c from 2 ft. i
there
th e ir clawR: some m ay be seimratod into man y complete tu bers,
a lthough th ey are so closely connected, as, on a super.
Dcial obscrvution, to have th e appearance o f only one large
tu b e r. Nothing more remains to be done, till tho re tu rn of
5226. The flowering o f the ranunculus is retarded by Mr.
Groom in th e following m a n n e r :— The beds are prepared as
usual, b u t th e surface is k ep t as low as tlie p a th in ord er to
reta in m o is tu re ; tlie tu b e rs a re dibbled in ab o u t th e usual
depth, an d the gro u n d immediately afterwards well watered
with lime-water, not only because tho ran u n cu lu s delights in
moisture, b u t to destroy th e worms, which .are otherwise apt
to draw the tubers from th e ir places. Afterwards th e bed is
k ep t well watered with c lear cow-dung w ater, u n til tho foliage
makes its apjiearance. Tlic beds a re th en kept shaded, from
nine in the mo rn in g till flve or six in th e evening, tiil tlie
’ ........ - - ■ ’ ....... " ................... '"itober.
1 he loading varieties of the fertilo-rayed
species, D. varidbilis, a re th e purple,
rose, pale, wliite, su lpliur, yollow,
tawny, copper, brick-rod, d a rk red,
pomegranate-coloured, d a rk purjile,
very d a rk , an d lilac-flowered single,
semidouble an d double, with iu iiu -
merable sub-varieties.
Of th e barren -ray ed species, D. eoc-
ire Ihe scarlet, b rig h t
saffron, and yellow-
9, semidouble, and
several subvarieties,
cies has not sported
IS th e other.
rsery several h u n -
p ro c u re d ; I
tlio u g h this
nearly so mu -..
•Imost every
- - -------------------- n u a lly comlni
fashion, au d th e old sorts b e e t „
neglected, it would be o f little use
presen tin g a lis t of varieties.
D w a r f Dahlias. T h e m e rit o f p ro du
cing tliese belongs to Mr. Joseph
Wells, ga rd en er to th e la te -William
WeUs, Esq., Redleaf. This excellent
ga rdener succeeded in rais in g sorts
which combined dwarfishncss witli
¿ r I y and a b u n d an t flowering, with
blossoms of the most b e autiful dcscripfiowercd.
tion. The p lants c
in height.
Anemone-flowered Dahlias. This div:
sion of tiio family lias th e flowers with
th e ir centres composed o f narrow ra d
iated florets, lik e the small petals in
th e centre of th e doublo anemone.
Tliey were first b ro u g h t in to notice
by Mr. Drummond o f tho Bot '
Garden, Cork, ab o u t 1828, and
u p p o ^ d th a t lie o riginated them by
''a rie ty known as as-
1 double
fecundating the
52o2. Characteristics c
. i fu lly (• - -
b e entire
•ip-
'agoodDahlû
Ranunculus-flowered Dahlias. There
some varieties o f th is flower whicli
have th e contro very double, an d lilled
u p m th e man n er of a double raiun
cuius. Th is division is supposed
have been o riginated b y some o f tlie
Pa risian nurserymen. One o fth e finest
varieties of it is tlie Aurora. {Card.
Mag., vi. 78.)
Globe-flowered D ahlias have small glo-
b u la r flowers, very double, and showin
g g rea t inten sity o f colour, though I
th ey a re deficient in th a t b read th an d '
splendour, which ch aracterise tlie
anemone-flowered division.
T h cflm
Varieties o f an y o f these d iv is ioM m a y le
increased to an y extent. In th e spring
o f 1651, Mr. Lord, florist and seedsman
, B u ry St. Edmunds, sowed seeds
o f Douglas’s D. Augusta, which is o f a
shaded rose colour. From tliis seed
p lants arose, which on th c ir blowing
in tlie September a n d October following,
displayed respectively th e followin
g colours : striped red, d a rk crimson,
d a rk lilac, rose, lig h t crimson, shaded
OTinisou, lig h t scarlet, pu rp le, maroon,
b rig lit crimson, salmon colour,
d a rk red, besides one of a very d a rk
colour, something like D. piilla, an d
an o th er of th e same colour as D. mu tfi.
hilis. From th e sca rlet tu rb an Dalilia
Mr. Lord has raised different shades
o f scarlet, crimson, an d lilac, an d one
p lan t with blossoms o f a red colour.
