Sutton and Sons - The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition

S >> Sutton and Sons >> The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition

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Slugs may be kept off by a dusting of soot or wood-ashes, and some
precaution must also be adopted to prevent birds from disturbing the
seed-bed.

Here it may be well to mention a fact which is not always remembered,
although the knowledge of it is generally assumed. Seed can only be
saved from single flowers, but those who have made a study of the
business find little difficulty in selecting plants, and treating them
in such a manner that seed obtained from them will produce a large
percentage of double blossoms in the following generation. But the
experience of the most skilled growers has not enabled them to save seed
which will result entirely in double-flowering plants; and this is
scarcely to be regretted, for the perpetuation of the race is dependent
on single flowers. In keeping the various colours true there is one very
awkward fact. Certain sorts invariably produce a difference in colour
between the double and single flowers.

==Intermediate Stocks== form a valuable succession to the
Summer-flowering, or Ten-week varieties. From seed sown in gentle heat
in February or March, the plants usually commence flowering when the
earlier varieties are beginning to fade, and will continue to bloom
until winter sets in. It is also easy to grow the Intermediate section
in pots for spring decoration, if the protection of a house or pit can
be given during the winter to preserve them from frost. A simple plan is
to sow in August or early in September five or six seeds in 48-sized
pots. Thin to three plants in each, and of course a larger pot with more
plants can be used when desirable. Give air whenever possible, and water
regularly. There is no need for artificial heat; indeed, it is not well
to hurry the plants in any way. A good top-dressing of rich soil is
advisable before flowering, and as the buds appear, manure water, weak
at first, but gradually increased in strength, may be given once a week
until in full bloom.

==Winter-flowering Stocks==.--During the winter months Stocks afford an
immense amount of pleasure. They are particularly welcome at Christmas,
and to insure flowering plants at that season of the year suitable
varieties, such as Christmas Pink or Beauty of Nice, should be selected,
and a start made in June. As soon as the first leaf is attained, prick
off three seedlings in a three-inch pot; place in a cool frame under a
north wall, keeping the light off all day until they are ready for
another shift into six-inch pots. Use three parts of good yellow loam
and one part of leaf-soil--no sand. Pot firmly and restore to the frame
until the plants start growing, when they may be removed to the
greenhouse. Manure water, not too strong, once a week is beneficial, and
pure water should be given sparingly. Keep near the glass and ventilate
freely. Further sowings made in July and August will extend the supply
of flowers.

==Spring-flowering Stocks==, which include the popular Brompton strain,
come into flower in spring and early summer. Although in some seasons it
may answer to sow where the plants are required to bloom, the practice
is too precarious to be risked generally. A safer method is to sow in
seed-pans in June or July. Place these under shelter until the plants
are an inch high, then stand them in the open for a week before
transplanting. Have ready a piece of freshly-dug soil, and on a dull day
put them out at eight to twelve inches apart. If the growth is too rapid
during September, it may be advisable to lift them and plant again, for
the winter must not find them soft and succulent. There should be hard
stems and sturdy growth to carry them through the cold weather. In
districts that are specially unfavourable it may be necessary to pot
each plant singly in the 60-size, and plunge these in ashes in a cold
frame, or under the shelter of a south wall, until severe weather is
past, and they can then be turned out into the borders.

==STREPTOCARPUS==

==Cape Primrose. Tender perennial==

The hybrids are a very striking race, invaluable for greenhouse and
conservatory decoration, producing a continuous succession of large
trumpet-shaped flowers, embracing colours ranging from pure white,
through lavender, purple, violet, rose, and red, to rich rosy-purple.
Sow very thinly from January to March in well-drained pots, and a
dusting of fine soil will sufficiently cover the seed. Place the pots in
a temperature of 60 deg. to 65 deg., and take care that the soil is not allowed
to become dry. Prick off the seedlings when large enough to handle,
keeping them in the temperature named until the final potting. When
established they thrive with ordinary attention in a greenhouse, and
they winter well in a temperature ranging between 40 deg. and 50 deg.. Seed sown
in January and February will produce plants which will come into bloom
during the following June and July.

