CHAP. XVII VILLA GARDENING 103 



desirable. October is the best month to plant finally in the beds, 

 and they should not be crowded; from 10 inches to 12 inches 

 apart each way will not be too much where a lot of flowers are 

 requu'ed when autumn jDlanting is adopted. Of course thousands 

 of Pinks are planted in February, and they do fiiirly well ; but to 

 obtain flowers of the best quality, perfect in lacing, there must be 

 no undue excitement of any kind, but the i^lants must grow 

 steadily on from the first, and this condition is more easily secured 

 when planted in autumn. Thinning of the flower buds will be 

 necessary to obtain flowers of extra size and beauty. Shading, 

 mulching, and watering will also be required in dry weather. The 

 young wood will be fit for cuttings or pipings early in July, and it 

 is as well to begin as soon as the earliest shoots are ready. Any 

 kind of glass frame will do for striking the pipings or cuttings 

 under, and they should occuiDy a shady place. Old-fashioned 

 florists were partial to handlights for this work, and they were 

 usually placed in rows on the shady side of a fence. 



The soil was excavated about 8 inches deep, and a layer of 

 Rhubarb leaves placed on the bottom ; the cavity was then filled 

 up with a light sandy compost, pressing down moderately firm, 

 watered with a fine-rosed pot, and the pipings pressed into the 

 moist soil. The layer of Rhubarb leaves was intended to hold up 

 the moisture, so that no water was required beyond the very light 

 dewings over the foliage which were always given on very bright 

 days. But the propagation of Pinks is easy and simple enough ; 

 I have seen thousands of them struck since those early days in a 

 frame with no preparation beyond a layer of sandy soil in the 

 bottom. All through the season, from July till September, of 

 course the early-struck plants are the best ; and with the September 

 cuttings more time is required in the cutting bed ; indeed, the late 

 cuttings, when the wood is getting firm, should remain in the bed 

 all the winter, and not be planted out till March. Such plants 

 will not produce such perfectly-laced flowers, but they bloom later 

 than those struck early — form a succession in fact, and for that 

 reason, as Pinks are so beautiful for cutting, I like a few late 

 cuttings. 



Pinks may be layered the same as Carnations are, but it is 

 hardly worth while when they strike so freely and make such good 

 plants from cuttings. The remarks I made upon saving seeds from 

 Carnations are equally applicable to Picotees and Pinks, and the 

 treatment of the young plants is the same in all respects. For 

 producing cut flowers the perpetual Carnations are very valuable ; 

 planted out in the open air, in warm sheltered borders, they bloom 

 well up into the autumn, and quite equal those plants which are 



