124 The Flower Garden [Chapter 



Should it become necessary to shower the foliage dur- 

 ing dusty weather it would better be done early in the 

 morning or sufficiently early in the evening to allow 

 the foliage to dry before the chill of night. This 

 guards against the blight and mildew, so prevalent in 

 Sweet-pea culture. 



When for any reason it is not convenient to culti- 

 vate frequently, a mulch of lawn clippings will keep 

 the ground about the vines cool and moist. To insure 

 freedom of bloom all faded flowers should be removed 

 each day. If the flowers are cut as fast as they open 

 the quality will be improved. Under no circumstances 

 should seed be allowed to form, as the ripening of the 

 seed is fatal to the flowers. 



There is such a bewildering variety of Sweet-peas 

 that any suggestion of choice is impossible, but usu- 

 ally the special collections put up by seedsmen will 

 prove more satisfactory than those of one's own 

 choosing, if one is unfamiliar with the names of the 

 varieties. 



Verbenas 



N sowing the seed of Verbenas it is best to keep 

 colours separate, as white, pink, scarlet, scarlet 

 with white eye, and the new Mayflower Verbena 

 one of the finest novelties brought out in recent years. 



They should be started early in flats or hotbed, 

 soaking the seed in hot water for three or four hours 

 before planting. It germinates very irregularly, often 



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