Chapter IV: Part 4

To obtain the best results seed should be sown by the middle of August, using fresh seed of the year if procurable. Rather than delay planting, however, it is better to risk the lessened vitality of last year’s seed—sowing somewhat more generously as an offset. Sow as thinly as possible in the cold-frame or a spent hotbed, in drills two inches apart, drawing the earth from the sides of the drills and pressing it down with the board. The drills should run lengthwise of the bed from east to west, and each variety should be distinctly labelled with name and date of sowing. After sowing water well with the rubber sprinkler, cover with newspapers, and protect the bed with lath screens. Pansy seed germinates in from eight to ten days. When the plants have their second leaves thin out by setting some between the rows, and encourage growth by giving sunshine and water as needed and liquid manure once a month. The aim should be to get a sturdy rather than a quick growth to fit them for the winter. The soil in the frame should stand well above the soil outside, and a trench or hole, filled with stone or broken crockery, should be made in one corner, corresponding to the lowest level of the earth outside, to carry off any surplus moisture that may gather in the bed. When cold weather comes place the sash in position and, if it remains steadily cold—below freezing—leave the bed undisturbed until spring. The best results usually follow such a condition. If the winter is an open one, and the ground free from frost much of the time, the Pansies may be exposed to the sun and, on mild days, to the air. In this way considerable winter growth will be secured. Should the temperature fall sufficiently to freeze the ground inside the frame, the sash should remain closed and be protected with mattings, old carpet, or the like, and the plants allowed to thaw out in the dark. Never expose to the sun when frozen, but thaw out under cover.

As soon as the ground can be worked in the spring prepare a bed in an open, sunny situation by removing the soil to a depth of six or eight inches and spading in a generous amount of old, well-rotted cow manure—a wheel-barrow load to every fifteen square feet is not too much if it is old and thoroughly spaded into the soil. Replace the surface soil, or, better still, fill up the beds with leaf-mould or earth from the compost heap. Instead of the cow manure, old, well-rotted hen manure and chip dirt in equal quantities, with a liberal sprinkling of soot, may be substituted. Dig it well into the subsoil and cover with fine loam or leaf-mould, raking this fine and even and free from stones. Leave it to settle for a few days and then transplant the Pansies, setting them nine inches apart each way. Where several strains of Pansies are grown it is an advantage to plant each variety by itself, marking the line of separation by two or more rows of some distinct colour; such as pure white, clear yellow, or black. This enables one to compare the varieties at a glance and form a better estimate of their qualities than would be possible in a mixed bed.

During hot, dry weather the Pansy bed should be watered twice a day—at night and at noon. Watering the garden in the middle of the day may seem a reckless innovation to many, especially to the professional gardener, but years of experience have taught me the value of giving a plant water when it most needs it—and that is when it is parched with heat. Of course all plants will not stand water under a hot sun, but Pansies are not injured by it in any way. Pansies do not send their roots as deeply into the ground as most plants, but make many surface roots (hence we place the fertilisers well below the surface to induce a deeper growth), which even a temporary drying out of the top-soil will injure. A good soaking of the soil at night will last until ten or eleven o’clock the next day, according to exposure, and if another good wetting is then given with water fresh from the hydrant or well it will remain cool and moist throughout the twenty-four hours. The rapid evaporation caused by the hot sun will create a moist atmosphere around the plants, producing much finer flowers than would be possible in the dry air resulting from withholding water until night. Always plant Pansies in an open, airy situation, where the wind can have full sweep over them. There is no more mistaken idea than that Pansies should be grown in the shade. The aim should be to get stocky, upright plants with the flowers borne well above the foliage on stiff stems. This is impossible when plants are grown in the shade, where long, straggly branches will invariably be produced, with flowers at the extreme end. Then, too, plants grown by the side of the house, or in protected positions, where the wind cannot sweep over them, are much more liable to disease than plants grown in the open.

Fungoid disease and mildew often attack the Pansy in hot, muggy weather. The remedy for the former is to spray with the Bordeaux mixture, and for the latter to dust with sulphur. It will be better still—if the disease appear in August, as is usual—to remove all the old growth, cutting or breaking it off close to the crown, care being taken not to injure the tender new shoots, which will have started by this time. Burn the old tops. The new growth, being open to the air, will probably be free from disease, and will quickly fill the bed, giving an abundance of fine flowers throughout the cool days of fall. From a bed so treated I gathered five hundred blossoms the day before Thanksgiving with no apparent diminution of bloom. After removing the old growth the earth between the plants should be thoroughly cleaned and worked over with the trowel.

From the blooming of the first Pansy until frost the bed must be gone over every day and all faded flowers removed. This is absolutely necessary to insure free blooming. The formation of a single pod of seed lessens the blooming capacity of the plant and reduces the size of succeeding flowers.

