THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



March the autumn, and insert them in a frame. They take 

 ^"^5 advantage of mild spells to push roots, and by March 

 are generally transformed into young growing plants. 

 Owners of such, and buyers of plants, will be wise to 

 put them out during the first favourable weather in 

 March. They make very pretty beds, and may be used 

 as principals if desired ; but they are often used as a 

 carpeting for beds in which larger plants are grown. 

 They also come in admirably for margins to beds 

 and borders. Amateurs should give special attention 

 to these plants, because freedom of growth, profuse 

 blooming, brilliant colours, and long duration of beauty 

 are united in them. In rich soil the plants should be 

 inserted a foot apart, in poor ground nine inches. The 

 following will be found good varieties : 



Councillor Waters, purplish Primrose Dame, primrose 



crimson Royal Sovereign, yellow 



Duchess of York, white Seagull, white 



Ithuriel, azure True Blue, blue 



J. B. Riding, rosy purple William Neil, lavender 



Sweet Violets in Spring. — Violets are often put into 

 frames in autumn, in the hope that, with manure and 

 rich soil under them and glass above, they will yield 

 flowers during mild spells right through the winter. 

 This they do in abundance if the right sorts are chosen. 

 The plants grow freely in spring, and the opportunity 

 should be taken of increasing the stock. It will pro- 

 bably be found that some of the sorts have what 

 gardeners term " offsets " around them — subsidiary 

 growths that are nearly, but not quite, individual plants. 

 They are tufty growths, with a few roots at the base. 

 Take them off, and insert them firmly, preferably in a 

 position where there is shade during the hottest part 

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