Cultivation of the Phlox 99 



spread over a large space of ground, when a greater portion 

 of the roots are dug up, and the remainder allowed to stand 

 until they have again become the same encumberers of the 

 soil. But why should we not allow all our plants to 

 grow in the same way ? Why make the beautiful phlox an 

 exception 1 If we would have a fine chrysanthemum, we 

 take off a single sucker or cutting, and putting that in a rich 

 soil, and training up one stem, we obtain large and beautiful 

 heads of fiowers. In. the same way we cultivate the double 

 rocket, and other herbaceous plants. Why, then, we repeat, 

 should we except the phlox ? 



Phloxes spread rapidly, and if the mass of suckers are 

 allowed to remain, they choke up and destroy the vigor of 

 the plant : first, by not allowing room for the extension of 

 the roots in search of food, and second, by crowding the 

 branches, which become drawn up and weak, and unable to 

 support a good head of flowers. This can only be obviated 

 by wholly disrooting them and replanting a few of the vig- 

 orous shoots in a good rich soil ; the branches will then shoot 

 up strong, the roots will find room to extend themselves, 

 and the result will be a vigor and redundancy of bloom never 

 seen in the old way of treating the plants. Even a single 

 sucker of the strong growing kinds is preferable to an old 

 overgrown root. We have had them in this way in the 

 greatest perfection ; from small plants turned out of pots last 

 year, as late as June, with only two shoots, we had some 

 most beautiful flowers. Beside the gratification they afford, 

 cultivated in this manner, at least two or three varieties may 

 be grown in the space usually occupied by one old root. In 

 small gardens this is a desideratum. 



The first step to success is, to have the courage to entirely 

 dig up all old roots, no matter how beautiful the kind. 

 Those who have had but little experience in gardening will 

 perhaps think it unnecessary, and only cut away a part of 

 the root; but tiiis is the great error; the whole root should 

 be taken up, and, after selecting a few healthy young suck- 

 ers, not more than fom-, reset them, throwing away the re- 

 mainder, unless several plants are wanted. A neat stake 

 should be put down to the plants, and the shoots tied as they 

 advance in srowth. to prevetit their being broken by the 



