom in open borders, without artificial heat or protection; those which are half-hardy will also grow in the open air, but are improved by being brought forward under hand-glasses. Of the delicate class of annuals which must be constantly kept under glass, it is not our purpose to speak. The greater number of annuals may be sown in the month of April. The soil should be fine, and have a warm exposure. If the weather be dry, irrigate with pure soft water occasionally.

Among the vast number of annuals that offer themselves to the choice of the gardener, the following may be mentioned as taking the lead in the half-hardy kinds: African marigold, French marigold, China aster, marvel of Peru, Indian pink, convolvulus, amaranthus, zinnia, ten-week stocks, &c. Hardy kinds: Adonis, candytuft, larkspur, lupines, sunflower, lavatera, poppy, nasturtium, sweet pea, Venus's looking-glass, Virginian stock, mignonette, purple jacobæa, Clarkias, Collinsias, Nemophilas, Helichrysums and other 'everlastings,' several kinds of ornamental grasses, &c.

If annuals are required on a more extended scale, the best plan is to leave the selection to a respectable nurseryman, or get his descriptive list of their height, colour, &c. to choose from.

Whether tender or hardy, all annuals should be carefully trimmed, and kept from straggling. Some will require thinning. Remove withered and imperfect blooms, and clear off all plants that are finished flowering, and shewing a 'seedy,' unsightly appearance.