THE GROWING OS BEDDING PLANTS. 377 



To contrast with the above dark colored foliage 

 plants, a number with silver or yellow foliage are grown, 

 the most common of which are the Centaurea gymno- 

 carpa and candidissima. Cineraria maritima, and Pyre- 

 thrum aureum. These are all readily grown from seed, 

 which should be sown in shallow flats during February. 

 The seedlings should be transferred to small pots or 

 flats as soon as the first true leaves appear, and with good 

 care will be large enough by the middle of May to be 

 planted out as borders for geraniums, dark-colored coleua 

 and other bedding plants. 



FLOWERING PLANTS. 



Of the other bedding plants that are commonly 

 grown from seed, we may mention petunias, phlox, ver- 

 benas, alyssum, candy-tuft, balsams, portulaca, asters, 

 celosia, dianthus and ricinus. In a general way, these 

 require about the same care as the other seedling 

 annuals. There are also a large number of bedding 

 plants valued principally for their flowers, which may 

 be grown from seed, but which are usually propagated 

 by means of cuttings, among them are ageratum, gera- 

 nium, lantana, cuphea, while many of those grown from 

 seeds could be propagated by means of cuttings, if it is 

 desired to reproduce some choice variety. 



SWEET PEAS. 



While the sweet pea likes a cool, moist and rather 

 heavy soil, it can be grown successfully in almost any 

 place where the soil is not too dry and where the plants 

 will not be too near large trees or in the shade of build- 

 ings. It is a good plan to prepare the soil the fall pre- 

 vious to planting by applying three or four inches of 

 thoroughly decomposed manure, and working it into the 

 soil to the depth of ten or twelve inches where the rows 

 are to be. A liberal amount of wood ashes and ground 

 bone can also be used to advantage. Another method is 



