The florists vade-mecum being a choice compendium of whatever worthy notice hath been extant for the propagation, raising, planting, encreasing and preserving the rarest flowers and plants ... together with The gardiners almanack ... / by Samuel Gilbert.

ANEMONE.

THE wind flower, or Anemone, marked with two distinctions, as single and double, so Anemonie Latifo∣lia, the Anemone with broad and hard leaves, or Anemone Tenuifolia, the Ane∣mony with narrow and soft leaves: I begin with the first, leaving out the most vulgar ones,

Anemone latifolio flore

• Pleno Coccineo, the broad leav∣ed Anemone, with a double scar∣let flower, hath somewhat broad green leaves, cut in on the sides and folding the edges, seldom lying smooth and plain; the flowers of these stand on stalks about a shafnal high, and con∣sist of many round pointed; narrow long leaves, of a rich scarlet colour, thick and double.
• Pleno Coccineo variegata, the broad leav'd double scarlet va∣riegated Anemony, hath small

• ...
  • and something brownish green leaves, a tall stalk, bearing a large double flower, of a rich scarlet, and every leaf finely stri∣ped with white.
  • Pleno Rubro, the double broad leav'd red Anemony, darker leaves, smaller flower, of a blood red.
  • Pleno purpureo, double purple Anemony, broader leafed than the last, brownish green, flower larger, its leaves not so many but broader, of a murrey pur∣ple colour; there is another of this kind that hath every leaf listed about with white, shewing very glorious.

The single ones of this kind, are of divers sorts and colours, some bigger, others lesser, consisting of one row of leaves, with a hairy head in the mid∣dle, of a different colour from the leaves; these flowers of divers reds, purples, scarlets, pinks, peach, white, silver or Ash-colour, some siriped; the best are kept for seed; whence new varieties of single and double are produced, of the small leav'd Anemonies, I will menti∣on,

as of the broad a few of the best, the leaves of which are green, divided into several branches, each leaf cut and parted, in some flowers like the leaves of Parsly; in others like Carrets, the roots of all Tuberous.

Anemone tenuifolia flore pleno, the dou∣ble narrow leav'd Anemony.

Coccineo scarlet.

Coccineo variegata, scarlet variegated with white.

Coma scarlata, the outer broad leaves white, Thrum scarlet.

Sulphureo, outer leaves Brimstonish, Thrum green.

Viridante, outer leaves Orange tawny, Thrum yellowish green.

Albo maxima, the white of Burdeaux, greatest white.

Roseo, lively rose colour.

Roseo variegata, like the last, but strip∣ed with white.

Rubicante maculato, spotted blush, with red.

Purpureo purple, or a dark sullen Vio∣let colour.

Lavendulae colore, Lavender co∣lour'd,

Caeruleo, of a fine bright blew.

Coma purpureo, outer leaves white, purple Thrum.

Coma amarantina, outer leaves red, Thrum dark murrey.

Another sort of this, variegated with white.

Quinque coloris, of five colours, outer leaves red, thrum purple, whence come leaves half way yellow, the rest to the end light Crimson, the small tuft in the middle of them silver colour'd, but this flower is uncertain, and seldome cometh well.

Dicta Bel Lizwaice, of a dark pur∣plish colour, finely striped with white, a noble flower: but very tender and must be dealt with accordingly.

These already named are the best of old, tho not common ones: There are a newer Fleece of flowers, near a hundred sorts, of fine varieties, of two, three, and four colours, strange∣ly placed: About twenty whereof, I have now in my Garden, many of the rest not yet seen in England: Some of them having been rais'd at Rome, whose flowers (tho not Religion) are price and praise worthy with us here.

The single flowers of this sort, viz.

narrow leav'd or soft Anemonies, are more valued than the broad or hard leaved ones, being of greater variety, of divers colours, whether plain, edg∣ed, marked or striped: which on tall stalks bear fair and long flowers of one row of broad leaves, with a hairy head in the middle, which after the flowers are past, grows big and long, yielding store of flat brown seeds, wrapped in down, which must be care∣fully gather'd as the down rises, else they will be blown away.

