Part 41 (1/2)
Each plant will cover a s.p.a.ce of at least one foot, and we have seen specimens a yard across, bristling with flower-spikes which are delightfully fragrant. The soil for it should be made firm, just as an Onion bed is treated. Except for this one point, the culture of a hardy annual is all that is necessary. Mignonette does not transplant successfully, but otherwise it is very accommodating. The seedlings are frequently taken off by fly as fast as they appear above ground. Soot and wood-ashes applied in good time are the best preventives; but a second sowing may be necessary, and it should be made immediately the loss is discovered.
==Nemesia==.--For the earliest display of this beautiful annual the first sowing should be made in pots under gla.s.s during this month. In the open border seed may be sown in both May and June. Occasionally a little difficulty is experienced in raising plants under artificial conditions, but those who sow in beds or borders from the same packet of seed during the months named, will find that the culture is quite easy.
==Pentstemon==.--The treatment recommended for the perennial section of Lobelias will exactly suit this flower.
==Phlox Drummondii==.--There is still time to sow. Established seedlings should be gradually hardened by free access of air, until they are ready for the open ground.
==Phlox, Perennial==, may be raised from seed sown in shallow boxes in the early part of this month, and placed in moderate heat. Transplant the seedlings when ready, gradually harden, and plant out in rich soil one foot apart, or put them into vacant places in the shrubbery. Aid with water if necessary.
==Poppy==.--The annual varieties do not well bear transplanting, especially from light soils, and therefore, as a rule, it is advisable to sow where the plants are intended to bloom. They make conspicuous lines and clumps among shrubs; and this is especially the case with the huge flowers of the double cla.s.s. Sow in March and April, and commence thinning the seedlings while they are small. They should ultimately be left about one foot apart. The perennial Poppies may also be flowered as annuals if sown in this month and transferred to open quarters when large enough.
==Schizanthus==.--Elegant half-hardy annuals, which can be grown as specimens for the conservatory, or in quant.i.ty for open borders. Sow in gentle heat, and pot on the seedlings.
==Solanum==.--For a succession of the varieties which are grown for their berries, sow again in heat, and make a sowing of the ornamental-foliaged kinds for sub-tropical gardening. The latter are rather more tender, and need a somewhat higher temperature than the former. They must all have liberal culture to bring out their fine qualities.
==Statice==.--The hardy annual varieties of Sea Lavender may be sown during March or April, and the best results are obtained by starting the seed in pans and planting out when the seedlings are far enough advanced in size. Seed of the hardy perennial kinds should be sown from April to July on light soil, and transplanted later on to flowering quarters.
==Stock, Ten-week.==--The increasing favour shown for Annual Stocks is in part no doubt attributable to the growing appreciation manifested for all kinds of flowers. But it is traceable in a still greater measure to the augmented purity, brilliance, and variety in colour of modern Ten-week Stocks, as well as to the enhanced reliability of seed in producing double flowers. We need say nothing of its perfume, for this is a quality which the most un.o.bservant can scarcely fail to notice.
Although the Ten-week Stock is half-hardy, it must not receive the treatment of a tender annual; indeed, one of the most important points in growing it is to avoid any excess of artificial heat. A little a.s.sistance at the commencement it must have; but the aim should be to impart a hardy const.i.tution from the moment the seedlings appear. We are not advocating reckless exposure to chill blasts, but the necessity of giving air freely whenever there may be a fair opportunity. The best of seed-beds can be made in pans or shallow boxes filled with sweet, sandy soil. In these sow thinly, so that the young plants may have abundant room. Even a little apparent wastefulness of s.p.a.ce will be repaid by stout and vigorous growth. From the middle to the end of the month is a suitable time for sowing.
==Sweet Pea==.--This flower is so much in demand for decorative purposes that a prolonged display should be secured by successive sowings, commencing in this month and continuing until May, or even to June, where the soil and circ.u.mstances are specially favourable. The value of groups of Sweet Peas in borders and for enlivening shrubberies is now thoroughly appreciated, and it is not uncommon to see fine clumps among dwarf fruit trees.
==Tigridia, or Ferraria==.--Finer flowers are generally obtained from the open border than from pots, and the bulbs should be planted out three or four inches deep in March or April. Sandy loam and peat suit them admirably. On a dry border these bulbs will pa.s.s the winter safely, but in wet land it will be perilous to leave them out.
==Verbena.==--It is possible to raise Verbenas in the open from seed sown in drills on light soil, but the attempt is a little hazardous. There is, however, no danger at all in sowing in pans placed in a cool frame.
