Herbaceous and Bedding Plants 



section, and also the Vernon types, make excellent plants for 

 bedding, and the tall stately Begonia rubra, if given a sheltered 

 position, forms grand specimens, especially in our coast counties. 

 The Begonia requires a light rich loamy soil and plenty of 

 moisture at the root during the growing season ; as soon as flower- 

 ing is over, the tuberous-rooted species should be taken up, the 

 tubers cleaned and dried in a cool airy shed, and afterwards 

 packed in dry soil and laid away in a cool place until March, 

 when they should be potted singly, in pots a little larger than the 

 tubers, in soil composed of one-third loam, one-third leaf-mold, 

 and one-third sand with a sprinkling of old manure mixed 

 through the compost. Place the pots in a cool frame, and, when 

 the young plants make from four to six inches of growth, plant 

 them out where they are to flower. The Vernon type is propa- 

 gated by seeds sown and covered very lightly with finely sifted 

 sandy leaf-mold, in February, the young plants being pricked 

 out three inches apart in pots or boxes as soon as they are large 

 enough to be handled, and planted out, about the first of May, 

 where wanted to bloom. They may also be easily increased by 

 dividing the roots of the previous year's growth just before 

 growth commences in the Spring. 



BELLIS (Daisy). 



The Bellis perennis or common Daisy is a well-known hardy 

 free-flowering border plant, growing well in any garden soil and 

 easily increased by simply dividing the roots immediately after 

 flowering, each crown making a separate plant. It may also be 

 raised from seeds, but as a large percentage of seeds obtained 

 are single-flowered, it is much safer and more satisfactory to 

 propagate by dividing the roots. In propagating from seeds, the 

 seeds should be covered to the depth of an eighth of an inch. 



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