Evening star., 1895-04-30
FLOWERS OF FLORIDA
Endless Wealth Of Beauty for the Gar
den
List of Plants Common There md
Capable of Cultivation Here
Under Fav0rins Conditions.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, April co. 1895.
AS the beautiful spring approaches nearly
every day letters come from northern
friends asking if 1 can and will send them
something nice to plant from this land of
flowers, will try to answer naming only
those varieties which I think will do well
Lorth.
The Spanish dagger is one of the hand
somest plants of the south; it is a great
branchless plant. some five feet high, SUR
rounded by corn-like leaves from the
ground to the top, and crowned with one
huge truss of creamy white bell-shaped
hcwers, as large around as water pail,
end fully two feet high. 1t would make a
very snowy plant for the lawn, but during
the winter would need to be carried to the
cellar, and kept free from frost
Sleepy acacia is pretty plant about
twenty inches high, with beautiful foliage
and deep yellow flowers.
The southern cypress vine grows rampant,
covering bush and briar with its fine lace
like foliage and lovely flowers. 1t always
looks to me out of place. covering SO many
ursightly objects. But no Towering vine I
ever saw can equal the brilliant beauty of
the passion flower. The bloom is over the
Size of a silver dollar, clothed in royal
coat of purple and gold, while dame nature.
rot satisfied with her work. circles the
flower with deep lace-like fringe, which
gives it an indescribable beauty.
The pa assion flower is adapted for in or
out of door culture, and is classed by for
lists as hardy in the north. AS to that, 1
am not prepared to say, but if left in the
open ground, should want to give good
covering of coarse litter for winter. Then
there is the giant castor bean, also the
Australian variety; there is one bean here,
fully twenty-five feet high, not exactly the
bean that Jack Of nursery fame planted.
but perhaps one more tangible.
A pretty plant is the oak geranium. 1t is
fine plant for low hedges or dividing line.
1t is good one for house culture.
Apple of sodom.
Did you know that the "apple of Sodom,"
or Ewes apple grows here? That's what
| they call it. If the apple that Eve ate was
as handsome as this one. it's TO wonder
| that her curiosity got the better of her.
The fruit is a bright scarlet, about the size
CT small crab apple produced on plant
.cme two feet high, which IS of easy cul-
lure.
Then we have the graceful palmetto and
the gypsophelia This last-naned is a
treasure to any collection of plants. The
Japan tea plant grows. here, the foliage is
white. the size of apple blossoms, and as
fragrant as orange flowers. / often mail
tea seed north for house culture.
There is the ice plant, the laurel and the
octoroon. This last named is broad
leaved plant, OF rich metallic bronze color.
looks much like the coleus. Did you ever
hear of a plant which perpetuates Jobs
| tears? They say it found its way over here
from Africa. That sounds nice, doesn't It,
| to think tnat Job, the worlds pattern for
| patience, might possibly have been an Afri-
can? You plant the seed in the open
| ground, and as the plant attains maturity,
note the dark shiny tears, or seed, hang
on the plant. or bush, just as they were
| dropped, without any covering like other
seed. Then form Your own conclusions as
| to the probable complexion of our model
ancestor.
Did you ever make a rice ball-not the
| kind for table use? Take a sponge, fill it
| with rice seed, Clip it in the water. then
suspend it with a string. and see what a
pretty green ball you will soon have.
Did YOU know you can grow cotton as
| easy a geranium? Cotton hears large
! white showy flowers. which are soon fol-
| lowed by the fluffy balls which make the
plant more attractive thaa half a dozen
/ common sorts. Then there IS candytuft, a
fine large white variety, also beautiful wa
ter bells. yellow field daisies gillariias,
that never fade. Some of the kinds are like
white and rose. Ox-eyed daisies and scar
let balls are very pretty.
The Ornamental Grasses.
Then there are ornamental grasses. The
rattlesnake grass and grass hoops are
pretty in making lasting bouquets. For
the seed; the flowers can speak for them
selves
But 1 must not forget the dear little
sweet mienonette, the Frenchman's dar-
ling. To forget that would be like leaving
salt out of the soup. Then We have an
other handsome, tall Inignonette. three feet
high, with fine deep-cut foliage and long
spikes of fragrant flowers.
Mrs. f. A. WARNER.