ROCK GARDENS

Rock, Marsh, Shrubs in the Garden
Plants 3

Strongly-growing seedlings can usually be potted up at once, the process of pricking-off being unnecessary. is the case of seeds that germinate irregularly, the first batch of seedlings should be pricked-off as soon as they can be handled, and the seed pans should then be replaced so that the remaining seeds may germinate; for it should be remembered that the last seeds to come through usually produce the best plants. Such treatment is necessary with plants like the Anemone, Primula Auricula, P. Polyanthus or Primula. After pricking-off keep the seedlings in a close-atmosphere and shade them from the sun for a few days until they are well established in their new boxes. Hardening-off and Planting-out. In March or April the seedlings should be moved into the cold frame. There they are hardened-off and are gradually allowed more and more air, until they are planted out very firmly in the open in May or at the beginning of June. soil for the seed pans should consist of a composition of two-thirds good loam and one-third leaf-mould, together with a good sprinkling of sharp silver sand. The compost should be sieved through a quarter-inch mesh and the soil for covering the seeds through a sieve even finer. This compost will suit the majority of alpines, but some are fastidious and require their own particular mixture; this they must have or failure will follow. Mix the compost thoroughly, press it gently into the pan or box, and make a firm and level surface just below the rim of the pan. The seed pans should be drained by means of "crocks" or broken pots, an inch and a half to two inches of crocks being required in a box or pan five inches in depth; the crocks having been covered with a layer of well-rotted leaves or turf, about one inch thick. Earthenware pans are preferable to boxes, as the earthenware keeps the soil more evenly moist than does the wooden box. The seed should be mixed with ten times its quantity of dry sand, and should then be sprinkled thinly over the soil in February or March.

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