==Streptocarpus Wendlandii== is a singularly interesting variety. Only one
immense leaf is produced, which frequently attains a width of two feet,
with a proportionate length. This leaf is reflexed, completely hiding
the pot on one side, and from its midrib scapes of elegant violet-blue
flowers with white throat are thrown up to a height of eighteen inches.
The seeds should be sown in a warm greenhouse early in the year. The
plants will begin to flower in the winter and continue in bloom for
about six months. The temperature which is suitable for Gloxinias will
answer for this plant also.

==SUNFLOWER==

==Helianthus annuus. Hardy annual==

The utility of the Sunflower has been alluded to in a former page. Here
we have only to regard the plant in its ornamental character, as an
occupant of the shrubbery or flower border.

In addition to the common species, there are several strains which are
adapted for special purposes. The dwarf varieties grow about three to
four feet high, and produce fine heads of bloom. The 'giant' attains the
enormous height of eight or ten feet in a favourable season, and the
flowers are of immense size. The double strain generally reaches six
feet in height, and is valuable for its fine show of colour and enduring
quality. There is no difficulty, therefore, in making a selection to
suit the requirements of any border. The Sunflower can also be employed
in one or more rows to make a boundary or to hide an unsightly fence,
and some growers use it as a screen for flowers which will not bear full
sunshine.

Seed may be sown very early in the season, and the plants can be brought
forward in the manner usual with half-hardy annuals, but there is no
necessity for this mode of growing them. Sow in April or May where the
plants are to flower, on soil which has been abundantly manured to a
depth of eighteen inches, and they will bloom in good time. To maintain
the rapid growth, water must not be stinted in dry weather.

==SWEET PEA==

==Lathyrus odoratus. Hardy climbing annual==

The history of the Sweet Pea can be traced back for more than two
hundred years; and it is almost as fascinating as an exhibition of the
flowers. Recent improvements in this highly popular subject include an
amazing diversity of colours, a marked increase in the number of flowers
on each stem, and an extraordinary enlargement in their size. A modern
list may run into hundreds, but those who grow every known variety find
that there are many close resemblances, arising no doubt from
simultaneous introductions by hybridists who have experimented on
similar lines. Enthusiastic growers of Sweet Peas are no longer content
with a limited number of named varieties, for it is obvious that in
competitions where fifty or a hundred bunches have to be staged for
certain prizes, a large and representative collection must be grown. For
general garden decoration, however, and to provide sprays for the
adornment of homes, the Giant-flowered class, offered under colours
only, will continue to be extremely popular.

The change in character and the increased usefulness of Sweet Peas have
necessitated a revolution in the methods of culture. The freer growth
and more robust habit demand greater space than was formerly allowed.
Instead of crowded rows of attenuated plants, producing a meagre return
of small flowers, poor in colour, it is now the practice to prepare the
ground by deep trenching and liberal manuring, and to give every plant
ample space for full development both in rows and in clumps. In the
ensuing paragraphs we outline the cultural routine which should be
followed as nearly as possible by those who desire to insure a
long-continued supply of the very finest flowers. But where
circumstances do not permit of these recommendations being adopted in
full, the details may be modified according to the materials at command
and the requirements of the cultivator.

It is usual to commence the preparation of the ground in autumn.
Trenching is of paramount importance, for the roots of the Sweet Pea
require a considerable depth of good soil in which to ramify for the
support of robust healthy plants capable of producing handsome flowers
over a long season. Where the surface soil is shallow, care must be
exercised to avoid bringing uncultivated subsoil to the top, and it is
well worth incurring a little extra trouble to provide a sufficient
depth of fertile material for full root development. Therefore dig out a
wide trench and place the good top soil on one side. Then remove and
discard the subsoil to a depth of twelve inches and, after breaking up
the bottom of the trench with a fork or pickaxe, replace with an equal
quantity of decayed manure, leaves, old potting soil or any other
suitable stuff that may be on hand. Finally return the top soil to its
original position.

