936 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



and folloAving on with the other sorts mentioned. The Hellebores 

 are so well known for Christmas and New Year flowers as 

 scarcely to need mention, and even the Gaillardias, Pyrethrums, 

 Campanulas, and many other hardy plants can be forced into 

 blossom earlier than their usual season, thus affording a 

 considerable variation. 



Of late years the Sweet Pea has greatly advanced in popular 

 estimation as a plant for forcing, and very sweet and acceptable 

 are the pure and delicate flowers when thus grown under glass. 

 The seed may be sown in good soil, well drained, in either pots 

 or boxes — the former for choice — early in January, and placed 

 in moderate heat. When germination has taken place, care 

 must be exercised that the plants are kept close to the glass in 

 a temperature averaging from 5odeg. to 55deg., and ventilation 

 given whenever the weather is favourable, the object being to 

 keep the plants dwarf, sturdy, and floriferous. 



No list, however small, of winter-blossoming plants would be 

 complete without the modest but popular Violet. In the 

 neighbourhood of large towns it is only waste of time and labour 

 to attempt its culture, as it absolutely refuses to flower ; but in 

 country places, where the atmosphere is not choked with impurities, 

 it may be had in blossom all through the winter. The plan we 

 have always found the most reliable is to take off all the young 

 and vigorous runners as early as they can be obtained, and to 

 put them in a dung frame, with good loamy soil over the 

 manure, the plants not being more than Sin. from the glass 

 when the lights are put on. This is usually done in July or early 

 in August, the plants being well watered when put in, and 

 encouraged to grow freely by syringing every evening after a hot 

 day. Unless this is done. Red Spider is apt to prove very trouble- 

 some. The lights are not put on until there is danger of frost, 

 and if any runners appear on the plants (which are about 6in. 

 apart for small-leaved varieties like the Neapolitan, and 2in. more 

 for sorts like The Czar), they are promptly pinched off, as they 

 would only weaken the energies and reduce the quantity of 

 flowers. All coddling or closeness of atmosphere in the frames 

 should be avoided. Except in frosty or very cold weather a 

 little ventilation is best left on the frames day and night, and in 

 the middle of bright, warm days it is an advantage to remove 

 the lights altogether for an hour or two. 



Trees and 5hrubs. 



The number of hard-wooded plants that will force well are so 

 numerous that it would be difficult to say how many w^ill lend 

 themselves to this purpose ; consequently only a few of the 

 principal kinds, running into many varieties, can be mentioned. 

 The Azalea merits the premier place, as all the indica section 

 force freely and give such a wealth of beautiful flowers, 