To maintain a high standard it is best to purchase fresh seed each year, buying the best to be obtained. Special mixtures sent out by the leading florists are made up of the best strains of the Pansy specialists in this country and Europe. One must not expect to purchase these collections for the price of ordinary seed, from twenty-five cents to fifty cents being the usual range of price. A packet of such fine strains as Giant Cassier and Giant Trimardeau should be included; and such special colours as may be wanted in larger quantities than the mixed packages furnish. Snow Queen is the best pure white, and the bed should contain a liberal number of these plants. Aurora is considerably larger than the Snow Queen, but shows purple markings in the centre, and is not so fine in shape and texture. With the exception of size, Snow Queen is an ideal Pansy. If it is desired to carry the Pansy bed through the winter it may be done by using pieces of board, half a yard long, with notches cut in one end and the other end pointed. Put these through the centre of the bed a few feet apart, hammering the sharp end into the ground. Place long poles lengthwise of the bed, resting them on the notches. This forms a support on which the evergreen boughs, corn fodder, boards, bark, or anything that will shed water and protect from sun and wind. Leaves and litter are not suitable protection for Pansies, as they settle around the plants, freezing and causing them to decay.

When there is a large garden to be cared for it is not always expedient to carry the Pansy bed through the summer, as the daily labour of removing the withered flowers is very great. In that case it will be better to let the Pansies go when hot weather reduces the size and quantity of the flowers, replacing them with plants grown for the purpose, Petunias, bedding Begonias, Heliotropes, and the like.

Sow Poppy seed freely wherever there is a corner to spare, especially if it is a corner that would otherwise be neglected and grow up to weeds. It is surprising how many places may be found to sow them. A barren angle of a fence, a vacant strip behind or at the side of some outbuilding, an exposed spot among trees where nothing else will grow, a foot of ground here and there, in the perennial border and among late flowering plants, where the Poppies will have danced through their brief season of bloom and passed on before the former have discovered that they need the room. Use all these odds and ends of room, but, if possible, have a long, narrow bed of them—single and double, the deep blood red, the gorgeous scarlet, the wonderful Shirleys, whose delicate cups like crinkled silk seem to flush and pale with the tremulous colour of an opal as you look at them. Plant Eschscholtzias as a border, but sow Iceland and the Oriental Poppies, which are hardy perennials, by themselves; otherwise they are easily destroyed in the clearing-up time which comes after blossoming. There is a fine yellow Poppy, Hunnemannia fumariæfolia, which should not be overlooked. Poppy seed sown in August gives richer coloured flowers than spring-sown seed. Seeds of Eschscholtzia and Hunnemannia should always be sown in May. Sow broadcast as thinly as possible on soil that has been worked mellow and fine, pressing it into the ground with a board. As it is difficult to sow the seed thinly enough it is a good plan to mix it with fine sand—a teaspoonful or less of seed to a teacup of sand—and scatter that as thinly as possible. It will, even then, be found that the plants will come up too thickly and will need to be thinned to stand a foot apart each way. Poppies grown too closely will throw up one or two slender stems with only a few blossoms, while, given plenty of room, they will branch freely, producing dozens of flowers and remaining in bloom for weeks. Mark the finest blossoms on the plant from which you wish to save seed, removing all others as they fade, that they may not self-sow or check the bloom. If self-sown they are apt to come up so quickly as to be troublesome. Pull up the plants as soon as they have done blooming to add to the compost heap, and prepare the ground, if not needed for other plants, for the fresh seed. When there is sufficient shade to grow them the blue of Myosotis and of Anchusa capensis is lovely among the Poppies.

Phlox Drummondi

Try a border of the dwarf Phlox Drummondi, sown to make a colour scheme. Set six to eight inches apart, in the form of scallops, the point coming between every other plant of the tall, perennial Phlox. Make the rows two or three plants wide at the centre, narrowing to a single plant at the point, using scarlet or pink, and filling in the space between the scallops and the straight edge of the bed with solid white. Or a double scallop, one beginning in the centre of the other, may be made of scarlet and buff, or pink and buff, filling in the large spaces between with white and the small spaces with Cope’s Favourite Ageratum. The dwarf Ageratums grow very evenly and are admirably adapted for carpet bedding. Seed of the dwarf Phlox germinates very slowly. It should be sown where it will have bottom heat and be given plenty of time, frequently three weeks or more. The common Phlox Drummondi germinates more freely, and may be sown where it is to remain, thinning to six inches apart in the rows, or it may be sown and transplanted, which insures more even rows.

Salvias (Flowering Sage)

It is surprising how seldom one sees the Salvia grown to any considerable extent outside the public gardens and parks, though no other flower can compare with it in richness of colour and freedom of bloom, but there seems to be an impression that it must be purchased from a florist or grown from cuttings. Salvia is much more desirable for bedding than for any other purpose. In the house it is subject to attacks of red spider, which make it more trouble to care for than it is worth, while in the open ground it is remarkably healthy and free from insect pests.

Seed should be started early in flats or hotbed, and plants set out where they are to remain, when all danger of frost is past, as they are very sensitive to cold. Muck or marsh earth seems the most congenial soil in which to grow the Salvias, and if this is supplied they will need little care beyond watering during the summer.

