HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 103 



lovers of Poppies, and have grown them from seeds extensively. In 

 the majority of cases they have transplanted the seedlings, and always 

 with success. It is probable that the belief that Poppies will not 

 endure shifting is due to the little care which some flower gardeners 

 take in handling seedlings, letting them get crowded and drawn in 

 the first place, taking them up when the soil in which they are grow- 

 ing is dry, and putting them out in a sun-baked spot without taking any 

 precautions to get them established quickly. If they are kept thin in 

 the seed rows, so that they become sturdy and well furnished with 

 fibrous roots ; are moved when about a couple of inches high, and 

 with the soil sufficiently moist to cling to the roots ; are planted in 

 damp soil ; and are shaded for a few days after shifting, until it is 

 seen that they have started growing, they will transplant quite well. 

 What is here said applies to the double annual Poppies, and also to 

 such of the perennials as are raised from seed. As far as the Shirley 

 Poppies are concerned, it is not worth while to attempt transplanting. 

 They can be sown in patches in the borders, or broadcast in a bed. 

 Very few plants are more beautiful on a sunny bank than a breadth 

 of Shirley Poppies. The colours are brilliant and varied, and the 

 almost transparent flowers glisten brightly in the sunshine. They 

 should be sown thinly, and then left to nature. Some of the plants 

 will come through later than others, but this fact will tend in the 

 direction of continued flowering, and is therefore an advantage 

 rather than otherwise. 



The Eastern Poppy is a grand perennial of brilliant colour. 

 The old plant is of a vivid orange scarlet, but it now has many 

 daughters of different shades, and some are sold under names ; 

 indeed, things seem to be tending in the direction of specialising the 

 plant. Whether this is worth while or not, readers must decide 

 according to the degree of their partiality for it. If they grow named 

 varieties, and find them good, they will be wise to propagate them 

 by means of cuttings of the roots, in order to keep them true. 

 The old plant, likewise the popular bracteatum, which is a brilliant 



