Petillius or Indian eye, may be sowen in any ground, for it desireth neither much water, nor much dung, and the best season for sowing, it is Iune or September, for it will beare flowers commonly all the Winter.
Of Veluet flower.
Veluet flower loueth a rich fertile ground, and must be much watred: the season best for the sowing is August, for commonly it will beare flowers all the Winter.
Of Gylliflowers.
Gilliflowers are of diuers kindes, as Pynks, Wall-flowers, Carnations, Cloue Gilliflowers, and a world of others, which are of all other flowers most swéet and delicate: all but the Wall-gilliflower loue good fertile earths, and may be sowen either in March, Iuly, or August. They are better to be planted of Slips then sowen, yet both will prosper. They are very tender, and therfore the best planting of them is in earthen Pots, or halfe Tubs, which at your pleasure you may remoue from the shade to the Sunne, and from the roughnesse of stormes to places of shelter, they grow vp high on long slender stalkes, which you must defend and support with square cradles made of stickes, least the winde and the waight of the flowers breake them: these Gilliflowers you may make of any colour you please, in such sort as is shewed you for the colouring of Lillyes, Of grafting of Gylliflowers. and if you please to haue them of mixt colours you may also, by grafting of contrary colours one into another: and you may with as great ease graft the Gylliflower as any fruit whatsoeuer, by the ioyning of the knots one into another, and then wrapping them about with a little soft sleau’d silke, and couering the place close with soft red Waxe well tempered. And you shall vnderstand that the grafting of Gylliflowers maketh them excéeding great, double, and most orient of colour.
Of the smels of Gylliflowers.
Now if you will haue your Gylliflowers of diuers smels or odours, you may also with great ease, as thus for example: if you will take two or thrée great cloues, & stéepe them foure and twenty houres in Damaske Rose water, then take them out and bruise them, and put them into a fine Cambricke ragge, and so binde them about the heart roote of the Gylliflower, néere to the setting on of the stalke, and so plant it in a fine, soft, and fertile mould, and the flower which springeth from the same, will haue so delicate a mixt smell of the Cloue and the Rose-water, that it will bréede both delight and wonder. If in the same manner you take a sticke of Cinamon, and stéepe it in Rose water, and then bruise it, and binde it as afore-said, all the flowers will smell strongly of Cinamon: if you take two graines of fat Muske, and mixe it with two drops of Damaske Rose water, and binde it as afore-said, the flowers will smell strongly of Muske, yet not too hot nor offensiue, by reason of the correction of the Rose water: and in this sort you may doe either with Amber-greece, Storax, Beniamin, or any other swéet drugge whatsoeuer; and if in any of these confections before named, you stéepe the séedes of your Gylliflowers foure and twenty houres before you sowe them, they will take the same smels in which you stéepe them, onely they will not be so large or double, as those which are replanted or grafted.
Of the Wall Gylliflower.
Now for your Wall Gylliflower, it delighteth in hard rubbish, limy, and stonie grounds, whence it commeth that they couet most to grow vpon walles, pauements, and such like barraine places. It may be sowen in any moneth or season, for it is a séede of that hardnesse, that it makes no difference betwixt Winter and Sommer, but will flourish in both equally, and beareth his flowers all the yéere, whence it comes that the Husbandman preserues it most in his Bée-garden; for it is wondrous swéet, and affordeth much honey. It would be sowen in very small quantity, for after it haue once taken roote, it will naturally of it selfe ouer-spread much ground, and hardly euer after be rooted out. It is of it selfe of so exéeding a strong and swéet smell, that it cannot be forced to take any other, and therefore is euer preserued in its owne nature.
Of the Helytropian.