From D. coccinoa su pcrba ho lias
raised jilants with crimson, purple,
red, scarlet, orange-scarlet, lig h t lii.ae,
a n d d a rk crimson flowers. Mr. Ba rr
e tt, of Hardwicke (tlie rais er of thoso
Biiporh dahlias, Ba rre tt’s Susanna, and
B a rre tt’s kin g ), has seen white and
yellow flowers produced by different
p lan ts raised from on ' '
S u b s e c t . 4. I r is .— I'm L.; Monog. L. and IridecB B. P. V I r is , Pr.
S c h w e rtlilie , Ger. ; L is c h bloem, Dutch ; Irid e , Ital. ; and Ir is , Span. (fig . 898.).
5227. There are three species of ir is which produce varieties which are considered florists’ flowers.
rounded, rcflexcd,
in th c ir disposition, each
they may he e ither
for supposing th e w ork was begun in March, th e p lan t ca
go o u t till th e end o f May, so th a t the shifting will be v
ither backwardi , __ -
d istorted : if, instead
Tris {I.
ind flg.
voluted d u rin g th e ir whole length, and
awl-sliaped a t th e t i p ; th e flowers of
th e wild p lan t are blue, with cmargib
e r of varieties with yellow, white,
violet, an d variegated flowers. Tt is a
native of tb e south of Europe, an d
was cultivated by Gerard in 1596.
The Great bulb o u s-ro o ied lris fh c E nglish
Iris of the Dutch ( /. aiiphioides) (Bot.
Mag., 602. an d/Jg. 898. 5), is much
la rg e r th an th e o th e r in a ll its parts,
th e flower-stalk is n e ar tw ice the
h e ig h t, and tho flowers a rc more than
double tho size. I t is equally prolific
in varieties as I . N ip h ium, of which
i t is by somo botanists considered only
a variety. The tubers o f both sorts
arc a n n u ally imported from Holland.
The Common I r is (I. germfiuica Pol.
Mag., 670.) is quito h a rd y ia British
gardens, a n d th ough i t seldom ripens
'e rlaiiping thi
Ol' quilled, b u t r
, th e florets arc
etiical. “ Any
es Mr. Paxton, '
convex o r too m uch concave, pointed, &c., is a t
ciciit to ren d e r th e flower unfit for puhlic exhibitio.
pe titio n .” {See P axton cn the D ahlia, p. 105.) “ I
blown flowers, th e eye o r disk is evident, an d no flr
b r o u ty t into c om p e titio n with an y chance of
essential
in g o u t s
observes, .......
should hi
growth till th e proper season of p lant-
- .. (Hor t. Trans., vol. iv. p. 476.) Nash
for graftin g th e dahlia, d ry i ‘ '
ve.* 1 i r é ? “ '" th en he c u t.to a wedgeVl.ape,
a b u n d an tly ii
bridises freely, a g re a t i
have been raised from i
by M. Lemon, ntirsorym
in Pa ris, wlio has raise.___
upwar
150 different kinds. The
e flow
iiiui ; JI.II vicuiany ui uiosc wiiicii
been h y b ridised with 1. flo r en ñ n a
a rly an d a b u n d an tly , and
md of th e season. B rig h t an d deep
5228. Culture o fth e bulbous irises. Miller a n d Ju stice r e commend
a lig h t sandy loam, n o t rich, an d an eastern exposure.
T h e p lants a re mu ltip lied a b u n d an tly by offsets, an d as tliey
also produce seeds freely, m any new varieties are obtained in
th a t manner. Ju stice says, h e raised a g rea t n um b e r with very
litUe trouble (R r ii. Gard. Direct., p. 4 3 0 .); an d Masters says.
I know of no flower th a t b e tte r repays the time an d a ttention
o f the horticu ltu rist.” The following are th is au th o r’s directions
for th e ir propagation by seed. “ In August th e seeds
; p len tifu lly produced on all seedling
— an y o th e r plants, b u t sparingly, and
1, on such as have been lo n g increased
plants, a lthough, like
very freq u en tly n o t a t
by offsets, o r p a rtin g tne
'o o ts; they m ay be sown in slight
drills, ab o u t ifln. asunder,
as soon as rip e ; a n d in th e March
foUowing, tlioy will make an n appearance very veiy si.......
