WINTER AND SPRING BEDDING IN FLOWER GARDENS. 73 



true. Primroses, of which there are so many diverse colours, 

 come easily from a sowing made early in the spring, the plants 

 being dibbled out during the summer into a nursery-ground, from 

 whence they can be transplanted into the beds in the autumn. 

 Border polyanthuses, to follow in bloom a week or two later, may 

 be sown at the same time and be similarly treated. Both these 

 members of the great Primula family render immense service in 

 the spring garden ; indeed, strong plants often bloom freely 

 through the winter. These strains are all large -flowered, of 

 many colours, mostly rich and striking, and should be found 

 abundantly in every garden, for they deservedly rank amongst the 

 earliest and most beautiful of spring flowers. Where selected 

 plants of those that give bold heads of colour, white, yellow, red, 

 crimson, or purple are divided, and thus increased so as to enable 

 clumps of three or five plants to be put out, or where from a 

 batch of seedlings of a year's growth plants giving analogous 

 colours be selected and planted up into clumps the following 

 autumn in the beds, they give beautiful and long-enduring 

 effects. This is a section of hardy spring flowers far too little 

 used for such purposes. A stock should be raised from seed 

 every year. A beautiful yellow-flowered plant, cheaply obtained, 

 is the dwarf Alyssum saxatile, which can be got in quantity 

 from seed easily. So also too can be had dwarf Belvoir yellow 

 and tall yellow wallflowers, seed being sown at the end of May, 

 and the plants when large enough dibbled out 12 inches apart 

 into rather poor soil, to render them compact and sturdy for 

 transplanting in October. Striking yellows also, and early, are the 

 Doronicums, especially Austriacum and Harpur Crewe. Clumps 

 of these transplant readily, and in bloom are singularly effective. 

 Yellow is also obtainable from old plants of early pansies and 

 violas. Of the former, selected seedlings of a yellow strain often 

 give the best results ; and of the latter, Bullion, Ardwell Gem, 

 Yellow Boy, Lutea grandiflora, and the soft-hued Lemon Queen, 

 are early and valuable. Of all pansies no doubt the best early 

 blue is the well-known Blue King. This capital variety has not 

 yet been excelled for early work ; other good blues being Holy- 

 rood, Archie Grant, The Tory ; and of the smaller-flowered 

 violas Blue Cloud, True Blue, Blue Bell are fairly early, and, 

 like the pansies, easily propagated by division or from cuttings. 

 Those who prefer better or parti-coloured flowers can find an 



