Gardening for Amateurs 



143 



Chrysanthemums from Seed. 

 During quite recent years 

 considerable attention has 

 been given by several seed- 

 growing firms to the rais- 

 ing of the autumn-flowering 

 border Chrysanthemums from 

 seeds. A very wide range of 

 colour in double, semi-double 

 and single flowers may be 

 obtained from a packet of 

 seeds. From seeds sown in 

 a heated greenhouse during 

 February or March, the earliest 

 of the plants flower in late 

 August and September, and 

 will continue to do so if the 

 \vtMther is at all favourable 

 until nearly Christmas, pro- 

 viding quantities of blooms 

 for cutting. On the approach 

 of bad weather the plants 

 may be taken up, potted in 

 large flower pots, and placed 

 in the greenhouse. A week 

 before the plants are lifted 

 in-*' it a spade round about 

 them. This lessens the check 

 caused by removal. 



Delphinium (Perennial A beautiful border Chrysanthemum, Normandie, pink. 



Larkspur). Delphinium or 



Perennial Larkspur worthily holds pride or double flowers. While June and July 

 of place among tall-growing herbaceous are the months when Delphiniums make the 



perennials with blue flowers. Numerous 

 species or original wild types from other 

 lands are in cultivation, both annual and 

 perennial, but most of them are quite 

 o\< -i>liadowed by the immense number 

 of named varieties, and these are com- 

 monly grown. Delphiniums should find 

 a place in both small and large gardens. 

 In height the plants range from about 

 1 to 8 feet or even more. Practically every 

 shade of blue imaginable, from the palest 

 sky-blue to very dark blue and almost 

 black, is represented. During recent years 

 more attention has been paid to the raising 

 of varieties with white and creamy-yellow 

 flowers, while named sorts with a white or 

 suffusion of pink in the centre of the blooms 

 are finding favour. Some of the l.ttr-t 



finest display in the garden, by cutting the 

 flower stems to the ground as soon as the 

 flowers fade, mulching with well-decayed 

 manure, and watering lilierally during dry 

 weather, a second display may be obtained 

 in late summer and autumn. Plants raised 

 from seeds sown the previous summer, or 

 in heated greenhouse in February of the 

 same year, may also be expected to bUxnn 

 during August and Septenilier. The pe- 

 rennial Larkspur should be in groups of from 

 three to a dozen plants, according to the 

 space available in the herbaceous or mixed 

 border, or Ixxis on the lawn may \w planted 

 with them, a few late-flowering bulks such 

 as Hyacinthus candicans and Gladioli being 

 intermixed. 



How They are Increased. Seeds, divi- 



sorts are notable for the large si/.r of the sion of the clumps, and cuttings provide 

 individual blooms, others for semi-double ready methods of propagating Delphiniums. 



