VEKBEHA. 185 



VERBENA. 



It is not at all difficult to raise good Verbena plants 

 from seed. Sow the seeds in a box in the house, the 

 first or second week in March. The soil can not be too 

 rich, and it is very desirable to mix with it about one- 

 quarter its bulk of dried and sifted moss. Before sowing 

 the seeds, water the soil in the box with warm, or hot 

 water, the hotter the better, provided you do not sow the 

 seeds until two or three hours after applying the water. 

 Sow in rows an inch apart, placing the seeds about half 

 an inch apart on the top of moist soil, cover by scattering 



Fig. 46. DOUBLE ANNUAL SUNFLOWER. 



on dry, sifted moss, a quarter of an inch deep. Keep 

 the box in a warm room. Very little water will be' re- 

 quired. More plants are lost by excessive watering than 

 from all other causes combined. As soon as the plants 



