HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 119 



may turn to Violas. The area of bare ground, and the stems 

 rising therefrom, are great drawbacks to standards. Plant Violas 

 beneath them, and bareness is transformed into beauty. They can 

 also be pressed into service for forming lines and edgings to beds 

 and borders. For edging purposes they look best when planted 

 in bands a foot or more across. If well grown, regularly picked 

 over, and occasionally top-dressed or given a soaking of liquid 

 manure, they will be in beauty for six months. 



Those flower gardeners who want to get the best out of Violas 

 should make a start by buying plants in spring, and planting 

 them in deeply-dug, well-manured soil. The earlier this is done 

 the better, because when planted early they have a good chance 

 of getting well established before the hot weather comes. But 

 they can be planted up to June and even July, if the grower is 

 prepared to take trouble in shading and watering. It is courting 

 failure to plant in thin, dry, hungry soil. The plants enjoy depth, 

 coolness, moisture, and fertility. Given this they will be full of 

 vigour, and will keep growing for many weeks. They may be 

 planted about nine inches apart. Old plants will give earlier 

 flowers than young ones, but will not bloom so finely or so long. 



Constant cutting should be practised throughout the summer. 

 The flowers will be found useful in the house, and apart from 

 that, the regular picking will prevent seed-pods forming, and so 

 keep the plants growing. If they seem disposed to go out of 

 bloom, and get bare-stemmed, they may be clipped in, removing 

 the old, worn growths as well as the flowers, and the soil among 

 them mulched with rich soil. This will encourage fresh growth, 

 and they will soon be in bloom again. Heavy soakings of water 

 and liquid manure will also do them good. 



Propagation can be readily effected in autumn by means of 

 cuttings. Flowerless, growing shoots springing from the base are 

 best, and if these are inserted just clear of each other in sandy 

 soil in a frame or small box covered with glass they will pass 



