DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



69 



of April to the middle of June, along the border, in little patches four or six inches square, or in drills, on the spot 

 where they are wanted to blossom ; and in doing so, care should be taken to have the different varieties arranged in 

 such a manner as to produce a pleasing effect v/hen they arc in bloom. 



HALF-HARDY ANNUALS are those species that flower and ripen their seeds in the open air, but need 

 the assistance of artificial heat in the earlier stages of their growth. They should be sow-' in a hot-bed, or in pots 

 in a green-house, if one is available, or in a sunny window. Keep them well shaded, which will prevent absorption 

 by the rays of the sun, and the consequent necessity of frequent watering, which bakes the soil, and does much 

 mischief to seeds of slow growth. Towards the middle or end of May, many of the seedlings will be ready for trans- 

 planting to borders ; but previous to this exposure, it will be necessary- to harden them, preparatory- to removal, by 

 gradually admitting air to the frame both day and night. 



BIENNIALS AND PERENNIALS.— Biennials are those plants that do not generally flower the first 

 year, and are only in perfection one season. Pcrenniah continue to flower several years in succession. The seed 

 may be sown as has alreadj- been stated, at times when the ground is moist, but not very wel, from the first of 

 April to August. Many of them may be raised in the open ground, like hardy annuals, and transplanted ; but ten- 

 der or half-hardy kmds should be sown as directed for half-hardy annuals. As they do not generally bloom the 

 first year, they may be thinned out or removed from the seed-bed as soon as they are well rooted, and planted 

 either in different parts of the garden, or into nursery beds, in rows a foot apart. The half-hardy or tender bienni- 

 als must be kept during winter in a green-house or dry cellar, and tender perennials must be protected from frost 

 by a cloth or mat being fastened or tied around them, and covered afterwards with leaves or litter. 



BRIEF DIRECTIONS FOR SOWING are printed on the different seed packages ; still, to render success 

 more certain, a careful observance of the above directions, which are based on the practical experience of growers, 

 will be found of great benefit to inexperienced florists. 



HOT-BED CULTURE. — Many varieties of flowers can scarcely be brought to perfection without the assist- 

 ance of hot-bed or cold-frame, and much care is often necessary in transplanting, sheltering, and pricking out the 

 young plants. It is a work that requires much experience, and no doubt many disappointments will naturally 

 occur. Still, a hot-bed is a necessity, without the aid of which many of our choicest and most beautiful flowers 

 cannot be successfully grown. Experience is a rapid teacher, and the lover of flowers is an apt scholar. 



i^^The following illustrations will show the various methods of planting, and will be of advantage, we hope, 

 to the inexperienced. 



:^^^ 



?^ 



Hot-Bed with pricked out Plants, protected by'Straw Mat. 



Frame for Seediing-s. 



Giving- Air to Seediing-s in Frame. 



