GROUPS OF GARDEN FLOWERS 23 



Festiva maxima, pure white; Lady Beresford, pink; James Kelway, 

 white ; Mme. Furtado, rose ; Mme. Calot, white, rose shading ; Shir- 

 burnian, maroon-crimson ; Solfaterre, sulphur ; Triomphe de Paris, 

 white ; and Whitleyi, yellowish white, a very beautiful Pseony. These 

 are all double varieties. A few good singles are : Meteor, crimson ; 

 Duchess of Sutherland, flesh ; Queen of May, rose ; Rose of Silver, 

 silvery rose ; Venus, rose ; and Bridesmaid, pure white. 



Pansies (Violas). The show and fancy Pansies cannot be regarded 

 as flowers for the beginner's garden, and they are seldom satisfactory 

 in the South of England, but of late years many beautiful varieties have 

 been raised, known collectively as tufted Pansies, the older name for 

 which was Viola. These flower over a longer season than the Heart's- 

 ease of our forefathers' gardens ; big, handsome flowers, that seem to 

 smile in the sunshine of summer. By raising seedlings many beautiful 

 forms may be obtained, offering a remarkable range of colouring from 

 selfs through blotched and other forms, some almost bronze, others 

 picturesque mixtures, in shading almost black, so intense is the purple 

 tone. 



But to create certain effects, to obtain masses of colour and pretty 

 bouquets for the table, it is better to grow a few of the best-named 

 tufted Pansies. There is nothing in the least degree difficult in their 

 management. Cuttings may be taken in July, inserted in a bed of 

 soil in a cool part of the garden, say a north or east aspect anywhere, 

 in fact, away from the full force of the midday sun. Cuttings put in 

 during July will root sufficiently to transfer to the places they are to 

 adorn in the following autumn. For spring planting insert the cuttings 

 in the autumn, and protect them with a rough framework of eight-inch 

 or ten-inch boards. Use the ordinary soil of the garden for the cutting 

 bed ; dig it deeply, and well break it up, then spread over it a compost 

 consisting of loam, leaf-mould, and spent mushroom bed manure in 

 equal parts. Add to this an equal part of coarse silver sand or coarse 

 road grit. Mix the compost well together, pass it through a sieve with 

 a half-inch mesh, then spread it evenly over the place for the cuttings. 

 Level the soil and make it moderately firm with a board or back of the 

 spade. An hour or two before the cuttings are inserted water the soil 

 thoroughly with a fine rose watering-can. The cuttings should be made 

 of recent growths, not pithy hollow stems ; let them be about two 

 inches and a half long, remove the two lower leaves, and cut straight 

 across the lower joint with a sharp knife. It is important, if possible, 

 to obtain the cuttings with a few small roots attached, such as may be 

 obtained when taking from the old stools (see illustrations). Put the 

 cuttings two inches apart. Make them firm at the base ; the rows to be 

 three inches apart as a rule, but some varieties, being weaker than others, 

 require less space. When the cuttings are inserted water them gently. In 

 about three weeks the cuttings will have rooted. The large grower cuts 

 back the plants to secure cuttings or new growths, but those who require 

 fewer tufts need not interfere with the free-flowering of the Pansies. 

 As opportunities offer detach young growths from the crown of the 