The use of manure needs discrimination, and in fixing the quantity, as
well as in selecting the most suitable kinds, due consideration must be
given to the character of the soil. For light land, four barrow-loads of
well-rotted farmyard manure per square pole will make an excellent
dressing, but a rather smaller amount will suffice for heavy ground. In
place of farmyard manure an unlimited quantity of leaf-soil, if
obtainable, may be used, and it is also a good plan to dig in any
available green refuse. Garden ground which for some years previously
has been kept in a state of high cultivation by the liberal use of
natural manure will not, as a rule, need further help in this direction,
but it should receive a good dressing of lime. Indeed, any soil in which
Sweet Peas are to be grown should contain not less than two per cent. of
lime. The employment of artificial, as well as organic, manures is
essential in any first-class scheme of cultivation. But here a word of
warning is necessary. Nitrogenous manures in any form are harmful to the
plant when applied in large quantities, and are liable to predispose it
to disease, except on extreme types of sandy soil. Heavy ground should
be dressed with seven pounds of basic slag in autumn and two pounds of
sulphate of potash in spring. On light soils apply in spring four pounds
of superphosphate of lime and two pounds of sulphate of potash. The
quantities stated in each case are sufficient for a square pole of
ground. Wood ashes (in a dry state) are also of great value, and these
should be raked in a little in advance of planting out.

The special preparation of the soil just described entails the raising
of plants in pots or boxes in readiness for transfer to the open as
early as weather permits in spring. The finest flowers are undoubtedly
obtained from an autumn sowing, and about the middle of September may be
regarded as the best period for putting in the seed. This early
commencement possesses the advantage of allowing ample time for the
development of sturdy, well-rooted plants, which will not only bloom in
advance of those sown in spring but will remain in flower for an
unusually long period. Sow in light porous soil, and either three-inch
pots, pans or boxes may be used. Place in a cold frame and keep the
lights down until the seeds have germinated, but afterwards the frame
should never be closed except during severe weather. There must be no
misunderstanding on the question of air-giving. The Sweet Pea is almost
hardy, and robust healthy seedlings, grown as nearly as possible under
natural conditions, are wanted. Therefore to subject the plant to
artificial heat will only defeat the object in view. A current of air
should be admitted to the frame day and night, and the lights may be
entirely removed on all favourable occasions. But the seedlings will
need protection from excessive moisture, for if too wet at the roots
they are liable to injury from frost. When four pairs of leaves are
formed, stop each plant once, and after a little further progress has
been made transplant singly into three-inch pots. Keep the pots in the
frame, giving only such protection from hard weather as may be
absolutely necessary, and plant out on the first suitable opportunity.
In the South transplanting may be possible late in February or at the
opening of March, but a month later will be safer in districts north of
the Trent.

Those who for any reason do not find it convenient to sow in autumn may
start the seed early in the year--from mid-January onwards, according to
the district. The general principles described in the preceding
paragraph apply equally to spring sowings, but it may be well to say
that there must be no attempt to hasten growth by the application of a
high temperature. A frame will afford all the protection necessary, and
even a box covered with glass and placed in a sheltered spot will be
found serviceable for raising seedlings.

Before planting out, the top soil of the ground prepared in autumn must
be well worked and made friable. The disposition of the plants, and the
method adopted for staking them, will, to a great extent, depend on the
precise purpose for which the flowers are required. For garden
decoration single rows answer well, and the plants should be spaced one
foot apart. Or, if preferred, put out in clumps of three to five plants,
allowing a diameter of from nine to fifteen inches. Carefully remove the
plants from the pots or boxes in which they were raised, disentangle the
roots and shake them quite free from soil. Make a hole of the necessary
depth, and allow the roots to descend into the ground to their full
extent, which may be as much as two feet in the case of well-grown
specimens from autumn-sown seed. Give support immediately with
well-branched twigs, and it is important that the plants be kept
perfectly upright. Finally stake with bushy hazel sticks eight to ten
feet in height, or taller still where the ground has been generously
prepared.

Long-stemmed flowers free from blemish are essential for show work and
for the highest forms of house decoration, and to insure an adequate
supply over an extended period the following method, which is adopted by
some of the most successful exhibitors, is strongly to be recommended.
The plants are put out in double rows one foot apart, and spaced a foot
apart in the lines. Each plant should carry two shoots only, both of
which must be provided with a rod of bamboo, ash, or hazel, ten to
twelve feet in length. For this double cordon system the rods will stand
six inches apart in the rows, and it is desirable to make them secure
against damage from high winds. Insert a stout pole at each end of the
row, and about seven feet from the ground-level fix to each pole a
substantial wooden crosspiece a little more than a foot in length. From
these cross-pieces tightly stretch strands of wire, to which securely
tie the rods. As growth develops commence disbudding promptly, regularly
remove all laterals and tendrils, and tie each cordon to its supporting
rod with raffia as often as may be necessary.

