PRACTICAL NOTES ON PANSY-GROWING. 



147 



Jasminum hirsutum and J. gi-andiJlo7-um , Cycla- 

 men I'ci-sicum, Primula Chi?iensis, verticillala , and 

 the dcnliculata section all do well planted in the shade, 

 in well-drained soil. 



The plants named below may all be planted in houses 

 in full sunlight, unless otherwise specified : Tabcrncc- 

 motitana cymosa, Allamanda neriifolia, Dattira 

 Wrightii and D. satiguinca, Solanttm capsicasirum, 

 torenias (give them partial shade), 7'ccoma aztstralis, 

 Thutibergia Harrixii, T. laityifoUa and T. chrysops 

 (south of New , York), ruellias, JusHcia spcciosa 

 (splendid when well grown, but fugitive), iVackaya 

 bclla ( to be well dried in early summer and planted out 



late), EraiiUicmiim pulchelhtm, £. Coopet-ii, Libonia 

 fl u-ibunda, Clcrodendron fallax, C. fragrans and C. 

 nutans. Plumbago Capensis, heliotropes, Jatropha 

 pandurtr/olia, Pcdilanlhus tiihymaloides, Poinscttia 

 piilcJwrrima and its varieties, gastonas aralias, tupidan- 

 thus, and the tropical hederas, if fine foliage and curious 

 flowers are appreciated ; Caniia iridijlora (in fashion 

 under a new name), Slrelitzia Regince, Schizostylis 

 coccinea, Iris Chincmis and other forms, Amaryllis 

 purpiif-ea, Ciivia nobilis and C. miniata. Give shade 

 to the clivias, and take care that the plants which grow 

 in sunlight do not get too dry. 



A'czt' Jersey. J.\mes MacPherson. 



PRACTICAL NOTES ON PANSY-GROWING. 



a] ANS Y-FLOWERS as wide as the col- 

 umns of American Gardening, of 

 perfect form and in colors unsurpassed 

 by nature or the artist's brush, might 

 easily be grown in the gardens of all 

 the readers of this magazine. The 

 object of this paper is to help all 

 who love pansies to grow such blossoms. 



Good soil, seed and location are matters of first impor- 

 tance in pansy-culture. Fine seed is produced only by 

 the most careful attention of skillful growers, and is 

 never found at the so-called cheap seed-stores, though it 

 need not be very expensive. Failure is possible with 

 good seed ; it is certain with that which is not good. 

 The site for a pansy-bed should be cool and airy. Often 

 pansies are grown two or three to a six-inch pot, in cool, 

 partially-shaded windows. Here at the north we grow 

 pansies in the full sun of summer from seed sown in 

 April and early May. Our finest flowers appear in Sep- 

 tember, after the heat of summer is past. Further south, 

 or where it is very warm in summer, they should be par- 

 tially shaded from the hottest sun by cloth screens. Still 

 further south, where they cannot be grown in summer, 

 they should be started just after the summer heat is past, 

 and grown through the cool season. 



The soil for pansies should be cool and damp, and 

 made very rich with old well-decomposed manure worked 

 into the earth to a depth of at least 8 inches. If the soil 

 is prepared a month or two before the seeds or plants are 

 planted in it, they do better. If manure cannot be ob- 

 tained, use the best commercial fertilizer you can get, 

 but stable-manure is by far the best and cheapest. A 

 common fault in growing pansies is to crowd the plants. 

 Each one should have at least a square foot of surface on 

 which to grow ; plants will cover the ground when they 

 are four to five months old, and small, crowded plants 

 cannot produce large flowers. The flowers should be re- 

 moved as soon as they begin to fade, to save the vitality 

 that would be used for seeds to produce other flowers. 



Pansy-seed may be sown at any time. Seedlings will 

 be large enough to transplant in 40 or 50 days after sow- 

 ing, and should be reset before the flower-buds form. If 



well cultivated, pansies flower in 60 days from the time 

 of sowing the seed. If you wish fine plants in early 

 spring for summer blooming, sow seeds in boxes ia the 

 house, in hotbeds or coldframes, or in the open ground 

 as soon as the soil can be worked well. Cover the seed 

 J s to % of an inch deep with light soil. If the sowing is 

 done in a box, make the rows an inch apart and put the 

 seeds an inch apart in the rows. In the other places 

 make the rows 3 or 4 inches apart, and sow 2 or 3 seeds 

 to every inch of row. They germinate in from 8 to 20 

 days. The soil should not get dry on top until the seeds 

 have been up a week ; after this let the surface of the 

 soil get dry between each watering. If the roots are kept 

 constantly wet, the pansy-leaves turn brown and red, in- 

 dicating an unhealthy state, which may soon end in death. 

 Pansy-seed germinates in a low temperature, and the 

 plants must be kept cool or they will grow up tall and 

 slim ; too much heat and moisture will cause them to 

 damp off. 



If plants are wanted for bloom in winter or early 

 spring, the seeds should be sown outdoors after the sum- 

 mer heat is over. Water them well and shade them 

 by means of boards or slats. As soon as the tiny seed- 

 lings appear abcve ground remove the boards, so that 

 the plantlets may have light and air. If these plants ar^? 

 to bloom in spring, pinch out all flower-buds that appear 

 in winter, and cover them lightly with hay or evergreen 

 boughs. Too heavy coverings smother and choke pansy- 

 plants. A fresh lot of plants should be grown every year. 



Do not be disgusted with a new strain of pansies be 

 cause young plants which begin to bloom in the heat of 

 summer give weak, tiny flowers. During cool showery 

 autumn or spring weather the same plants may give 

 coveted two-inch blooms. For good flowers the plants 

 must be vigorous and grow rapidly. 



Plenty of water and liquid stimulants given at bloom- 

 ing time will give fine, large flowers even in midsummer. 

 Pansy-blossoms are much prettier in early morning or at 

 night, when the air is cool, than during the heat of the 

 day. A strong wind or heavy rain spoils all the beauty 

 of a bed until new flowers appear. 



J/aine. David B. Woodbury. 



