GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



the ground. Among them are those which, like sweet 

 alyssum, Shirley poppies, candytuft, mignonette, portu- 

 lacca, and others, do not require to be transplanted, 

 but can be sown in the open ground where they are 

 to remain. Usually, then, such seeds are sown again 

 at intervals of from two to four weeks, so that their 

 flowers may be had in succession. 



All annuals, especially those that are half hardy, 

 can be hastened into bloom by sowing their seeds 

 early in a hot bed, greenhouse, or even in a shallow 

 box placed on a warm, sunny window. Boxes from 

 two to three inches deep and filled with fine, sandy 

 loam make excellent homes for young sprouting seeds. 



Newly sown seeds require plenty of air and moisture. 

 Too vigorous and frequent watering, however, causes 

 them, in the words of gardeners, to "damp off." 

 Small seeds, moreover, should always be watered with 

 a fine rose sprayer. When well out of the seed leaf, 

 they should be transplanted into other boxes or pots 

 and then allowed to grow until sufficiently strong to 

 plant in the open ground. After this final transplant- 

 ing, they require to be well watered and cultivated 

 and have their beds kept free from weeds. In general, 

 seedlings that have been transplanted are more vigor- 

 ous and more able to resist a prolonged drought than 

 those that have reached maturity in the same places in 

 which they have been sown. 



Although all hardy and half-hardy seeds are 

 hastened into bloom by sowing them early under cover, 

 it is also quite feasible to wait until the soil is warm and 

 then to sow them in the open garden. Their flowers 



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