The Culture of Flowers from Seeds 



rather moist atmosphere, the specimens should be grown without a 

 check from beginning to end. When they reach the final pots an 

 occasional dose of weak manure water will help them, both in size 

 and colour, but it must be discontinued when the flowers begin to 

 show their beauty. As a rule it will be found more easy to manage 

 this plant in a moderate-sized hot-bed than in a greenhouse. Re- 

 potting should always be done in time to prevent the roots from 

 growing through the bottom of the pots. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



Hardy perennial and hardy annual 



THE florists' class (C. indicuni) can be as easily raised from seed as 

 any flower grown, but hitherto perennial Chrysanthemums have not 

 obtained much attention, except as grown from cuttings. Seedlings 

 from a sowing in February or March will flower the first year, and 

 gardeners who require large numbers of plants for decorative purposes 

 may turn seedling Chrysanthemums to good account, and sometimes 

 obtain flowers worth naming. To raise the plants and pot them is 

 easy enough, and they will bear a moderate heat in the early stages, 

 which is fortunate, as it is equivalent to a gain of time. They should 

 be liberally grown, and put out of doors to keep them dwarf and 

 healthy, as soon as it can be done with safety. It is of great im- 

 portance to allow all seedling Chrysanthemums to grow naturally, 

 without any stopping, and they should be flowered in smallish pots, 

 say, 6- to 8-inch, according to growth, for over-potting may defer the 

 blooming season. Those that do not flower in the first season 

 should, if possible, be kept a second year, as they may in the end 

 prove to be the best of all, and are certain to bloom if grown in the 

 usual way from divisions or cuttings. 



The section of perennial Chrysanthemums includes the well-known 

 Marguerite, or Paris Daisy ( C. frutescens), which is not quite hardy. 

 It should be sown in February or March, and be gradually hardened 

 for the open ground by the end of May. 



Several of the annual Chrysanthemums make superb displays in 

 borders, especially when planted in large clumps, and they deserve 

 to be grown extensively in odd corners to furnish a supply of 

 charming flowers for bouquets and vase decoration. There is a con- 

 siderable choice of colours, which come quite true from seed, and 

 the plants may be treated in all respects as hardy annuals. 



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