136 



Gardening for Amateurs 



spring, for they increase rapidly, and the 

 growths soon become crowded. It is desir- 

 able to look over the plants in April or May, 

 and remove some of the shoots if too many 

 are pushing up. The vigorous sorts benefit 

 by a covering of manure over the roots 

 towards the end of June. Watering the 

 plants liberally once a week during dry 

 weather and an occasional application of 

 liquid manure are points in the cultivation 

 of the Perennial Asters which deserve and 

 repay attention. Finally comes the ques- 

 tion of staking the taller sorts so that the 

 plants are displayed to full advantage. It 

 is no use placing one stake to each clump 

 and bunching the growths to that. From 

 four to six stakes should be used to each 

 clump, then the stems can be spread out 

 well. In the flower borders the careful 

 staking of Michaelmas Daisies provides a 

 means of filling or partially hiding gaps 

 left by the early flowers. 



Division of the clumps from November 

 to March is the favourite method of pro- 

 pagation. Cuttings made of the young 

 shoots when thinning the plants in April or 

 May form another easy method of increase. 

 The cuttings root readily if inserted in pots 

 of sandy soil, under a handlight or in a closed 

 frame. They are potted off singly when 

 rooted, and in due course planted out of 

 doors, where they will bloom in autumn. 

 Raising Michaelmas Daisies from seeds sown 

 in spring, preferably in a heated greenhouse, 

 is interesting, and often results in the 

 appearance of some really good varieties, 

 which may afterwards be increased by 

 cuttings or division. 



Most of the popular sorts cultivated at the 

 present day have been raised by the florist. 

 There are, however, a number of beautiful 

 species or wild sorts worthy of cultivation. 

 Noteworthy among these are A. acris, 

 A. Amellus, A. cordifolius elegans, A. diffusus 

 horizontalis, A. laevis, A. ptarmicoides major, 

 A. turbinellus, and A. vimineus. Two dwarf 

 early-flowering Asters of especial value for 

 the front of the border or the rock garden 

 are A. alpinus, 6 inches to 9 inches high, 

 with purple flowers during June and July, 

 and A. subcaeruleus (subcaerulescens), 1 foot 

 high, bearing purple blooms from the end 

 of May to July. When one realises that 



there are hundreds of sorts, it will be recog- 

 nised that only a very limited selection can 

 be given. For the convenience of readers 

 these are divided into two sections, e.g. those 

 with large and those with small flowers. 



Large-flowering sorts : For August Esme, 

 white, 2 feet ; Nancy, blue, 3 feet ; Daphne, 

 lilac blue, 4 feet. For September and early 

 October Bessarabicus, violet-blue, 1| to 2 

 feet ; Beauty of Colwall, lilac-blue, double, 



4 feet; Feltham Blue, 3| feet; Hilda 

 Morris, blue, 3| feet ; Lil Fardell, rose- 

 pink, 5 feet ; Perry's Favourite, rose, 



2 feet ; Robert Parker, la vender- blue, 



5 feet. Later flowering Climax, light blue, 



6 feet ; Mrs. W T . Bennett, lavender-blue, 

 6 feet ; Mrs. J. F. Rayner, rosy -crimson, 

 5 feet ; E. G. Lowe, pale blue, 4 feet ; Fair- 

 field, white, 6 feet. 



Small-flowering sorts : For August Mrs. 

 Peters, white, 2 feet. For September 

 Charmer, white, 3 feet ; Chastity, white, 4 

 feet ; Delight, white, 3 feet ; Hon. E. Gibbs, 

 soft lilac, 4 feet ; Ideal, pale lavender, 4 

 feet ; Gorgeous, rosy-lilac, 1^ feet. For 

 October Approval, white, 5 feet ; Clio, blush, 



3 feet ; Enchantress, blush-white, 4| feet ; 

 Esther, rose, 2| feet ; Hon. Vicary Gibbs, 

 rosy-blue, 2 feet. 



Astilbe (Goat's Beard). These are 

 handsome border plants, similar to the 

 Spiraeas, and popularly known as the Goat's 

 Beard. They have elegant foliage, above 

 which rise attractive, feathery plumes of 

 flowers. They delight in rich loamy ground, 

 particularly if rather moist, but will grow 

 in most soils. Astilbes, in addition to being 

 beautiful plants for the sunny border, deserve 

 attention for their value for placing by the 

 waterside and in half -shady situations. 

 Inquiries are often made by the owners 

 of small town and suburban gardens for 

 plants suitable for the last-named positions, 

 and the Astilbes are among the best, always 

 providing the situation is not too dry, but 

 even this is easy to remedy with a mulch- 

 ing of manure and a few cans of water 

 occasionally. 



The Astilbes are readily propagated by 

 division of the roots from September to 

 March during mild weather, the first six 

 weeks or the last six weeks of this period 

 being the best times to do the work. Seeds 



