Page:Favourite flowers of garden and greenhouse-Vol 1.djvu/22

Rh species. 6 inches; flowers white within, bluish purple without, thickly covered with downy hairs ; April. A. pratensis (meadow). 6 to 12 inches; differs from A. Pulsatilla in its smaller, darker flowers and narrower sepals ; May. There are several named varieties. With few exceptions the Anemones are spring bloomers, but by a little method in planting the roots a i of flowers may be kept up. A rich, well-drained, sandy loam suits most of them. A. coronaria and its varieties are rather gross- feeders, and for these the soil should be made very rich, but fresh manure should never be given to Anemones. In heavy soils they should not be planted deeply, the danger of damping off being then greater ; for, although most of the species like a damp situation, excessive or stagnant wetness is the Anemone-grower's principal difficulty. Some- times the flowers are spoiled by late frosts in April or May, but if these are feared, the beds must be protected at night, when the plants begin to show bloom. Some of the species, such as apennina, fulgens, and sylvestris, do best in the partial shade of trees, or in a shrubbery border. A. japonica and its varieties are excellent plants for furnishing moist tree-shaded corners, and they grow equally well in full sunshine. In some gardens they form a feature when planted together with Kniphofias. They are also happy when planted on the margin of lakes Most of the Anemones may be grown in pots, and so treated they may be used to make the greenhouse brilliant through the winter. For this purpose they should be potted in autumn in a compost of turfy-loam, sharp sand, and well-decomposed manure, and given the protection of a cold frame, where they will come on nicely for winter and spring flowering. Pro a ation After flowering the foliage begins to turn yellow, and the materia] that has been accumulated by the vital activity of the leaf is gradually transferred to the roots. This process is not complete until the whole of the plant above ground has withered. Then the roots may be taken up and divided,, care being taken to have an "eye" or incipient shoot on every portion that is separated, or growth will not take place. Some species do not succeed so well as others, if so divided. A. juponica cheerfully submits to the process, as do the various forms oi A. nemorosa, but others like A. mur-UsijIora do not make headway under it. The best method for increasing stock is by raising new plants from seed, except in the case of A. fahjen*. which is best propagated by division in July or August. Really double flowers