How to Have Flowers Earlier Next Spring— By James T. Scott ™ 



GETTING SIX MONTHS AHEAD OF THE SEASON— HOW TO HAVE BIENNIALS AND PERENNIALS 

 IN BLOOM NEXT SUMMER BEFORE SPRING-SOWN PLANTS HAVE GROWN TO FLOWERING SIZE 



Photograph by Henry Troth 



SOWING seeds in the fall is the surest and 

 easiest way for the amateur to have 

 an abundance of early flowers. There are, 

 however, certain simple precautions to be 

 taken. The seedlings must be sheltered 

 from hot sunshine and the soil must be 

 loose and moist. 



Soil. — Prepare the seedbed well (not 

 necessarily making it rich) by forking it over 

 and over to the depth of at least one foot. 

 Rake off and level thoroughly; add one and 

 one-half inches of finely sifted soil on top. 

 Seeds germinate best in a soil of fine tilth. 



Watering. — Late in the afternoon draw 

 lines for the seeds, and then give the bed a 

 thorough watering through a spray. Be 

 careful not to obliterate the lines. Allow 

 it to stand thus overnight. Next morning 

 sow the seeds and cover with sifted soil to the 

 desired depth. Generally this watering will 

 suffice until the seedlings appear; but, should 

 the bed become dry, spray again. Young 

 seedlings are very easily destroyed with a 

 heavy spray, and if they are watered in the 



morning and the sun comes out hot, they 

 are sure to "damp off." Therefore water 

 late in the afternoon, but not so late that 

 the water will still be hanging on the leaves 

 next morning. Between four and five o'clock 

 is a good time, or, say, from an hour to an 

 hour and a half before sundown. 



Protection. — Sow all seeds (and also prick 

 off) in a sashbed or coldframe, if possible. 

 Failing this, sow in a sheltered position 

 where they are protected from the noonday 

 sun. If sown in a sashbed or frame, put 

 on the sash, tilting them well at the back, 

 and cover the glass with some light material 

 during the day (removing it at night) until 

 the seedlings appear. If sown in the open 

 border or in flats, seeds will germinate 

 better when covered with heavy paper or a 

 single fold of ordinary bagging material. 



Small seeds require greater protection and 

 more care during germination than larger 

 ones. They may be sown above ground, 

 given protection and covered over lightly 

 when they begin to show life. 



Large seeds. — Large seeds can be sown 

 with safety in the open. They will germinate 

 more quickly if soaked in water for twenty- 

 four hours before sowing. 



Pricking off. — Transplant the seedlings 

 as soon as they have made their first two 

 rough leaves. Use a pointed dipper and 

 make the hole large enough in every case to 

 easily hold the roots. Firm the soil thorough- 

 ly by pressing in the dipper about one inch 

 from the original hole. Never firm close 

 around, as you are liable to "hang" the 

 young plants. If the roots are thus firmed 

 subsequent watering will settle the upper 

 soil about the "neck." In pressing close to 

 the tender stem with the fingers you are 

 liable to do injury; moreover, the soil gets 

 baked and the seedlings cannot grow. 

 When two or three lines are done give water 

 and shade. Keep them shaded for several 

 days until growth commences again. Grad- 

 ually immure them to full sunlight. 



Weeks of bloom. — The minimum time is 

 given in the table below: 



NAME OF FLOWER 



TIME TO 



sow 



HEIGHT 



(inches) 



COLOR OF 

 FLOWER 



Distance to Plant 

 (inches) 



DEPTH 

 TO 



SOW 



(inches) 



MONTH OF 



FIRST 

 FLOWERING 



WEEKS 



IN 

 BLOOM 



SOIL PREFERENCES, BEST SITUATIONS, 



Pricking 

 Out 



Permanent 

 Planting 



AND OTHER POINTS 



Achillea filipendulina 



Aug. 15 



36-42 

 l8-24 



yellow 



2 



15 



I-l6 



July and Aug. 



4-6 



Needs staking. All achilleas grow in 

 dry or moist soils. 



Achillea Millefolium 



Aug. 15 



white, pink 



2 



12 



I-l6 



July and Aug. 



6-8 



Borders and rockeries. Increase by 

 division in spring. 



Achillea Ptarmica 



Aug. 15 



l8-24 



white 



2 



12 



I-l6 



July 



all sum. 



For border planting and for cut flowers. 

 Best variety The Pearl. 



Aconitum Napellus 



Aug. 15-20 



48 



blue 



4 



18-24 



1-4 



June 



4-6 



Shady places and shrubbery. Roots 

 and leaves poisonous. 



Anemone Japonica 



Aug. 15 



24 



white, pink 



3 



18 



i-4 



Aug. 



6-8 



Especially suited to fern groups or 

 shady borders. Rich soil. 



Anthemis tinctona 



Aug. 15 



l8-24 



yellow 



2 



12 



1-16 



July 



4-6 



Any soil in full sun. Golden Margue- 

 rite. Pungent odor. 



Aquilegia chrysantha Aug. 15-20 

 and caerulea 



18-34 



blue, yellow, 

 white 



2-3 



9-12 



1-16 



May, June 



8-10 



Plant in shady places. Many hybrids in 

 mixed colors. 



Arabis alpina 



Aug. 15 



6 



white 



3 



6 



i-4 



May, Sept. 



4-8 



Rock cress. Dry soil in sun. Plant in 

 tulip beds. 



Asclepias incarnata 



Aug. 15 



36 



rose 



4 



18 



1-4 



July 



4 



Swamp milkweed. Plant in swampy 

 places or meadowlands. 



Asperula odorata 



Sept. 1 



12 



white 



2 



8 



1-16 



June 



8-10 



Shady places as undergrowth. Used for 

 flavoring May wine. 



Aster alpinus, grandi- 

 florus, Novae-AngHae 



Sept. 1 



18-36 



blue 



3 



18-24 



i-4 



Sept. 



8-10 



Best of all fall flowers. Good in all 

 soils, but repay cultivation. 



Bocconia cordata 



Aug. 15-20 



36 



white 



2 



24 



i-4 



July 



4-8 



Beautiful in foliage and flower. Shrub- 

 bery beds or woodland corners. 



'Campanula Carpatica, 

 Medium, etc. 



Sept. 1 



6-36 



blue, white 



3 



15-18 



i-4 



May 



8-12 



Carpatica and rotundifolia good for 

 rockeries. Others best in shade. 



Centaurea (Sweet 

 Sultan) 



Aug. 15 



18-24 



yellow, white, 

 purple 



3-4 



12-18 



i-4 



May 



4-8 



For sandy dry soil. Effective in solid 

 beds of one color or mixed. 



58 



