LIST OF FLOWERS 



ASTER. This is a large family, including in its varieties the 

 hardy perennial Michaelmas Daisy and many named kinds of half- 

 hardy annuals which have been greatly improved of recent years 

 and deserve a place in every garden, as they put forth their beauty 

 late in autumn, when the borders are beginning to lose their colour. 

 To secure a succession of bloom there should be several sowings, 

 and the first wUl need artificial heat. But often the best results 

 are obtained by growing asters entirely in the open, in which case the 

 sowing should be made in April on a well-prepared bed of rich soil 

 lightened with wood ashes. The seedlings should be thinned out so 

 as to give each plenty of room to grow into a sturdy plant before 

 being transferred to its final quarters, and here, again, the soil should 

 be dressed in readiness with weU-rotted manure, while the plants 

 should be assisted with weak liquid manure until they begin to 

 flower. 



AUBRETIA. A free-growing hardy perennial, excellent for 

 Wall and Rock gardens and sloping banks, and forming beautiful 

 cushions of foliage and flowers. There are many varieties, of which 

 may be named the A.' purpurea, the A. deltoidea, the A. Eyrei and 

 the A. LeichUini — all charming. Aubretias are easily grown from 

 cuttings, or by division, or raised from seed; indeed, the seed will sow 

 itself in the earthy chinks of a wall in autumn and bloom in the 

 following February. 



AURICULA. A hardy perennial which blooms from February 

 to June and is deservedly a favourite with amateur gardeners. 

 It thrives weU in town gardens and does not require artificial heat, 

 though the protection of a frame or greenhouse is needed. It may 

 be propagated by division of the roots in February or March, or may 

 be sown at that season in well-drained pots. The plants need plenty 

 of water, but care must be taken not to water them when the tem- 

 perature is below freezing point. The Alpine varieties are well 

 worthy of cultivation and quite hardy; they will flourish in the open 

 throughout the winter and flower freely in the spring. 



AZALEA. Although the Chinese variety is usually considered 

 a greenhouse plant, there are some kinds — such as A. indica and A. 

 ledifoUa — ^which can be grown in the open in our southern counties — 

 certainly in Cornwall; while the Ghent variety is quite hardy in the 

 open, especially if suitably planted in a protecting shrubbery, and 

 few shrubs flower better in partial shade. The Azalea may be 

 grown from seed sown under glass in spring, potting off later into a 



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