similar to r
of young onions. IVith no other care th an iroquent
they may remain in th e seed-bed for throe years, for they are
mu c h more h a rd y th an most kinds of seedling bulbs, and,
tliercfore w ill not even req u ire protection from th e frosts. In
August or September o f the th ird year, i t w ill be necessary to
tran sp lan t th em in to heds, a t 1 ft. distance, row from row,
an d tlie bulbs 6 in . a p a r t; an d in two years from th e ir removal,
most o f th e strongest w ill show blossom, a n d nearly a ll in th e
y e ar following, or th e sixth from th e seed. If, d u rin g the
tim e th e roots are a t rest, tho top sui'face of the e arth is carefu
lly removed, an d fresh lig h t loam is substituted, a year will
be saved, for th is tre a tm e n t will grea tly promote the growth of
tho bulbs, a n d w ith these, as well as m a n y o th e r seedling
plants, it is n o t a stated time th a t m u s t ¡mss before th ey
blossom, b u t only such a p o rtio n as will allow th e b u lb to
a ttain a size sufflcicnt to co n tain vigour to produce and perfect
a flower-stem, th e ru d im en t of which is formed in tlie p re ceding
summer. -When th e y blossom, a selection c.an be
made, a n d th e varieties p e rp e tu ated h y th e increase of th e ir
Th e most p ro o er tim r ' --------- . .. .... • •
August an d Septembi
rarely blossom in ”
iy. p. 413.)^
imefull
it" irthus--Tcf™tVv^:’ni5^r' i'iie pYdYnelYs *oimht
¿ fflc ie iitly strong to keep the blossoms erect, a n d consequently
wen exposed to view, m.d long enough to sliow tlio flowers free
from th e le aro s; if th ey a re a little pendulous ia tho tailorits
ch aracters u n til tin
velvety colours a re most admired.
fAF di-'-ifi'iK th e roots, a n d by cuttings
for ord n a ry purposes, an d by graftin g e ith er on tlic root, Sr
on th e h e rb , to r m u ltiply in g ra re k in d s ; a n d by seed for new
varieties an d also lo r increasing tho stock of th is idant, as the
soedhngsflowtr the first year. In dividing th e ro o t caic mu st
t® jiresOTve a b u d to oaeh section, otherii ise, though
to x ? th ey w ill n o t produce leaves.
5234. Pycu ttin g s. la k e th e sc fro n ith e ro o t-s h o o ts in sp rin g
o r t le reps of tlie young slioots, os early in summer as may be •
in th e la st case, c u t tlie lower end smoothly off iu th e middle
o t a jo in t, an d leave th e loaves on th e top, except such as
would bo b u n e d in p lan tin g th e cutting. P lan t in sandv
¿ r t h on h e at, an d cover with a hand-glass, a n d th ey wifi
MriKe and produce both flowers an d tuber.s before the autumn.
Nash directs to place d a h lia tu b e rs e arly in Februai-y close
to g e th er, without potting, in a hotbed frame, or in an y forcing
w -----------------------------,s..O’IlVILA-'Vl llllixiv,oi l
d o p a rtm en t c o n taining a moi.-t atmosphere,
little loose e a rth over them. In a short tin
slioots will be p ro truded from th e buds on
■ ' sp rin k lin g a
. .. . ...„ uv..,vi 11 „111 m utiiis Oil m e roots. Tiiese
shoots may e itlier be slipped off, or, if i t is desired to have a
« ¿ o n d cro p o f cuttings, th ey should be c u t off, leaving a bud
a t the bottom o f each shoot. Tho cu ttings being prepared,
f i r “ in to pots o f th e smallest size Yii lig h t rich sand»
loam, a n d placed in a h o tbed frame, an d shaded, b u t not
watered. In a fortn ig h t tliey will have stru ck root, an d may
4 ° g re ^ h o iise , o r to an y o th e r frame, and
5236.
- -- oftener iuto lai
it in to th e beds or bon____
Th is mode of p ropagating -„A--- V— ----- , herbaceous
1 known for
5229. Flowerim Every th ird ye ar, in A ugust, is the
t cou n try i t si h avebeen flrst adopted by Blake, iii ..IaaV------------
an d in s e r t ^ mto tho incision of th e tu b e r, b in d in g it wnu up
with g o ty bast. T h e g rafts m ay tiien be p u t in to small-sized
-’’^“.7-. roi- vii. p. 58.)
