Round the Year in the Garden 



ema coridifolium, Campanula carpatica and pusilla, Alpine 

 Poppy (Papaver alpinum), Alpine Toadflax (Linaria 

 alpina), Silene alpestris, Sedum coeruleum, Tunica Saxi- 

 fraga, Vittadenia triloba, and Viola gracilis. If the 

 names of some of these are unfamiliar the plants will 

 prove none the less delightful to those who make their 

 acquaintance for the first time. The seeds are sown in 

 well-drained pans filled with sifted, sandy soil, and are 

 kept moist and shaded until germination. They should 

 be placed in a greenhouse or frame; if this is slightly 

 heated the seedlings will show through all the more 

 quickly. 



There are many surprises in store for those who sow 

 seeds of alpine and border perennials. Some of them may 

 be expected to germinate within from two to four weeks 

 in a greenhouse temperature of about 50, while others 

 are notoriously slow. Among seeds that I sowed last 

 March were those of that charming white-flowered Wind- 

 flower, Anemone sylvestris ; the seedlings failed to appear 

 during spring, so the seed-pot was left out of doors through- 

 out summer and winter. During the last week or two 

 the little plants have sprung up quite thickly, twelve 

 months after sowing. The seeds of many bulbs, Anem- 

 one, Primula Auricula, hardy Cyclamen, and others 

 are often very slow in germinating, especially if the seed 

 has been stored for some time, and it is thus wise to 

 obtain freshly-gathered seed of these kinds in summer 

 and to sow it as soon as received. No one knows for 

 how long seed will retain its germinating powers, though 

 generally speaking fresh seed is undoubtedly to be pre- 

 ferred. Probably most failures occur through sowing 

 thickly, covering the seeds too deeply and to indiscrimin- 

 ate watering. The merest sprinkling of sand or sifted 

 soil is sufficient for small seeds, and the soil needs to 

 be kept always moist by spraying daily with a fine 

 syringe and by covering with glass and paper. As soon 

 as the seedlings show they should be placed fairly near 



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