SOME HOMELY FLOWERS 



alone. In a large garden, where masses of colour that 

 show well from a distance are needed, that is, no doubt, 

 the way to dispose them, but viewed closely they are 

 apt to disappoint. Far better is it to make little groups 

 of them here and there say a dozen together in the 

 mixed border where the summer flowers have left unpleas- 

 ant blanks. There need be no hesitation about trans- 

 planting them at any time if the precaution is taken to 

 thrust the spade in the soil around them a week pre- 

 viously, and thus avoid too great a check all at once. 

 It is, of course, necessary to keep the roots well supplied 

 with water for a week or two before and after the removal. 

 If the weather gets so bad in October as to prevent the 

 flowers opening properly, the Chrysanthemums may be 

 dug up and potted in large flower-pots or boxes, and 

 placed in the greenhouse. If the roots are damaged as 

 little as possible, not a flower will fail to open. In fact, 

 I think their unusually accommodating nature is one 

 of the charms of the outdoor Chrysanthemums, and 

 provides their chief claim to be classed as a homely 

 flower. 



It is the easiest thing in the world to raise a stock of 

 outdoor Chrysanthemums. The orthodox method is to 

 take the cuttings in February or March (choosing those 

 that grow through the soil in preference to those that grow 

 on the stem), and to put them in small pots filled with 

 sandy soil, placing them in a frame or greenhouse. The 

 unorthodox method is to take the cuttings in late March 



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