48 JOTTINGS OF A GENTLEMAN GARDENER 



Choose a plot which does not get all the summer sun ; on 

 the other hand the shade must not be at all dense or spindly 

 seedlings will result. Raise a rough frame over the plot, 

 and at the end of June or early in July draw shallow drills 

 6 ins. apart in the soil of the frame. In these drills carefully 

 sow the seeds ; sow them thinly ; water well ; and put 

 the light on the frame and keep close, shaded, and dark 

 until the seedlings appear. As soon as all the lines show, 

 gradually remove the shading and inure them to sun and 

 air ; they must be kept well watered, but not to excess, 

 or they will damp off. 



By August they should be ready for pricking off, for which 

 a plot which gets a good deal of sun should be chosen. 

 Make the soil rich by digging in some old hot-bed manure 

 not too deeply, and plant the seedlings very firmly, 9-12 

 ins. apart each way, or 6 ins. if they are not strong. Water 

 well and keep the hoe and the can going through August 

 and September, into October. If the winter threatens to 

 be a cold one it is better to lift these seedlings, which should 

 now be strong little plants, and pack them closely in a cold 

 frame, planting out in their flowering quarters the following 

 March. 



Perennials raised from seed sown in the summer will 

 flower during the summer of the following year, and should 

 be allowed to flower freely if the roots were properly strong 

 when planted out. But they do not come to their best 

 until the summer after (two summers after they have 

 been sown) ; it is a long time to wait, but it is worth it, 

 for it is interesting work, and when the flowers come they 

 amply repay for the patience and trouble. 



Hoeing : The after treatment of perennials is simple 

 and important. Few amateurs realise how important it 

 is for borders, especially new borders, to be hoed regularly 

 at least once a week. Hoeing stimulates the growth 

 of the plants, and at the same time lessens the need for 

 watering. 



But use the hoe carefully (I speak now of the Dutch hoe, 

 the draw-hoe is useless for this purpose). Used roughly 



