Herbaceous perennials are very easily cultivated, for, as a rule, they
will grow where any plants will. All they require is a good garden
soil, a warm and light one, for it is useless to expect plants to grow in a
wet, undrained soil. Once in three years or thereabouts they should be
divided and transplanted. Division should be done either at the end of
summer or at the time of making garden in the spring.
The alyssums should be planted in masses, the poppies and tall lark-
spurs may be set at ten or fifteen inches apart, and the other annuals
six or eight inches. They are all easy to transplant except the candy-
tuft and poppy.
The pansy heads our list. In higher latitudes than 330 they require
protection in winter, below that they flourish in sunny situations all win-
ter. The soil must be very rich.
DESIRABLE BEDDING PLANTS. 95
The phlox is next in merit. They make very beautiful beds ; and even
if neglected they reward all trouble by a constant display of brilliancy
for months.
Poppies are dazzlingly gay and make a handsome back-ground for
smaller plants. The delphinium, our old larkspur, is another very
desirable flower. The finest of the annual varieties are the tall and
dwarf rockets, the candelabrum, the hyacinth-flowered and emperor
larkspurs. The tall varieties make a pretty contrast planted with car-
nation poppies.
The candytuft, alyssum, nemophila, clarkia, China pink and catchfly
make very pretty masses or beds. The whitlavia is a little beauty with
its white and purple bell-shaped flowers. They suit the South admira-
bly, and Northern seedsmen warrant them proof against the cold.
Sweet peas, those old-time favorites, should be planted in the fall in the
Southern States. Sow thickly in rows on rich soil. Perennials planted
in autumn must be left in the seed beds (and protected in the extreme
North) during the winter, then transplanted in the spring. The six
most desirable varieties are : Hollyhocks, in various shades of pink,
crimson, maroon, white, purple and yellow, and double as a cup full
of ruffles. Magnificent Canterbury bells, white and blue, beautiful for
large vases of cut flowers, and showy in the garden. The single
varieties are prettier than the double. Aquilegias, or columbines,
are very handsome ; yellow, white, purple and striped. The finest are
the " golden spurred " and the Rocky Mountain columbine. Under the
general name of " pinks " come three of our most exquisite and fragrant
flowers — fringed pheasant's eye, the clove pink and the carnation. The
carnations are sometimes solid colored and sometimes ribboned with
broad stripes. Their beauty and delightful fragrance make them a
dangerous rival of the rose.
The verbena is one of the most popular bedding plants in cultivation.
It is readily grown from seed, and embraces nearly every shade of color
in its flowers. The verbena will grow in almost any soil, and gives a
profusion of bloom from early spring till late in the fall.
Page 84
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Herbaceous perennials are very easily cultivated, for, as a rule, they will grow where any plants will. All they require is a good garden soil, a warm and light one, for it is useless to expect plants to grow in a wet, undrained soil. Once in three years or thereabouts they should be divided and transplanted. Division should be done either at the end of summer or at the time of making garden in the spring.
The alyssums should be planted in masses, the poppies and tall larkspurs may be set at ten or fifteen inches apart, and the other annuals six or eight inches. They are all easy to transplant except the candytuft and poppy.
The pansy heads our list. In higher latitudes than 330 they require protection in winter, below that they flourish in sunny situations all winter. The soil must be very rich.
DESIRABLE BEDDING PLANTS. 95
The phlox is next in merit. They make very beautiful beds ; and even if neglected they reward all trouble by a constant display of brilliancy for months.
Poppies are dazzlingly gay and make a handsome back-ground for smaller plants. The delphinium, our old larkspur, is another very desirable flower. The finest of the annual varieties are the tall and dwarf rockets, the candelabrum, the hyacinth-flowered and emperor larkspurs. The tall varieties make a pretty contrast planted with carnation poppies.
The candytuft, alyssum, nemophila, clarkia, China pink and catchfly make very pretty masses or beds. The whitlavia is a little beauty with its white and purple bell-shaped flowers. They suit the South admirably, and Northern seedsmen warrant them proof against the cold. Sweet peas, those old-time favorites, should be planted in the fall in the Southern States. Sow thickly in rows on rich soil. Perennials planted in autumn must be left in the seed beds (and protected in the extreme North) during the winter, then transplanted in the spring. The six most desirable varieties are : Hollyhocks, in various shades of pink, crimson, maroon, white, purple and yellow, and double as a cup full of ruffles. Magnificent Canterbury bells, white and blue, beautiful for large vases of cut flowers, and showy in the garden. The single varieties are prettier than the double. Aquilegias, or columbines, are very handsome ; yellow, white, purple and striped. The finest are the " golden spurred " and the Rocky Mountain columbine. Under the general name of " pinks " come three of our most exquisite and fragrant flowers — fringed pheasant's eye, the clove pink and the carnation. The carnations are sometimes solid colored and sometimes ribboned with broad stripes. Their beauty and delightful fragrance make them a dangerous rival of the rose.
The verbena is one of the most popular bedding plants in cultivation. It is readily grown from seed, and embraces nearly every shade of color in its flowers. The verbena will grow in almost any soil, and gives a profusion of bloom from early spring till late in the fall.