March, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
161 
work than the others. It gives the earliest and most certain re¬ 
sults. And, with a number of plants, such as cosmos, and with 
most of the biennials and perennials that may be grown to flower 
the first season, it must be used. In all cases, except where a 
dense edging or a tangled mass of bloom is wanted, one can get 
more satisfactory results by having plants to set out than by 
sowing seed. 
Often it is not possible to start all one’s flower seeds, and the 
next best method is to make up a little border of finely prepared 
soil raised somewhat from the level of the ground and in a 
sheltered position, where it can be readily tended and watered. 
In a coldframe, or against the south wall of the house or garage 
(where water from the eaves will not drip on it) will make a 
good place. It is much better to start all the seedlings in one 
place than to plant them all around the garden, a few here and a 
few there, with the idea of transplanting them later. They all 
need much the same care in the early 
stages of growth, and it not only saves a 
great deal of time, but it secures much 
better results to have them all in one place 
where the various operations of thinning 
out, watering, trimming back, and so forth, 
may be more expeditiously carried out. 
Then, with most of your flowers started 
in one of these ways, things like poppies 
and nasturtiums, which are usually sown 
where they are to bloom, can be planted 
under the right conditions: just after a 
good, soaking rain, when there is a 
prospect of several days of warm weather, 
or at the beginning of a warm, rainy 
"spell.” 
By all means, make up your order for 
flower seeds in the garden. Take a little 
stroll around the place and see what needs 
to be planted, rather than look through 
the catalogue to see what there is you 
would like to plant. Jot down, as you 
look about, the conditions you will have to 
meet. 
You can go over your place from side 
striped, shaded and zoned with red — the flower being borne freely 
on tall, branching stalks. As for the neighboring hen-yard—start 
some Ricinus, one of the taller-growing sorts, if necessary, which 
will grow to a height of 8 or 10 feet; the hens will take care of 
that. Nothing is better for a long row of edging than Sweet 
Alyssum — Lilac Queen is a new variety which is equally as good 
as the white sort for a border. If the lawn mower must be used 
close to the bed something more upright will be preferable, and 
then one of the candytufts can be used. Or for a still more 
upright border the dwarf zinniaus, either in mixed colors or in 
scarlet. Where a tall background plant is wanted, the new annual 
hollyhock, which will bloom freely the first year if sown early, 
would prove ideal. There are, of course, a number of other 
things which would answer this purpose — such as the taller snap¬ 
dragons, or amaranthus or closia. For a partly shaded bed, where 
beautiful flowers are wanted, one of the many fine bedding 
begonias would do well — although for a 
situation of this kind nothing surpasses 
the tuberous begonias. Where a low bed 
of bright colors may be wanted in the 
full sunlight the favorite old portulacas 
are sure to give pleasing results. Paran- 
na, a new sort, has flowers a great deal 
larger than any of the older kind. 
Flower seeds vary greatly in size, in 
shape, in hardness, in the amount of heat 
required to get them to germinate, and 
in the ways which they should be 
handled after they are up and as they 
grow. But there are a few rules in re¬ 
gard to starting them which apply to all. 
Heat and moisture must be supplied, 
whether they are started inside or out, 
which will meet their individual require¬ 
ments. Indoors both these things may be 
regulated. Outside, of course, one has 
to take a chance on the temperature; but 
it is one’s own fault if he plants tender 
things in April and fails to obtain suc¬ 
cessful results. But, both inside and 
out, the amount of moisture can be regu- 
A rather stiff formal plant, the zinnia, when used intelli¬ 
gently, can be made of great decorative value along 
borders 
Stocks grow ten weeks from seed, hence the name; 
successive sowings produce an all-summer bloom. 
Old folks call it the ‘gillyflower" 
to side and from 
front to back. With 
your garden prob¬ 
lems all before you 
on a sheet of pa¬ 
per, you can go 
over the list of 
flowers to be 
started from seed 
—some of which 
are given at the 
end of this article 
—and select those 
things which will 
best answer your 
own particular pur¬ 
poses. Get for the 
back fence, for in¬ 
stance, a packet of 
the red sunflowers, 
which, while not 
pure red, are dis¬ 
tinctly different 
from any of the 
older sort, being 
lated, and, as neg¬ 
lect in this respect 
undoubtedly causes 
more failures with 
flower seeds than 
anything else, the 
gardener, and espe¬ 
cially the beginner, 
should make a 
strong resolution 
not to let his plant¬ 
ings of seeds dry- 
rot. 
Almost any soil is 
rich enough to main¬ 
tain little seedlings 
until they are ready 
to transplant, but 
not everv soil will 
do to start them in. 
We cannot take too 
great pains in pro¬ 
curing or in mixing 
up a soil that will 
( Cont. on page 208 ) 
The African Daisy, a beautiful annual, should be 
given plenty of room on account of its rather 
sprawling manner of growth 