¿ 06. B y seed. Tlie followingdirections arc extracted from
babmc 3 csc e llc n tra p e ro n this subject in H ort. Trans., vol. iv.
p. 20«. Collect th e seeds in Septomber from the dwarf plants
«•here no preference exists on other accounts, an d from semi-
double flowers when donble varieties a re chiefly desired.
I OThaps seeds obtained from those p a rticu la r florets o f th e disk
wluch have a ltered th e ir form, m ay have a g reater tendency
th a n others to produce plauU with double flowers. Sow in
March, or e arlie r, on a heat of 550 o r 6 5 0 ; th e yo u n g plants
to be pricked out, if necessary, in pots, anil k ep t in a moderato
tcmpwatu re , say 60 ° o r 55°, till th e end of A pril. Now p lant
o u t where they a re to rema in , covering each p la n t a t n ig h t with
a n em p ty pot for some weeks, to avoid in ju ry from spring
trosts. It Ul a compartment by themselves, p lan t iu rows 3 ft.
wme, an d ¿ 2 ft. distance in the row: if in tlie flower-border,
p la n t in th e hack rows. In e ither case th ey req u ire to bè
staked. Seedlings thus treated will produce flowers in Ju ly
an d continue in perfection till the a u tum n ; b u t th e first frost
tokes the same e f f « t on the d a h lia as it does on tlie potato and
kidney-bean. Tho flowers m ay he preserved ne arly all the
winter, by p lan tin g th e tubers in large pots an d removing
tliem e arly m a u tum n to the greenliouse. Some gardeners
iccundate artificially, and among others who do th is extensively
we may m ention Bates, in the neighbourliood of Oxford. The
uowers he intends to fecundate by a rt, be covers two or three
days previously to th e ir exjiansion, in order to prevent tlieir
being f^ u n ila tc d from o th e r flowers, by bees or tlie weather,
vv lien the flower ¿ p a n d s , be takes a e amel-hair pencil, and
tou ching with it the pollen of th e flower o f th e colour o r form
bead d ed to th e in c ipient or female parent, he touches
:h floret separately, keeping tlio whole flower covered
!:a;U7.e hag for eight o r ton days a fte r the last florets
:!. The fecundation requires
last florets
to be performed for
m u Ul iiiiee days accoriline' to tlm wenthi
n o t a ll expand a t once.
sidcr cross fecundation ..... .
have a lre ad y seen (sect. 5251.), producing
colours an d forms pe cu lia r to tlie species.
¿ 0 7 . Soil an d situation. Dahlias thrive best in rich loam
an d a clear open space, n e ither sheltered b y t "
Like tho potato, th ey ex h au st the soil consid'
; lu mu wuimier, as tho florets do
[any cultivators, however con-
mccessary; a single flower, as wo
■spring of a ll tho
sible, be rep la n te d In September following. Masters says,
those k ep t o u t of g ro u n d til l Christmas rarely blossom in tho
succeeding summer. T h ey may bo p lan ted c ith er in bods, a t
8 in. o r I ft. d istan t every way, o r in min g led borders, caro
b e ing tak en in e ith er case to prevent th e roots ru n n in g down
by removal every th ird year, o r by a su b stra tum of tiles or
compact ru b b ish w ith in 18 in. of th e surface. Those species
a re very h a rd y , and, flowering so la te as Ju n e , req u ire no
protection c ith e r in summer or winter. T h ey arc seldom or
never forced.
„lo Y “i / more speedy mode of p ropagating double, flc
'’y T h e foilowi
th e details o fh is practice with th e D ah lia: “ The eutt
asiderably,
iwering
f e r
I t riirive well wlicn repeatedly planted on th e si
0-58. Planting fu/l-grou-n tubers. These m ay e ith er be
............................. flower, e arly in April,
S u b s e c t . 5. D a h lia . - ~ D ähli(L v a rid b ilis C av. and I ) , coccínea C.
Corymbiferoe J.
P olyg . S u p e r L. and
5230. The D ahlia grows wild ii
to England in tl
1804, and from t
tensive stock h ^ . . .. „ ■
perfection a t a season, when, till they came into notice, our gardens had but little ornament.’ The name
of Dahh'fl was given to this genus by Cavanilles, the curator of the botanic garden a t Madrid, in honour
of Dahl, a Swedish botanist, but it was proposed to change it to Georgina, in consequence of its r
semblance to Dfllea, a name given to an insignificant leguminous plant. The words are, however, ;
different if pronounced properly, that th e old name is now restored, and the new one never made use <.
