PLANTING ANEMONES. 



29S 



tional merit, although coming short of the standards already quoted ; the brilliant 

 Aldborough Anemone [see index for coloured plate] is another. 



The ideal soil for the anemone is a friable 

 yet gritty loam, vegetable or cow manure 

 being incorporated with it. The position 

 should be a sheltered one in a fairly sunny 

 part of the garden. The best times for 

 planting are about the middle of October and 

 the end of January, the former period giving 

 better plants and flowers, which, however, 

 require protection during some seasons from 

 frost. 



In planting in beds an experienced culti- 

 vator recommends that these should be 3 feet 

 4 inches wide, and that the prepared soil be 

 at least 15 inches deep. The bed must not 

 be too wet when the tubers are planted, and 

 the surface should be made level and marked 

 in lines across. 



Eight roots are allowed in a row, and 

 have the drills in which the tubers are to be placed 2 inches deep. The crowns of the 

 tubers are not easily distinguished, but should be placed upwards. They form little 

 knobs often lighter in colour, and sometimes with faint lines converging to a central 

 point (see Fig. 141). Sometimes the remains of the old 

 roots form a guide in planting, as the part on which they 

 are seen may be placed beneath. When neither crowns nor 

 roots can be distinguished, the tubers may be placed on what 

 seem to be their sides. Cover the bed with about 2 inches 

 of partially-decayed leaves ; which may be removed after the 

 foliage appears, a top-dressing of well-decomposed manure 

 and leaf-mould being substituted. Should the weather be 

 dry when the plants are growing, give copious supplies of 

 water occasionally in the evening. The flower-buds may be thinned if exceptionally 

 fine blooms are required, and the beds shaded when the plants are in flower in order 



Fig 1 . 140. Double Anemone. 



Fig. 141. Anemone Tubee. 



