66 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Perennials that Flower within a Year from Seed 



THE usual practice when , raising 

 hardy perennials from seeds is to 

 sow on a border outside, or in a 

 cold frame, during April, May, or June. 

 The plants will bloom a year or fifteen 

 months later. However, anyone having 

 a heated greenhouse 

 may, by sowing seeds 

 there between the 

 middle of January 

 and the middle of 

 March, induce a con- 

 siderable number of 

 perennials to flower 

 the same year. This 

 " speeding - up " of 

 the flowering period 

 not only means a 

 season gained, but 

 the blossoming 

 season is prolonged, 

 for the seedlings 

 flower later than 

 plants of the same 

 kind which have 

 been in the borders 

 for a year or two. 

 Notable instances are 

 Delphinium, Lupin, 

 Carnation and Holly- 

 hock, which ordin- 

 arily blossom in the 

 greatest profusion 

 during June and 

 July. Plants of 

 these and others 

 raised from seeds 

 sown in warmth 

 during early spring 

 will blossom between 

 August and October. 

 The temperature 

 of the greenhouse 

 should be about 50 F. at night, rising from 

 5 F. to 10 F. during the day. Use flower pans 

 or shaUow boxes in which to sow the seeds, 

 place ample drainage in the bottom, and fill 

 almost to the rim with light sandy soil. 

 Moisten the soil well previous to sowing, 



A border of Snapdragons. 



scatter the seeds thinly on the surface, cover 

 fine seeds lightly with sand or soil, and larger 

 seeds with about one-eighth of an inch of soil. 

 It aids germination and assists in keeping 

 the soil moist if the pans or boxes are covered 

 with paper until germination commences. 

 As soon as the tiny 

 seedlings show above 

 the surface place 

 them in a light posi- 

 tion near the glass 

 to prevent spindly 

 growth, taking great 

 care, however, to 

 shade them from 

 sunshine. Trans- 

 plant the seedlings, 

 when large enough 

 to handle conveni- 

 ently, to other pans 

 or boxes, and keep 

 them on a shelf in 

 the greenhouse until 

 towards the end of 

 April. Following 

 this give the young 

 plants a month in a 

 cold frame to harden 

 off preparatory to 

 planting out in the 

 garden. The follow- 

 ing perennials re- 

 spond readily to this 

 method, and will 

 bloom in late sum- 

 mer from seed sown 

 in early spring. 



Antirrhinum 

 (Snapdragon). 

 Though strictly 

 speaking a perennial, 

 the Snapdragon or 

 Antirrhinum is more 



often treated as a biennial or annual. 

 To sow the seeds and have good flower- 

 ing plants the same year it is neces- 

 sary to raise the young plants in a 

 heated greenhouse in early spring. There 

 are three distinct sections or classes : the 



