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ALBERT R. MANN 
 LIBRARY 
 
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 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
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 Isabel Zucker 
 class '26 
 
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M Cornell University 
 
 S) Library 
 
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 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924074093745 
 
GARDEN FLOWERS. 
 
 " Blessed be God for flowers I 
 For the bright, gentle, holy thoughts, that breathe 
 From out their odorous beauty, like a wreath 
 Of sunshine on life's hours ! 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 " Prize them, that through all hours 
 Tliou hold'st sweet commune with their beauty here ; 
 And, rich in this, through many a future year, 
 Bless thou our God for flowers !" 
 
 LONDON: 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTEU ROW; 
 
 EDINBtJKOH; AND NEW YOBK. 
 
 MDCCCLTll. 
 
(■^psT 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Flowers, in whatever point of view we regard them, are replete with interest, 
 and form a soui'oe of gratification and attraction to all classes of mankind. 
 We believe that there is no human heart, unless it be debased below the 
 ordinary level of humanity, that does not, in one way or another, feel the 
 sweet influence of flowers, at least in some degree. Scientific minds find in 
 the investigation of their wonderful structure and qualities a study of the 
 most engrossing interest. The Painter's eye and taste are gratified by the 
 gorgeous colouring which they diffuse over the landscape in lavish profusion. 
 The Poet's fancy and imagination are charmed and quickened into activity 
 by the pleasing associations and the endless Variety of ideas to which they give 
 rise ; whilst the lovers of nature generally, and the unlettered, unimaginative 
 sons of toil, are gladdened by their presence and their sweet perfume.. To 
 those who habitually glide from the contemplation of Nature up to Nature's 
 God, flowers often possess a double interest and eharra. 
 
 Flowers are a distinct evidence that God did not create man only to toil, 
 but also to derive joy and gladness from the pleasant influences around him. 
 They also suggest to the mind a rich variety of spiritual similes and associations, 
 which tend to increase our love for, and our trust in Him who so carefully 
 clothes the lilies of the field, and gently rebukes our want of faith, while at 
 the sanae time he encourages us, by pointing to them, and asking the ques- 
 tion, " Are ye not much better than they?" 
 
 Flowers are sometimes beautifully alluded to in Scripture, as, indeed, are 
 all those objects of Nature which are adapted to illustrate the character or the 
 works of Him who is styled the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley. 
 
 Perhaps the affectionate regard which man bestows on flowers has arisen 
 partly from a feeling of gratitude for the intense delight they are the means 
 of conveying to children. Who has not observed the gladsome eagerness with 
 
liSTRODnCTION. 
 
 wliicli the little ones rush forth up the sunny lawn and fling themselves, as if 
 into their native element, among glowing beds of primroses, violets, and 
 daisies ? J'o weave garlands and deck themselves in brilliant wreaths, seems 
 to be almost the first and the highest joy of childhood ; and so universal is 
 this love in children, that one could almost fancy that flowers were created for 
 their special enjoyment. When the stern hand of time has rubbed the pristine 
 freshness oif almost all the pleasures of mankind, and when the cares of life 
 have rendered the heart in a great degree callous to the influence of child- 
 hood's joys, thousands of the human family, we believe, revert with much of 
 their former zest to the study and the cultivation of flowers, and find in their 
 society a pure, intense delight, wliich seems to revive the feelings^if former 
 yeare. 
 
 The little bouquet which we now present to om- readers has been culled, 
 almost at random, from the rich partcri'es of Flora's boundless and beautiful 
 gardens. May its fragi'ance caiTy the reader back to the days of childhood, 
 and cause him to sing with the poet, — 
 
 O precious days: liappy hours! 
 
 How mem'l-y liackwavcl lingers, 
 To pluck apain tiie dewy flowers, 
 
 With cliildliood's rosy fingers! 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Jthe daisy. 
 Jthe tulip. 
 
 the snow-drop, 
 (/the narcissus. 
 
 THE ROSE. 
 THE PRIMROSE 
 
 THE LILY OF THE 
 
 / THE HYACINTH. 
 THE VIOLET. 
 THE JASMINE. 
 THE IRIS. 
 ^THE TIGER LILY. 
 THE CARNATION, 
 THE GERANIUM. 
 THE FORGET-ME-NOT. 
 
3jinli nf t|]i} tljongjits ns tjinu tUDalJist liiiiii tljij flDiiitrs; 
 Wtti tjirm unJi tjisij gjinll lirigljtfn tint Inn? linnrs. 
 
 ^Si-gg^^C3<^;ii<a.^^ 
 
^:^i 
 
.THE DAISY. 
 