After transfer to the open ground the plants must never be allowed to
become dry at the roots. Keep the hoe going between the rows, especially
after the soil has been beaten down by rain.

The blooming period can be prolonged by the simple expedient of daily
removing the dead or faded flowers. The ripening of only a few seed-pods
speedily puts a stop to flowering.

In the open ground seed may be sown in spring from February to May, and
successional sowings at intervals of a fortnight will extend the supply
of flowers far into autumnal days. Even where a few clumps only can be
grown it is unwise to depend on a single sowing. Autumn sowings outdoors
are often made in September or October where a warm soil and favourable
situation can be insured.

Sweet Peas have two principal foes, the slug and the sparrow. Against
the former the usual precautions, such as ashes, old soot, lime, and
various traps, are available; and the latter must by some means be
prevented from doing mischief. After the buds show through the soil, it
is generally too late for the adoption of remedies. Nearly all the heads
will be found nipped off and laid ready for inspection. One could almost
forgive the marauders were food the object, but the birds appear to
commit havoc from pure wantonness, and whole rows are sometimes
destroyed in a single morning.

Early sprays are so much prized that the practice of flowering Sweet
Peas in pots under glass is yearly increasing, and for this purpose seed
must be sown in August or September; the plants to be kept slowly moving
during the dark days. In February the growth will be more rapid, but it
is important to give the plants the hardiest possible treatment. In
April, if properly managed, there will be a brilliant display.

The winter-flowering race blooms freely at a still earlier period,
although the plants are less vigorous than other varieties.

==SWEET WILLIAM==

==Dianthus barbatus. Hardy biennial==

Sweet William belongs to the same genus as the Pink. The finest strains
produce superb heads of flowers, some of them intensely rich in colour,
while others have a contrasting edge. The new varieties are so marked an
advance on older colours that they have created a fresh interest in this
favourite garden flower.

In several instances we have advised that biennials and perennials
should be treated as annuals, both on the ground of economy and for the
excellent results obtained by this practice. But the Sweet William is
not amenable to any treatment which reduces the natural period of
growth.

Seed may be sown in May, June or July for transplanting in autumn, and
the numerous colours afford opportunity of obtaining a great diversity
of splendid effects in beds and borders.

==TOBACCO==--=see= ==NICOTIANA==

==TORENIA==

==Greenhouse annual==

Sow in a warm temperature in March or April. Prick off while small into
pots, and subsequently pot the seedlings singly. Any fairly good compost
will suit them. The branches need support, and the plants must be kept
free from green fly. The Torenias make very elegant pot plants, and they
are also well adapted for hanging baskets and other ornamental
contrivances.

==TROPAEOLUM==

==Nasturtium, or Indian Cress. Hardy and half-hardy annuals==

The =Tropaeolum tuberosum= is treated under the 'Culture of Flowering
Bulbs,' so that here we have only to consider the varieties that are
grown from seed. There are two distinct classes, both widely cultivated,
for the seed is inexpensive, and the plants extremely showy durable, and
easily raised.

=Tropaeolum majus= is the climbing Nasturtium, or great Indian Cress. The
flower as originally obtained from Peru was a rich orange, marked with
deep reddish-brown, but it has been developed into various shades of
yellow and red, culminating in a tint which is almost black. The leaves
are nearly circular, and are attached to the long footstalks by the
centre instead of at the margin. Loudon fancifully compares the leaf to
a buckler, and the flower to a helmet. The Lobbianum section is close in
habit, with smaller foliage borne on somewhat woolly stems. All the
varieties bloom freely, and constitute a brilliant class of climbers of
great value for brightening the backs of borders or hiding unsightly
objects. After the seeds have been dibbled about an inch deep in either
April or May, the only attention the plants require is to nip out a
straggling shoot occasionally, or prevent a stray branch from reaching
over and smothering some plant which will not endure its embraces.

