Perennials That Flower Within A Year From Seed

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 177, 29 July 1939, Page 16 (Supplement)

Perennials That Flower Within A Year From Seed

Garden Notes

THE usual practice when raising hardy perennials from seeds is to sow on a border outside, or in a cold frame, during September, October and November. The plants will bloom a year or 15 J months later. However, anyone having a heated greenhouse may by sowing seeds there between the middle of July and the middle of September induce a considerable number of perennials to flower the same year. I Tlii- "speeding-up" of the flowering I period 11• >t only means u season gained, lull the blossoming season i.s prolonged, for tlic seedlings flower later than plants of' tlic same kind which have liecii in tlic borders for h year or two. Notable , instance* are delphinium, lupin, carnaItion iiinl hollyhock, which ordinarily ( blossom in the greatest profusion during the summer months. Plant* of these and other* raised : from .seeds sown in warmth during early spring will blossom between February ami April. The temperature of the greenhouse should be about. .">() degrees l'\ at night, rising |j\e to 10 degrees 'during tin- day. l'<e Mower palls or 1 shallow boxes in which to sow the seeds, place ample drainage in the bottom, and lill almost to the rim with 1 light shady soil. j Moisten the soil well previous to I flowing, scatter the seeds thinly on the , surface, cover line seeds lightly with <and or soil and larger seeds with about one-eighth of an inch of soil. It aids germination and assists in keeping the soil moist; the pans or boxes are covered with paper until germination commences. As soon as the tiny seedlings show above the surface place them in j a light position near the glass to pre- ! vent spindly growth, taking great cure, | however, to shade them from sunshine. I Transplant the seedlings when large ] enough to handle conveniently to other pans or boxes, ami keep them on a I shelf in the greenhouse until towards I the end of October. Following this give I the young plants a month in a cold I frame to harden off preparatory to I planting out in the garden. The following perennials respond readily to this , method, and will bloom in late summer from seed sown in early spring. Though strictly speaking a perennial, the snajKlrugon or antirrhinum is more often treated as a biennial or annual. To sow the seeds and have good flowering plants the same year it is necessary i to raise the young plants in a heated I greenhouse in early spring. ! There are three distinct sections or , classes; the ma jus or tall varieties | which grow 2\ to 3ft high and are suitable for beds and borders; the intermediate or half-dwarf kinds, lift high, the best sorts for summer bedding, ami the dwarf or Tom Thumb varieties, six I to nine inches high, popular for small beds and edging.

In addition to packets of seeds in mixed colours a very large business is done by seed growers -with seeds of all three sections in separate colours. From an August sowing the plants continue in bloom from early iu January until cut by frosts. Antirrhinums will grow in sun or half-shade, and thrive in most soils. . By raising the columbine or aquilegia from seeds sown in warmth early in the year, a useful succession of this popular old-fashioned flower is secured. The seedlings commence to bloom in late .summer and continue until April. Seeds may be purchased in separate shades or in mixture. The long spurred sorts are very effective in beds and borders, and most useful for cutting. The average height is from 2 to 3ft. Everyone is familiar with the named varieties of Michaelmas daisy, so popular for border decoration and cutting in late .summer and autumn. The seed grower has paid particular attention to them of late years, and seeds are readily obtained. Seeds sown iu the warm greenhouse in August will produce (lowers in autumn that will be equal to some of the named sorts. The first (lowers on the dwarf plants open in February, while others continue to open until the end of autumn, should the weather be favourable. The introduction of what is known as an annual strain of border carnations has proved of great value to amateur gardeners. It is easy to have the plant* in flower six months after sowing seeds in warmth. Seeds sown in winter will give plants to flower from January and February onwards. As 80 per cent of the plants produce double flowers, one can have a brilliant display in beds and borders and quantities of flowers for cutting. Though most growers throw away the plants having single flowers, a vase filled with these is by no means unattractive. A point in" favour of raising carnat ions from seeds and treating them as annuals is that they come into flower after the border sorts are past. Although the blooms are not good enough to conform to the florists' standard, they are very freely produced, prettily fringed and .fragrant, the colours rich and varied. The average height of the plants is 18 inches. The best strains of annual carnations are marguerite, grenadin and giant Nice. The plants with the best flowers can be selected and grown a second year. No hardy perennial has shown greater improvement during recent years at the hands of the florist than* the border chrysanthemum. It is possible now to obtain a delightful display of these beautiful autumn flowers in six or seven months from the time of sowing the seeds. The single, semi-double, and double sorts are produced in many rich and varied colours. The height of the plants is from 2 to sft. One of the

