6o 



Gardening for Amateurs 



with a similar compost. The longer pieces 

 of root should be inserted in the soil by 

 making holes with a pointed stick rather 

 thicker than the roots. The top of the root 

 should be just below the surface of the soil. 

 Small pieces of root may be scattered over 

 the surface of the soil and covered with a 

 thin layer of the compost. 



The treatment of the young plants follow- 

 ing the development of buds and new growths 



Root cutting Root cutting 



Hor^Lsh. A, k aL, A """"' %?** J 



Planting Horseradish root cuttings in deep sandy soil. 



must be guided by the available conveni- 

 ences of the grower. Much quicker results, 

 and larger plants, in most instances, are 

 secured if the young plants are potted off 

 singly in small pots and grown for two or 

 three months in a cold frame previous to 

 planting in the border. Failing this treat- 

 ment roots inserted in autumn should be 

 planted on a border out of doors during 

 April, and those started in spring should be 

 ready for putting out by the end of May or 

 early in June. From what has been already 



written it will be gathered that a good 

 number of plants can be increased from root- 

 cuttings. Included among these are several 

 popular herbaceous plants, while more could 

 no doubt be treated similarly were it not 

 possible to propagate them so easily in some 

 other way. 



Anemone and Alkanet. The thick, 

 fleshy roots of the Dropmore and other 

 Alkanets (Anchusa) form an easy means 

 of increasing these delightful 

 blue flowers, pieces of root 

 as large as one's thumb or 

 little finger being made use 

 of. Another plant belonging 

 to the Borage family in- 

 creased in this way is the 

 Prophet Flower (Arnebia 

 echioides). In fact, most 

 perennial hardy plants be- 

 longing to this family are 

 easily propagated by root- 

 cuttings. The Japanese 

 Windflower (Anemone japon- 

 ica) has dormant buds on. 

 the roots, and pieces of the 

 latter soon develop into 

 plants. Those beautiful 

 twiners or climbers, Caly- 

 stegia and Convolvulus, grow 

 very freely from pieces of 

 the root, when transplanting 

 them every little piece broken 

 off and left in the ground 

 will grow and produce a 

 young plant. The best for 

 the garden are Calystegia 

 hederacea (pubescens) fl. pi., 

 double pink; C. sepium 

 dahurica, rosy - purple ; C. 

 sylvatica, blush Avhite ; Con- 

 volvulus althaeoides, pink; and C. Mauri- 

 tanicus, blue. The Crambe or Flowering 

 Seakale has large, fleshy roots, which, if 

 cut up into pieces, grow as readily as the 

 Common Seakale. There are three sorts, 

 C. cordifolia, C. orientalis, and C. pinnatifida, 

 all of which send up flower spikes, in summer, 

 to a height of several feet, branching freely 

 and producing myriads of small white flowers ; 

 all are striking hardy plants. 



Burning Bush and Bellflower. The 

 popular Fraxinella or Burning Bush (Dictam- 



