66 



THE CANADIAN H ORTIC ULTU RTS T 



March, I9l3 



in at a time when flower bloom is getting 

 a little scarce, and the show they pro- 

 duce is wonderful. The word "phlox" 

 means a llame. The phloxes are of 

 American origin, and blossom from the 

 middle of July till late in the autumn. 

 The range of their colors is very great. 

 Nothing can quite equal the clumps of 

 the phloxes in a perennial border made 

 up as they are of those magnificent pan- 

 icles of bloom. Panicles perfect in form, 

 pleasing in fragrance, and varied in 

 tints. Phloxes are favorites with all 

 classes of people. 



The fourth great group might be bet- 

 ter named, but I call it here the prevail- 

 ing flowers, for several reasons, one be- 

 ing that most of them are not affected 

 by fall frosts. They last from late 

 August till late October. Most of them 

 belong to the great family Compositae, 

 which has prevailed over all obstacles, 

 and now stands at the summit in the 

 evolutionary climb. 



This group has a wealth of color. The 

 white Shasta daisies, the golden sun- 

 flowers, the many colored star-like as- 

 ters are in this group. By means of them 

 the perennial border is filled with color 

 even after the first fall frosts have nipped 

 the more tender flowers. 



OTHEE VARIETIES 



A perennial border with only the four 

 or five great groups of flowers which I 

 have mentioned would be very incom- 

 plete. Certain flowers which grow in 

 the perennial border give the extra finish, 

 the charm, the color, the life. They 

 make it an artistic whole, a masterpiece. 

 They include the dazzling Oriental pop- 

 pies. (How much the border would miss 

 the dazzling brilliancy of their scarlets !) 

 the soulful campanulas or bellflowers ; the 

 majestic delphinicums or larkspurs; the 

 glittering gallardias and pyrethruns, or 

 blanket flowers, as the first are called ; 

 ihe delicate gypsophila ; the flaming torch 

 lilies, commonly called red-hot pokers ; 

 the formal foxgloves and hollyhocks; the 

 rainbow iris ; the fragrant pinks ; the 

 modest lilies ; the plume-like spiraeas, 

 and the glorious yuccas. 



Growing Daffodils 



R. S. Rosa, Peterboro 



"Can daffodils be grown from seed?" 

 This question has been asked me recently. 



In answer I quote from a book en- 

 titled. Daffodils, Present Day Garden- 

 ing, by Rev. Joseph Jacob, (T. C. & 

 T. E. C. Jack, i6 Henrietta St., W.C, 

 London, Eng.). 



Daffodil seed, when fully ripe, is 

 black and shiny. As soon as it assumes 

 this appearance, which will probably be 

 some time early in July, it may be sown 

 either in the open ground or in boxes or 

 pans. Most raisers of seedlings prefer 

 the latter plan, although I know one or 

 two cultivators who think the former 

 way the best, as they contend that the 



n 



Tubers of Tuberous-rooted Begonias 



On the left is a typical tuber ehowing the hollow or deprtesion on lop. On the right 

 may be seen an undesirable tuber. See article, page 67. 



plants will sooner- arrive at their flower- 

 ing stage. I have not tested it myself, 

 and am disposed to doubt it, as Mr. 

 Engleheart, who ought to know what is 

 the best, if any one- does, always sows 

 the seeds in boxes. Stout, wooden 

 boxes of any convenient size may be 

 used provided they are from six to 

 seven inches deep, and have drainage 

 holes at the bottom. The soil should be 

 good, firm fibrous loam, with sharp sand 

 added to make it light and porous. In 

 filling up the boxes care must be taken 

 to see that the drainage is good ; then 

 enough compost may be put in to bring 

 the level up to within an inch and a half 

 of the top. On this the seeds must be 

 sown at equal intervals of one half to 

 three-quarters of an inch, and they must 

 be covered with soil an inch deep. 



USE CX>LD FRAMES 



It is best to put the boxes in cold 

 frames, but the lights need not be used 

 until frost begins, unless the weather is 

 very wet. Then they may be put in 

 when necessity requires, and, further, 

 the plants may be protected by mats 

 when the weather is particularly severe. 

 The protection and culture in frames is 

 not absolutely necessary. I have seen 

 boxes just stood out of doors and expos- 

 ed to all weathers, and the results have 

 Ijeen good. The seed soon germinates, 

 if it is sown directly it is ripe. Every- 

 thing possible should be done to pro- 

 mote growth by seeing the soil is kept 

 at the right degree of moisture, and that 

 the growing period is as long as possi- 

 ble, by putting on the lights when there 

 is a frost at night. The subsequent 

 treatment consists in giving air on 

 every suitable day, and top dressing the 

 boxes with cocoa fibre when the grass- 

 like seedlings appear. This keeps down 



moss. At the end of two years they 

 may be transplanted into beds in the 

 open, an operation which is performed 

 best when the young roots are l>eginning 

 to be formed, say in June or July. They 

 must be planted out straight from the 

 seed pan and not in any way dried off. 

 Attention to this matter is important, as 

 it means very often the saving of a year 

 in the plant coming to its flowering 

 stage. In. planting out, enough space 

 must be left between the bulbs (which 

 should for convenience of cultivation be 

 arranged in rows) to allow them to grow 

 and flower when they are pricked off. 

 This will be in their fourth or fifth year, 

 although some may not flower until their 

 sixth or seventh. Frequent hoeing be- 

 tween • the rows is very helpful to the 

 growth of the young plants, therefore 

 the rows should be clearly marked when 

 there are no leaves as a guide. 



The period of waiting will seem long 

 Ijefore the first flower shows itself, but if 

 an annual sowing is made, once this 

 p>eriod is passed there will be a succes- 

 sion of flowering seedlings every year. 

 It is a fact that the first flower that a 

 young plant bears is not always a suflSc- 

 ent indication of what it is capable of 

 producing. In some mysterious way the 

 flowers improve as the plant gets older. 

 Hence it is advisable to allow young 

 plants that show any promise at all to 

 bloom a second or third time before they 

 are finally discarded. With regard to 

 sowing out of doors a similar procedure 

 must be followed. A sheltered bed must 

 be chosen, and the seeds sown in drills 

 about an inch deep. Transplanting into 

 flowering beds should take place at the 

 end of their second year. No protection 

 is required, as the seedlings are per- 

 fectly hardy. 