The Soil where Anemonies are to be set, is a rich sandy loamy Earth, wherewith some Neats dung and a lit∣tle lime, that hath lain long together and fully rotted, shall be mixed: and the whole sifted through a wyre Rid∣dle for that purpose, and made into a bed foot deep, rather shady, than too much in the face of the Sun; therein about the end of September, place your broad leav'd Anemonies roots, half a foot asunder and quarter deep, setting that side uppermost, where you see the small Eminences that put forth leaves, those with small leaves must beset after the same manner, but not at

the same time, for being tenderer Plants ought not to be lodged in the ground till the end of October at soonest, lest they rise too early and the Frosts de∣stroy them, from which they must be defended, by Mats, Tilts, or Pease Straw, which must daily or once in two days (a fair season permitting) be taken off, for an hour, two or three, as the weather is, to air them and prevent mouldiness, which will destroy them: the broad leaves will come up before Winter, the narrow about the end of February, or as the mildness of the Winter invites, and its severity forbids: if March and April prove dry seasons, they will require often and gentle watring, to make them thrive the better and show fairer flowers than if that pains neglected: if they like the Earth they grow in, having fair flowers, strong stalks and prosper well, take them not up till July, but if their green leaves few, small flowers and short stalks, it argues they like not the quarters, and that they are fa∣mished by the soil being too cold and poor, or surfeited by its over heat and rankness, the last being most dange∣rous

to them; if these signs of distaste appear, take them up as soon as the green leaves turn yellow, put them into sand, and in some dry place for a month, and afterwards taken out and kept in Papers in some dry but cool place, till their time of planting; for should the roots lie in the ground after their fibres be gone, if the Earth was too barren, they would languish, not having received sufficient nourishment from it; if too rank, or over hot by undigested muck in it, they would most of them rot and consume away, espe∣cially if a rainy season follow.

For raising new varieties, experi∣ence yearly acquaints us, that some double Latifolia's bear seeds, as the double Orange Tawney, which sown, yield pretty varieties, but the pur∣ples, reds, or Crimsons, very few, or such as draw too near their Original, to be call'd new faces, only a little deeper or lighter, &c. but the light colours are preferable, as white Ash colour, Blush or Carnation, light O∣range, Skie colour, and Pink, whether single or double, if bearing seed; so al∣so in the Tenuifolia's.

The seeds of these flowers will be ready to gather in May earlier or la∣ter, as they flowr'd, which must be done as soon as ripe, and not till then, which is known by the seed with its woolliness, beginning a little to rise of it self at the lower end of the head, then must it presently be gathered, lest as before hinted, the wind carry it all away, which a little will do.

All your seed obtain'd, lay it to dry for a week or more, then in a Bason or Earthen Vessel, rub it with a little sand or dry earth gently, to separate the seed from the wool or down that encompass it: let the Earth be fine and proportionable to your seed, with which you part it from its down, which must be stirred or rub∣bed till there none appears; about the Full Moon in July next ensuing, let it be sown, (and so gain a year in its growth) on a smooth bed of fine sift∣ed Earth, or rather in Pots, Boxes or Tubs not too thin, for all will not come up, then gently sift some fine fresh earth over them, half a finger

thick is full sufficient for this first co∣vering, a month after they are come up, Riddle over them again fine light earth to the same thickness; in the in∣terim, should the Season be dry, often gently watering them; thus doing you shall have them spring up and grow able before Winter, to abide its sharp∣ness of frosts or cold, if in their no∣nage, you use some little care to cover them with Pease Straw or such like, supported by sticks that it lies not too near, or far from them: The next year in Autumn, they ought to be taken up and set in fine loose and fresh mould, as rich as may be, but beware of too much muck, at such distance as bearing roots, which many will prove the year following, all of them the third year, tho some have affirm'd from seeds so sown, they have had Anemonies in flower within ten months from their time of sowing.

You may do well to put a thin layer of rotten sally Wood or Wil∣low earth, under your young Anemo∣ny roots, at their first transplanting, it will cause them the sooner to put

forth fibres and gain the more strength against Winter, neither is it amiss (if to be had) to do as much by the old roots of the best kinds, for their beauti∣ful flowers will very well reward your pains.