 It is not, perhaps, too much to affirm that there does not grow a floweret in 
 the floral universe more interesting or more consonant with the tender feelings 
 of human nature than the Daisy— "that wee crimson -tipped flower" which, 
 nearly all the long year through, lifts its modest head on every field, and lawn, 
 and mountain side, as if to court the glance and smile of man. Poets, from 
 the earliest ages to the present day, haVe tuned their lyres to sing the daisy's 
 praise ; but, methinks, none have sung more fitly than Chaucer, wWo sail of it, 
 in language whose simplicity accords with that innocence of whicli it is the 
 emblem, " the daisy it is sweet." lie could not have said less, 'twas impossible 
 to have said more, for 
 
 "Sweetness implies a modest winnin;^ grace, 
 Tliat sits in radidat beauty on the plainest face." 
 
 Other flowers are indeed more gorgeous, but none more simply sweet and 
 suggestive of tender associations. 
 
 Who can gaze on these modest specks of white, with their golden bosses and 
 tips of delicate pink, as they grow in millions on the green sward of England, 
 opening their tiny cups to drink in the glad sunshine, or closing their drooped 
 heads to sleep, as evening falls upon the landscape, without a sense of grateful 
 emotion tdwards the floweret whose province seems specially to be to gladden 
 the heart of childhood? and what long gone memories of the past crowd upon 
 the soul, reviving the time when, with staggering feet and bounding hearts, we 
 fell upon the sward and clutched in childish glee clusters of sparkling daisies; 
 when the lambs that frisked upon the hill sides trod them lightly under foot, 
 so lightly that they scarce bruised a single leaf or stem; when kino lowed 
 peacefully in the meadows, and larks sang gaily in the sky ! And how vividly 
 do we recollect the deep earnestness with which we studied the art of necklace 
 makingf and the glow of pride and joy with which we returned home encircled 
 and festooned with daisies. Ah! sweet, modest gem! well may the human 
 family, with one accord, unite to call thee innocent. • 
 
 " When, smitten by the morning ray, 
 I see thee rise alert and gay, 
 Tlien, cheerful flower ! my spirits play 
 
 With kindred gladness: 
 And wlien, at dark, by dews opprest. 
 Thou sink'st, the image of thy re,st 
 Hath often eased my pensive breast 
 
 Of careful sadness." 
 
THE TULIP. 
 
 Gat, gaudy, obtrusive, the Tulip cannot lay claim to grace or modesty ; neither 
 does it compensate for the absence of these by sweet perfume. Nevertheless, 
 the tulip fills its appropriate place in natm-e. There are conditions of the 
 beautiful wherein excessive brilliancy of colouring is essential to the attain- 
 ment of perfection. Thus the brilliant red that rests upon the lip of beauty 
 adds to the lustre of the brow and neck of snow ; so the Tulip, and — 
 
 " Those flowers that shine in nature's brightest hae, 
 Whose petiils flaunt in scarlet, gold, and blue," 
 
 lend an additional charm to the flowera of more delicate tint by wliich they 
 are surrounded, and, like discords in music, blend the floral universe into a 
 harmonious whole. 
 
 In the East, tlie Tulip is the emblem of inconstancy ; but it is also the 
 symbol of the most ardent affection. Its petals are compared to fire, and ihe 
 yellow heart to brimstone ; and, when an enamoured swain presents one to 
 his mistress, he would have it understood tliat the effect of the fair one's 
 beauty upon him is to set his face on fire, and reduce his heart to a coal ! In 
 our own language of flowers, it signifies a declaration of love. The gorgeous 
 and variegated colours of the Tulip seem to have made a deep impression on 
 the mind of Orientals, insomuch that they almost wo;-.ship it. Formerly, feasts 
 of the most magnificent character were given in the seraglio of the Grand 
 Seiaiior in honour of this flower, the description of which reminds one vividly 
 of those magnificent displays recorded in the Arabian Nights, where galleries 
 and marble halls, golden ottomans and crystal vases, domes and minarets, 
 opals, emeralds, sapphires, diaifionds, and rubies, combined to seduce our 
 youthful fancies into witching scones of enchantment. At those feasts the 
 praises of the Tulip were sung in the wild strains of ea.stern poetry, and vases 
 filled with specimens of the ricliest and rarest description crowded the halls. 
 
 About the year 1644 a most extraordinary and altogether unaccountable 
 tuliponiania took possession of the inhabitants of Holland, and prices of almost 
 fabulous amoimt were eagerly paid for a single root. The most preci- us plant 
 was named Semper axitjvMus. It was valued at 2000 florins ! and they pre- 
 tended it was so rare that only two specimens were known to be in existence, 
 one at Amsterdam, the other at Haarlem. So much as 4600 florins was 
 ottered for one root during the prevalence of this mania, which lasted for 
 several years, and one man gave twelve acres of land for another root! 
 
THE SNOWDROP. 
 
