434 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 29, 1907. 
Wallflowers 
As Pot Plants. 
12 , 
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One of the most popular floras for some 
years past was “Flowers of the Field,' 1 
written by Rev. C. A. Johns, B.A., F.L.S., 
as many of our readers doubtless know. A 
new and enlarged edition of it has been 
brought out, the revision having been 
made by Clarence Elliott. It runs to 
316 pages, including a good index, and is 
rather a heavy book for field use, but on 
the library table it will prove serviceable 
to many a flower collector and those wish- 
ing to gain a knowledge of British wild 
flowers. This edition has been enriched 
by 92 full page coloured illustrations by 
E. N. Gwatkin. Besides this useful ad¬ 
junct to a popular work, there are 245 
woodcuts in the text illustrating flowers 
which the collector may find. 
The book is arranged on the natural 
system and commences wfith the Buttercup 
family. The characters of the order are 
first given, then follow a conspectus of 
the genera belonging to that order, with a 
brief description by which each genus 
may be determined. The genera with the 
British species are also described at fair 
length, together with their period of 
flowering, duration and distribution in 
this country. The coloured illustrations 
are interleaved with the order to which 
they belong, so that the pictures are use¬ 
ful and not merely ornamental. The 
Sedges and Grasses are not dealt with, 
but all the other flowering plants are 
taken in hand. The book finishes with a 
glossary of botanical terms, together with 
an English index and a Latin index, thus 
supplying the beginner with a great deal 
of necessary information. The book is 
published by Messrs. George Routledge 
and Sons, Ltd., London, and is obtain¬ 
able for 7s. 6d. 
Wallflowers are old and well-known 
favourites for spring bedding purposes, 
but I am afraid very little is known of 
them as pot plants, or I am sure we 
would see more of them grown in this way 
for our conservatories and show houses 
.for early spring use, a time when many a 
gardener is at a loss to know what to get 
to make his houses attractive. Those 
who have a lot of room decoration to do 
will find these plants very useful for that 
purpose, lasting as they do in bloom for 
a longer period than most of our spring 
flowering plants. Amateurs who have 
only, say, a greenhouse and a cold frame 
or two at their command, will also wel¬ 
come these plants for an early display in 
their house. I know of nothing more 
easily cultivated, and they are very at¬ 
tractive when staged along with other 
plants. 
The double varieties are certainly the 
best for pot culture, of which there are 
several in cultivation, the double German 
being the best, I think. The flou'er 
spikes are much longer on the plants 
To those unacquainted with the culti¬ 
vation of the above decorative subject, a 
few remarks may be helpful. 
For flowering in May and June seed 
must be sown by the end of July, using 
light, rich, sandy soil, and scattering the 
tiny seeds thinly over the surface of the 
soil, which must be watered previous to 
sowing. Then sprinkle a little sand on 
the top of the seeds, covering the box with 
a sheet of glass, which acts as a 
protection to the seedlings from slugs, 
etc., and ensures a moist tempera¬ 
ture which greatly hastens germina¬ 
tion. Stand the box in the green¬ 
house or cold frame, shading it from the 
sun, and in ten days or so germination 
will begin. Boxes are preferable for sow- 
ing seeds in as they do not absorb the 
moisture as pots or pans do. Confec¬ 
tionery boxes do very well, and these can 
be had for the asking. 
Air should be given by tilting the glass 
about one inch at one of the sides as soon 
as the seedlings are above the soil. By 
the middle of September these will be 
large enough to prick out into boxes two 
inches apart each way, using a compost 
of heavy loam two parts,'well-decayed 
manure and sand one part of each. Ac¬ 
commodation being limited during the 
winter months, keep them if possible, in 
grown in pots than those planted in beds 
outside. 
Now for cultural details. Sow the seed 
in a shallow, well-drained box filled with 
some light soil, and put the box in a cold 
frame for the seed to germinate. As soon 
as the seedlings are large enough to 
handle, prick them off into a cold frame 
prepared with some light sandy soil or 
into a prepared bed in the open. If in 
a cold frame, remove the lights as soon as 
the plants have a hold of the soil. 
About the end of September lift the 
plants and pot them into 5-inch pots, using 
the following compost: 2 parts loam, 1 
part leaf-mould, part old Mushroom 
bed manure, if procurable, if not, a little 
dried cow manure, and add a little sand 
to keep the soil porolis. After the plants 
are potted, place them in a cold frame, 
admit air freely on all favourable occa¬ 
sions, and protect during severe weather 
to prevent the frost from breaking the 
pots. As soon as the flowers begin to 
show, which is usually in March, remove 
the plants to a greenhouse. The end of 
the month of May is the best time to sow 
the seed. H. W. 
the bo'xes at this period, placing them on 
a shelf near the glass, and by the end of 
January they can be potted into three of 
four inch pots, according to the size of 
the plant. Use a heavier compost this 
time, say three parts loam instead of two, 
returning the plants again to the shelf, 
this being an ideal position for them dur¬ 
ing winter and early spring. 
If they have been growing freely thev 
will be ready by the first week in April 
for another shift, this time into six inch 
pots, using the same compost as advised 
for the last potting. In potting do not pot 
too firmly, as quick rooting subjects of 
this nature do not require firm or hard 
pottmg. At the same time it should not 
be so open as to allow the water to run 
through the soil too easily. 
At this season (April) they require a 
position in the greenhouse or frame 
shaded from the direct rays of the sun. 
-t>y pinching the centre flowerspike when¬ 
ever it shows the side shoots develop 
better, producing a more floriferous plant 
with a dwarf branching habit. 
. ^ be culture of these plants is very 
bimple, and a warm greenhouse is not es- 
sential, in fact, it is detrimental to their 
healthy growth. They can be grown in a 
cold frame-all through the summer until 
the first of November, when they should 
)e transferred to a frame or greenhouse 
v here frost is excluded. Nothing suits 
them better during the growing season 
than a cool moist medium, both at the 
roots and in the atmosphere. Grown 
under these conditions the plants will be 
. m best of health, with dew drops 
studded along the edges of the leaves in 
the mornings. 
S. H. S. 
