62 THE GABDENEK'S COMPANION 



Most people know the half-hardy S. patens with 

 the lovely gentian-blue flowers, and if you have a 

 greenhouse this is quite worth the trouble of 

 growing, either raising it each year from seed sown 

 in January, or lifting and storing the dahlia-like 

 roots in autumn, keeping them in a boxful of dry 

 earth or sand in the cellar. S. ringens is quite 

 hardy, and has spikes two and a half feet high 

 with large blue and white flowers in late August 

 or September ; a good plant, as is also S. pratensis. 

 S. splendens is another half-hardy sort that must 

 be raised under glass in January. It has scarlet 

 flowers, grows about eighteen inches high, and is 

 very showy and beautiful ; the variety S. splendens, 

 " Star of Zurich," is very early, flowering in July, 

 the others come in a month later. These are greedy 

 plants, and like as much manure and as rich a soil 

 as you can give them ; they grow very quickly as 

 seedling plants. You must be careful to prick them 

 out into pots, and later into larger pots, seeing that 

 they never get checked or starved. Last, but not 

 least, I must mention S. Grahami, a delightful 

 plant. It should be put in the hottest and most 

 sunny place in your garden, and if given a little 

 help in the way of protection, such as cinders over 



