196 



THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



These perennials, with some few others which I will pres- 

 ently name, are excellent for young people's gardens, being 

 both handsome and easy to cultivate. In planning the 

 garden for them, one must consider whether or not they 

 are to be grown from seed. Let me first give directions for 

 this, speaking not of vegetables but of flowers. 



Perennials raised from seed are, for the first year at least, 



not handsome, and 

 may very well be 

 grown in an out-of- 

 the-way place, while 

 true flowers occupy 

 the garden. The 

 seed may be bought, 

 or else begged of a 

 neighbor who has 

 particularly lovely 

 varieties. Some 

 seed, such as fox- 

 glove, sweet William, 

 and larkspur, should 

 be sowed very soon 

 after it is ripe, pref- 

 erably in a shady 

 place. Other seed 

 can be sowed in earliest spring, after the seed has been 

 soaked for a day. After the seed has soaked, spread it on a 

 board or cloth, and allow it to dry for an hour, or it will stick 

 together. Do not sow too thickly, thin the plants as soon 

 as they crowd, and when they are strong, say in early June, 

 transplant so that they stand about a foot apart each way, 

 in rows. Treat them now exactly like vegetables, cultivat- 

 ing them after every rain, and in the fall set them with much 



Fig. 102. — Foxglove is a biennial. Sow the 

 seed as soon as ripe, if you can get them. 