 First auu purest of tlie flowers of spring, the snowdrop comes at a time wlicn 
 the heart of man pants after, and longs for, the soft influences of summer ; 
 when the snows of winter still lie upon the ground, and the northern blasts 
 wage furious battle with the oft-baflled hut ever-conquering breezes of the 
 south. Pure and white as the veil through which the snowdrop pierces and 
 lifts its modest head, it has been aptly termed by Montgomery " the morning- 
 star of flowers." It is the bright harbinger of spring ; the first sweet messenger 
 sent to Earth by Flora to ascertain whether the frosts are mitigated, and to 
 announce to man the speedy advent of her floral favours. The snowdrop has, 
 therefore, been made the emblem of consolation ; and there are few, we should 
 tliink, who'would deny that the emblemMs most appropriate, for every one 
 who dwells in northern climes must feel the depressing effects ofslong-continu'',d 
 winter, and experience the gladsome consolation that flows from jjhe first balmy 
 breeze and the first sweet flower of spring. 
 
 " Fair-handed Spring unbosoms eveiy ^raof. — 
 TliTOws out the snowdrop and the crocus first." 
 
 There is but one species of the genus ; which circumstance renders its 
 emblematic signification the more perfect, for there is but one source whence 
 all true consolation can be derived. 
 
 The snowdrop is thus addressed by Wordsworth : — 
 
 V Tjone flower, hemmed in with snows, and white as they, " 
 Rut liardier far, once more I see thee hend 
 Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend, 
 Lilte Hn unbidden ffuest. Thougli day by day 
 Storms sallying from the mountain-tops w.iylay 
 The rising sun, and on the plains descend. 
 Yet ai"t thou welcome, welcome as a friend 
 Whose zeal outruns his promise!" 
 
 It was long a point of dispute whether the snowdrop was an indigenous 
 English plant. We are glad to find that botanists are now agreed in recog- 
 nising it as a native of our soil. It grows abundantly m a wild state in 
 Lancashire, where it is much prized. It is highly esteemed and loved in all 
 parts of our land as the first and the fairest of flowers. 
 
THE NAECISSUS. 
 
 Of this flower there are two kinds, the one called the Poet's, the other 
 the False IS^arcissus. The latter is a native of our own fields, hut it is culti- 
 vated with great care in Holland, and sent hack to us under the name of 
 Phoenix, or soleil d'or ; and it is not until much care has been expended on 
 its cultivation that we discover its false nature. Well, therefore, has it been 
 made emblematic of " delusive hope." The Poet's Narcissus is the symbol of 
 egoti^. Its petals are pure white, with a golden crown in the' centre. The 
 cup is frequently edged with a circle of bright purple, sometimes of crimson, 
 and its perfume is agreeable. 
 
 The youth whose name it bears is described by Ovid as being exceedhigly 
 handsome, and beloved by a thousand nymphs. He seems, however, to have 
 been not only fastidious but eccentric in his taste, as he turned a deaf ear to 
 all his admirers, and became enataoured of his own image while viewing him- 
 self in a crystal fountain. Ovid writes thus :— 
 
 " Narcissus on the grassy verdure lies ; 
 But whilst within the crystal font he tries 
 To quench his heat, he feels new heats arise. 
 For, as his own bright image he surveyed. 
 He fell In love with the fantastic shade, , 
 Aiid o'er the fair resemhlance hung unmoved. 
 Nor knew, fond youth 1 it was himself he loved." 
 
 Owing to this eiTor, he slighted the love of Echo, who witnessed his fruitless 
 vows to the deceitful image :— 
 
 " Slie answered sadly to the lover's moan, 
 Sighed hack his siglis, and groaned to every groan. 
 'Ah, youth 1 beloved in vain,' Narcissus cries— 
 'Ah, youth! beloved in vain,' the nymph replies. 
 
 Farewell,' says he; the parting sound scarce feU 
 From his faint lips, but she replied, 'Farewell.' 
 Then on the wholesome earth he gasping lies. 
 Till death shuts up those self-admiring eyes. 
 
 For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn. 
 Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn. 
 And now the sister-nymphs prepai'B his urn, 
 When, looking for his corpse, they only found 
 A rising stalk with yellow blossoms crowned." 
 
__^_^w 
 
THE ROSE. 
 
 "Queen of flowers" and emblem of beauty! poets have exhausted their 
 powers of language and imagination in singing thy praise. Nations have vied 
 with each other in doing thee honour. Victors have found their higliest 
 reward in being permitted to sculpture thee upon their shields. Orators have 
 flung the magic of their spell over listening thousands, and laboured to draw 
 forth the richest treasures of mind and language, that they might win thee — 
 and yet, thou an not proud ! Thy graceful head and gentle buds blow 
 modestly beside the palace of a king, and twine most lovingly around the 
 trellised porch before the peasant's cottage door ! Ah ! — 
 
 '* Rose, thou art the sweetest flower 
 That ever drank the amber shower." 
 
