Part 11

The seeds of Heliotrope must be kept merely moist, never wet and never allowed to dry out, or they will not sprout; keeping the soil just on the verge of drying out, yet never allowing it to do so, is the whole secret of starting Heliotrope from seeds. It is best to sow the seed in moist soil to avoid the necessity of watering afterward, as is done with other seeds; if the soil is just wet enough to be crumbly, neither wet nor sticky, and can be kept so, they will prosper. Cover the seed lightly with white sand and remove the glass if any appreciable moisture appears—anything more than a fine mist. It germinates in from fifteen to twenty days, and the plants require no special care beyond good soil, warmth, and plenty of sunshine with frequent waterings. When grown as house-plants they should be showered once or twice a day to prevent the inroads of the red spider—their worst enemy.

There is no more desirable bedding plant than the Heliotrope, and the more freely it is cut by removing generous portions of stem with the blossom the more freely it will bloom. It is admirable for replacing Pansies and may be grown on in the hotbed until the Pansy’s day is past. Where there is not enough Heliotrope for large bedding operations, purple Ageratum may be combined with the Heliotrope with excellent effect; this is a method often employed in the city parks, and when judiciously done one scarcely notices that the beds are not all Heliotrope. Plants may be taken up in the fall and cut back for winter blooming. Blossoms always form on the terminals of the branches.

Lantanas

Are hard-wooded, shrubby plants, the leaves more or less rough and prickly. The colours range from pure white through various shades of lemon to orange, red, a new bright scarlet, and the rosy lavender of the Weeping Lantana. The seed in its immature state is incased in a green pulp or berry, changing to blue as it ripens, and consists of a little nut with several kernels, so that one is sometimes surprised with two or more plants from what seems to be a single seed. The seed may be started in the house, or in the hotbed early in the spring; sowing in drills one-quarter of an inch deep. It germinates in from twelve to fifteen days, but soaking in warm water, for a few hours before planting, will hasten its appearance. They require about the same treatment as Geraniums, but should be shifted oftener and given plenty of water. As soon as the plants are four or five inches high transplant them to a tobacco pail, or some large wooden receptacle containing a compost of muck, loam, and old manure, or muck alone, and place in full morning sunshine, out of doors. Thus managed I have grown, from seed sown in March, plants that measured nine feet or more in circumference by September and were a mass of bloom all summer long, the blossoms defying all efforts at counting.

Grown in this way, with an abundance of roots and top room, rich soil, sun, and water, no better ornament could be desired for the porch or steps; but I do not think it a desirable plant for the house, as the hot, dry air causes it to drop its leaves, and it is almost sure to be attacked by the red spider. It is better to start fresh plants each spring and let them go when frost comes.

Lantanas make fine hedgerows between house lots or for defining different portions of the grounds. They should be planted in rich ground two and one-half feet apart.

The new Weeping Lantana is the most charming member of the family. It is of much more slender growth than the rest and inclined to be pendulous, or weeping. Its delightfully fragrant flowers are produced in round heads the size of a half-dollar at the axil of every leaf and show a lovely rosy-lilac hue. If planted in the open ground the Weeping Lantana quickly covers a considerable area, presenting a solid sheet of bloom throughout the summer. It will bloom freely in the house if given a warm, sunny window, abundant room, and showered daily to keep back the red spider, or dipped occasionally in hot water for that purpose. It must always have abundant root and top room and plenty of water.

Petunias

Probably no common flower of the garden has been so improved during the last few years as the Petunia. The small-flowered variety of a few years ago with its straggly habit and narrow range of colour—chiefly white and faded magenta—is now superseded by magnificently fringed and ruffled beauties in a wealth of colour, from purest white to glowing crimson, and a velvety purple that is almost black, with wonderfully veined and tinted throats and thick, stocky stems. It is difficult to realise that they are the same plants, plus a few generations of good living and culture.

