rost.

BEDDING PLANTS

Most of the plants used for flower gardens and lawn beds come under the
three following classes: (1) Those grown from seed; (2) those grown from
cuttings; (3) those of a bulbous nature.

Almost all of the first group are sown in the spring in flats in the
greenhouse. Two important exceptions, however, are pansies and English
daisies (_Bellis perennis_). They are sown early in the fall, as already
described, and the plants wintered over in a frame or protected
outdoors. For the retail trade they are put up in small boxes or "pansy
baskets" made for the purpose. While small plants, just beginning to
bloom, are the best, it seems very hard to convince a customer of it and
they will often choose a basket with four or five old plants loaded with
bloom in preference to a dozen small ones.

Asters, alyssum, balsams, candytuft, celosia, coleus, dianthus (pink),
lobelia, mignonette, petunias, phlox, portulaca, ricinus, salvia,
verbenas, vinca, roses, zinnias, may all be started from seed. The
greatest secret of success is to keep the plants from crowding, and keep
pinched back to make bushy plants. Salvias and coleus are the tenderest
of these plants. The others can go out to the frames, if room is scarce,
as soon as the weather becomes settled.

PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS

The method of choosing and rooting cuttings has been outlined in a
previous chapter (see page 29). In greenhouse work the main difference
is that they are taken in much larger quantities. For this reason it is
usually convenient to have a cutting bench instead of the flats or
saucers used in rooting house plants. The bench should be three or four
inches deep, filled with medium coarse, gritty sand, or a substratum of
drainage material. If possible, have it so arranged that bottom heat may
be given--this being most conveniently furnished with pipes under the
bench boxed in. (The temperature required for most cuttings will be
fifty to fifty-five in the house with five to ten degrees more _under_
the bench.) The cutting bench should also be so situated that it readily
may be shaded, as one of the most important factors of success is to
prevent the cuttings from wilting at any time--especially just after
placing in the sand. After rooting, the cuttings are put into small pots
or flats as already explained.

Spring stock of some plants, such as geraniums, are rooted in the
fall--September to November. Others, which make a quick growth,