CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - ZetaTalk

388 THE NURSERY-MANUALIWliSpurS, campanulus, achilleas, chrysanthemums, asters, heli-;mtl~usw, goldenrods, may be grown easily from seeds sown in theopc’n prouncl in spring. The plants should blooru the followingyear. Thta sowing may be where the plants are eventually tostand, but tllis I~~ZCI~S that the place will not be well utilized thefirst )-ear. It is usl~ally preferable to raise the seedlings in speciall~~prepnred l)eds and to transplant in autumn or spring topermanent quarters. Specially choice things should be handledin pots and currird over winter in a frame, particularly if somewhattender to cold, heat and drought. Seeds of many early-bloomingdry-fruited perennials germinate the same season, if plantedwhen kpe, but spe&l care is often necessary to protect the youngplants over winttbr so they may not get a strong foothold. Usuallyit is better to keep the seeds till the following spring. Seedsof many perennials, particularly those borne in fleshy capsules orbc’rrics, do not grow till they have pa3secl the winter’s frost, andsornc~ of the woods things will not germinate till the second spring.In long-WWOH climates, perennial seedlings may become sokarge 1,~. fall, if started early in spring, as to make preparationsfor bloLm and thcrtl-ry so weaken themselves as to be liable towinter-injllr>.. TiGs is true specially of those that tend to take on abirnnirtl character.&Ian)* of tllr florist’s perennials are practically avmuals under themethod of cultural under glass, with the continuous growth. Thisis true of tlitl c;~rnntioI~, the florist’s chrysanthemum, violets,fuchsius, geraniums, a.nd even of roses, counting the period fromcutting to blooin. Even from seed, the epoch may be condensedinto a )-ear, ils with tuberous begonias, gloxinias, cyclamens,calceolarias, lupines, primulas. In nature the line between perennialsand plants of lesser duration is not always sharply drawn.See Uic~~ll~icds ;d ,llnll mls, pages 251, 231.IYith most herbaceous perennials, the best bloom is obtainedwith young plants ; after the second bloom (or sometimes evenafter the first) the plant may begin to fail or to become rootbound.Tl lere are many exceptions to this, when plants growstronger and mow Aoriferous for a series of years, as lilies, crownimperial, peonies, dictamnus. Only by experience of oneself orothers can one determine these difierences ; and the distinctionsare likely to \-ary in different climates and soils.The practice of growing perennials from seeds should be encouraged.One knows a plant better and cares more for it if one