Carex Japonica.—­This is a graceful and very beautiful variegated grass, striped green, silver, and gold, and makes a fine decoration for the table.  It will grow in any moderately moist soil, and bears dividing.  Sow in spring.

Carlina.—­Ornamental, thistle-like, hardy perennials, which will grow in any ordinary soil.  Flowers are borne from June to September.  Seed may be sown as soon as it is ripe.  Height, 9 in. to 2 ft.

Carnations.—­These are divided into three classes, but they are all said originally to come from the clove:  (1) Flakes, which are striped with one colour and white; (2) Bizarres, those streaked with two colours and white; (3) Picotees, which have each petal margined with colour on a white or yellow ground, or dotted with small spots.  For pot culture, about the end of March put two roots in an 11-in. pot, filled with light, turfy loam, well drained (too much moisture being injurious), pressing the earth firmly round the roots.  Stand them on a bed of ashes in a sheltered position, and when the flower-stems appear, stake and tie up carefully.  As the buds swell thin out the weakly ones.  To prevent them bursting unevenly put an india-rubber ring round the bud, or tie it with raffia.  They will flourish in the open borders even in towns if planted in light loam, and may be propagated by layers at the end of July or beginning of August.  Choose for this purpose fine outside shoots, not those which have borne flowers.  Cut off all the lower leaves, leaving half a dozen near the top untouched.  Make incisions on the under sides of the layers, just below the third joint.  Peg down, and cover the stems with equal quantities of leaf-mould and light loam.  Do not water them till the following day.  The young plants may be separated and potted off as soon as they have taken root—­say, the end of August.  They may also be increased by pipings.  Fill the pots nearly to the top with light, rich mould and fill up with silver sand.  Break off the pipings at the third joint, then in each piping cut a little upward slit, plant them pretty thickly in the sand, and place the pot on a gentle hotbed, or on a bed of sifted coal ashes.  Put on the sashes, and keep the plants shaded from the sun till they have taken root, then harden off gradually, and place each of the young plants separately in a small pot.  Carnations may also be grown from seed sown in spring.  When the seedlings have made six or eight leaves, prick them out into pots or beds.  They will flower the following year.  The beds must be well drained, as stagnant wet is very injurious to them.

Carnation Margaritae.—­May be sown in heat during February or March, pricked out when strong enough, and planted in the open in May or June.

Carpenteria Californica.—­The white flowers of this evergreen shrub, which make their appearance in July, are delicately fragrant.  The plant is most suitable for a cool greenhouse, but does well in the open, in warm, well-drained situations.  When grown in pots the mould should consist of two parts turfy loam, one part peat, and a little sharp sand.  It may be increased by seeds or by cuttings planted in sandy soil, with a medium bottom heat.