The double Petunias are desirable for pots, vases, and bedding out, but I do not think they compare with such strains as Burpee’s Defiance, the Giants of California, the Ruffled Giants, and the Miranda. Miranda, for example, is a rosy carmine merging into a brilliant scarlet in the throat—the nearest approach to a scarlet Petunia yet produced. The seed of double Petunias will yield a fair proportion of double flowers. The young plants of both the single and double varieties require great care at first, being very sensitive to hot sun or cold air. Once established, however, they will stand a great deal of both—more, indeed, than almost any other flower of this class. Plant them in flats in the house in March by pressing the seed into the soil without covering; keeping moist and warm until the seed germinates, usually from eight to ten days. When large enough to handle, prick off into larger flats and set them in a warm north or east window. When the leaves touch set them two or three inches apart each way in other flats and let them grow until it is time to place them in the open ground, hardening them gradually by exposure to more sun and air each day, and transplant with great care. If intended to replace the Pansies they may be set in the bed in June, the Pansies affording them protection until they have attained some size. Set each little seedling on the north-east side of a Pansy plant, and by the time the Pansies have passed their zenith they will be ready to stand alone.

Always remove poor or inferior plants in order that the highest standard may be maintained; the finer varieties may be readily distinguished from the more common sorts by the stems and foliage; the latter having thin stems and small leaves, set rather far apart, while the stems of the fine varieties are very stocky; the leaves large, more or less crinkly, and set closely on the stem; the buds thick and compact, while those of the common type are long and thin. Petunias grow so rapidly that vacant places left by culling are soon filled. The finest specimens may be lifted for winter flowering. They will bloom freely in the house and often show a richer colour than when out of doors. They need considerable root room—any crowding of the roots, or starving of the plants being quickly shown in the deterioration of the flowers. Avoid chills and draughts. Give liquid manure and water freely, but do not let the soil get wet or sour. A little charcoal in the potting soil is an excellent corrective of this tendency. Always remove the flowers as they fade, thus prolonging the blooming season and increasing the beauty and size of the blossom.

Primroses

Require the same general treatment as other house-plants. A good compost of leaf-mould, loam, and sand is best for the first few shiftings, manure being added as the plants attain size. Repeated shifting hastens blooming, while keeping the plants in small pots retards it. When ready to bloom they should be fine, large plants in five-or six-inch pots. They should blossom in November and, if well cared for, they will flower from that time on until spring. In potting the Primrose care must be taken to have the crown of the plant slightly above the surface of the soil and the soil lowest at the edge of the pot, that no water may settle around the crown and cause it to rot. When the buds appear give the plants diluted liquid manure once a week. As the leaves of Primroses are easily injured they should be placed where they will be subjected to as little handling as possible. Window brackets make an ideal place for them, as they can be turned and inspected without removal, and the large velvety leaves, drooping gracefully over the pot, will develop perfectly. Injured or faded leaves should be removed at once. A receptacle rather broad than deep gives opportunity for the best development. A hanging-basket, milk-crock with drainage hole, or jardinière with outlet will answer. Sufficient root room is particularly necessary in the case of old plants, as these have more divisions to the crown and therefore spread more. Primula obconica does better when grown in shallow dishes; a dish four inches deep and eight wide is much better than the usual flower-pot.

Florists start their Primroses each year from seed, but there is no reason why, if one has a choice plant, it should not be carried over to the second year, when, being larger, it will give more flowers.

Chapter NINE Outside Window-boxes

The outside window-box is a thing of beauty if well cared for, a disfigurement if neglected. So greatly does it add to the cheerfulness and apparent size of the rooms under the windows of which it is placed that I should advise its use whenever practicable. One of my pleasantest recollections is a window-box full of Heliotrope under a sitting-room window, filling the room so full of perfume that going into it in the early morning was like stepping into a garden of fragrance.

Window-boxes do well in any window not shaded by porches, and the plants best suited to the light may be selected. Many plants too tender to bed out in the open ground may be trusted to the window-box. Fuchsias, Ferns, Asparagus Sprengeri, A. tenuissimus, Ageratums, fancy-leaved Caladiums, and various tuberous-rooted Begonias, like the silver-spotted, known as Angel’s Wing, are all lovely in the window-box. Rubra and most of the Begonias do admirably in a north window. For windows facing the street, where effect is principally sought, bright Geraniums, Heliotropes, Coleus, Crotons, and similar plants are preferable, provided there is sufficient sunshine to bring out all their rich colouring.

