176 
HERBACEOUS GARDEN 
firmly with the left hand, and with the right 
you take hold of the little shoot that has grown 
out of the side of the stem, and with a sharp 
little pull you strip it downwards from the 
stalk. It then comes away with a little bit of 
the old stalk attached to it, which is called a 
heel. This method of taking cuttings is also 
adopted for propagating pentstemons. 
The cuttings should then be inserted in 
boxes of sandy soil or old potting refuse, 
stored in a cold frame all winter, and trans- 
planted in spring to where they are intended 
to flower. Or they may be put in in sandy 
soil out of doors in a warm corner. In plant- 
ing the cuttings, be sure to put them in very 
firmly. A good plan is to make the soil firm 
by means of a brick, draw lines across some 
inch or inch and a half deep with the back of 
a knife, lay your cuttings in this little trench, 
2 or 3 inches apart, cover up with soil, and 
make all firm again with your brick. 
A Lavender Garden 
On hot, dry soil, where it is difficult to get 
some of the finer herbaceous plants to flourish, 
a lavender garden is often a great success. 
There are now several sorts catalogued, tall 
and short, dark purple and light purple and 
