200 VILLA GAEDENING PART II 



growth are the most satisfactory ou the whole. When Mignonette 

 is planted in a border of good soil in a conservatory and not allowed 

 to produce seeds, the plants assume a perennial character and 

 grow to a large size — become shrubs, in fact, with hard ligneous 

 stems. 



Another way of growing Mignonette for winter and spring 

 blooming is to sow the seeds thinly in 6-inch pots early in August, 

 placing the pots in a cool frame. The soil should be rammed 

 firmly in the pots, and be kept just moist, the seeds being sown 

 all over the surface and lightly covered. The soil should be two- 

 thirds loam and one-third old maniu-e ; when the young plants are 

 half an inch high, thin out the weakly ones, leaving about half a 

 dozen at regular intervals about the pot. The plants should be 

 placed in the greenhouse in October, and encouraged to grow by 

 placing them on a shelf near the glass. 



In addition to the annuals just named, there are others which 

 are worth attention for pot cultm-e in the greenhouse. Browallia 

 elata bears a neat little light-blue flower, freely produced all over 

 the plant, which rapidly forms neat dense bushes. Sow the seed 

 in April, prick off and pot on till they occupy 6 -inch pots, which 

 will be found large enough to carry nice little specimens. Pinch 

 in at first till a bushy habit has been induced. Schizanthus retusus 

 and others are very useful when well done ; they are best sown in 

 autumn and grown on steadily througli the winter, pushed on in 

 spring till large plants are obtained, when their chaste beauty will 

 be sure to please. Dwarf Scabious are very useful for pot culture, 

 especially for late blooming. Sow in the spring, shift on in 

 summer with all flowers pinched off, and place in a greenhouse 

 temperature in October. The flowers are valuable for cutting. 



Phlox Drummondi is well worthy of pot culture ; put five or 

 six plants in a 5-inch or 6-inch pot, pinched and staked to correct 

 their tendency to straggle. The plants should not be starved and 

 neglected when yomig. The Everlastings — Rhodanthes, Acrocli- 

 niums, and Globe Amaranthus — are all valuable when well done 

 as pot plants, and are not difficult to grow. Sow in spring, in 

 light rich soil, in a hotbed, and after they are pricked oft" return 

 the pots to the bed again, standing them on the surface without 

 plunging them near the glass. The large-flowered Mimulus are 

 also useful as pot plants, but they dislike bright sunshine ; shade 

 and damp, in a cool situation, after they are fairly started, are the 

 conditions under which they succeed best. Other annuals might 

 be cited as adapted for pot culture ; but as I do not want to make 

 this treatise unnecessarily long, I shall only say that all the neatly- 

 habited annuals may be so employed. 