The fancy-leaved Caladiums may be used where bright effect is sought in a north window.

The boxes used for this purpose should be as ample as possible, the full length of the window-casing outside and at least a foot wide and deep. They should be made of inch boards, closely fitted together so that the sides shall not warp and allow the water to run through too freely, washing out and exhausting the soil. A hole may be made in the bottom at one end, and provided with a plug, for the escape of surplus water during continued rains. A piece of broken crock or other drainage must be placed over the hole on the inside of the box to prevent the earth working in and obstructing the free passage of water. The hot air of summer will shrink the earth away from the sides of the box, leaving a channel for the water to escape without properly soaking the soil; but if the surface of the soil is kept open, and the centre left a little lower than the sides, this will be prevented. A little experimenting will show just how much water is needed to wet the soil properly without letting it run away, and this amount should be used daily during dry weather. Only as many plants as will do well in the limited space of four square feet should be planted in the window-boxes. Five erect plants and three vines are enough for a box of that size, and even these may need attention before the season is over, especially if in south or west windows. North or east boxes will, usually, keep their contents fresh until frost; but a west or south light makes great demands upon the vitality of plants confined within the limited area, and it is a good plan to leave Geraniums and similar flowers in their pots, that they may be easily exchanged for others when they grow shabby, cutting back and repotting the old ones for winter blooming if removed not later than August.

A better plan is to have two boxes; starting one in the house in March, that it may be ready to place as soon as danger of frost is past; and the second in June, that it may be ready to replace the first when needed. For the latter the vines started in the house, or hotbed, in April will be available. Maurandya, Thunbergia, and the like, and many flowers from seed will have reached sufficient size to be used for the second box. Plants that have been carried over from another season, or purchased from the florist, will be necessary for the first boxes. There is no more beautiful vine for a window-box than the Maurandya; it drapes more gracefully than any other vine I know (unless it be the Wild Cucumber, which attaches itself to the window-screen in wreaths of exuberant bloom, drooping far below the window-box, and making a lovely background for scarlet Geraniums). Its only fault is that it will grow shabby before the season is over, when it had better be pulled up and replaced by a fresher vine that has been grown in a pot for the purpose and can be slipped into place without checking its growth.

Perhaps no plant is more satisfactory for a south or west window-box than a good Geranium—either the dark, rich vermilion of the S. A. Nutt, or the vivid scarlet of the Bruant. Both of these appear to better advantage when contrasted with white flowers. Camphor Geranium is excellent, being a freer bloomer than other white Geraniums, and the Giant White Antirrhinum is especially vivid. Double white Petunias and white Phlox Drummondi are also good. Purple Ageratums and Heliotrope are charming with scarlet and white. The large-flowered Ivy Geraniums—Souvenir de Charles Turner—are the best, and do finely in east and west window-boxes, while the variegated variety makes a lovely mass of pendent foliage for an east or north box. Trailing Fuchsia, Japanese Morning-glory, Glechoma, and Wild Cucumber all do well on the north side of the house. The following combinations may all be depended upon to give satisfactory results:

Southern Exposure.

No. 1.

Bruant Geranium White Antirrhinum. S. A. Nutt Geranium (scarlet). (cardinal). Heliotrope. Heliotrope. White Maurandya. White Maurandya.

No. 2.

Jean Viaud Geranium Mrs. J. M. Garr. Jean Viaud (pink). (pink). Dwarf blue Ageratum. Dwarf blue Ageratum. Nepeta Glechoma. Souv. de Charles Turner. Nepeta Glechoma.

No. 3.

Beaute Poitevine Ger. White Verbena. Madame Charlotte Ger. (salmon). (salmon). Weeping Lantana. Var. Ivy Ger. Joan of Arc. Ivy Ger. Joan of Arc.