y loam. Again remember that poppies never
stand transplanting. Poppy may be planted broadcast or in drills. The
tall growing varieties should finally stand eighteen inches apart and
the smaller ones nine inches. In order that poppies may blossom freely
you should never let a seed capsule form. For you see that if one wishes
bloom, one must not let the strength of a plant go to any other work
except blossom making.
Zinnias are satisfactory just as marigolds are. To be sure they are not
a very graceful flower. But what of that? We need all kinds of flowers.
When you buy the little packets of seed you usually get a mixture of
colour.
In order to have just the colour one wishes, seed must be bought from
the seedsman by the ounce. The girls wanted dark red zinnia. One ounce
planted this space. It is not as expensive to buy seed this way. A
number of people may club together for seed.
Helena's method of planting zinnia was to sow the seeds in a drill.
Later she thinned her seedlings so that they stood eight inches apart in
the row.
Cornflowers or bachelor's buttons are lovely too. They are far lovelier
if bought by bulk so one may have the one colour, that lovely blue.
These seeds may be planted in drills two seeds every six inches apart.
Later thin to twelve inches apart.
Most people start cannas from the bulb. When one does this, plant a good
sized bulb and leave about an inch of stalk above ground. If the bulbs
are smaller use two to a hole or planting. If cannas are started from
seed follow this direction: File holes in the canna seed. The reason for
this is that the outer crust is tough and filing helps the young plant
to get out. These seeds should be soaked in warm water for a day. Plant
in pots. When the plants are six to eight inches tall transplant to the
garden. Cannas should stand two to six feet apart. It depends on
variety, whether tall or dwarfed, how far apart to place them.
When the flower garden was first started the question arose: "Shall we
plant annuals, biennials or perennials."
"For my part," said Josephine, "I don't know at all what these words
mean."
Katharine got a dictionary and soon she and Eloise had these botanical
terms worked out as follows:
A perennial is a plant which lives year after year in the soil. It
usually blossoms its second season. Trees and shrubs are hardy
perennials.
A biennial is sown one year, blossoms the next and then dies. Biennials
should be covered l
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