128 AROUND THE YEAR IN THE GARDEN 



graceful in appearance, but the petals are much wider than 

 those of the cactus. The decorative dahlias are more stiff 

 and regular in form, and come about halfway between the 

 cactus and peony types; and the show dahlias, the older 

 form, are so formal in appearance that they look like ar- 

 tificial blooms. 



The pompons are beautiful little dahlias which are 

 valuable for many purposes on account of their small size. 

 The collarettes are distinct in appearance, the flowers 

 being formed by a row of broad outer petals with an ir- 

 regular collar of cactus-like petals inside, round the heart of 

 the flower, and usually of a contrasting color. Many of 

 the singles are very beautiful and particularly valuable for 

 cutting, or for use with other flowers in bouquets. 



Dahlias may be bought either started in pots or as dor- 

 mant roots. The plants should not be set out until all danger 

 of late frost is past. The bulbs may be planted two weeks 

 or so earlier. Many persons make the mistake of planting 

 the whole clump of roots that was saved from the year 

 before. These clumps should always be divided, if the 

 best flowers are wanted, even if you have to throw away 

 three-quarters of the bulbs for lack of room. 



Keep a piece of the old stalk with each root planted to 

 be sure that you have an eye with it. The root should be 

 planted three or four inches deep and laid flat. A good 

 plan is to fill in only part of the covering soil at first, filling 

 in the rest as the plant grows. For good flowers all the 

 shoots except one or two should be pinched out as soon as 

 they are well started; if this is done early it will induce the 

 formation of strong side branches low down, lessening the 

 danger of breaking later on. For extra large blossoms the 

 plants should be kept well disbudded. 



Supports of some kind should be given early to guard 

 against damage by heavy winds or rains, as the stems are 

 rather brittle. The plants should be set several feet apart 

 to insure plenty of room. Dahlias grow well in almost any 

 soil provided plenty of plant food and water is given. They 

 need an abundance of moisture, no matter how rich the soil 



