374 
Summer Sowing of 
Hardy Perennials 
Nearly all the hardy perennials and bien- 
nials should be started as early in the sum- 
mer as possible so that the seedlings can be 
grown with good roots and early enough to 
be set out in the early fall and thus be- 
come well established before winter sets 
in. Many plants, transplanted out too late 
in the fall are heaved out of the ground by 
spring and it is seldom that they ever make 
good plants. 
In selecting kinds for the start, you must 
keep in mind the nature of the plant you 
are working with; those that are cool weather 
growers do not take well to the hot dry 
August weather and therefore you either 
GIANT DELPHINIUMS 
I 
start them in the seed flats a little later or 
you provide suitable shelter for them during 
the hot period of the summer. Most seed- 
lings need some shade during this period and 
you should have lath sash.ready for this pur- 
pose. 
Early Flowering Perennials 
Some of the real early spring flowering 
plants, like Alyssum, do not take well to 
late summer transplanting and should be 
btarted a little early. Pansies should be 
Started in June and up into July as a rule, 
this gives you good plants for early trans- 
planting. If they are started late in July, 
it might be well to leave them in the flats if 
they are growing well, leaving them in tha 
frame and transplant them out early in the 
spring. Delphiniums are usually started in 
August but if started earlier you will have 
better plants by winter and for this purpose, 
we have made special arrangements for early 
Delphinium seed from which we are sure you 
will have good germination results. 
Planting the Seed 
We have tried all methods for starting 
seeds and one will have good results one 
season with one method and the next season 
with some other. For small lots, sowing 
them in low pots is best because each can 
be handled to suit its needs; the seed wont 
get washed into an adjoining lot; watering, 
can be done from the bottom and when the 
seedlings can be moved, the pot can bea 
finished where if they are in a flat with other’ 
kinds, there is always damage done. In 
lots large enough for a flatfull those flats 
usually are more satisifactory. We also have 
used the cypress bands for tests on very 
small lots, using the 1 3/4-inch size; thig 
makes it possible to plant just a few seeds 
per band and if it happens that some neglect 
Occurs or you have the wrong time or 
wrong soil medium, you still have seed left 
with which you can follow up. 
There are special soil mixtures for seed 
beds, but most of them are made up of a 
good fibrous loam, 3 parts and one of clean 
sharp sand; if one is growing any amount of 
plants of a particular flower, than the soil 
mxture should be made up special. Lime 
and acid soils must be kept in mind and in 
adding lime to soil mixtures, never use the 
fine air slacked lime; it is too fine and tends 
to clog the soil, course limestone is best; 
avoid plaster for it contains cement. 
Which Method of Sowing 
After the seed has been planted or sown, 
they should always be pressed into the soil, 
even the very small kinds; large seeds should 
have soil over them but the smaller they are 
the more careful you will have to be. Sand, 
a course, sharp kind, can be used as a cover- 
ing or milled sphagnum moss, both tend to 
hold the surface moisture and also prevents 
a baked surface which prevents the seedlings 
from getting thru. If they are watered 
from the bottom and the soil is loose, there 
should be little danger in over watering. 
The addition of a little milled sphagnum 
moss in the soil mixture will tend to hold the 
moisture longer. 
If the seed pots or flats are placed in a 
cold frame, it is well to cover them with 
screen, a quarted-inch mesh is good, and if 
cut to just fit the flat, it can be used indefin- 
itely, will save the seeds from damage by 
mice or hold down shading paper. 
IDEAL PLANT MARKERS 
We are listing for the first time the Ideal 
Plant Marker. 
In our own plantings, the markers we 
have are all right for some flowers but in 
other plantings, they are of little value. 
What we need mostly is a marker that stands 
up from the ground a couple of feet, one 
that wont heave out during the winter, be 
washed or blown away and if hit in cultiy- 
ating, wont be ruined. 
The Ideal Marker looks like it has all 
these points. It has a stiff wire leg, 18 
inches long and at the top a holder for a 
white plastic label 7/8 by 23/8 inches on 
which you print the name with a special 
pencil. They are also made in a King Size 
for street or public park use and a small 
edition for pots. ; 
The problem will be in mailing just a few 
They could be bent if not well packed. 
