The English Husbandman (The Second Booke) /

by Gervase Markham

The Helytropian or flower of the Sunne, is in nature and colour like our English Marigold, onely it is excéeding huge in compasse, for many of them will be twenty, and foure and twenty inches in compasse, according to the fertilenesse of the soyle in which they grow, and the oft replanting of their rootes, they are excéeding goodly to looke on, and pleasant to smell, they open their flowers at the rising of the Sunne, and close them againe at the Sunne setting, it delighteth in any soyle which is fertile either by Art or Nature, and may be sowen in any moneth from February till September, the oft planting and replanting of the roote after it is sprung a handfull from the earth, maketh it grow to the vttermost bignesse, it would haue the East and West open vpon it, onely some small Pent-house to kéepe the sharpnesse of the winde from it.

Of the Crowne Emperiall.

The Crowne-Emperiall, is of all flowers both forraigne and home-bred, the delicatest and strangest: it hath the true shape of an Emperiall Crowne, and will be of diuers colours, according to the Art of the Gardner. In the middest of the flower you shall sée a round Pearle stand, in proportion, colour, and orientnesse, like a true naturall Pearle, onely it is of a soft liquid substance: This Pearle if you shake the flower neuer so violently will not fall off, neither if you let it continue neuer so long, will it either encrease or diminish in the bignesse, but remayneth all one: yet if with your finger you take and wipe it away, in lesse then an houre after you shall haue another arise in the same place, and of the same bignesse. This Pearle if you taste it vpon your tongue, is pleasant and swéet like honey: this flower when the Sunne ariseth, you shall sée it looke directly to the East, with the stalke bent lowe there-vnto, and as the Sunne ariseth higher and higher, so the flower will likewise ascend, and when the Sunne is come into the Meridian or noone poynt, which is directly ouer it, then will it stand vpright vpon the stalke, and looke directly vpward, and as the Sunne declineth, so will it likewise decline, and at the Sunne setting looke directly to the West onely. The séedes of this flower are very tender, and therefore would be carefully sowen in a very rich and fertile earth well broken and manured. The seasons most méete for the same, is the latter end of March, Aprill, or May, for the flowers flourish most in May, Iune, and Iuly. As soone as it is sprung a handfull aboue the earth; you shall remoue it into a fresh mould, and that will make it flourish the brauer: the roote of this flower is like an Apple, or great flat Onion, and therefore in the replanting of it, you must be carefull to make a hole large and fitte for the same, and to fixe the mould gently and close about the same. In the Winter it shrinketh into the earth, and is hardly or not at all discerned, by meanes whereof I haue séene diuers supposing it to be dead, to digge vp the earth, and negligently spoyle the roote, but be not you of that opinion, and in the Spring you shall sée it arise and flourish brauely.

Of the Dulippo.

The Dulippo is but a little short of the Crowne Emperiall in pleasantnesse and rarenesse, for you may haue them of all colours whatsoeuer, in such sort as was shewed you for the Lillyes, Gylliflowers, and other rootes: they are tender at their first springing from the séede, and therefore must be sowen in a fine rich mould, in the warmth of the Sunne, either in March, Aprill, or May: but after they are once sprung aboue the ground, they are reasonable hard, and will defend themselues against most weathers: the roote of this flower is shaped like a Peare, with the biggest end downeward, and many small thréeds at the bottome; therefore you must be sure when you remoue or replant it, to couer all the roote in fresh mould, and let not any part of the white thereof be vncouered: this flower by monethly replanting, you may haue to flourish in all the Summer moneths of the yeare, for in the dead of Winter it shrinketh into the ground, and is hardly or not at all perceiued, the stalkes of these flowers are weake, therefore to support them, and defend them from the shakings of the windes with little square frames of stickes, will be very good and necessary, it must be oft watred.

Of the Hyacinth.

The Hyacinth is a flower more delicate to the eye then nose, and is of a good strong nature, for it will endure any reasonable earth, and may be sowne in any moneth of the Spring, from the beginning of February till midde-Iune: it onely hateth tempests and stormes, and therefore is commonly sowen or planted néere vnto walls or other shelter. You may haue them of any colour you please, as is shewed before of other flowers, and in this alteration or mixture of colours their greatest glorie appeareth, they will flourish all the Summer long, and if they stand warme, appeare very early in the Spring.

Of the Narcissus.

The Narcissus is a very curious and dainty flower, and through his much variety and alteration in growing, they are supposed to be of diuers kindes, but it is not so, for in as much as they are séene to be of diuers colours, that is but the Art of the Gardner, as is before exprest in other flowers, and whereas some of them grow single, some double, and some double vpon double, you shall vnderstand that such as grow single, grow simply from the séede onely, those which are double and no more, are such as haue béene planted and replanted, the small thréeds of the rootes being clipt away, and nothing left about it that is superfluous, and those which are double vpon double, are the double plants grafted one into another. This Narcissus loueth a rich warme soyle, the mould being easie and light, it may be sowne in any moneth of the Spring, and will flourish all the Summer after. Before it appeare aboue ground it would be oft watred, but after it skils not how little, for it will defend it selfe sufficiently.

Of the Daffadill, Colombine, and Chesbole.