Calandrinia

[Named after Calandrinr, a German botanist.]

Calandrinia grandiflora. - Great-flowering. - This is a half-hardy annual; grows two feet high; blooms from June to October. It is a fine plant for growing in masses. When the fine, rosy lilac flowers of this very beautiful plant are fully expanded, being produced in vast profusion, and continuing for so long time in bloom, they make a pleasing appearance, and never fail to give ample satisfaction. To have it in its greatest perfection,the seed should be planted in pots, and placed in a hot-bed early in the spring. In June' the plants should be turned into the ground. The soil should be a rich sandy loam.

C. Discolor

C. discolor is in habit very much like the other; the foliage is purple on the under side; it requires the same treatment. C. Burridgii, C. speciosa, and C. umbellata, are all handsome species or varieties, but rather delicate, and not perhaps desirable except in extensive collections.

Calceolaria. Lady's Slipper

[From calceolus, a slipper, in allusion to the shape of the corolla.]

Calceolaria pinnata. - This species, a native of Peru, may be raised from seed in a hot-bed in spring, and transplanted to the borders with other tender annuals. The regions of Chili and Peru abound in many splendid species, from which very beautiful hybrids have been produced; but all are too tender and delicate for out-door culture, unless planted in a sheltered situation.

Calendula

[So named because it may be found in flower during the calends of each month, or, which is the same thing, during every month of the year. This cannot be the case in our climate.]

Calendula officinalis. - Pot Marigold. - A hardy annual, common to the gardens time out of mind, and formerly much used in soups and broths. Flowers deep orange, and continue all the season. Some of the double varieties are very handsome. C ranunouloides superba, and 0. sulphurea, are highly improved varieties; one with bright orange, the other with sulphur-colored flowers, very large and double; as they are always in bloom, they are a great addition to the flower-garden.

Callirrhoe

Callirroe pedata, a handsome annual, introduced from Texas, two feet high, with crimson mallow-shaped flowers. C. verticillata, is double the size of C. pedata, and very beautiful; a perennial or biennial.

Callirhoe Pedata.

Callistephus. China Aster

[From the Greek, meaning beautiful crown.]

Callistephus Chineisis. The China Aster

Is the only species with which we are acquainted, and of this the varieties are almost infinite, embracing in color white, blue-purple, red, variegated red and white, blue and white-purple, and white, etc.; also in variety of shapes as the Pompon, Chrysanthemum, Paeony, Imbricate, Crown, Globe, etc.; of different heights as the Tall, Semi-dwarf, Dwarf, and Pigmy, also in the different arrangements as the bouquet, etc. All these varieties, as now cultivated, have full double-flowers. No others are tolerated. The improvements that have been made in this flower within the last dozen years, are wonderful. The French call the China Aster la Reine Marguerite, which has been rendered in English, the Queen Margaret. By this name they are sometimes called; also the German, Aster, from the improvements which have been made by the florists of that country. Some of the very finest are called French Asters or the Truffaut Paeony Aster, from a Mr. Truffaut, a celebrated florist at Versailles, who has produced some of the most superb varieties, nearly the size of Dahlias, of most brilliant colors, and very double and full

These varieties cannot be too highly recommended. No class of Asters surpasses them in splendor, perfection, softness, brilliancy and variety of their colors. It would seem hardly possible that such a wonderful transformation could be made from the original, inferior, single flower; but Mons. Truffaut has made this a specialty, and his perseverance and skill have been crowned with complete success; he has the honor of introducing a class of flowers which must stand in the first rank among the ornamental plants of the flower-garden. His packages of these grand Asters embrace from ten to twelve varieties. The flowers are so full and double that they produce very few seeds, hence they will always command a high price.

The double German Globe Aster forms another distinct class, embracing all the variety of colors found in the Paeony Aster. The flowers are large and very full, of a globular shape; plants about two feet high. Boltze's Miniature, or Pigmy Dwarf Bouquet Pyramidal Asters, are a great curiosity as well as very beautiful. A bouquet of Chrysanthemum-shaped Asters, of five to ten finely shaped flowers, with very rich colors, and of good size, spring directly from the ground, not more than six inches high, with very little foliage, presenting a very pleasing sight when planted in a bed or groups by themselves. These varieties are new; perfected by Mr. Boltz, of Germany.

Newest Chrysanthemum-Flowered Dwarf Double Asters

This new tribe of dwarf Asters is highly recommended as a very important acquisition to the flower-garden. They flower rather later than the other varieties, attain the height of about ten to twelve inches, and produce clusters of flowers nearly as large as the Paeony, flowered so abundant, that very few leaves are seen; they sport into all the colors of the other classes.

New Double Corcadeau Or Crown Aster

This class of Asters have very large flat flowers, with white centres; the colors are violet, blue, crimson, and deep scarlet. The contrast between the rich colors of the outer petals, and the pure white centre is very fine. The varieties are very double; height, two feet.

Double Dwarf Pyramidal Bouquet-Flowered Aster

This is also an interesting class of about twelve varieties of colors; height ten or twelve inches. They produce immense bouquets of quilled flowers, when planted in rich soil.

Double Pyramidal-Flowered German Aster

This division of Asters grows about two feet high, flowers in pyramids, Chrysanthemum shaped, with all the colors of the other sorts; some of them are beautifully striped or ribboned with blue, rose or red, on white ground.

New Giant Emperor Aster

A beautiful Aster, flowers of great size, very double, and well up in the centre; Style of growth very distinct, in about ten distinct colors; height one and one-half foot.

Victoria Aster

Color carmine rose; an extra fine double variety of a globular shape, well up in the centre; of the size of the Giant Emperor Aster, having a fine pyramidal habit of 14 foot, covered with ten to twenty-flowers; of this there is as yet hut one variety.

Imbricated Pompon Aster

This class embraces twelve or more varieties of exquisite shaped flowers, very full and double, with narrow petals closely imbricated, forming a most perfect pompon.

Asters, styled Bombee, are convex shaped, and are included among the Paeony-flowered.

Imbricated, like the Pompons, are closely imbricated with an immense number of petals, having larger flowers and more flat and spreading; some of the varieties have a rich metallic lustre; height 1 1/2 foot.

To have Asters in perfection, the ground should be dug deep and highly manured. For early blooming plants, the seed should be sown in frames with a little bottom heat in April. But for late-flowering plants, they succeed full as well when sown in the open ground, from the 1st to the 10th of May. - Asters have the most pleasing effect when planted in beds. The tallest growing plants should be placed one foot to fifteen inches apart; the dwarf-varieties from six to ten inches. The plants, when covered with flowers, will require a little support, with light rods, as a heavy rain or wind often prostrates them unless thus protected. Asters are in perfection from the middle of August to the middle of September.