PROPAGATION OF HARDY FLOWERS. 33 



them in those frames, or by making- a very gentle hotbed in a frame 

 or pit, covering it with four inches or so of very light earth, and on 

 that sowing the seeds. If this mode be adopted, they may be sown 

 in March ; and, thus treated, many will flower the first year. In 

 gardens without any glass they may be raised in the open air. 

 About the best time to sow in the open air is in April, choosing 

 mild open weather, when the ground is more likely to be in the 

 comparatively dry and friable condition so desirable for seed-sowing. 

 But it should be borne in mind that they may be sown at any con- 

 venient time from April to August, as it is not till the year after 

 they are sown that they display their full beauty or perhaps flower 

 at all ; and, therefore, should a packet or more of choice seed come 

 to hand during the summer months, it is always better to sow it at 

 once than to keep it till the following spring, as thereby nearly a 

 whole season is lost. Those who already possess a collection of good 

 hardy flowers may find a choice perennial ripening a crop of seed in 

 May, June, or July say, for instance, an evergreen Iberis, a Cam- 

 panula, or a Delphinium. Well, suppose we want to increase it as 

 | much as possible, the true way is to sow it at once instead of keeping 

 i it over the winter, as is usually done. By winter the seedlings will 

 1 be strong enough to take care of themselves, and be ready to plant 

 out for flowering wherever it may be desired to place them. 



But to the immediate subject of raising them in the open air. 

 Well, the seeds we will suppose provided, and the month of April 

 to have arrived. If not already done, a border or bed should be 

 prepared for them in an open, airy, and warm position, and 

 where the soil is naturally light and fine, or made so by artificial 

 means. It would be as well to prepare and devote two, three, or 

 more, little beds to this purpose of raising hardy flowers. They 

 would form a most useful nursery-like kind of reserve ground, from 

 which plants could be taken at any time to fill up vacancies, to 

 exchange with those having collections, and to give away to friends j 

 for assuredly it is one of the greatest pleasures of gardening to be 

 able to give away a young specimen to a friend who happens to see 

 and admire one of our "good things" in flower j and by raising 

 them from seed we can always do this with ease. I have said that 

 the seed-bed should be in a warm position, but let it, if possible, be 

 in or near what is often called the reserve garden in large places, or, 

 in smaller ones, in the kitchen- gar den anywhere but in the portion 

 of the gardens devoted to ornament. If the ground happen not to be 



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