The plants should be potted immediately they are large enough to handle.
The flowering from this sowing will be rather late, but not too late for a good show of bloom.
==Zinnia.==--The double varieties are now grown almost to the exclusion of single flowers, and the former are so incomparably superior, that they are judged by the severe rules of the florist. With this plant it is useless to start too early. Towards the end of the month a commencement will be made by experienced growers, but the comparative novice will be wise to wait until the beginning of April. Sow in pots filled with a compost of leaf-mould, loam, and sand, and be quite sure there is effectual drainage. Plunge the pots in a temperature of about 60.
==APRIL==
Many half-hardy flowers, such as Acroclinium, =Convolvulus major=, =Linum rubrum=, Nemesia, Salpiglossis, Schizanthus, and others, which at an earlier period can only be sown with safety under protection, may now be consigned to the open ground without the least misgiving. A knowledge of this fact is of immense value to owners of gardens that are dest.i.tute of gla.s.s, for it enables them to grow a large number of flowers which would otherwise be impracticable. Of course, the flowering will be a little later than from plants raised earlier in heat.
==Annuals, Hardy,== which were not sown in March should be got in during this month and in May. A large number of beautiful subjects are available for the purpose, the most popular of which are named on page 373.
==Aster.==--When the seedlings attain the third leaf, they should be p.r.i.c.ked off round the edges of 60-sized pots; later on put them singly into small pots, from which the transfer to the open ground will not cause a perceptible check. As the plants do not thrive in a close atmosphere, it is important to give air freely on every suitable occasion, or they cannot be maintained in a healthy growing condition. A second sowing should be made about the middle of the month, following the routine already advised. A sowing in drills on a carefully prepared bed in the open ground is also desirable, and in some seasons it may produce the most valuable plants of the year. Asters come so true from seed that the bed may be arranged in any desired pattern. Thin the plants early, and continue the process until they are far enough apart for flowering. A distance of eight inches is sufficient for the miniatures, ten inches for the dwarfs, and twelve or fifteen inches for the tall varieties.
==Balsam==.--About the middle of this month will be the time for a second sowing, and the seed may be raised in a frame without artificial heat.
==Canterbury Bell==.--Sow in good soil from April to July and transplant when ready. Under generous treatment these hardy biennials make a beautiful display in borders and the pure colours show with striking effect against the dark foliage of shrubs.
==Carnation==.--Any time from now until August will be suitable for sowing, and if the seed has been saved from a first-cla.s.s strain, a good proportion of very fine flowers will be produced in the following year.
For these plants florists have always considered it important that the potting soil should be prepared months before use, and there are good reasons for the practice. If this is impossible, see that the compost is sweet, friable, and, above all, free from that terrible scourge of Carnations, the wireworm. Even sifting will not rid the soil of its presence with certainty, but by spreading thin layers of the mould evenly upon a hard, level floor, and pa.s.sing a heavy roller over it east and west, then north and south, the wireworm will be disposed of. Or dressing the soil with Vaporite two or three weeks in advance of potting will often prove effectual. Turfy loam three parts, leaf-mould one part, decayed cow-manure one part, with an addition of sharp sand, make a first-cla.s.s compost. Sow in well-drained 48-sized pots, cover the seed very lightly, and place in a frame. Transplant the seedlings immediately they can be handled, when a cool, shaded pit will keep them in hard condition. After six or eight leaves are formed it will be time to plant them out. In the following spring the usual routine of staking and tying must be followed.
==Chrysanthemum leucanthemum== (Marguerite, or Ox-eye Daisy).--Seed of these well-known perennial varieties may be sown any time from April to July. There are several greatly improved forms of this popular flower which may now be had in bloom from May until early autumn. Start the seedlings on a bed of light soil, and when large enough transplant them to positions for flowering in the following year.
==Cyclamen==.--The bulbs which have been flowering in pots through the winter are now approaching their period of rest, and they must not be neglected if they are to make a satisfactory display next season. Water should be gradually diminished until the foliage dies off, and then the corms will require shade, or they will crack. Dry treatment generally results in an attack of thrips, and each root must be painted with some good insecticide to destroy the pest. Cyclamen should never be allowed to become actually dust-dry; but if the pots can be plunged in a shaded moist pit, watering will rarely be necessary. In June the pots may be buried to the rim in a shady spot until August, when it will be time to re-pot and start the bulbs into growth. The chief enemies of Cyclamen are aphis and thrips. Fumigation will settle the former; for the latter, dip the plants in a solution of tobacco-water and soft soap.