I have grown the Salvia splendens—the usual height of which is about two and a half feet—to a uniform height of five feet in a bed of marsh earth, with a supply of water from a pipe, keeping it constantly moist. They will do well in the hottest situation if well supplied with water, and even better in partial shade—the foliage being a deeper green and the colour of the blossoms richer and more velvety than when exposed to full sunlight. For years I have grown them around a twelve-foot bed of Ricinus and Cannas, and notice that the plants are always much finer on the north side.

Try them as a border to a bed of Cannas or Ricinus, edging them with white Sweet Alyssum or dwarf Ageratum. They root readily in wet sand in a warm situation, and if a house-plant is available it may be used for cuttings instead of sowing seed.

Seed may be saved without injury to the plants as it ripens, and must be gathered before the flowers entirely fade. The corolla or lip of the flower falls out, leaving four white seeds an eighth of an inch long at the base of the calyx, which remains fresh until the seeds have ripened, when they may be shaken out. By going over the plants daily one soon saves a fine lot of seed, which may be depended upon to germinate. The Salvia seed germinates in about five days. But less vigorous seed will continue to appear for two or three weeks after sowing, and the soil should not be disturbed until all have had time to appear. They require considerable heat to germinate freely, and when this is supplied will give very satisfactory returns. Bonfire, Clara Bedman, and S. splendens are the best of the scarlet-flowered variety. The white-flowered Salvias would be desirable if the blossoms were more closely massed on the spray; as it is they are too scattered to have any value. S. patens, however, when brought to perfection is magnificent, the individual flowers being double the size of the scarlet and of the most wonderful shade of blue. It is seldom seen, but should have a place in every garden, as it is a colour rare among flowers, the nearest approach to it being the Monkshood. It is a tender perennial, but may be wintered in a warm, dry cellar, dying down to the ground usually, but starting up from the root in the spring.

Sweet Alyssum and Golden Saxatile are both desirable for edging or for rockwork, and may either be sown in the open ground where they are to remain, or in a seed-bed and transplanted.

Sweet-peas

So much has been written on this subject that the culture of Sweet-peas might, without much exaggeration, be called a cult. Though blooming with its head in the sun, the Sweet-pea loves to plunge its roots deep in the cool, moist earth, and the seed should be planted as early in the spring as the ground can be worked, or, better yet, in the fall. This late fall planting has much to recommend it, as there is more leisure and the work is apt to be better done than in the hurried days of spring when everything seems to call for immediate attention.

The seed should be planted deep in two rows a foot apart, running, if possible, north and south, that the plants may receive the maximum amount of sunshine. Placed in this way, they receive both morning and afternoon sun. A strip of wire netting five feet high should be stretched between the rows and securely fastened to stout posts driven into the ground. Six-foot netting is even better than five, as the Sweet-pea loves to climb, and blooms better if not thwarted. Dig on each side of the netting, as close as may be without breaking the space between, a trench a foot or eighteen inches deep and as wide as is necessary to work conveniently. Place in the bottom about six inches, when trodden down, of old, well-rotted cow manure, fill in about six inches of the removed soil, making it fine and mellow; sow the seed and cover with two or three inches of soil and press firmly down. If planted in the fall protect with several inches of rough manure, removing it in the spring that the soil may get the benefit of the sun’s warmth. When the plants are two or three inches high thin to six inches apart in the rows, and draw up part of the soil removed from the trench. Add more as the plants grow until it is all banked up against them, leaving a slight trench between the ridges and the surface of the ground.

The wire should come close to the ground that the plants may have support from the start. Do not water until necessary, then sufficient water should be poured into the trench to thoroughly soak the ground at the bottom of the roots, but do not turn it on the foliage or stems. Thorough and frequent cultivation should be given during the blooming season. Should it become necessary to shower the foliage during dusty weather it would better be done early in the morning or sufficiently early in the evening to allow the foliage to dry before the chill of night. This guards against the blight and mildew, so prevalent in Sweet-pea culture.

When for any reason it is not convenient to cultivate frequently, a mulch of lawn clippings will keep the ground about the vines cool and moist. To insure freedom of bloom all faded flowers should be removed each day. If the flowers are cut as fast as they open the quality will be improved. Under no circumstances should seed be allowed to form, as the ripening of the seed is fatal to the flowers.

There is such a bewildering variety of Sweet-peas that any suggestion of choice is impossible, but usually the special collections put up by seedsmen will prove more satisfactory than those of one’s own choosing, if one is unfamiliar with the names of the varieties.

Verbenas

In sowing the seed of Verbenas it is best to keep colours separate, as white, pink, scarlet, scarlet with white eye, and the new Mayflower Verbena—one of the finest novelties brought out in recent years.

They should be started early in flats or hotbed, soaking the seed in hot water for three or four hours before planting. It germinates very irregularly, often coming up after one has ceased to expect it. The soil should be kept moist so long as there is any chance of more plants appearing. Verbenas will thrive in any good soil, striking root wherever a point touches the ground. Cultivate, if in loam or stiff soil, as long as there is room to work between the plants, which should be set at least a foot apart. Verbenas do finely on the rockwork, seeming to enjoy the cool corners they find under the stones, and the finest I have ever grown have been in such a situation.

