54 THE GARDENER'S COMPANION 



they can be persuaded to do very kindly in a poor 

 one, by giving them some manure when they are 

 first planted, and watering them in very dry 

 weather. The right time for moving them is in the 

 autumn, but they are very good-natured in this re- 

 spect, and with care they can be moved at any 

 time, even when they are in bud, without suffering 

 any check. 



When they are throwing up shoots in the spring, 

 these should be carefully thinned, and if you want 

 very fine blooms, only quite a few shoots should 

 be left, but for garden effect it is not necessary to 

 thin them quite so much. 



There are two very distinct varieties, those that 

 flower early in July, called P. sujfruticosa, and the 

 rather later ones, which are, as a rule, more showy 

 and more robust, P. decussata. As to the names, 

 every nurseryman seems to have his own distinct 

 list, and there are such quantities that it is puzzling 

 for a beginner. I advise you not to have too great 

 a variety, but rather to have a fair number of each 

 colour, in about a dozen different sorts, choosing 

 a few from the early flowering ones, but most 

 from the " decussata " section. " Coquelicot " and 

 " George Stohlein" are splendid scarlets, " Fraulein 