 The creation of the Rose is said to have been owing to the death of a 
 favourite nymph of Flora, whose beauty of person was only surpassed by the 
 purity of her heart and the chastity of her mind. Resolved to raise a plant 
 from her precious remains. Flora begged the assistance of Venus, the Graces, 
 and the deities who preside over gardens, in bringing about the transformation. 
 The zephyrs cleared the atmosphere, that Apollo might throw his warm beams 
 around the new floweret. Bacchus supplied rivers of nectar to nourish it ; 
 Vertumnus poured upon it his choicest perfumes ; and Flora crowned it with 
 a diadem prepared by the celestials expressly for the purpose. Little wonder, 
 then, that such a rare production should be surpassingly beautiful and sweet. 
 It is said that the roaes were originally white, but were changed to red by the 
 blood of Venus, when her feet were torn by their thorns, while attempting to 
 defend Adonis, from the rage of Mars. Pretty, however, though these mytho- 
 logical fables be, a truer and infinitely higher honour has been confeixed on 
 tliis flower, when, in sacred Scripture, our blessed Redeemer is called the 
 " Rose of Sharon ;" and yet again, when it is said the " desert shall rejoice 
 and blossom as the rose." There are many difierent species of this flower, 
 among which, few will refuse to admit, the blush and moss roses are the most 
 beautiful. Grace shines forth in every spray and petal of these ; modesty 
 seems to clothe them as with a garment, while perfume floats continually 
 around tbem. Well said the poet — 
 
 '* Of all the flowers, 
 Methinks a rose is best." 
 
THE PRIMROSE. 
 
 Fkom the paleness of its hue, and its gi-owing in groves and in sliatly sitna- 
 tBons, the primrose is generally, in poetry, invested with a mournful character. 
 We are inclined, however, to think this somewhat unfair. In the language of 
 flowers, it is made emblematic of early youth, which seems much more appro- 
 priate. It is among the first of the flowers of spring, and, as such, is certainly 
 not suggestive of mournful associations. Its delicate colour, and foim, and 
 fragrance, have made it a special favourite in our own land ; and we feel 
 assured that, 
 
 ** Long as there's a snn to set, 
 Primroses sliall have tlieu- glory." 
 
 Tlie primrose, above all other flowers, except perhaps the daisy, recalls 
 forcibly the days of our childhood ; those gladsome days when, in the early 
 spring, ere yet the sun of summer had warmed into life the myiiads of lovely 
 floral gems that deck the meadow, we tottered forth by the bubbling brook, or 
 tlu'ough the shady groves, and hailed the first appearance of the cowslips and 
 the scented violets, while with eager hand we clutched the beautiful tufts of 
 primroses, and pressed them to our throbbing breast : 
 
 " Glad to be free — to roam ahout at will; 
 To range the meadow, and to scale the hill ; 
 To pluck the flowers of spring beneath the trees. 
 Or race, in wanton gladness, with the breeze." 
 
 The botanic name of this flower is derived from the Latin word primm, 
 first, prime, or early ; and hence the name prime-rose, or primrose. In accord- 
 ance with the mournful character above alluded to, Milton says, — 
 
 *' Bring the ratlie primrose, that forsaken dies." 
 
 And Shakspeare, in " Winter's Tale," speaks of 
 
 " Pale primroses, 
 
 That die unmaiTied, ere they can behold 
 Bright Phcebus in his strength," 
 
 Nevertheless, although it may appear presumptuous to differ from such high 
 authorities, we think it is not too much to say that the generality of flower- 
 loving mankind regard primroses with very dilTerent and much more agreeable 
 feelings and associations. 
 
THE LILY OF THE VALLEY. 
 
 *' Ko flower amid the carrlen falrur ffmws, 
 Than the sweet lily of the lowly vale." 
 
 Few flowers are so emblematic ot united modesty and sweetness as the lily of 
 the valley, and none are more worthy of our regard ; f jr, besides its natural 
 boauty and deliciously delicate perfume, it, or at least the genus to which it 
 belongs, is specially referred to by our Saviour, in the words, " Consider the 
 lilies of the field, how they gi-ow." 
 
 Hartwell Home, in his " Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge 
 of the Holy Scriptures," says, " In this passage (Matt. vi. 28), Jesus Christ is 
 commonly supposed to have referred to the white lily, or to the tulip ; but 
 neither of these gi'ows wild in Palestine. It is natural to presume that, 
 according to his usubI custom, he called the attention of his hearers to some 
 object at hand ; and as the fields of the Levant are overrun with tlie ama- 
 ryllis lutea, whose golden liliaceous flowers, in autumn, afford one of the mo.st 
 brilliant and gorgeous objects in nature, the expression of ' Solomon, in all 
 his glory, not being arrayed like one of these,' is peculiarly appropriate." As 
 this, however, is merely conjecture, and as Scripture only assures us that the 
 objects referred to were " lilies of the field," we may be pardoned for asso- 
 ciating the lowly and sweet-scented lily of the valley with the memorable words 
 of our Saviour. 
 