Vincas (Periwinkles) are an exceedingly beautiful and little known tender perennial worthy of extensive cultivation, as easily grown as an Aster or Verbena, and very effective in large beds. For the price of one greenhouse plant a dozen plants may be raised from seed. The foliage is deep green and glossy, and large single flowers of exquisite colour and texture—pure ivory white, white with a crimson eye, and rosy crimson—are borne at the end of every branch covering the plants, which grow from fifteen to eighteen inches high and nearly as broad. As a border for a Canna bed nothing could be better, and they make fine symmetrical winter bloomers. No finer plants for house decoration could be desired.

The seeds, which should be started early in hotbeds or flats, germinate in from ten to fifteen days, sometimes earlier. Set out plants, when all danger of frost is past, in muck, if possible, or in well-enriched loam, setting a foot or fifteen inches apart each way, cultivating once a week, if in loam or stiff soil, but if in muck it will only be necessary to mulch. Water every day during the hot weather, and if kept from seeding they will bloom from June until cut down by frost. They do well in full sunshine or in shade, but must have a fair amount of moisture. If no seeds form plants may be lifted in the fall and potted in large pots for winter blooming.

Small plants of the Chrysanthemum obtained from the florist in the spring will, with proper care, make fine blooming plants by fall. Plant out, when all danger of frost is past, in a sunny bed composed of rather sandy loam and muck well manured and made deep and mellow. Set the plants from a foot to eighteen inches apart each way and cultivate at least once a week during the summer. They should never suffer for water, as if once allowed to dry out they never fully recover.

When the plants are six or eight inches high pinch back to four inches. Allow four branches to spring from this main stalk, removing all others. When these are four inches long pinch back again, allowing each of the four shoots to form three or four branches and nipping out all others as they appear. If a few very large flowers are desired, allow only the four branches to grow from the main stem, removing all other shoots. When the branches are six inches in length pinch back for the last time not later than August 1st, after which they should be allowed to grow on undisturbed, removing all but the terminal buds if fine flowers are desired.

Lift by September 1st, transfer to large pots or boxes, according to the size of the plants. The soil should be given a good watering the day before lifting, that the earth may cling to the roots and that the plant may be in the best condition for moving. Cut around the plant with the trowel, leaving a ball of earth as near as possible the size and shape of the pot it is to fill. Avoid disturbing the roots.

Set in a cool, shady place for a few days and keep in a rather cool, dry atmosphere after removing to the house. Water freely and give liquid manure once a week. Do not shower the tops after buds appear, or keep where bulbs are growing in water, as moisture at this stage is apt to cause the buds to blast. Chrysanthemums are quite certain to be attacked at some stage of their growth with black aphis, or lice, which are very troublesome to get rid of once they have gained a foothold. It will be wise, therefore, to keep the foliage constantly dusted with tobacco at all seasons of their growth, as in this form tobacco is most effective. Once the pest has gotten a start fumigating with tobacco smoke will be necessary. Shut the plants in a close room or box and smoke thoroughly.

Chapter _ELEVEN_
Vines

Harsh outlines of buildings, a dead tree, a dilapidated fence, a sunny window, an obtrusive outbuilding, may be transformed by the use of Nature’s drapery. There exists in the minds of many, unfortunately, a prejudice against vines on the house as injurious to walls. This is entirely unfounded, the contrary, so far as I am able to judge, being the case, especially on the south and west sides of frame houses, where the paint and consequently the woodwork, will be found in a much better state of preservation when protected by such vines as Ampelopsis Veitchi, Virginia Creeper, Woodbine, and the like, than when exposed to the burning, blistering rays of the sun. Vines make a thick growth of overlapping leaves which shed rain and prevent its penetrating to the walls. In England, where it is much used, it is said that walls covered with Ivy are almost indestructible, so hard and dry has the cement remained under its protecting care.

Adlumia (Mountain Fringe, Climbing Fumitory, Alleghany Vine)

One of the prettiest of summer vines is the Adlumia, though it lasts but one short summer. It is a biennial, stooling the first summer and the second summer bursting into a wealth of tender green foliage, as finely cut as a fern, with hundreds of sprays of delicate flowers—a delightful vine when grown on the north side of the house, where it retains its fine green throughout the season, though in the hot sun it is inclined to burn. It is especially appropriate for funerals. It self-sows, and once established there is sure to be an abundance of it from year to year. In the fall seeds may be scattered where the plants are to remain, or the seed may be germinated in another spot and the seedlings transplanted later. As the plants always receive a check when moved, it is better to do so as early as possible in the fall, that they may become established before cold weather. Plants should be set two feet apart.

Cobæa scandens (Cup-and-Saucer Vine) is a most desirable summer vine. It grows to a great height and blooms freely, throwing great, bell-shaped flowers—pure white, greenish white, lavender, mauve, and purple—from the axil of nearly every leaf. The flowers of the purple variety are pale green at first, changing through all the shades of lavender and purple to plum.