Prices: Regular Size; 18’ high; $2.00 per 
dozen, prepaid. King Size: $4.00 per dozen, 
postpaid. The small size for pots: 90¢ per 
dozen, prepaidd. 5 
THERMOPSIS CAROLINIANA 
Mrs James Briles of Indianapolis, Indiana, 
writes: I have had Thermopsis carolinana in 
my garden here for eight years and it grows, 
multiplies and blooms splendidly and no 
winter protection. You give N. Car. to Ga. 
as its limit. 
Remarks: The mention of a section as 
above, does not mean that it cannot be 
grown elsewhere or farther north or south 
but means that the section given is its 
native locality; from this information the 
reader can get some idea of the over-all re- 
quirements of the species; as to hardiness, 
this will either be listed as (IV) or the 4th 
zone which is Mrs Briles or it will say 
hardy up to Michigan, etc. Thanks for 
this information Mrs. Briles; we hope to 
get the hardiness map ready by the next, 
issue. 
CUTTINGS OF RARE CACTI 
In the case of highly succulent types of 
Cactus species, much trouble is had with 
rot. An article in the New Zealand Gard- 
ener brings out the point that many of them 
should be rooted in the AIR! A French 
author states that he always has complete 
success with such ‘difficult’ species by strik- 
ing cuttings IN AIR. He hangs them right 
side up about one inch above, but not in 
contact with, a cup of water. One must 
be careful to protect the delicate new root- 
lets from possible sun burn, otherwise they 
may shrivel up. i 
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE; $2.00, 12 issues. 
Planting Ginseng Seed 
Ginseng seed should be planted in beds 
6-7 feet wide. The beds should be raised 
up 5-6 inches by throwing the soil from the 
paths, onto the beds,. Plant the seed about 
an inch apart in the row and make the rows 
about 6 or 7 inches apart, covering the 
seed with about an inch of good loose soil. 
Mulch the planting with about an inch or 
so of well rotted sawdust leaf mould or 
rotted wood and this should be left on the 
bed at all times. 
The seeds germinate in Michigan about 
the first of May. Let the seedlings re- 
main for two years before transplanting 
them elsewhere. 5 
The seed sent for planting are in a 
moist condition and must not be dried out. 
If the weather is warm place the seed in 
the refrigerator till planted; do not keer 
them wet but just moist. 
Ginseng should have some shade for uw 
is found wild in the woods. 
THE KALMIA 
Kalmia latifolia is one of the choicest 
evergreen shrubs in cultivation. The waxy 
pink coral flowers are borne in: clusters re- 
sembling inverted lampshades. 
It is a slow-growing shrub which is surface 
rooting and, therefore, should not be plant- 
ed too deeply. It requires cool soil without 
any presence of lime. A liberal water sup~ 
ply is essential in dry weather. 
No pruning is required but the flower 
stalks should be removed as soon as they will 
part easily from the point of growth. 
Position and conditions of the soil are 
similiar in many respects to that required for 
Rhododendrons and Azaleas. —The Austral- 
ian Garden Lover. 
Collianthemum anemonoides—Dr. Wilhelm 
Kreechbaum, Austria. 
CASSINIA a 
A New Zealand shrub that may with- 
stand our winters here in Michigan. It needs 
a place in poor soil. 
There are several species, including fulvida, 
leptophylla, Vanvillierii and  retorta. 
During the past few weeks seed. of 
more than a hundred Australian and New 
Zealand flowers have been received and 
will be IIlsted in the new seed list now being 
revised and we hope will be ready in June. 
| 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
A Chilian species with bluish mauve flow- 
ers, and a very good subject for a cool 
greenhouse. It is also hardy enough for 
the northern part of the South. 
It can be grown in 8 or 10 inch pots and, 
when thus established, it can be pruned in 
February and repotted in March. A good 
fibrous loam, peat and leaf mould, equal 
parts, is ideal for them. 
When growing from seed, keep them near 
heat while germinating. 
They require good drainage and plenty 
of water when the pots are full of roots 
and in full growth. A weekly application 
of liquid manure is helpful at this stage of 
growth. 
ABUTILON VITIFOLIUM FOR 