 In the floral language, it signifies the return of happiness ; and we believe 
 there are few who would not deem it a great return of happiness to be able, ' 
 in the words of the poet, to 
 
 " Seek the hank where flowering elders crowd ; 
 VlTiere, scattered wide, the lily of the vale 
 Its balmy essence bi-eathes; where cowslips hang 
 The dewy head, where pui*ple violets lurk, 
 With all the lovely children of the shades." 
 
 Strictly speaking, the lily of the valley has no botanical claim to the title 
 of lily, but the extreme loveliness and purity of her white blossoms have been 
 deemed a sufficient reason for her admission into that fair family. It is 
 worthy of remark that the word lily in Hebrew is expressed by " shushan," 
 which signifies light; and that the Persian city Shushan takes its name from a 
 very beautiful species of the lily which grows in rich profusion in its imme- 
 diate vicinity. 
 
THE HYACINTH. 
 
 This sweet flower is emblematical of " games and play." From its tapering 
 bulb long green leaves shoot up, in the centre of which is a stalk on which the 
 bloom, in the form of bells, grows all round, causing it to droop. Blue, red, 
 and white are the mast ordinaiy colours, and there are several varieties. In 
 the British islands the Hyacinth is among the earliest blossoming plants in 
 spring. 
 
 Ancient mythological poets seem to revel in the realms of Flora, and few 
 indeed are the romantic strains of old that do not deal largely with flowers, 
 attaching to their names meanings and significations that have become 
 familiar to our ears as "household words." The Hyacinth is not neglected, 
 and it has been celebrated in song from the time of Homer to the present day. 
 It has been chosen to symbolize play in consequence of its fabulous origin. 
 According to mythologists, it is said to have sprung from the blood of 
 Hyacinthus, a youth who was killed by a quoit through the agency of Zephyr-, 
 who blew it out of its course as it passed from the hand of Apollo, and smote 
 the unfortunate youth to the gi-ound. 
 
 The best kind of Hya-cinth has double flowers, with brilliant colours. It is 
 a fevourite with the Dutch, who have brought it to gi-eat perfection. In 
 Kngland it will endm'c the winter in the ground, but in Holland the bulbs 
 are lifted and carefully stored during winter. 
 
 An unknown poet sings of this flower in the following strains : — 
 
 ^ Oh ! mournful, graceful, sapphire-coloured flower, 
 That keep'st thine eye for ever fixed on earth: 
 Gentle and sad, a foe thou seem'st to mirth — 
 What secret soiTow makes thee thus to lower? 
 
 '* Perhaps 'tis tliat thy place thou canst not change, 
 And thou art pining at thy prison'd lot ; 
 But oh where could'st thou find a sweeter spot, 
 Wert thou pennitted earth's wide bounds to range? 
 
 '* In pensive grove, meet temple for thy form. 
 Where, witli her silver music, dotli inti-ude 
 The lucid stream, where nought unkind or rude 
 Durst break of harmony the hallow'd charm; 
 
 '* rhy beauties, all unseen by vulgar eyes, 
 
 Sol, in his brightness, still delights to view; 
 He clothes thy petals in his glorious hue, 
 To show how much of old he did thee prize." 
 
ly 1. 
 
THE VIOLET. 
 
 The violet is a common indigenous plant, which grows not only in most parts 
 of England, but in every other country in Europe ; and travellers assert that 
 it is also found in many parts of the East. It is a universal favoui'ite : and 
 well does it deserve to be so ; for, while it seems to hide its head in lowly 
 modesty, it scents the whole atmosphere with a soft, delicious fragrance, which 
 is equalled, it may be, but certainly not sui-passeil, by the rose. Shakspeare 
 says of it, tliat * ^ ^, 
 
 " To throw peifume on the violet were wasteful." 
 
 IMilton has selected it as one of the favoured flowers with which he strews the 
 bower of Adam and Eve in paradise. But the most beautiful allusion to it is 
 made by Shakspeare in his " Twelfth Night :"^- 
 
 "That strain again; it had a dying fall; • 
 
 Oh ! it came o'er my ear like the sweet south, 
 That breathes upon a bed of violets, 
 Stealing and giving odour." 
 
 Sir ^^'alte^ Scott says, — 
 
 "Tlie violet in her greenwood bower, 
 
 "Where birchen bouglia with hiizels mingle, 
 May boast itself the fairest flower 
 In glen, or copse, or forest dingle." 
 