best white flowers for the border and cutting is the shasta daisy, chrysanthemum maximum. It is one of the easiest perennials to raise from seeds in spring, and this is worth doing every year, as the jll ;<nts come into flower in succession to those propagated by division. Seeds of most of the popular named sorts may he purchased in separate packets, notably Mrs. C. Lowthian Bell and King Kdward VII. The usual treatment for Coreopsis grandiflora is to prow this plant as a biennial, yet plants can he readily raised from seeds and flower in one season by sowing in warmth in August. This Coreopsis i.s easy to grow, thriving well in town gardens; it is about 2|ft high. Quantities of golden yellow flowers are produced in autumn and they are most valuable for borders and cutting. The dahlia is a popular half-yearly perennial, being raised in increasing quantity year by year from seeds. Many amateurs derive far more interest Hum dahlias they raise from seeds than those grown from cuttings of roots. In the .'attor case one knows exactly what kind of flower to expect, hut seedlings vary remarkably. All the types, single, double, cactus, collarette, and paeonyflowcred, may he raised from seeds. They furnish a constant supply of flowers for cutting in summer. The tubers of plants with particularly good flowers may he retained to grow another season. Sow in July and August in the warm green house. The delphinium or perennial larkspur holds pride of place as the best tall blueflowered perennial that brightens our borders in summer. By raising plants in early spring each year from seeds the flowering season may l>e prolonged from January to April. The tall varieties range from four to six feet high. Several of the dwarf sorts, butterfly, azure blue, dwarf branching blue, and queen of the blues, for instance, are excellent for beds, making a delightful show in late summer and autumn. Seedlings of gaillardia from what is known as the grandiflora strain furnish a good selection of colours, equal in some instances to the flowers of named sorts. Primrose-yellow, orange yellow, and crimson are the most pleasing shades. A bed of seedling gaillardias is very showy, and they provide plenty of material for cutting. The fact that losses from the hollyhock disease are so frequent among plants propagated from division or cuttings of hollyhocks, has given an incentive to the raising of plants from seeds. Seeds may be had in separate colours, and with very few exceptions the seedlings come true. Formerly the double flowered hollyhocks were the most favoured in gardens, but at the present time the beautiful single flowered sorts find many admirers; one of the best is the single fig-leaved yellow, Althaea ficifolia.

The herbaceous lobelias brighten up many gardens in late summer and autumn. The rather moist soil and half shade of many suburban gardens suit the plants well. In addition to the old favourites, Lobelia fulgens, 1. cardinalis. and its variety Queen Victoria, a very beautiful strain of perennial hybrids is offered in mixture from seeds. The colours include crimson, scarlet, purple, magenta, carmine and mauve. They grow two or three feet high. The blue bedding lobelia is quite distinct from these. Every lover of the perennial border includes lupins in his collection, but comparatively few are aware how easily the plants are raised from seed. A packet of mixed seeds should contain pink, blue, mauve and white varieties. That lovely pink flowered sort Moerheimi, in common with others, can be readily flowered the first year from seeds. Several of the perennial campions are easily flowered from seeds the sanie ; ear as sown and are fine plants for bedding. Lychnis (Agrostemma) corouaria, the Crown Campion, is a most useful plant for large and small gardens. Jt thrives in most soils, and in sun or shade. Lychnis haageana is a lovely dwarf campion, nine to twelve inches high with scarlet (lowers. There is also a selection of varieties with salmon, crimson, orange-red and white flowers. There are two very attractive varieties of the purple loosestrife, roseum and superbum. Both are worthy of a place in a collection of perennials. With their bright, rosy-red flowers on stems growing some three feet high, they are good border plants for moist soils and by the waterside. The loosestrife seeds very freely. The old method of propagating pentstemons by cuttings inserted in cold frames during autumn is now seriously rivalled by treating them as half-hardy annuals and sowing seeds in warmth during August. Growing two to two and a h«lf feet in height the tall spikes of richly coloured flowers are freely produced from January to, May. Beautiful for beds and borders. The soft mauve flowers of the Caucasian scabious should be grown extensively for cutting. The flowers are borne on lonpr slender stems about two feet high. There Is also a white variety alba. The introduction of the new race of hybrid red-hot pokers or knipholia.-, which flower the first year from seeds, should result in these plants being grown more extensively. The height of the spikes the first season is from two to three feet. The plants commence tn flower in January and continue till April. The bedding violas and pansies are readily raised in quantity for flowering in summer and autumn. Seedling violas are effective for flower beds, especially as seeds of the most distinct colours may be purchased separately. The most important point in their cultivation is to pick off the old flowers as soon as they fade, otherwise the strength of the plant is exhausted in maturing seeds instead of a succession of flowers, and the violas fail to do themselves justice.