There is another variety—the San Salvador Cobæa—that is even more desirable than the C. scandens. The flowers are much smaller, but have greatly exaggerated stamens that give them distinction. Its chief beauty, however, is the foliage of light, translucent green, to which the sun, shining through it, gives a luminous quality rare in vines. In manner of growth, too, it is superior, its many-lobed leaves lying parallel to, or flat on the netting, instead of at right angles, as is the case with C. scandens. Both these vines do well in a north or east exposure and require less water than most vines. They are admirable for covering an old tree or any partly dead wood.

Seed should be started in the hotbed early in spring, setting them on edge and covering a quarter of an inch deep. Unless the soil appears dry they should not be watered until the plants are up and have their first true leaves. Set out when danger of frost is past in mellow soil, watering as needed, and giving support for the vines to cling to. To stone and brick, or the bark of a tree, they will cling of themselves, each leaf-spray ending in a tendril that attaches itself to any rough surface. I have never been able to ascertain what height they will attain if given support, but the top of a reasonably tall tree falls short of their ambition.

The Centrosema (Butterfly Pea) is rather a hard vine to propagate from seed. Seeds germinate freely, but the young plants seem strangely lacking in vigour, so that frequently, after making a few inches of growth, they refuse to go further, and gradually dwindle away. It is therefore better to make several sowings, soaking the seed in hot water for an hour before using, and planting in hotbed or cold-frame. If it is dropped an inch or two apart in the rows there will be no occasion for disturbing until it is time to transplant into the open ground—which would better be deferred until the plants are six or eight inches high. They should be moved with as little disturbance as possible, pressing the trowel down its full length and lifting and transferring to their permanent position on the east side of the house in one operation. Water and press the earth around the roots and furnish immediate support. Thus treated they will usually thrive and bloom in a few weeks, continuing until frost unless seeds form, which should not be allowed on young plants.

Were they much more difficult to raise, it would still be worth many trials and failures to secure one thrifty plant, so lovely it is when in bloom. I do not remember another plant whose blossoms give one such an idea of perfection—of exquisite and minute finish, as this lovely Centrosema with its beautiful colour, delicate markings, and symmetry of form. Before it bloomed I had begun to wonder whether it was worth all the trouble, but when I saw the first perfect blossom all doubts vanished and I would go to much greater trouble to possess it.

The Centrosema is of slender growth, and seldom exceeds eight or ten feet. Plants should be set a foot apart in front of a wire trellis or other support. They are hardy, but should be given protection in winter.

Gourds are a very useful family. They are an ornamental feature of the summer garden, and afford an economic and unique addition to the winter’s supply of plant receptacles, hanging-baskets, low bowls for Tulips, Crocus, and other bulbs. Many of them are highly ornamental and graceful climbers—as the Wild Cucumber, Bryonopsis, Coccinea Indica, and Abobra, which have delicate foliage and showy fruit, and may be grown where any quick-growing vine is wanted. They are especially good for covering rear fences or unsightly outbuildings.

Some of the varieties have large white flowers which are finer than a Clematis, and of the fruit of large-flowered ones the prettiest hanging-baskets are made. Saw them in two when thoroughly ripe and dry, remove the pulp, scrape the shell clean and thin and give a coat of green or brown shellac inside and out, and hang with brass chains. They are more satisfactory if the gourds are a year old and perfectly dry. A hole must be made for drainage, and in case of bowls, tiny supports fastened to the bottom with glue to raise them from the table, as without the free circulation of air they are liable to mould.

Seed must be sown as early as possible that the fruit may have time to ripen before frost. Set out when all danger of frost is past in any garden soil in a sunny position where they will have good support, as they are vigorous and rapid climbers and will quickly go to the top of a tall tree. They are liable when first set out to be eaten off by cutworms, and they should be protected by a bottomless tin can sunk into the ground two or three inches, care being taken that there are no worms inside the can. The gourds do not grow for some little time after setting out, as they are making roots; but once they begin the development is rapid.

The variegated Japanese Hop is another summer vine that should be extensively grown. Its large, handsome foliage, freely splashed with white, is very showy and effective, and it thrives in almost any situation and soil, though paying well for extra care or attention in the way of cultivation, watering, and food. The vines are not hardy, but, as they self-sow, once established they are practically permanent. Several plants should be set near each other, as only the female plant bears seed. The leaves of this are smaller and the vine more slender. The great-leaved, robust vine bears no seed.

It is better to plant the seed in the fall, as when planted in the spring it may not come up until the following year. If this is the case the ground where it is sown should be left undisturbed until the following spring, when it will make an early appearance. When it does sprout the same season, the seed germinates in from eight to ten days. The plants do equally well on north, south, east or west walls, but should be kept sufficiently watered on the south or west.