 The violet has been considered an emblem of constancy, owing probably to 
 the blue colour of its blossoms, — blue being esteemed an unchanging colour. 
 There is also a white variety of the violet, and the two are frequently found 
 growing together. Lord Bacon asserts that white violets are more inodorous 
 than coloured flowers of the same kind, and he seems to think the White a 
 degenerate plant of the coloured species. This, however, is doubtful, as they 
 are often found growing in equal luxuriance on the same soil. 
 
 Without doubt violets owe their popularity to their delicious odour ; yet, 
 strange to say, this very quality has somewhat hurt their reputation. It is 
 said that dangerous symptoms have occurred in persons with weak nerves, by 
 their merely remaining in a room ghere these flowers have been placed! 
 Other flowers, however, are known, to produce the same effect We have heard 
 of a lady who fainted if she sat for a few minutes in a room scented with white- 
 thorn blossom ; so that it is probable the evil lies in the persons thus affected 
 rather than in the sweet violet. 
 
THE JASMINE. 
 
 " Here jasmine spreads the silver flower. 
 To deck the wall, or weave the bower." 
 
 OuK common white jasmine is said by Linnaeus to be a native of India, and 
 also of Switzerland ; but, in regard to the latter place, Martyn says, " It is 
 confessedly exotic, although it is now so accustomeu to the climate, that it 
 grows spontaneously on tlie rocks, particularly about Cliiavenna." The seed of 
 jasmine will not ripen in England, but the plant may be increased by layering 
 down the branches, which take root in one year, when they may be separated 
 from the parent stem, and transplanted. It may also be propagated by cut- 
 tings, which ought to be planted early in autumn, and the earth covered with 
 sand or sawdust, to preserve them from the frost. 
 
 In the language of flowers, the jasmine is expressive of amiability. It was 
 first introduced into France by some Spanish navigators, in 1560, where it was 
 much admired for tlie lightness of its branches, and the delicate lustre of its 
 star-like flowers. The girls of Tuscany, it is said, wear a nosegay of jasmine 
 on their bridal-day. The origin of this custom was as follows :— " A certain 
 Duke of Tuscany, the first possessor of the jasmine, wishing to preserve it 
 unique, forbade his gardener to give away a single branch ; but love reigned 
 paramount in the gardener's heart, and. on the birth-day of his mistress, he 
 presented her ^yith a bouquet, in which was a sprig of jasmine. The delighted 
 girl immediately planted it. It took root, and, the following year, was covered 
 with flowers. By careful culture, she increased her stock, and was enabled to 
 sell it to so good an account, that she soon amassed sufficient wealth to enable 
 her to bring about a union with the fortunate gardener." It is said of the 
 wild Cape jasmine, that when in full blow, its odoriferous perfume, in an 
 evening, may be perceived at the distance of many miles. 
 
 The jasmine is a lingerer after the summer-time is past ; and, long after the 
 tenderer plants have shrunk from the approach of autumn's chill winds, we 
 find it blooming in our path. Until quite late in the season we may find a 
 solitary specimen, like a bright star, peeping out from among the green leaves, 
 as if to recall the memory of the by-gone glories of summer, and to whisper 
 hopefully in our ears that the flowers are not dead, but sleeping, — that the 
 genial breath of spring will revive them, ere long, in all their original sweet- 
 ness, beauty, and profusion. 
 
THE IRIS. 
 
 Plutarch tells us that the meaning of the word Iris is the eye of heaven. In 
 ancient mythology Iris was the messenger of Juno, and the goddess of the rain- 
 bow, on the arch of which she was wont to descend when despatched by the 
 queen of heaven with a message to earth, — hence, in the language of flowers, 
 the Iris has been chosen to symbolize a message. The ancients made it 
 emblematical of eloquence. Virgil says,— §, 
 
 " Iris, on saffron wings arrayed with dew 
 Of various coloui'S, tlirough the sunbeams fiew." 
 
 And the beautiful flower is not less variegated or brilliant than the fair deity 
 whose name it bears. 
 
 Of this plant there are various kinds, some low, and some tall, but all of 
 them beautiful from the delicacy of their colour. That of Persia is low, with 
 delicate blue and violet blossoms. The Chalcedonian Iris is taller, and dis- 
 tinguished by the great size and magnificence of its flower, which is bluish- 
 pm-ple, striped with white. The English Iris is of still greater height, with 
 flowers double the size of the former. 
 
 Some species of this plant have large bulbous roots, and many of the African 
 kinds constitute a large portion of the food of the Hottentots. They are eaten 
 either roasted, boiled, or stewed with milk, and are said to be both palatable 
 and nourishing. But it seems to be almost an insult to the Iris to descend 
 from the contemplation of the beauteous colours of its flower, connected as they 
 are witli the prismatic bow of heaven and the romantic legends of ancient 
 mythology, to the subject of stewing and devouring its bulbous roots. Pardon, 
 Flora, our mingling grosser fact thus rudely with thine airy wreath of fiction ! 
 The Iris is ever regarded as the messenger of good tidings,— as the rainbow is 
 the bearer of a message of continued mercy from God to man. 
 
