SCHIZANTHUS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 7, 1 October 1937, Page 10

SCHIZANTHUS

This is a half-liardy anntial, and should be treated as siich from the seedling to the flower stage, It is an easy plant to grow, and on this account, perhaps, its early culture was not attended with the success that the beauty of it deserved# Huring recent years the strains have been greatly impfo'ved and we Uow poS.ess some beautiful ones, the lidhness of the flowers fully w'arrantiflg them beiflg called butterfly flowers. The present is a snitable tiine for sowing. Sow the seed in shallow pan well drained and filled with a compost of iibroua loam, leaf, soil and coarse sand or old mortar rubble reduced to a tine powder, then it can bo evenly mixed with the soils. Level ihe soil in the pan and then water it and sow the Seeds evenly about one hour afterWards. Simply place a square of gilass and some brown paper on the pan, keeping the lattex* in a frame or on a gheif in a greenhouse until the seeds have germiflated. Then gradualJy oxpose tho seedlings to the fnll ligkfc and admit plenty of air. The iirst transplanting should be done in 6 ra all pots, so that there will not be any disturbance of the roots when ihe plants are fepotted. XJ&e a similar compost throughout, only iu a rougher conditioii at the final potting. One plant in a pot is stifficient, some in 6in., aaxd ihe Btrongest specimens in 7in. pots Alwayg pot firmly after the first potting. The figjht time to feed is when the pots are filiing with roots and flower buds are i'ormingjs. These plants like plenty of light and air. They do remarkably well dufing the winter months on a sunny shelf in the greenhouse,