There is but one precaution I have found necessary in growing the Japanese Hop: namely, to give it a rather elastic support, a twine trellis being better than a rigid wire one. The finest Japanese Hop I ever saw grew over a south window on a trellis of chicken netting; the growth was wonderful, and the great leaves were beautifully splashed with white. I was exceedingly proud of the vine, but one day I saw it hanging limp and withered from its trellis, and an investigation revealed the astonishing fact that it had grown so rapidly and attached itself so firmly to the unyielding wire that it had pulled its roots entirely out of the ground, literally committing suicide. Since then I have used a more yielding support.

The Japanese Morning-glory should be started in the house or hotbed and not transplanted into the open ground until the nights and ground are warm.

Many of the varieties received direct from Japan are only adapted for growing in pots; that is how the Japanese grow them, and we can hardly expect to improve on their methods. Pot off all plants showing unusual markings, or oddly shaped leaves, and plunge in the sand-box, giving sunshine and abundance of water and using large pots, or shifting frequently as needed. Give liquid manure once or twice a week. Furnish support for the vines to run on, either a trellis or sticks in the sides of the pot and strings run back and forth through and around them, or they may be trained against the wall back of the sand-box. Most of the seeds purchased here, however, are grown in this country, and the plants are as rugged as the old-fashioned Morning-glory. It will be noticed that those with oddly shaped leaves and broad, hairy stems rarely bloom here, the buds appearing too late to develop before frost. Grown in pots these might give some interesting specimens. If only a few of the buds are allowed to develop the size will be greatly increased.

The Maurandya Vine is one of the most satisfactory for low trellises, window-boxes, vases, rockwork, and the like, in summer, and for hanging-baskets in winter. In the open air it attains a height of five or six feet, giving an abundance of pink, white, and lavender-coloured, foxglove-shaped flowers, an inch and a half in length. The smooth, shining leaves are ivy-shaped and cling to supports by a twist of the stem. It grows readily from seed, and germinates in from twelve to fifteen days. For trellis and outdoor work start early in flats or hotbed, setting out when danger of frost is past, but for winter use June is early enough to sow seed. It requires no special treatment, doing well in any situation with good soil and sufficient moisture. This is one of the most graceful and useful vines for either summer or winter.

Thunbergias (Black-eyed Susans) like a warm, sunny situation, and in good soil will grow six or eight feet tall and be covered, until cut down by frost, with a wreath of tube-shaped, flat-faced blossoms two inches in diameter—pure white, white with black eye, yellow with white eye, and yellow with black eye. They are very valuable for covering low trellises, the foundations of porches, window-boxes, urns, or rockwork where a small vine is needed. They are admirable as basket or bracket plants in winter. They grow freely from seed, germinating in about twelve days, and should be started early in flats in the house or the hotbed. Much finer plants are grown in this way than can be purchased from the florist. Their only enemy is the red spider, and they should be showered frequently to prevent an attack.

The Manettia Vine is one of the most satisfactory vines for winter blooming, requiring only a small pot and a place in a sunny window, and blooming better when pot-bound. A daily watering, and occasional doses of weak liquid manure when the other plants are getting it is all the care it needs. It does not require a warm atmosphere, blooming freely in a temperature of about 50°, and giving an unfailing succession of its bright little flowers every day during the winter. It is that rare thing—a plant which the florists have not overpraised. It is every bit as good as it is claimed to be. Though equally at home in a hanging-basket or on a trellis, I have found it most attractive when grown on strings across the window in company with Solanum jasminoides, whose sprays of airy white flowers contrast with the orange and scarlet of the Manettia. A small plant obtained from the florist in spring and potted in a four-inch pot, with good compost, will be ready to bloom by November, and will remain in bloom from that time until spring, when it should be repotted in a six-inch pot and plunged in the sand-box to grow for winter blooming. The only precaution necessary is to keep it in a small pot, as it blooms more freely when pot-bound. Cut back if not branching freely, as the bloom comes at the ends of the new growth.

Clematis (Virgin’s Bower)

The large-flowered Clematis are the most expensive vines we have. So slowly do they propagate from cuttings that the price remains high from year to year. The cheapest way to obtain them is to raise them from seed and, though this is a more or less uncertain method, the expense is so slight compared to the purchase of plants that where many are required it is worth repeated efforts. Plant the seeds in flats in the house either in fall or spring. Cover an eighth of an inch and press the soil down firmly, keeping moist and warm. They germinate in from six weeks to a year; for this reason fall planting is desirable, as the soil may more easily be kept in the right condition. When the plants are large enough to handle, pot off into small pots and plunge in the sand-box, if the weather is warm enough, or in a sunny window if cold. Winter in a frost-proof cellar the first winter, putting them in the open ground where they are to remain till the following spring. The plants will give a few blossoms the second season, enough to show the variety, and the next year may be expected to bloom freely. Plants raised from seed are more likely to bloom and do well than those from cuttings.

