212 THE CULTURE OF FLOWERS FROM SEEDS 



ANEMONE 



The Windflower. Hardy perennial 



THE discovery that it is easy to flower the Anemone from seed 

 within about seven months from the date of sowing, has given a 

 great impetus to the culture of this plant, especially as it possesses a 

 high value for decorating vases, in addition to its great usefulness in 

 beds and borders. From seed sown in February, the plants should 

 begin to bloom in September or October of the same year, and con- 

 tinue to flower until the following June, when it is unprofitable to 

 retain them longer. No coddling of any kind is necessary. Dig a 

 trench in a sheltered, sunny spot, and fill it with rich soil freely 

 mingled with decayed cow-manure. If the land happens to be some- 

 what tenacious, Anemones will take kindly to it, but it should be well 

 worked, and perhaps it may be needful to add a little fine sandy 

 compost to the top as a preparation for the seed. Sow thinly in lines 

 on the surface, and merely rake the seed in with a. very light hand. 

 The seed being woolly should be rubbed with sand, and the two may 

 be sown together. The germination is decidedly slow, so that until 

 the seedlings appear the removal of weeds requires care. The plants 

 should be thinned until they stand six inches apart. The thinnings 

 will bear transplanting if carefully handled and helped with water 

 afterwards. Of course boxes or seed-pans can be resorted to, but 

 the plant from . its earliest stage is eminently capable of braving 

 the weather in all but our bleakest districts. Seed may also be sown 

 in July or August for plants to flower in the following year, and the 

 results will probably be even more satisfactory than from the spring 

 sowing. 



ANTIRRHINUM 



Snapdragon. Hardy perennial 



As border flowers these will thrive almost anywhere, and they may be 

 treated as annuals by sowing the seed early in the spring. They 

 prefer, however, a dry soil and the most breezy sunny situation that 

 can be found for them. They are often seen on ruins, producing 

 flowers of varied colours, and seemingly indifferent to the starving 

 conditions that surround them. 



There are three distinct classes dwarf, medium, and tall ranging 