 " Were not thy spirit purified to look 
 Through all things beautiful to God and heaven. 
 These gentle readings fi'ora love's holy book 
 Had not been given. 
 
 " Were thine eye sealed to those sweet lessons taught 
 In dim oracles of leaf and tree, 
 I had not made them messengers of thought. 
 Dear friend, to thee. 
 
 -^'■^ 
 
THE TIGER LILY. 
 
 This flower is a native of Cliina, and its gorgeous colouring partalies not a 
 little of the warm richness of the sunny clime whence it comes. It was brouglit 
 to this country in 1804, and since then, has become an ornament in most of oiir 
 gardens and nurseries. It flowers in September and October, and, although 
 our skies are less frequently gladdened ;yith the warm sunshin^that character- 
 ises those under which the Tiger Lily originally grew, it flourishes well, and 
 is considered a hardy plant. Many other kinds of Ulies, on the contrary, are 
 extremely tender, and puzzle our gardeners not a little, some of whom say that 
 tliey will not flower in pots, while others assert that they do not flourish if 
 planted in free ground. Some recommend shade and moisture ; and others, an 
 open situation exposed to sun and air. 
 
 Although the rich and variegated colours of the Tiger Lily claim our admii'a- 
 tion, it is not so generally known as many of .the other species of this flower. 
 Our ordinary conceptions of lilies are, grace and purity united to delicacy of 
 jierfume, and an absence of glaring colour. The white lily is an especial 
 favourite, and the lily of the valley, 
 
 "That lowly floweret sweet and pale 
 Which loves to hide in lonely vale,' 
 
 has drawn forth the admiration of poets and the lovers of nature in all genera- 
 tions. 
 
 But the name of the lily has been embalmed in a more enduring record than 
 the books and ballads of human poetry. In the inspired volume we are told to 
 " Consider the lilies how they grow." We are not, indeed, quite certain which 
 of the numerous varieties of this honoured flower was alluded to by our 
 Saviour, and some are disposed to thhik it was the golden lily of the East ; 
 but, whichever it was, this imperishable eulogium was pronounced upon it : — 
 " Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Thomson in 
 allusion to this says : — 
 
 ** Observe the rising lily's snowy grace ; 
 Observe the various vegetable race, 
 They neither toil nor spin, but careless grow. 
 Yet see how warm they blush! how bright they glow I 
 What regal vestments can with them compare? 
 What king so shining, or what queen so fair?" 
 
THE CARNATION. 
 
 This delicate and cherished favourite of the green-house, and the parterre, 
 belongs to the Pink family, and on account of its rich fragrance, closely 
 resembling that of the clove of commerce, it is called the clove pink. Florists 
 have divided the Carnation into three classes. Flakes, Bizarres, and Piccotees. 
 The first of these has a white ground marked with one colour, which is either 
 purple, scarlet, or rose. The second has a white ground variously marked with 
 two colours, generally purple and pink. The Piccotee has a white or yellow 
 ground, with a shade of red fringing the petals. The flesh-coloured species is 
 perhaps the most lovely, and has been beautifully compared by Byron to the 
 delicate glow upon a sleeping infant's cheek. One species of Carnation has, in 
 the language of flowers, been made the emblem of dignity, another of disdain, 
 and another, more appropriately we think, of woman's love. 
 
 This flower seems to have been much esteemed in the olden time. It is 
 mentioned by Chaucer, whose passion for flowers was excessive ; and Shake- 
 speare, for whose universal grasp nothing seems to have been too gi-and, nothing 
 too minute, makes Perdita, in the " Winter's Tale," say, — 
 
 "The fairest flowers of the season 
 Are uur carnations and streaked gilly flowers." 
 
 It is, besides, frequently introduced into the poetry of Elizabeth's reign ; so 
 that the favour with which it is regarded at the present day has deservedly 
 been of long duration. It is sad, while regarding this lovely flower, to think 
 that in a few short weeks its beauty will pass away, and its leaves lie withered 
 in the dust. But it is gladsome to reflect that though flowers die they will 
 revive again, and to see in this a type of that glorious resurrection revealed 
 in the word of God. Well, therefore, may the poet sing, and we acquiesce in 
 the burden of his song :— 
 
 " Shall / be left abandoned In the dust. 
 When Fate relenting lets the flower revive? 
 Shall nature's voice, to man alone unjust. 
 Bid him though doomed to perish hope to live ? 
 Is it for this fair Virtue oft must strive 
 With disappointment, penury, and pain ? 
 Ko ; heaven's immmortal spring shall yet arrive, 
 And man's majestic beauty bloom again 
 Bright through the eternal year of love'striuraphant reignl" 
 
 ^^^g SSJSJ^^ 
 
THE GERANIUM. 
 Who does not know the Geranium ? Who does not love and admire 
 
 " That floweret bathed in hues of light ! 
 Methlnks it is the brightest gem 
 That blazes in the gorgeous front 
 t)f Flora's matchless diadem !" 
 
