SEED SOWING SUGGESTIONS 21 



before the growths appear; cover two inches deep but never hill 

 up, as too many catalogues and magazine writers recommend, or 

 you will regret it. 



Sow that splendid annual hunnemannia or Mexican poppy 

 about ISIay 10, which is also a safe date to sow salpiglossis, one of 

 our most beautiful annuals, and others which are more or less 

 tender. Such annuals as scabious, brachycomes, gypsophila, 

 sweet sultan, clarkia, portulacas, calendulas, coreopsis, statices, 

 chrysanthemums, larkspurs, dianthus, sunflowers, gaillardias, 

 schizanthus, nemophila, love-in-a-mist, eschscholtzias, and cosmos 

 may be safely sown any time after April 15 in this latitude if the 

 ground has become dry; if not it is safer to wait a couple of weeks. 

 Such subjects as gypsophila elegans, larkspurs, shirley poppies, 

 clarkias, schizanthus, candytuft, and sweet alyssum should be 

 sown two or three times to secure a succession of bloom, making 

 the last sowing as near June 1 as possible. 



Hardy herbaceous perennials are wonderfully popular now. I 

 well remember the fight waged by Mr. William Robinson through 

 the columns of the English "Garden" to secure them suitable 

 recognition in the early '80's of the last century. A great propor- 

 tion of these hardy plants are easily and inexpensively raised from 

 seed. Taking first those usually treated as biennials, but some of 

 which are perennial, we have pansies, bedding violas, double 

 daisies, rockets, forget-me-nots, Canterbury bells, foxgloves, 

 hollyhocks, and honesty; of these, pansies, violas, forget-me-nots 

 and daisies should be sown in a cold frame, or in a shaded position 

 outdoors from July 25 to August 1. Foxgloves and Canterbury 

 bells need sowing in May, and hollyhocks in early July. For 

 anyone unable to succeed with the perennial hollyhocks I would 

 commend the annual type; these sown in April will flower well the 

 same season, and rarely are affected by rust. 



Amongst the varieties of hardy perennials which come with ease 

 from seeds are: delphiniums, aquilegias, campanulas, centaureas, 

 shasta daisies, poppies, thalictrums, lupines, galegas, hibiscus, 

 pentstemons, doronicums, eryngiums, asters, and kniphofias; any 

 of these will start readily in cold frames in light soil in April and 

 May or August, or if strong plants are wanted in the fall, sowing 

 can be clone in flats or pans in a greenhouse in January or February. 



