THE NURSERY 33 



character of Gaillardias, Centaureas, and Armeria profit 

 by a greater depth of covering than the heavier seeds. 



Thin sowing of all seed is important, but particularly 

 so in the case of very fine seed like that of Verbascums 

 which grow into huge plants. If the seed is mixed with 

 a little silver sand before sowing, it is more easily and 

 evenly distributed. Fine seed needs no covering, but 

 should be sown on the loose surface of the soil and 

 pressed in with a flat board. Many alpines have fine 

 seed, and as some of them are also very slow in germinat- 

 ing, we sow them in shallow pots of prepared soil which 

 are placed in the frames but can be moved about at will. 

 The soil should be thoroughly moist before seed is sown 

 upon it, and the watering thereafter should be done 

 through a fine rose spray, for the seeds are easily washed 

 from the earth, and nothing so disturbs a tiny plant as a 

 rude stream of water. 



Seeds vary much in the time they take to germinate. 

 Annuals are, as a rule, much more expeditious than 

 perennials, the average time required by most of them 

 being from three to five days, while perennials take any- 

 where from ten days to a year or two. Thus, sometimes 

 when we think we have met with failure, it is not so, but 

 simply that the psychological moment for germination 

 has not yet arrived. Pinks, Poppies, Wallflowers, Fox- 

 gloves, and Hollyhocks germinate in a short time, while 

 Adonis, Hepatica, Dictamnus, Christmas Rose, Ere- 

 murus, and the beautiful California Tree Poppy (Romn- 



