TENDER BEDDING PLANTS 347 



most cases spotted. They bloom profusely, and remain in beauty 

 a long time. 



The Mimuluses have a special value in the fact that they will 

 thrive in shady places. They love coolness and moisture. If seed 

 is sown on a gentle hotbed, or in a warm greenhouse, in late 

 winter, the plants ought to be ready for the beds by the end of 

 May. All seedsmen sell good strains of spotted Mimuluses. 



PETUNIAS 



These pretty flowers were referred to in a previous section. 

 They are charming for beds, and they have an advantage over 

 many plants in that they will thrive in a comparatively poor, dry 

 soil. This should secure for them the special attention of flower 

 gardeners who have to secure effects on thin, chalky, or gravelly 

 soils. So long as strong plants are prepared, and watered until 

 they are established, good results may be expected. 



The London park gardeners make considerable use of Petunias, 

 and one sometimes sees them even in the Embankment Gardens, 

 where the air is far from pure. If they will thrive here and 

 they certainly do no country amateur ought to be afraid of 

 trying them. 



The simplest way of raising a supply of Petunias is to sow 

 seed in late winter, and set the box on a hotbed, or on a shelf 

 in a warm house. If the seedlings are thinned as required, and 

 pricked off a few inches apart in due course, they will make nice 

 stuff for planting out by the end of May. They should be kept 

 sturdy by growing them near the glass and giving abundance of 

 air in favourable weather. 



SALVIAS 



Salvias are brilliant flowers, and are largely used for pot culture, 

 especially for winter blooming. We do not often see them used 



