FLOWERS ALL THE YEAR ROUND 



FROM SEEDS AND ROOTS 



BEFORE proceeding to the duties which belong to the several 

 months of the year, it may be worth while to consider some of 

 the points which constitute the alphabet of flower culture. To grow 

 any plant in a pot is an artificial proceeding, and the conditions for its 

 sustenance and health have to be provided. Among these conditions 

 are temperature and accommodation. It is useless to attempt to 

 grow flowers which require heat if that requirement cannot be met. 

 And it is equally useless to pot many more plants than the space will 

 accommodate when they attain their full size. A limited number, 

 well grown, will produce a greater wealth of bloom, of finer quality, 

 than a larger number which become feeble from deficiency of space 

 for development. Nevertheless, there are many varieties raised in 

 heat in the early months of the year which can be grown and 

 flowered in the most satisfactory manner, without any kind of artificial 

 aid, from sowings made in the open ground during April and May. 

 The flowering will be somewhat later than from plants brought 

 forward under glass ; but as they receive no check from the very 

 commencement, they will not be greatly behind their nursed relations ; 

 and they may even excel them in robust beauty, if they are treated 

 intelligently and with a generous hand. 



Good Soil for pot plants is not always obtainable at a reasonable 

 cost, and sometimes the materials at hand must be made to serve the 

 purpose. None the less is it true, that in proportion to the skill and 

 experience of the cultivator will be his desire to secure a supply of 

 loam, peat, and leaf-mould. Those who are capable of turning poor 

 soil to the best account are precisely the men who will be most 



320 