5231. T k e varie tie s are exceedingly numerous.
f ?. rt ? season as possible: when obtained, select a good
tu b « o f a single sort, ta k in g especial care th a t i t ha.« no eyes :
tv ith a sh a rp knife (for a d u ll edge would mangle th e fleshv
root, make it jagged, a n d so prevent a complete adliesion) cut
rt „ " ra root, m ak in g a t the bottom
of th e p a rt so cut, a ledge w hereon to rest the g ra ft • tliis
18 recommeiidod because yo u can n o t tongue th e g ra ft as vou
do a ire o ^ s h o o t, aiffl the ledge is useful iu keeping tlie cu ttin g
fixeri in lU placo wMlo y ou d c i t ; n e x t cut th e f i o n sloping]
to fit, an d c u t It so th a t a jo in t may
re s t on tho aforesaid ledge ; an unio
th e ledge, provided th e g ra ft can h,
b u t th e work will n o t th en be so
th ougli n o t absolutely necessary, tin
en d ofohe scion, for the scion wall c
roots from th a t lower jo in t ; th e stei
jo in t. I therefore (irocure th e co
.f oints as n e ar together as possible,
tied, a piece of fine clay, such
m u st be placed ro u n d i t : the
a pot o f such a size as will
mould ; place th e p o t on a little h ë at in tlie
q o ro r melou frame, if you chanco to liavo i
taunnd ew; t1it ip.Frienfreo ri it.hie,: -fvro n t fo_r_ _th_e, ®g r..e ate.r co.n v...
■>c a t the bottoni o f it, to
1 may be effected w ith o u t
well fixed to the tu b e r,
- „ I 111.7 » „ rx wail m neat. I t is of advantage
t h ^ g l i n o t absolutely necessary, tiia t a jo in t should be a t thè
....... forth“ ,™
is formed from th e upper
ings with th e two lower
Aftor th e g raft has been
used for common grafting,
. i-ot th e root in fine m ould, in
s will b u ry th e graft h a lfw a y in the
■■ a little h e at in the fro n t of a cucum.
lu chance to liavo one in work a t the
«r.A d. Ure gro aterconvenienceof shading
Arti“! ! ’® '" ‘" r é »ro required. A strik in g glass may he
«« yo“ f i/a b o iu tiiree
TnnY L 1 root should be sliifted into a la rg e r pot, if it be too
soon to p lan t it m die bordor, which will probably be fhe case ;
: . . y — ... i.L.g,- iniis iiiiu luiwarded in frames or
pits or m an y spare house, with a temperature equal to tb a t
o f th e greenhouse, till th e middle o f May, when they may be
p lan ted where th ey a re finally to remain, and will flower in
June. Sahlnc says, “ dahlias look host in a large mass
u nm ix ed wifo otlier p lan ts: in th is plan of growing them,
sonic nicety is required in th e due d istribution of tlie sort«
io as to have a proper an d good m ix tu re of colours; an d p a rtic
u la r caro IS necessary to )teep th e tallest plants e ither in the
centre or a t th e back of tlic clump, according as i t is destined
to bo viewed, from one side only, o r a ll sides, an d to place tho
wdioleso th a t th e re sh a ll be no unevonncss in tb eg en c ra l shape
01 tiieoiifiremass’ arising from theirregulararrangenientof the
inaiviiiiiai plants, according to th e ir respective lieights. The
roots should be p lan ted about 5 ft. from cacli o th e r every way •
th is distance will keep each sufflciently distinct, an d y e t so
un ited th a t tlie wliole clump wall have ttie appearance of an
unb ro k en wood o rforest of dahlias. They look very handsome
It plaiuetl in the m an n er of an avenue, in a stra ig h t line, on
e ^ i i side of a walk.” Some gardeners, instead of ty in g the
Jilants singly to stakes, spread them o u t lik e espaliers, whilo
otiiers peg them down to tlic ground, an d so givo tlie appearance
ot a bed of dwarfs. Dahlias bordered with China asters
especially tlie German varieties, linve a sjilondid effect.
5259. General culture. No p a rticu la rc a rc is requisite after
th e p lants are n eatly tied to stakes (single stakes inserted cioso
to tlie stem, we consider the most elegant mode), till thev iiave
been a ttacked by tlie f ro s t; tliey should tlimi be cut down, and
111 very d ry soil, the tubers m ay be covered with as mucli ii mlm.
ñ
.'fei