Clematis paniculata comes more freely from seed than the Jackmanni strains, and should be largely grown, as it is one of our loveliest vines and blooms when most others have ceased. Clematis flammula self-sows and established little plants are continually coming up in unexpected places, which may be removed to any desired position, as this variety does not in the least mind being disturbed. All Clematis are benefited by winter protection, and such varieties as Ramona and other spring bloomers should have the tops protected with sacking or old carpet. Mrs. Edward Andre dies to the ground in the winter, but should be well protected around the roots. Many growers cut back Clematis to within a few feet of the ground each fall, but where large spaces are to be covered one loses much time, as the frost usually does all the trimming necessary. The early spring bloomers from last season’s wood and cutting back in the fall simply lessen the blossom points. If it is necessary to trim for symmetry or lack of room it should be done immediately after the plants are through blooming, that they may have abundant time for new growth.

Bignonia Radicans (Trumpet Vine)

It is to be regretted that this fine vine is so common and old-fashioned that no one seems to appreciate it sufficiently to bring it up to its really magnificent possibilities. When grown as a shrub no finer plant for a hedge could possibly be desired. For this purpose the plants should be set about three feet apart, or even closer, if it is desired that the hedge should be useful as well as ornamental. Set in an even row where the hedge is desired, tie each plant to a stout stake, and allow only one branch to grow, cutting this back when three feet high to form the head, which should be made to branch freely. By the time the stake has rotted away the plant will have made a trunk as large as one’s wrist and perfectly self-supporting. All dead and weak branches should be trimmed out each year and the hedge kept pruned back to symmetrical growth. If the seed-pods are not allowed to form the plant will be in bloom nearly all summer. Such a hedge will be a thing to bequeath to posterity along with old oaks and fine elms.

The Trumpet Vine is equally desirable as a climber, and on some surfaces is self-supporting, but on others, as the side of a building or a board fence, it often fails to attach itself, and in that case must be artificially supported. This should be very securely done, as a hard storm may tear a heavy-topped specimen entirely away from its support and do much damage. The best support is afforded by stretching a galvanised wire across a branch, just under a joint, and fastening each end by a staple driven firmly into the building.

Grown as a shrub on the lawn the Trumpet Vine is very fine and should be trained to a stake and grown the same as a Kilmarnock Willow. Every year, as my Bignonias bloom, I grow more and more enthusiastic over their possibilities, and wish more people would grow them with some definite aim in view.

Chapter _TWELVE_
Ornamental Foliage Plants from Seed

Canna (Indian Shot)

All Cannas—the gorgeous orchid-flowered, as well as the old-fashioned sorts—can be easily and cheaply grown from seed and will give blossoming plants almost as soon as those started from bulbs. When one must buy plants and the fine new varieties are desired, the starting of an eight-or ten-foot bed is a matter for economical consideration. Five or six dollars is as little as one can expect to pay for such a bed if plants are purchased, but by starting the seed the cost is reduced to a mere bagatelle. It is better to buy seed by the ounce, as not all will come up, and one should make sure of a sufficient quantity. The seed must be filed on the end opposite the germ, so that the white shows through plainly, and the best way to do it is to tack a piece of medium sand-paper to a piece of wood and rub the seed on that. It is better to do this before they are wanted, as it is a tedious process when one is in a hurry. Soak the seeds in hot water for an hour or two before planting and sow in hotbed or flat, keeping moist and warm. When large enough to handle, prick out in thumb-pots and place in a warm, sunny window. It would be even better to start them in tiny pots, plunged in a box of sand or in the hotbed, to avoid danger in removing, as they sometimes suffer in the process. Though one of the toughest plants when of some size, the little seedlings are exceedingly tender. Shift as needed until time to place in the open ground when all danger of frost is past. Plant, if possible, in muck well manured, as Cannas do exceptionally well in that soil and can scarcely have too much food and water. Unless one has city water or other supply it is better to make the Canna bed somewhat lower than the lawn, that all the water may be retained and not run off, as it will if the beds are raised. If tall-growing varieties are grown in the centre the effect will be as good as though the bed were raised and less water will be needed. A good mulch of lawn clippings will help to keep the soil moist, mellow, and free from weeds and will greatly lessen the care of it. Seed sown in February or March will give blooming plants in June, and by fall there will be a fine lot of roots to store away for another year.

Coleus, which are practically indispensable in all ornamental bedding, are easily raised from seed and will make fine plants by June. Start seed in rather deep flats in the house in February or March, covering lightly and giving a warm place (see directions for growing house-plants from seed). They germinate in from five to seven days. As soon as the plants have their first true leaves place in a warm, sunny window and encourage them to grow as rapidly as possible. When they have two or three leaves the colours will be sufficiently developed to admit of making selections, and if the box is at all crowded they can be potted off and grown on until time to plant out. Coleus are very sensitive to cold and should not be planted out in the open ground until the nights are warm. Never allow the Coleus to flower, as this injures the foliage greatly. Pinch out the flower heads as they appear. Water liberally and pinch back occasionally to symmetrical form. Any soil that suits the Canna, or other ornamental foliage plant, will do for the Coleus—a light, sandy loam enriched with manure is as good as anything, and leaf-mould answers admirably.

