58 'The Flower Garden [Chapter 



others. Those which make a soft growth, such as 

 Impatiens sultana, various Primulas, Cinerarias, and 

 most tuberous plants, like Begonias and Gloxinias, 

 may be potted rather loosely, that is, with the earth 

 pressed down lightly. Geraniums should be potted 

 much more firmly, while such hard-wooded plants 

 as Roses, Hibiscus, Otaheite Orange and Fuchsias, 

 should be potted very hard indeed. Many failures in 

 plant growing may be traced to neglect of this rule. 



Cuttings of common house-plants are so easily 

 rooted that it seems almost superfluous to give direc- 

 tions for handling them. Geraniums, Petunias, 

 Coleus, and the like will rarely fail to root if stuck 

 in the ground by the side of the plant; they will do 

 still better if placed in the sand-box. On the whole I 

 prefer to set them in small pots of earth plunged in 

 the sand-box and kept moist, as by this method they do 

 not suffer the shock of disturbance when ready to pot 

 off. 



A word about the selection of cuttings will not be 

 amiss, as failure to choose wisely often results in the 

 loss of the cutting, or in a poor or straggly plant. 

 Quick, tender growths are not suitable for cuttings, 

 except in the case of the Chinese Hibiscus, where the 

 extreme tips are used for rooting; hard or woody 

 growths are equally undesirable. The part where 

 the new wood begins to harden and will break with 

 a snap is best. No cutting should be over two or 

 three inches long. The little, stubby side branches 



