Dahlia Delphinium 



morning, while yet the dew is upon them. They will then retain 

 their beauty for a longer period than those taken at a later hour 

 from the same plants. This remark is true of all flowers, but it 

 applies with especial force to the single Dahlia. 



DELPHINIUM 



Hardy perennial 



NEARLY all the perennial varieties may be raised from seed, and 

 where large numbers are required this is the best method of obtain- 

 ing them. They make handsome border flowers, and D. formosum 

 ecelestinum is without a rival for its delicately beautiful tint of blue. 

 Sow in May, June or July, in the open ground, and transplant in 

 autumn. If mixed seed has been sown, it will not be wise to thin 

 out all the weakly plants, or it may happen that only one colour will 

 remain. The first flowers will be over by Midsummer, but if the 

 stalks are promptly cut down instead of being allowed to seed, there 

 will be a second display later in the year. 



The scarlet variety (D. nudicaule) is rather more delicate than 

 the others, and it is wise to raise the plants in well-drained seed-pans, 

 and to take care of them through the first winter in a cold frame ; 

 indeed, in a heavy soil there is a risk of losing them in any winter 

 which is both cold and wet. It is not necessary to employ pots, 

 but immediately after flowering take them up and store in peat 

 until the following April, when they can be returned to the open 

 ground. 



D. sulphureum is difficult to raise from seeds, but the long spikes 

 of beautiful clear sulphur-yellow flowers which appear in June are 

 well worth the extra care and time the seedlings need. The best 

 plan is to sow in autumn in the open ground, cover with a frame, and 

 avoid disturbing the soil, except for weeding, until the next autumn, 

 when the plants should be put into position for flowering in the 

 following summer. 



As slugs are exceedingly partial to Delphiniums, the crowns should 

 be examined in spring, and the seed-beds may be dressed with soot 

 and surrounded with ashes to save the seedlings from injury. 



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