168 



H021E AXD FLOWERS 



them on the soil pressed even and smooth, 

 and cover with fine moist soil reserved for 

 the purpose. 



Calendula or Pot Marigold may be 

 raised from January seed sowing. The 

 seeds germinate quickly. Prick them off 

 into small pots of rich soil, and have large 

 quantities for the borders in spring. Cal- 

 endulas are gay in orange and primrose 

 yellovr, and with their smooth deer-tongue 

 leaves have quite the appearance of 

 French and African marigolds. 



Apple Geraniums. — Sow the seeds in 

 fine earth, keep it moist and exposed to 

 sunlight, and the geraniums will be much 

 finer than those from cuttings. Apple 



ECHINOCACTUS IN BLOOM 



geraniums difi'er from all others in this 

 respect. The seedlings are the best plants. 

 The seeds are slow to vegetate, and when 

 first up the two tiny leaves are as small 

 and as round as pin heads. It is curious 

 to note how fragrant even the pin-head 

 leaves are. The great danger is in damp- 

 ing off. 



Fields of Blue." — Larkspur, tor- 

 enia, forget-me-not, browallia and lobelia 



with platycodon furnish the most ex- 

 quisite shades of blue, enlivening the gar- 

 den with tints from baljy to indigo blue. 

 Seeds of all these blue fiowers may be 

 sown out-of-doors, scattered broadcast if 

 preferred. Torenia is unsurpassed a^ a 

 basket plant, and is one of the few annual 

 flowers that will grow from cuttings. 



Gladiolus may now l>e bedded. The 

 corms should be three or four inches below 

 the surface, and in rich soil. Plant them 

 every month from now till May for the 

 beautiful succession of blooms from April 

 to November. 



Floral Guides. — Xow is the time to con- 

 sult the seed and plant catalogues. Build 

 air castles. Dream with the eyes open in 

 broad daylight. Xo harm can come from 

 the fall of lofty air castles. Many beau- 

 tiful spring gardens of brightest 'flowers 

 have sprung from the planning, dreaming 

 and calculating done in the writer's home 

 with the floral catalogues for inspiration. 



Frost Prevention. — It is the unwary 

 frost from January on that deters so 

 many cautious gardeners from getting 

 ahead with early plants. Anticipate the 

 frost. A very good prevention is a light 

 covering of straw, evergreens, or even pa- 

 per. Spread over the plants these cover- 

 ings, apparently too light to be efl'ectual, 

 give precisely the needed check to the heat 

 and moisture the cold causes to escape 

 fro]n. the ground. The relatively high 

 temperature maintained itnder these cov- 

 erings is due to the evolutions of heat 

 which accompanies the condensation of 

 moisture. Apply these coverings before 

 the evening air gets chilly. 



Frozen Plants. — Try darkness. Thaw 

 frozen plants in Egyptian darkness. The 

 transition from frozen state to a thaw, 

 on the principle of contraction and expan- 

 sion, causes the cellular tissues to burst, 

 destroying the plants. With light there is 

 heat. Therefore keep the frozen plants 

 dark until the temperature gradually be- 

 comes temperate. This simple precau- 

 tion would restore many plants that are 

 apparently lost from freezing. 



