Impatiens Sultani Lobelia 



turfy loam and one part of leaf-soil, with very little sand added. 

 The seedlings are exceedingly brittle at the outset, and re-potting 

 should not be attempted until they are about an inch high. Even 

 then they need delicate handling, and after the task is accomplished 

 they should be promptly placed in a warm frame or propagating pit 

 for a few days. In June or July the plants should reach 48-sized 

 pots, but they must not be transferred to the conservatory without 

 careful hardening, or the whole of the flowers will fall. 



JACOBEA-^ SENECIO 

 LOBELIA 



Annual and perennial ; half-hardy 



THERE are several distinct classes of Lobelia, differing materially in 

 height and habit. For dwarf beds or edgings the compact varieties 

 should alone be used. These grow from four to six inches high, and 

 form dense balls of flowers. The spreading or gracilis class, includ- 

 ing L. speciosa and L. paxtoniana, is in deserved repute for positions 

 which do not demand an exact limit to the line of colouring. The 

 plants also show to advantage in suspended baskets, window boxes, 

 rustic work, vases, and any position where an appearance of graceful 

 negligence is aimed at. The ramosa section grows from six to twelve 

 inches high, and produces much larger flowers than the classes pre- 

 viously named. 



All the foregoing can be treated as annuals ; and from sowings 

 made in February or March plants may be raised in good time 

 for bedding out in May. Use sandy soil, and place the seed-pans 

 in a temperature of about 60, taking care to keep them moist. By 

 the end of March or beginning of April the seedlings will be ready 

 for transferring to pots, pans, or boxes. The last named are very 

 serviceable for this flower, for they afford opportunity of giving the 

 seedlings sufficient space to produce a tufty habit of growth. A gentle 

 heat will start them, and they will give no trouble afterwards, except 

 on one point, which happens to be of considerable importance. It 

 is that the plants should never be allowed to produce a flower while 

 in pots or boxes. Pick off every bud until they are in final positions, 

 and then, having taken hold of the soil, they will bloom profusely 

 until the end of the season. 



Lobelias make elegant pot plants, yet they cannot be grown 



