SOFT-WOODED OR BEDDING PLANTS. 197 



these can nearly all be used as continued suinmer-bloom- 

 ing bedding plants, if the seed is sown in a hot-bed or 

 green-house in February, and the plants put out in the 

 open border in May. Their great value consists in their 

 rare shades of blue, a color always scarce in flowers. 

 Well-known varieties are D. bicolor grandiflorum, figure 

 50, and D. formosum, of deep mazarine blue ground, 

 with distinct spot in the centre of each floret. All the 

 perennial species and varieties are hardy. Figure 50 

 shows reduced spikes and a single flower of the natural size. 



Dahlias* The climate of the Eastern and North-west- 

 ern States is better adapted to the early development of 

 the flowers of the Dahlia than warmer latitudes, and 

 thus we find that though the frosts occur here earlier in 

 fall, yet the season of flowering is of longer duration than 

 in districts where the fall frosts are later in coming ; hence 

 the climate of Boston or New York is better for Dahlias 

 than that of Baltimore or Washington. The perfection 

 that is attained, both in form and color of the Dahlia, 

 is now wonderful. They are divided into four classes, 

 namely : 

 BEDDING. Dwarf, profuse-flowering sorts, that are pruned 



down so that they do not exceed a foot in height. 

 BOUQUET or POMPONE. The flowers of many of these 



do not exceed 1^ inches in diameter, and are perfect 



models in form. 

 EXHIBITION or SHOW. The large-flowered, self-colored, or 



tipped varieties. 

 FANCY. The striped or speckled kinds. 



Dahlias are propagated by division of the tuber, or (as 

 done by florists) by cuttings. Plant out when all danger 

 of frost is over, in rich soil 3 or 4 feet apart, thin out 

 superfluous shoots, and tie to strong stakes; lift in fall 

 when cut down by frost, and keep in a dry, warm cellar, or 

 under the stage of a green-house, only in such a position 



