In order to succeed with any plant, you must know the nature of that plant. You 

 should always ask, "Where is the home of this plant ?" A When you know the climate 

 from whence it came, then you have the key to success. Suppose they try to cultivate 

 the coleus out-of-doors in England ; failure is the result, not hot enough. In place of 

 the gorgeous coleus, the English gardener has been driven to substitute some of the 

 high-bred geraniums. The celebrated "Mrs. Pollock" was a marvel in England as a 

 decorative plant, but the same "Mrs. Pollock" geranium in the United States is a total 

 failure ; too hot. In England no bed- 

 ding-plant is more attractive than the 

 brilliant, dashy calceolaria, but the hot 

 sun of America is too much for it, and 

 we are deprived of the pleasure of this 

 plant in our lawns. In England the 

 charming tuberous-rooted begonias are 

 grown (for commercial purposes) in the 

 open field. In America they succeed 

 well only in partially shaded situations. 

 These are enough examples to impress 

 on you the importance of studying the 

 nature of each plant. 



Now, what is the nature of the 

 pansy ? About the same as that of the 

 common violet. When do the violets 

 bloom ? In spring. You might call a 

 pansy a perpetual-blooming violet. It 

 is a late fall and early spring plant. 

 Who is there that does not know that, 

 under favorable conditions, one might 

 go out and pick pansy blossoms under 

 the snow ? Knowing the nature of your 

 plant, you have the key to success. 

 Seed should be sown (in the United 

 States) some time in August. Young 



Photo 164. 



plants should be set the last 

 week in September or early 

 part of October, in a bed 

 that has been prepared for 

 their permanent location. 

 Plants should be set about 

 eight or nine inches apart, 

 as shown in photo 157. Just 

 before hard freezing, they 

 should be put into winter 

 quarters, as shown in photo 

 158. This consists in putting 

 straw neatly between the 

 rows and drawing it up close 

 to the plants and tucking it 

 in so as to prevent the fre- 

 quentfreezing and lhau'ing; 

 otherwise, the changes will 

 lift the plant out of the 

 ground and kill it. A few 



