M ARCH, 1 :) 1 i 



TIIK (iAIM)KN MAGAZINE 



HI 



ing plants the first year, the double sorts 



should bo sown not later than March, while 

 the single varieties will produce flowers 

 even though the seeds are not sown for a 

 month or two later. 



The geranium has been so highly culti- 

 vated and hybridized that the various 

 named varieties do not come true to seed, 

 but perfectly pleasing forms can be thus 

 secured. As with the carinas, one always 

 stands the chance of raising something 

 very much worth while. This is just what 

 forms the inducement and fascination of 

 raising from seed many of these plants 

 which one ordinarily buys already started 

 from the florist. So strong a hold has this 

 fascination of producing new things on 

 some people that whenever you meet 

 them they have a new batch of seeds or 

 seedlings to tell you about. 



The petunias have one peculiarity, or, 

 at least, it might be called that. When 

 the plants get large enough so that a 

 selection can be made, the larger and 

 stronger growing plants had best be dis- 

 carded; this is particularly true of the 

 double sorts, for the breeding of these 

 plants has been carried so far that the 

 plants that have the better flowers are 

 those which have the weaker constitution 

 when young. 



Unlike the more common annuals, all 

 the plants I have named will transplant 

 into the open much better if grown in 

 pots. Having pricked them into flats 

 an inch or so apart, they should be trans- 

 planted again into pots just as soon as 

 they have made sufficient growth to cover 

 the ground. As fast as the plants grow 

 they will need to be shifted into larger 

 pots. The only exception to this is the 

 lobelia, and because of the large quantities 

 usually w T anted, it is better to grow them 

 in flats and they can stand the shock of 

 transplanting much better than the other 

 plants. 



Have you ever wished to have a big 

 display of irises, phlox, and the other 

 gorgeous perennial plants? These can be 

 grown from seed with as little trouble as 

 the common annuals. The time which is 

 commonly recommended for sowing these 

 seeds is in July or August, out-of-doors 

 in a cold frame, or in the open. But better 

 plants can be had by starting the seed in 



the house or greenhouse in February or 

 March, or in a hotbed or coldframe a little 

 later when the weather becomes warmer. 

 It is better to start these seeds under glass 

 where the temperature and moisture of 

 the soil can be absolutely controlled, and, 

 besides, the sooner the seed is sown after it 

 ripens the better it will germinate. 



Fresh seeds from last year's crop can 

 be purchased at the present time, and 

 should be sown just like the annuals. 

 Many of these seedlings, however, are 

 more delicate when they first come up, 

 and to reduce the likelihood of their being 

 attacked by the "damping off" fungus 

 add a shovelful of finely broken charcoal 

 to each bushel of soil. This fungus 

 suddenly makes its appearance, rotting 

 the stems near the surface of the ground, 

 causing the young plants to fall over and 

 die. Should your seedlings, by any chance, 

 become infected, immediate measures must 

 be taken to stop the disease, otherwise 

 all the seedlings may be killed within an 

 hour or two. Hot sand is a very effec- 

 tive check. Put some sand on a shovel 

 in the furnace and when it becomes hot 



Scatter the seed evenly over trie surface before 

 " firming " 



To prick out. lift out a chunk of soil with a few 

 seedlings 



put it in a fine screen and sift it over the 

 plants, until a very thin layer has accumu- 

 lated on the surface of the soil. The sand 

 must not be hot enough to burn the plants 

 of course. 



Most of the perennial seeds will germinate 

 in from one week to two months. When 

 the seedlings have made two characteristic 

 leaves in addition to the seed leaves, they 

 must be pricked out. It is very unwise 

 to delay this for any length of time for the 

 plants will become drawn and weakened 

 which will necessitate weeks of nursing to 

 get them back into proper condition. This 

 is really the most critical period in their 

 life. 



All the coarser growing perennials should 

 be pricked out into three-inch pots; 

 the smaller growing kinds, such as the 

 alpine, arabis for instance, will have 

 sufficient room in a two-inch pot. Instead 

 of pricking the plants into the centre of 

 the pots, as is the usual custom, better 

 success will be had, particularly with the 



Take up each individual seedling with a stick or 

 knife and transplant to new Quarters 



tender-rooted kinds, if they are placed to 

 one side of the pot. Having been pricked 

 out, they should be watered, placed in the 

 greenhouse or window, and shaded. 



The best temperature at which to grow 

 these until they have become firmly es- 

 tablished in the pots is fifty degrees at 

 night and sixty or sixty-five during the 

 daytime. They can then be grown in a 

 cooler temperature and hardened off pre- 

 paratory to being placed out-of-doors. 

 By the time all danger of frost is past and 

 the ground in the garden is in good work- 

 able condition these plants will be of 

 sufficient size to plant directly in the 

 open. 



Seeds which have come from a great 

 distance, or old seeds, will require more 

 attention than fresh seeds. Above all 

 things do not overwater them. I have 

 found that such seeds, if very sparingly 

 watered after being sown, and kept on the 

 dry side will germinate readily, whereas, 

 if given an abundance of water they rot. 

 There is an axiom among gardeners that 

 seed packets that come from abroad should 

 never be opened until the seed pan is ready 

 for the seed to be sown at once and covered. 

 Whether this is true or not I cannot say, 

 for I have always followed it religiously. 

 Friends, however, have told me of ex- 

 periences which confirm it. 



If, for any reason, the seeds do not come 

 up within the time specified, do not be- 

 come discouraged; water the soil carefully 

 as it requires, and when hot weather comes, 

 plunge the pan in a coldframe out-of-doors 

 where it can have some shade. There 

 are some perennials which take much 

 longer to come up; Ranunculus Lyallii, 

 which is probably the finest of the genus, 

 is reported as having taken two years to 

 germinate! 



The only perennial with which I have 

 ever had any trouble is the gasplant (Dic- 

 tarrmus). The first time I tried to germin- 

 ate this was shortly after I had been given 

 charge of a garden. Two years I bought 

 seeds and sowed them, but they did not 