 Alike in the sculptured balcony of the noble and on the lowly sill of the 
 cottar's window, the Geranium is to be found unfolding its charms, and shed- 
 ding its sweet influences around peasant and peer. Perchance it was in reference 
 to this universality of its favours, and the spontaneous admiration which its 
 beauty has called forth from high and low, rich and poor, that this flower has 
 been made, in floral language, emblematic of gentility ; for tr-ae gentility is not 
 confined to rank or station, but condescends oftentimes to dwell under a lowly 
 cottage roof. True, it may be said that there are other flowers held in equally 
 universal esteem, which might be chosen quite as appropriately to symboUze 
 this virtue ; but, perhaps, no other flower is so frequently seen nestling on our 
 window-sills, and, as it were, peeping in upon us in the privacy of our dwellings. 
 Go where you will, among tlie thatched cottages of the country, or into the 
 dusty dwellings of the town, you will find the Geranium carefully tended and 
 cared for by man ; sometimes in the genial green-house, surrounded by other 
 rare exotics, but often, also, on the ledge of a gan-et window ; a single, almost 
 leafless stem in a solitaiy flower-pot, the pet, and, it may be, the only solace 
 of some poverty-stricken widow, or some sickly orphan child. 
 
 Even in the grated windows of the debtor's prison it has been known to put 
 forth its delicate bud to greet the meagre rays of sunshine that sometimes 
 penetrated there, forming tlie last and dearly cherished link of connection 
 between some feeble old man and the green fields from which he had been shut 
 out for ever. 
 
 The Geranium, or, more properly. Pelargonium, has undergone such careful 
 culture in this country that it can now count a gi-eater number of royal and 
 illustrious titles in its family tlian any other species of flower can boast. 
 Nearly three hundred dift'erent species have, from time to time, been brouglrt 
 from tjie Cape of Good Hope, whence nearly all the varieties we possess have 
 been imported. This importation commenced so early as 1701. Besides their 
 increase in this manner, numerous additions have been made to our stock by 
 moans of hybridization. 
 
FOKGET-ME-NOT. 
 
 This beautiful little flower is the emblem of affection among the Germans 
 Is bud IS of a iine pink a^lour, which, when expanded, changes to a lovely 
 b ue that reminds us of the tint of the turquoise, or the somewhat opaque 
 blue of an autumnal sky. It grows profusely on the banks of almost all the 
 brooks and streams of England ; and in many places, where the beds of it 
 gi-ow thickly, it seems as if portions of the azure sky had dropped upon and 
 mingled with the green of earth. 
 The legend from which this flower derives its name is as follows :— 
 One beautiful summer's eve, a young couple, who were soon to be united 
 were slowly wandering along the delightful banks of the Danube, enjoying, the 
 sweet intercourse of loving hearts and the cool fragrance of zephyrs that swept 
 across the noble river. Looking up, the afiianced bride observed one of those 
 blue-eyed flowera floating on the water ; and, while she called her lovei-'s atten- 
 tion to it, expressed her admiration of its beauty, and sighed when she, 
 thought of its fatal destiny. With the headstrong impulse of impassioned 
 youth, the young man instantly plunged into the river, where he had no 
 sooner seized the flower than he began to siilk. ,With a convulsive effort he 
 struggled towards the shore, but failed to reach it. Just as he was on'the 
 point of disappearing for ever in the flood, he made a last effort, and threw 
 the flower on shore, exclaiming ere he sank-" Ferries mich niclu!" Ever 
 since, the floweret has been called Porget>me-not. 
 
 Ti-uly, the injunction has been well remembered ; for where is the album or 
 scrap-book whose pages have not been ornamented with bright representations 
 or compressed specimens of the much-prized Porget-me-not ? Where is the 
 poet who has not, in the early stages of his venturous career, penned a glowin.' 
 sonnet in praise of its perfections? Where is the youth who has not trem"- 
 blingly presented the object of his adoration with a spray of the blue-eyed 
 gem, or the giri who has not treasured the same in her bosom until it has 
 become crushed to an unrecognisable powder? 
 
 " Ah dearest love, this treasure 
 r place upon my breast, 
 Where, while I wander far away, 
 It evermore shall rest 
 
 " Unin, years hence, returnins 
 I seek thy father's cot, 
 And hring thee back thy wither'd gift. 
 This sweet Forget-me-not."