y much resembling, the double stocks--in fact, the Hesperis used to
be called "Queene's Gilloflower." The leaves may be briefly described as
oval, lance-shaped, toothed, and veined; dark green, and often spotted
or blotched. Gerarde's description, too, may be given, as it is always
pleasant to recognise the old plants of 300 years ago: "Dames' Violets
hath great large leaues of a darke greene colour, somewhat snipt about
the edges; among which spring up stalks of the height of two cubites,
set with such like leaves; the flowers come foorth at the toppe of the
branches--like those of the Stock Gilloflower, of a verie sweete smell."

These desirable flowers have a long blooming period, and their
cultivation is simple; there is, however, one special point to be
observed, otherwise these double kinds will die off. It should be
remembered that they produce no seed, and propagation must be carried
out by divisions of the roots and cuttings; old plants, too, have a
habit of forming their perennial crowns nearly out of the soil, so that
the roots going down from them are often bare and unestablished; the
older parts, too, are frequently attacked by ground vermin. No doubt
these causes would tend greatly to the former scarcity of the finer
kinds, but all the difficulties, if they can be called such, may be
overcome by the very simple process of either putting in cuttings like
wallflower slips during summer, or, as soon as the old plants are past
their best bloom, dividing and replanting the various parts deeper,
whereby all of them, however small, will make good plants the following
season.

This mode of keeping up the stock will be found to make the plants
vigorous and free blooming, and also will prove a remedy for the
complaint so often given expression to in such words as "I lost all my
double Sweet Rockets; I cannot keep them above two years."

Flowering period, June to August.

Heuchera.

ALUM-ROOT; _Nat. Ord._ SAXIFRAGACEAE.

This is a small genus of hardy perennials suitable for the decoration of
the English garden from their bold and finely-shaped leaves, which are
well marked with various pleasing tints, also because of their perpetual
verdure and neat habit. It takes its name from J. H. de Heucher, a
botanist. The species, as many of them as are known, are from American
habitats; nearly all have been introduced within the last sixty years;
the well-known _H. Americana_, however, is an old plant in Englis