Gardening for Amateurs 



789 



plants are always in demand in early spring, 

 and to obtain them the seed is sown early 



Double Wallflower. 



in September. Pots 5 inches in diameter 

 are suitable for the purpose. They must be 

 quite clean, effectually drained, and filled to 

 within half an inch of the rim with a compost 

 made up chiefly of loam lightened by a little 

 broken brick rubble, leaf-mould and sand, 

 In filling the pots the mixture must be pressed 

 -down very firmly, as this assists in maintain- 

 ing sturdy growth. The surface having been 

 made level, a few seeds are sown thereon, 

 and lightly covered with similar compost. 

 Water must be very sparingly applied, both 

 before the young plants make their appear- 

 ance and until the pots are well filled with 

 roots. A good place for the pots in which 

 the seed is sown is in a frame, and the plants 

 may be kept there, providing plenty of air 

 is given, until sharp frosts threaten. The 

 seedlings should be thinned down to about 

 half a dozen in each pot ; three good plants 

 are quite enough to leave finally, but it is 

 as well to allow for a few dying off. During 

 winter a light airy shelf in the greenhouse is 

 the best place for them. With the return 

 of spring the plants make rapid progress, 

 especially if they are then assisted by occa- 

 sional doses of liquid manure. Some varieties 



especially adapted for pots are Machet, 

 Miles 's Spiral, and the selections which the 

 different seedsmen name after themselves. 



Nemesia. Few annuals have made such 

 a rapid advance in popular favour within the 

 last few years as Nemesia, a fact that scarcely 

 occasions surprise, as great improvements 

 have been effected among varieties of this 

 flower. It is difficult to know which to 

 admire most, the large- flowered forms, with 

 blossoms varying in colour from white to 

 crimson, the various orange and scarlet 

 shades being particularly telling, or the 

 smaller Gem class, of which Blue Gem is the 

 most charming. For the embellishment of 

 the greenhouse in spring the seeds should be 

 sown in autumn as recommended for Clark ia, 

 the seedlings being grown in the same way, 

 5-inch pots being large enough. A mixture 

 of loam, leaf -mould and sand suits them well. 

 Some grow one plant in each flower-pot, 

 others place five or six in a pot. The last 

 will flower earlier and, as in the case of single 

 plants, they must be stopped once or twice 

 in order to ensure bushy specimens. By 

 sowing one or two lots at intervals in spring 

 a succession may be kept up for a long time. 



Butterfly Flower or Schizanthus. 



