GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



are a few annuals that are better if sown where they 

 are intended to grow; Lavatera, the poppy family, Alys- 

 sum, etc., any good catalogue will tell one which are 

 sensitive to the roots being disturbed. We have had very 

 good success by filling small pots with soil, sowing a pinch 

 of seed in the middle of each pot and thinning out after 

 they are well up. We place the pots in a cold frame, 

 removing the sash when weather allows. By this method 

 they come along quite naturally, and they can be planted 

 in their flowering position before they get too well rooted. 



Get all plants of Foxglove (Digitalis), Sweet ^^■illiams, 

 and other plants that requuire the same treatment, into 

 their flowering- position without delay. 



About the middle of April we always plant cur first 

 batch of gladioli. These we find are of the most valu- 

 able cut flowers, especially the Priraulinus hybrids. They 

 are, to my mind, far more decorative than the gandavensis 

 type. Cross breeders of this valuable flower, in their 

 eagerness after size, and departure from distinct colors, 

 are in my opinion destroying their artistic eft'ecr, when 

 it comes to the arrangement of these flowers. We find 

 that a planting every three weeks up to about July 18 

 gives a good steady supply of flowers until frost. Small 

 bulblets of the Primulinus type, sown in a drill, like seed, 

 flower splendidly all through the Fall. We plant gladio- 

 lus bulbs six inches deep. They like a heavy coating 

 of lime in the soil. Montbretias are also very fine cut 

 flowers but they are not quite hard)' around here. We 

 have found the best way to liandle them is in a frame, 

 where the)^ can Ije protected somewhat in Winter. When 

 they get overcrowded lift them and replant. Botanically 

 they are placed under Tritoma. 



Antirrhinums that have been well hardened oft', can 

 now be planted in their flowering quarters. .\ little frost 

 does them no harm. 



Canterburj' Bells (Campanula medium) may now 1)J 

 sown for next year, also Campanula pyramidalis. 



Another batch of late flowering China Asters may also 

 be sown at thi.s time. Sow them on top of sphagnum 

 moss, pressing the seeds into it and in this way, we find 

 they germinate much more freely. We would again 

 draw attention to the single asters. "Southcote Beaut\" 

 is preferred by many, especially those that have had their 

 artistic sense trained, to the large double flowered type. 

 We question sometimes if much of our cross breeding 

 after large double flowers is progressive, or retrogressive. 



To many, now that the Spring flower show season 

 and Easter is past, the grand climax, so lo speak, of the 

 plant end of greenhouse work has passed, and from now 

 on visions ot what we have in mind for the next season 

 will be rising tefore us. Here again the value of keep- 

 ing daily notes will be ]>roved. as comparison can be 

 made of' how early or how late certain plants flowered. 

 Forcing with extra heat, to get a given plant in flower 

 for a certain date, we have always found bad for the 

 lasting r|ualitv of the flowers, and the constitution of 

 the jjlant is ver\- often weakened. We have always found 

 it 1>etter to retard the flowering i>eriod. after the Rowers 

 show signs ot opening in a lower temperature with a light 

 shade over the plant. It is very disheartening to a con- 

 scientious judge at a flower show, to see a plant, or vase 

 of flowers, go to pieces sfjon after a decision has luin 

 made, causing thereby much ill feeling on the pari n\ 

 other exhibitors in the same class. 



Fot all late March and early .\pril flowered haidwcKxl 

 plants as soon as the tips of the shof>ts show signs of 

 starting into growtli. As I said in last year's notes, I 

 have proved to mv own satisfaction, that pruning the 

 plants into shai^e is better if done just after the newly 

 potted !)lants are conmiencing to ffrii) the new compost. 

 Never give a large shift to this class of plants. I saw 



a batch of .\zalias quite recently, where the receptacle 

 was about as much in diameter as the plants. Such a 

 condition I have never heard recommended as good cul- 

 ture. I'ersonally I can never avoid looking at the pots, 

 no matter how well flowered the plants are. Ihere is 

 a fine old veteran plantsman I know, who every second 

 year takes its hard wood plants out of their pots and 

 plants them out all Summer in a specially prepared bed. 

 I asked him once how he managed to keep them in bounds 

 at the roots. He told me that the i>eat bed in which he 

 planted them was very friable and sandy, and he just 

 gave them a good shaking and there was nothing left 

 Init the roots. They were very large plants and he had 

 kept them in the same size tubs for many years. After 

 potting, he kept them a little close for a week or ten 

 days and then transferred them to a cool pit until they 

 were wanted to flower at various periods during the late 

 Spring. 



In the rusli of Spring work, do not forget to spread 

 out and work over the soil that is intended for benching 

 carnations and roses later on. The carnation recjuires a 

 much lighter soil than the rose, and in mixing eacli batch, 

 keep this in mind, also that the fomier resents the use 

 of green manure. It should be well decayed before the 

 plants are planted in it. The rose in our e-xjierience is 

 not so sensitive to the use of fresh material from the cow 

 barn, even when a good dressing of bone meal is used 

 along with it. Expose the soil for each of them to the 

 ;iiir and sunshine, as it al)sorbs more plant food from the 

 atmosphere, beneficial to the plants, which is not so easy 

 to add artificially. Deep wide compost heaps in my opinion 

 is not the best method of storing soil, the middle of them 

 is too likely to get into a dead inert condition, owing 

 to not being exposed to air and sunshine. 



Calceolarias will by the end of April need to 'lie thought 

 of, that is, if large specimens are the object in view for 

 next year. The hei'lxiceous type always" comes through 

 the hot months better, if nice sturdy small plants are es- 

 tablished in 3'^ in. pots by the first of July. These early 

 sown plants quite often in the early Fall will set flower 

 buds, but if they are pinched off, about a week after they 

 receive a potting, will break quite freely and can be 

 moved; along until a twelve-inch pot is reached before 

 they cease growing. Under this treatment if they re- 

 ceive a compost, suidi as we advised in last year's notes, 

 with the usual conditions under which calceolarias are 

 grown, plants three feet in diameter can be had in about 

 one year from seed. Nearly all seed houses of reputation 

 have good strains of the herbaceous calceolaria. 



The shrubby type which we see (|uite cummonly 

 arouufl the East, are be.st grown into large siiecimens 

 from cuttings rooted in .\])ril. They will flower as small 

 ])lants in June, which will do them no harm. These if 

 kept in a shady position and only watered when they .show 

 signs of wilting during the hot months, even if they dio 

 not look very ]>roiiiising by the middle of September, can 

 then 1)0 ]>otted along from the small jwts. They will 

 break all over the shrubby stems and these breaks can 

 be pinched several times during the NVintcr a few days 

 after they receive a shift, until from six to eight weeks 

 beft)rc they are wanted to flower; eight weeks early in 

 the year, reducing to six as the Spring advances. These 

 notes are written for those who desire large plants of 

 both kinds of calceolarias. Small ]>lants of both types 

 fr)r mass decoration ina\ lu- sown and rooted vcrv much 

 later in the .season. 



Clirysanlheminn lovers arc nnw witching their young 

 stock with care, moving them along until their flowering 

 ])ots arc reached. Although thcv enjoy plenty of plant 

 food, it can be very easily overdone in the early stages 

 of growth. Hciu-b grown stock on the .average private 



