186 



PAXTON'S FLOWER GARDEN. 



year. Its distinct appearance makes it an agreeable addition to our greenhouse plants, 

 amongst which in recent years there has been a tendency to confine the cultivation within too 

 narrow limits ; Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Primulas, and Tuberous Begonias, along with the 

 members of a few other genera, being frequently seen present in such numbers as to 

 exclude that variety in form and general character, which it is so desirable for a plant-house 

 to possess. 



This Senecio can be raised from seeds sown at any time during the spring or summer, 

 but the earlier the better, as they then have a chance of getting strong before the advent of 

 winter. Sow in shallow pans, drained and filled with sifted soil, composed of good loam, to 

 which should be added a liberal portion of sand ; cover the seeds very lightly, and stand the 

 pans in a warm greenhouse under a propagating glass, using no more water than requisite to 

 keep the soil in a slightly moist condition. As soon as the seedlings are large enough, prick 

 them off a few inches apart, in pots or pans, filled with material similar in character to that 

 in which the seed was sown, giving them plenty of light and air. When the ' young plants 

 have attained a size sufficient to require separating, move them singly into three-inch pots, 

 using the soil a little more lumpy than before ; give enough water to keep them in a healthy 

 growing state, and as more root-space is needed, let them have larger pots, but for ordinary 

 decorative purposes medium-sized examples will in the majority of cases be found most 

 useful. Being of a half-hardy nature, the plant will thrive out in the open ground during 

 summer, and it is very likely that in such a situation the colour of the flowers and its general 

 appearance will be brought out better than when confined under glass. 



Our illustration was taken from a plant in the possession of Mr. Ware, at the Hale Farm 

 Nurseries ; it was growing planted out in a pit, and although covered overhead with glass, 

 the position it occupied was so airy that the covering was rather a means of giving slight 

 protection than of confining the plant as a greenhouse would have done. 



