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THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



It is true these hollow tops will grow, but the 

 plants will never equal those resulting from a 

 young flowerless shoot, shortened, trimmed, and 

 inserted as shown at a. If these cuttings can be 

 found in June or July they may be taken then 

 and rooted under hand-lights in a cool position in 

 the garden, subsequently transplanting 6 inches 

 apart in nursery beds of good soil. In this manner 

 excellent plants will be ready for the beds in the 

 autumn. Cuttings are generally the most plenti- 

 ful in September, and that is a good time to insert 

 them, under hand-lights in a mixture of fine loam , 

 leaf soil, and sand ; or fill the bottom of a shallow 

 frame or pit placed in a sheltered sunny position, 

 with partially decayed material, making this firm, 

 and covering with 5 inches of the mixture of 

 soil described. Make this level, firm, and smooth, 

 and face over with sharp sand. The cuttings to 

 be inserted 3 inches apart, deeply as shown, well 

 fixed, and watered. If kept somewhat close and 

 shaded rooting will soon take place, and then all 

 the light and air possible must be afforded in 



favourable weather. Roughly protect during very 

 severe weather. Violas are raised in the manner 

 described for summer bedding, but if instead of 

 leaving them standing thickly spoiling in the 

 frames or beds till the middle of May, they are 

 transferred to the beds in April, planting in rich 

 soil, they will commence flowering at once and 

 continue gay through the summer. Old plants 

 may be divided and replanted in the autumn, 

 either where they are to flower or in reserve beds. 

 Violets. — Russian violets, notably the Czar, are suit- 

 able for spring bedding, and their fragrance is 

 delightful. The Italian section, including, Marie 

 Louise, blue ; Comte de Brazzi, white ; and 

 Neapolitan, lavender blue ; are liable to succumb 

 to sharji frosts, but after a mild winter they are 

 quite gay in the spring. Plant the divisions or 

 newly-rooted plantlets early in May in good 

 garden soil, keep them properly supplied with 

 water, also free from weeds and runners, and 

 transplant to the . beds with a good ball of soil 

 adhering to the roots. 



Spring Flowering Plants from Seed. 



There are a limited number of biennials and perennials suitable for the adornment of 

 beds and borders in the spring that can be raised from seed, and this will be found the 

 most expeditious method of propagation. In addition to being easily obtained, seedling 

 plants are invariably more robust than those raised from cuttings or by division, 

 the strains as supplied by seedsmen of repute are good, and the varieties usually come 

 sufficiently true to name for the purpose for which they are desired. Thousands of 

 plants from the best of seed are spoiled by overcrowding and drawing them up spindly, 

 whereas it is perfectly easy to have them dwarf, bushy and satisfactory. See Fig. 91 

 and text under "Myosotis." 



SELECTIONS AND CULTIVATION. 



Haudy Auriculas. — Alpine auriculas are originally 

 raised from seed, and many beautiful varieties 

 have been thus cheaply added to collections. 

 Seeds should be sown during February or March 

 in well-drained pans filled with fine rich soil, 

 covering lightly. Place in cold frame or on 

 greenhouse shelf, cover with squares of glass, 

 shade heavily, and keep the soil uniformly moist. 

 The seed is apt to germinate very irregularly, and 

 some of it may be six months or more before 

 starting. There ought, therefore, to be no undue 



haste in discarding pans of soil in which auricula 

 seed has been sown, while if only a few seedlings 

 come up, these, when large enough to move, 

 should be lifted out with the point of a label, 

 leaving the rest of the soil undisturbed, and filling 

 up the small holes made with fine soil. Place the 

 seedlings either singly in thumb-pots or in pans 

 or boxes of soil, using a compost of two parts of 

 fine loam to one of leaf soil with a sprinkling of 

 sifted cow manure and sharp sand added. Return 

 them to cool light quarters, a shallow cold frame 



