CHAPTER IV 



HERBACEOUS FLOWERING PLANTS IN 

 POTS 



The classification of plants is not as simple as it might seem 

 to be. The different classes merge into one another so 

 gradually that there must be a good deal of overlapping. For 

 instance, the ordinary definition of an annual is a plant which 

 in the same year grows from seed, flowers, and dies, yet if it 

 is raised comparatively late in the season it does not flower 

 until the following year, in which case it practically becomes 

 a biennial. Again, many annuals and biennials will, under 

 favourable conditions, continue to live and flower for several 

 years, and may then be regarded as perennials. There is the 

 same difficulty about drawing a hard-and-fast line around 

 herbaceous plants. They are, according to the dictionary, 

 those which are "not shrubby in habit," and according to 

 the same authority, a shrub is a " low^, woody-stemmed 

 perennial"; yet many plants which might thus be called shrubs 

 — for example, Alyssum saxatile — would be found in most 

 lists of herbaceous perennials. The present chapter deals 

 briefly with perennials which are more or less soft-stemmed, 

 but it is quite possible that some wliich may be looked for 

 will be found elsewhere. (See Index at the end.) Two or 

 three genera with shrubby as well as herbaceous species are 

 included. 



The majority of herbaceous perennials can be raised from 

 seed without much difficulty, but as they often do not flower 

 for two or three years, much time may be saved by starting 

 with established plants. The most suitable kinds for pots are 

 arranged below in alphabetical order, and any special points 

 in connection with their cultivation are mentioned. 



3 22 



