228 THE CULTURE OF FLOWERS FROM SEEDS 



and colour, but it must be discontinued when the flowers begin to 

 show their beauty. As a rule it will be found more easy to manage 

 this plant in a moderate-sized hot-bed than in a greenhouse. Re- 

 potting should always be done in time to prevent the roots from 

 growing through the bottom of the pots. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



Hardy perennial and hardy annual 



THE florists' class (C. indicuni) can be as easily raised from seed as 

 any flower grown, but hitherto perennial Chrysanthemums have not 

 obtained much attention except as grown from cuttings. As seedlings 

 will flower the first year if the seed is sown in February or March, 

 the pleasant excitement of a peculiar pastime is at the command of 

 the humblest, and gardeners who require large numbers of plants for 

 decorative purposes may turn seedling Chrysanthemums to good 

 account, and sometimes obtain flowers worth naming. To raise the 

 plants and pot them is easy enough, and they will bear a moderate 

 heat in the early stages, which is fortunate, as it is equivalent to a 

 gain of time. They should be liberally grown, and put out of doors 

 to keep them dwarf and healthy, as soon as it can be done with 

 safety. It is of great importance to allow all seedling Chrysanthemums 

 to grow naturally, without any stopping, and they should be flowered 

 in smallish pots, say, 6- to 8-inch, according to growth, for over-potting 

 may defer the blooming season. Those that do not flower in the first 

 season should if possible be kept a second year, as they may in the 

 end prove to be the best of all, and are sure to flower if grown in the 

 usual way from divisions or cuttings. 



The section of perennial Chrysanthemums includes the well-known 

 Marguerite, or Paris Daisy (C. frutescens], which is not quite hardy. 

 It should be sown in February or March, and be gradually hardened 

 for the open ground by the end of May. 



Several of the annual Chrysanthemums make superb displays in 

 borders, especially when planted in large clumps. There is a con- 

 siderable choice of colours, which come quite true from seed, and 

 the plants may be treated in all respects as hardy annuals. 