Where a quantity of Cineraria, or Dusty Miller, is needed for borders, it is much more economical to grow from seed, starting them in hotbeds and planting out when all danger of frost is past, setting six inches apart.

Ricinus, or Castor-oil Bean

Probably the most effective and tropical-looking plant in cultivation to-day is the Ricinus, and fortunately it is within the reach of everyone. It is usually seen as a solitary specimen on the lawn, or as the centre of a bed of other plants, or probably in a long row; it is more effective, however, in a group, and thus grown makes a good background for low plants. Seed should be started early in house or hotbeds. It germinates in twelve to fifteen days. The best results will be obtained when started in the house by planting in three-or four-inch pots. Put two or three seeds in a pot and remove all but one if more come up. Before filling the pots with earth mixed with good compost, a piece of shard, or flat stone, should be placed over the drainage hole to confine the roots, as they make a very rapid growth. Shift into larger pots as required, and plant out when all danger of frost is past in a deep, rich soil. Marsh earth is best, but where this is not available any good garden soil will answer if heavily manured and well watered. The young plants are somewhat backward after transplanting and frequently refuse to grow at all, so that it is well to have a few plants in reserve against a possible emergency. After the plants are a foot high, little if any trouble will be experienced. The newer Zanzibar varieties are the most desirable, being very fine both in colour and development, growing under favourable conditions from eight to ten feet tall with leaves three feet in diameter.

Banana plants are very showy and attractive and in the North are more or less of a novelty. They may be planted out in the open ground or in tubs when all danger of frost is over. Though less sensitive to root disturbance than the Ricinus, they are very impatient of the immediate presence of other plants, and young plants should be grown by themselves. Robust two-year-old plants, however, may be used as centres for beds of Cannas or similar plants with fine effect. When obtainable they should be given a compost of muck and old manure and supplied with a very liberal amount of water; the water from the laundry and kitchen should be saved for them, as one can scarcely overfeed them. Give a warm, sunny situation, protected from rough winds, which whip and tear the broad leaves, rendering them most unsightly. A southeast angle of building or shrubbery furnishes an ideal location. In the fall the plants may be removed to the cellar in the tubs in which they have been grown, or they may be lifted, if grown in the open ground, and planted in suitable tubs for the adornment of the conservatory or living-room. Grown indoors they are very ornamental, the foliage being perfect, which is rarely the case out of doors. It is also much easier to carry the plants through the winter in this way; as they are very sensitive to cold and damp when dormant and cannot be carried successfully in a cellar where these conditions exist, even though it be free from frost. In the South—and the same method may be employed in the North, provided the cellar conditions are right—the plants are dug up, the soil removed, and the roots wrapped in gunny-sacks and laid on a shelf in the cellar, all the leaves being removed except the central one, which must be carefully protected from all injury.

Chapter _THIRTEEN_
Bulbous and Tuberous-rooted Plants

Cannas may be started any time in April or May. The old-fashioned tall-growing varieties may be put in the open ground early in May. Cover with three or four inches of soil and protect the bed with a little rough manure if the nights are cold, the finest of the manure being left to enrich the soil when the plants are up.

The large-flowering French and Orchid-flowered Cannas are delicate and very sensitive to cold and damp and should be started in the house with heat. Divide the roots into points and pot separately in leaf-mould, or they may be placed in baskets of sand set in a warm, sunny place and kept constantly moist; this is the simplest and best way of handling them. Cannas are less likely to mould or decay in sand than in soil, and it is easier to keep a uniform degree of moisture in the baskets than in the small pots. The baskets should be partly filled with fine white sand and the roots laid in place, points up, as closely as convenient, and sufficient sand added to cover them. They must not be planted out until all danger of frost is past and the nights are warm, and they should then be handled very carefully to avoid injuring the tender roots. Give them a soil of muck or heavily manured loam and abundance of water. The most convenient place for starting bulbs of all kinds is a warm upstairs room, over a kitchen or elsewhere, with a south or west light. A wide shelf may be arranged under the windows and one’s entire supply of bulbs started there in pots and baskets out of the way. Seeds of flowers and vegetables may also be started there to advantage.

Dahlias are best started in the baskets of sand, putting the bunches in whole, with the crown just below the surface of the sand. When they have sprouted and the weather is warm they should be removed from the sand and carefully divided. A number of tubers will have failed to start, while others will have thrown several shoots. If the number of plants is not sufficient more may be secured by grafting part of the green shoots into the dormant toes. Remove a shoot, cut the end to a wedge shape, remove a corresponding wedge from the crown of a toe and insert the shoot; it should rest in the toe an inch or more and be placed in the ground at once—drawing the earth around it snugly that the scion may be in no danger of separating from the toe before it has formed a union. Only one shoot should be left on a tuber, and the removal of the extra ones for grafting is a distinct gain. Whenever it is necessary to divide the roots a portion of the stem with a well-defined eye must be given to each division, otherwise there will be no top growth; the toes will root, but they will not grow. For further directions see chapter on growing Dahlias from seed.