THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



April Drummondi, and the other half-hardy annuals recom- 

 ^6-30 mended in previous chapters for sowing under glass in 

 March, may sow them in a sheltered place, and in fine, 

 moist prepared soil, in the open air towards the end of 

 March. The seed should be sprinkled thinly in drills 

 drawn about nine inches apart, so that a hoe may be run 

 between them to keep weeds down. The plants can be 

 transplanted from the rows to their flowering quarters 

 when they are about three inches high. Use freshly- 

 slaked quicklime freely to keep slugs at bay. They will 

 devour the whole stock otherwise. 



Hardy annuals may still be sown in beds and borders 

 where they are to bloom. 



Begonias and other seedlings raised in boxes in 

 Winter, and which have been making slow progress, 

 may now be expected to move more quickly. Seed- 

 lings should never be allowed to remain crowded 

 together, as then they get " drawn " (that is, long and 

 weak in the stem) and fail to make good plants. The 

 first sign of crowding should be the signal for setting 

 out farther apart in other boxes, or singly in 3-inch 

 pots. 



Pinching Plants. — The gardener gets rallied sometimes 

 about his choice of terms. He often speaks of " pinch- 

 ing " plants. What he means by that is removing the 

 growing tip. The result of " pinching " is to make a 

 plant that is running up with a strong central stem 

 form strong side shoots near the base. It thus becomes 

 more " bushy," to use another horticultural term. A 

 plant with strong side branches generally produces 

 more flowers than one with a central stem only, so that 

 it is better in more ways than one. " Pinching " may 

 be practised on many pot plants with advantage — on 

 Chrysanthemums (except those grown for show flowers), 

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