Might hang their silver stars, their golden globes, MASON'S ENGLISH GARDen. Mrs. C. Smith speaks of the Orange-tree in her lines addressed to the humming-bird; a beautiful little creature, which, when stript of its plumage, is not bigger than a bee; and, like the bee, it delights in hovering over the sweetest flowers, and sipping their juice, without doing them the least injury by its visit. Mr. Lambert, in his Travels in Canada, says, "that they may be seen there in great numbers, and that their plumage is as beautiful as that of the peacock." It is frequently called the bee-bird: "There, lovely bee-bird! may'st thou rove And woo and win thy fluttering love With plume so bright ; There rapid fly, more heard than seen, Of purest white.” Captain Stedman, speaking of Paramaribo, says that its streets, which are perfectly straight, are lined with Orange, shaddock, tamarind, and lemon trees, which appear in everlasting bloom, while at the same time their branches are weighed down with the richest clusters of odoriferous fruit. He was in the habit of purchasing forty oranges for sixpence: yet plentiful as they were, the Orange is not a native of the country, but was originally imported there from Spain and Portugal. These trees are extremely beautiful, and adorned with their fragrant blossoms throughout the "As for year. the fine fragrance that is diffused through all this colony," says the Captain, "by the continued groves of Orangeblossoms, and odoriferous fruits that it produces, it can be more easily conceived than described." In Surinam, the parlour floors are always scowered with sour oranges cut through the middle, which gives the house an agreeable fragrance: the negro girls, taking one half in each hand, keep singing aloud while they rub the boards. Speaking of the negro, Captain Stedman says-“ his teeth are constantly kept as white as ivory: for this purpose he uses nothing but a prig of Orange-tree, bitten at one end until the fibres resemble a small brush; and no negro, male or female, is to be seen without this little instrument, which has, besides, the virtue of sweetening the breath*.” Thunberg speaks of a curious Lilliputian kind of Orange, growing in Japan: "A very small species of Orange (Citrus Japonica) is frequently cultivated in the houses, in pots. This shrub hardly exceeds six inches in height, and its fruit, which is sweet and palatable, like China Oranges, is not larger than an ordinary cherry †. PEONY. PEONIA. RANUNCULACEA. POLYANDRIA DIGYNIA. From Pæon, an eminent physician of antiquity. It is also a name given both to Apollo and to Esculapius.-French, la pivoine; pione: in the village dialect, herbe de mallet; flor de mallet.-Italian, rosa de' monti [mountain rose]. THE Peony, from the nature of its roots, requires very deep pots. There are many and beautiful varieties. The White-flowered Peony is a native of Siberia: it is a handsome flower, with the scent of the Narcissus. The Daurians boil the roots in their broth, and grind the seeds to put into their tea: they call it Dschina. * Captain Stedman's Expedition to Surinam, Vol. I. pages 298, 304, 306, 313, 362. Vol. II. p. 293. + Thunberg's Travels, Vol. IV. p. 121. The Common Peony is purple or red: there are single and double flowers. It is a native of many parts of Europe, of Mount Ida, China, and Japan. A variety which Millar calls the Foreign, Gerarde calls Turkish, and says it originally came from Constantinople. The Portugal variety is a single flower, but very sweet this requires a lighter soil and a warmer situation than the other kinds. Although the Peony is better adapted for the open ground, it is too beautiful to be dispensed with, where room can be allowed the Jagged kind is the least fit for pots, and by far the least desirable. The immense crimson flower of the Double-red Peony is scarcely more magnificent than its luxuriant foliage. They may be increased by parting the roots, observing to preserve a bud on the crown of each offset, and not to divide them very small: they should be planted three inches deep. It is a hardy plant, and will grow in any soil or situation. They should be kept moderately moist. The Common Peony flowers in May; the White Peony a month later. PASSION-FLOWER. PASSIFLORA. PASSIFLOREÆ. GYNANDRIA PENTANDRIA. The Passion-flower derives its name from an idea, that all the in'struments of Christ's passion are represented in it.-French, le grenadille; fleur de la passion.-Italian, granadiglia; fiore della passione. MOST of the Passion-flowers are natives of the hottest parts of America, and require a stove in this country. It is a beautiful genus. The rose-coloured Passion-flower is a native of Virginia, and is the species which was first known in Europe. It has since been in great measure superseded by the blue Passion-flower, which is hardy enough to flower in the open air, and makes an elegant tapestry for an unsightly wall. The leaves of this, in the autumn, are of the most brilliant crimson; and, when the sun is shining upon them, seem to transport one to the gardens of Pluto. The Rose-coloured, however, is better adapted for pots; and, if sheltered from frost, will thrive without artificial heat. In mild weather it may be allowed fresh air, and in the summer will enjoy a full exposure to it. The flowers are purple and white; very handsome, and sweet, but very short-lived-opening in the morning, and fading in the evening. The fruit is about the size of an Orlean-plum: when ripe, it is of a pale orange-colour, and encloses many rough seeds, lying in a sweet pulp. The fruit of some kinds is eatable, and in the West Indies much esteemed. It varies in size from that of an olive to that of a large melon. The fruit of the Laurel-leaved Passion-flower, or Waterlemon, contains a sweet and tasteful juice, which is extremely fragrant. The West Indians suck this juice through a hole in the rind. The French call this species pomme di liane [bindweed apple], and English Honeysuckle. The Passion-flower should be raised in a hot-bed; and should be housed in October, carefully screening it from frost, but admitting air in mild weather. In summer, the earth must be kept tolerably moist, but water must be given very sparingly in winter. Harte, considering it emblematically, thus describes it: "All beauteous flower, whose centre glows With studs of gold; thence streaming flows A rich expanse, of varying hue, Enfringed with an empurpled blue, High o'er the pointal, deck'd with gold, VINCEÆ. PERWINKLE. VINCA. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. French, pervenche; pucellage; violette des sorciers [magicians' violet]; vence.—Italian, pervinca; centocchio [hundred-eyes]. THE Perwinkle is a lovely plant: its blue flowers are in bloom all the summer, and its fine glossy green leaves, like large myrtle-leaves, flourish through the winter. It spreads so fast, and in consequence requires so much room, that it is seldom grown in pots; but it may be preserved very well in that manner, if room can be allowed for it. moist soil, and enjoying the morning sun, it thrives and flowers best. "Through primrose tufts in that sweet bower, The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes." WORDSWORTH. In a The Madagascar Perwinkle is a beautiful plant, with an upright stem, three or four feet high: the flowers are crimson or peach-coloured on the upper surface, and a pale flesh-colour on the under: it varies with a white flower, having a purple eye. This plant is usually kept in the stove, but the temperature of a warm inhabited room will |