RAISING HA RDF FLOWERS FROM SEEDS. 



class of seeds, and effects considerable saving in the way of carriage, a few packets of 

 seeds costing only a trifle for postage compared with the cost of the carriage of the 

 plants either by parcel post or rail, and also saving packing material. There are, it is 

 well to mention now, some seeds which will not germinate the first year, and it is thus 

 necessary for a beginner in hardy-flower growing to provide himself at first with a 

 sufficient number of plants to make the garden interesting. Any gaps may be filled up 

 by the use of hardy or half-hardy annuals, or even of some of the ordinary bedding 

 plants now offered at such a cheap rate. In planting these among the hardy flowers, 

 there must be no formal effect aimed at, but a free and natural appearance should be 

 studied. This part of our subject will, however, be treated subsequently, and a few 

 simple directions for raising hardy flowers from seeds may, for convenience, be given 

 here. 



The simplest way of raising herbaceous and border flowers from seeds is by sowing 

 the latter in rows, in small raised beds of light soil composed of loam and leaf-mould 

 with the addition of some sand. April is sufficiently early for outdoor sowing and 

 small seeds should be only lightly covered with soil, larger ones requiring more in 

 proportion to their size. Some seeds, such as those of lathyri, dictamnus, orobus and 

 others of similar nature, do better if planted from 2 to 3 inches deep than if more 

 lightly covered. The danger of sowing seeds in the open in this way is that the soil 

 occasionally becomes dry at a critical stage in the germination of the seed, with the 

 result that the young plants do not appear. In order to prevent this it is desirable to 

 shade the seed beds and to water carefully. Some cover with moss ; but in districts 

 where slugs are numerous they harbour under the moss and destroy the seedlings as 

 they appear, so that it is necessary to watch carefully for these marauders and destroy 

 them at once. 



"Where the necessary conveniences are at command the seeds can be raised in 6-inch 

 pots or seed pans, with about one-third of drainage and the remainder of the pot filled 

 to about half an inch of the edge with fine loam, leaf-mould and sand. As good a plan 

 as any is only to fill the pots to the level upon which the seeds are to rest, and then 

 to give it a gentle watering, afterwards allowing it to remain for about two hours, when 

 the seeds should be sown and covered to the necessary depth, as advised in the case of 

 those sown in the open. A cold frame is a good place in which to stand the pots, 

 keeping them shaded and the soil moist until the seedlings appear, when they should 

 have a lighter position and a greater supply of air — currents of the latter being, however, 



VOL. I. II 