The well-known Canary Creeper (=T. canariense=) is a perfectly distinct
variety, and as a half-hardy annual should be raised under protection
and planted out in May, although sowings in the open ground in April and
May often prove satisfactory. Unlike the others, it needs a rich soil to
insure vigorous growth. When liberally treated the entire plant will be
covered with its bright fairy-like flowers, until frost ends its career.

=Tropaeolum majus nanum.=--The Tom Thumb, or Dwarf varieties, make
excellent bedding plants, blooming far on into the autumn after many of
the regular bedders have faded and become shabby. There is an extensive
choice of colours in reds, yellows, and browns, which come perfectly
true from seed, and all possess the merit of flowering freely on very
poor soil. They grow luxuriantly on rich land, but then the foliage
becomes a mere mask under which the flowers are concealed. There is not
one of the Tom Thumb class that may not be treated as a hardy annual,
and all afford opportunity of making a gorgeous show of colour at a cost
ridiculously disproportionate to the effect obtained. They are also
admirably adapted for pot culture, making shapely plants covered with
bloom for a long period.

Many of the later introductions in Nasturtium are notable for their
refined and delicate colouring, and are extremely desirable subjects for
the decoration of the dinner-table and small vases in the drawing-room.

As the flavour of the flowers and leaves somewhat resembles that of
common Cress, they are frequently used in salads, and are accounted an
excellent anti-scorbutic. The flowers are legitimately employed in
decorating the salad-bowl, because they are not only ornamental but
strictly edible.

In a green state the seeds of both tall and dwarf varieties make an
excellent pickle which is occasionally used as a substitute for capers.

==VERBENA==

==Hardy and half-hardy perennials==

VERBENAS raised from the best strains of seed come true to colour and
the plants are models of health and vigour, and make resplendent beds.
It is of the utmost importance to remember that the Verbena requires
very little of the artificial heat to which it is commonly subjected,
and which fully accounts for the frequency of disease among plants
propagated from cuttings. Seed may be sown in boxes in January,
February, and March, the earlier sowings naturally requiring more heat
than the later ones. As the seedlings become large enough, they should
be potted on and planted out in May, when they will flower throughout
the summer, and far into the autumn.

Verbenas may also be sown in March or April in boxes, put into a frame,
and if kept moist a lot of plants will appear in about a month. When
large enough these must be carefully lifted and potted. A rich, mellow,
and very sweet soil is needed by the Verbena. Many of the failures that
occur in its cultivation are not only traceable to the coddling of the
plant under glass, but also to the careless way in which it is often
planted on poor worn-out soil that has been cropped for years without
manure, or even the sweetening effects of a good digging. Raising
Verbenas from seed has restored this plant to the list of easily grown
and thoroughly useful flowers for the parterre.

The hardy perennial =V. venosa= also comes perfectly true and uniform
from seed.

==VIOLA==

==Tufted Pansy. Hardy perennial==

This plant well merits its popularity for use in beds and borders. It is
perfectly hardy, the habit is good, and it continues in bloom for
several months in the year. The treatment prescribed for Pansy is also
suitable for Viola.

==WALLFLOWER==

==Cheiranthus Cheiri. Hardy biennial==

Wallflowers are often sown too late. As a result the growth is not
thoroughly matured, and the plants present but a feeble show of bloom.
They should in their season be little mounds of fire and gold, exhaling
a perfume that few flowers can equal in its peculiar freshness. Sow the
seed in May or June, in a sunny place, on rather poor, but sweet and
well-prepared soil favourable to free rooting. When the plants are two
inches high, transplant into rows six inches asunder, allowing three
inches apart in the row, and as soon as the plants overlap transplant
again, six or nine inches apart every way, aiding with water when
needful to help them to new growth. Or lift every other row and every
other plant, leaving the remainder untouched to supply flowers for
cutting. When the beds are cleared of their summer occupants, they may
be filled with the best plants of Wallflower, to afford cheerful green
leafage all through the winter and a grand show of bloom in the spring,
as frost will not hurt the single varieties; but the doubles will not
always endure the rigours of a severe winter.