144 
CULTURE OF THE GENUS RESEDA. 
The Mignonette.— ( Reseda cdorata )—This sweet-scented 
flower is a native of Africa, and although it is regularly grown as an 
annual, it will survive the winter if kept in the greenhouse, and flower 
again with great freedom in the spring if it be not allowed to seed. 
When grown in the open borders, the seeds merely require sowing 
as recommended for hardy annuals in general, vol. i. p. 18; but if 
grown in pots to place in the house, the following directions may be 
necessary :— 
1. Times of Solving. —With regard to this, all depends upon the 
time it is wished to have it in flower. If for blooming in January 
and February, the seed should be sown in the third week in August; 
if to flower in March and April, sow the first week in September; if 
for May and June, sow in February ; if for July, August, and Sep¬ 
tember, sow the first in April; if for October, November, and De¬ 
cember, sow the last week in July. 
2. These five sowings require somewhat different treatment, ac¬ 
cording to the season when each sowing is made. 
3. August and September Sowings. —The two sowings for early 
flowering require considerable care, or they are liable to perish by 
mildew. 
4. The pots in which the seeds are sown should be plunged or 
placed in a frame, on a slight hotbed a foot and a half high, made of 
leaves or anything that will give a gentle heat for a short time. 
5. Give the frame a good elevation at the back ; fix it on. a south 
aspect, and place the pots not more than a foot from the glass. 
6. Fill the pots with a mixture of three-fourths of light maiden 
loam, taken from the top spit of a pasture field, and one fourth clean 
sand. 
7. Always give a good drainage, for any deficiency in this will in¬ 
variably injure, if not destroy the crop. 
8. Keep the frame close shut down until the plants begin to make 
their appearance, then gradually expose them to the air, in fine wea¬ 
ther, and as they advance in growth, allow them as much air as possi¬ 
ble when the weather is not frosty, but carefully cover them with 
mats at night when the weather is severe. 
9. When the plants are half an inch high, thin them out, leaving 
eight or ten only in each pot. 
10. Water with caution, and never suffer them to be exposed to 
rain, but allow the soil to become quite dry before any water be given, 
and then give it sparingly, always selecting a fine day for the pur¬ 
pose, that the plants may have the benefit of a little air afterwards to 
dry their leaves. 
