THE GROWING OF THE ORNAMENTAL PLANTS
INSTRUCTIONS ON PARTICULAR KINDS - Continued
Pansy (Fig. 244) is without doubt the most popular hardy spring
flower in cultivation. The strains of seed are many, each containing
great possibilities.
The culture is simple and the results are sure. Seed sown in August or
September, in boxes or a frame, will make plants large enough to reset
in November (three or four inches apart) and bloom the following March;
or they may be left until March in open seed-beds before setting out.
Also, if they are sown very thinly in the frames, they may remain
undisturbed through the winter, blooming very early the following
spring. The frames should be protected by mats, boards, or other
covering through the severe cold, and as the sun gains strength, care
should be taken to keep them from heaving by alternate thawing and
freezing. Seed sown in boxes in January or February will make fine
blooming plants by April, taking the place of those blooming earlier.
The pansy is generally mentioned with plants suitable for partial shade,
but it also thrives in other localities, especially where the sun is not
very hot nor the weather very dry. The requisites for satisfactory pansy
culture are fertile, moist, cool soil, protection from the noonday sun,
and attention to keeping plants from going to seed. As the ground
becomes warm, a mulch of leafmold or other light material should be
spread over the bed to retain moisture and exclude heat. Spring and fall
give the best bloom. In hot summer weather the flowers become small.
Pelargonium.--To this genus belong the plants known as
geraniums--the most satisfactory of house-plants, and extensively used
as bedding plants. No plants will give better returns in leaf and
flower; and these features, added to the ease of propagation, make them
general favorites. The common geranium is one of the few plants that can
be bloomed at any time of the year.
There are several main groups of pelargoniums, as the common "fish
geraniums" (from the odor of the foliage), the "show" or Lady
Washington pelargoniums, the ivy geraniums, the thin-leaved bedders (as
Madame Salleroi), and the "rose" geraniums.
Cuttings of partially ripened wood of all pelargoniums root very easily,
grow to blooming size in a short time, and, either planted out or grown
in a pot, make fine decorations. The common or fish geraniums are much
more satisfactory when not more than a year old. Take cuttings from the
old plants at least once a year. In four or five months the young plants
begin to bloom. Plants may be taken up from the garden and potted, but
they rarely give as much satisfaction as young, vigorous subjects; new
plants should be grown every year. Repot frequently until they are in
4-to 5-inch pots; then let them bloom.
The show pelargoniums have but one period of bloom, usually in April,
but they make up in size and coloring. This section is more difficult to
manage as house-plants than the common geranium, needing more direct
light to keep it stocky, and being troubled by insects. Still, all the
trouble taken to grow the plants will be well repaid by the handsome
blossoms. Take cuttings in late spring, after flowering, and blooming
plants may be had the following year. Good results are sometimes secured
by keeping these plants two or three years. Cut back after each
blooming season.
For house culture the geraniums need a fertile, fibrous loam, with the
addition of a little sand; good drainage is also an essential.
Peony.--The herbaceous peony has long had a place in the garden; it
has now been much improved and constitutes one of the very best plants
known to cultivation. It is perfectly hardy, and free from the many
diseases and insects that attack so many plants. It continues to bloom
year after year without renewal, if the soil is well prepared and
fertile. Fig. 250.
Inasmuch as the peony is such a strong grower and produces so many
enormous flowers, it must have a soil that can supply abundant
plant-food and moisture. The old-fashioned single and semi-double
comparatively small-flowered kinds will give good results in any
ordinary ground, but the newer highly improved sorts must be given
better treatment. This is one of the plants that profit by a very rich
soil. The place should be very deeply plowed or else trenched; and if
the land is in sod or is not in good heart, the preparation should
begin the season before the peonies are planted. A deep moist loam suits
them best; and as the plants grow and bloom, add bone meal and top-dress
with manure. When making their growth and when in bloom, they should not
be allowed to want for water.
In purchasing peony roots, be careful to secure only well-grown and
selected stock. Cheap stock, job lots, and odds and ends are likely to
be very disappointing.
The plants may be set in fall or spring, the latter being preferable in
the North. Cover the crown bud 2 or 3 inches, being careful not to
injure it. If the best blooms are desired, give plenty of room, as much
as 3 x 4 feet. Peonies grow 2 to 3 feet or even more in height. Strong
roots of some varieties will give bloom the first year; considerable
bloom will come the second year; but the full bloom on most varieties
should not be expected before the third year. The flowers may be
brightened and their duration prolonged by partial shade while in bloom.
If old plants become weak, or if they drop their buds, dig them up and
see whether the roots are not more or less dead and decayed; divide to
fresh parts and replant in well-enriched ground; or purchase new plants.
Peonies are propagated by division of the roots in early fall, one good
strong eye being left to each piece.
The peony has merit for its foliage as well as for its bloom,
particularly when the soil is rich and the growth luxuriant. This value
of the plant is commonly overlooked. The peony deserves its popularity.
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