FLOWER GARDEN

There are both annual and perennial kinds of Campion (silene); they flourish in ordinary soil in a. sunny position The most popular annuals arc varieties of Silene pendula; they are grown chiefly for spring bedding, as a groundwork to beds of bulbs. Bonetti, deep rose, and Double Salmon, pink, are two good ones. Seeds are sown on a narrow border in July, and the seedlings planted finally in October. Seeds may be sown in April to provide summer flowering plants. Silene armeria, 12-15 inches, has rose - coloured flowers in summer; seeds are sown in April.

Of the perennial kinds the most useful are Silene alpestris, white, 6 inches, and schafta, rose, 6 inches: both are suitable for the rock garden. Silene acaulis, which forms a moss-like cushion and bears rose pink flowers in April, is difficult; it is most likely to bloom if grown in gritty soil in the moraine. Silene maritima flore pleno is an attractive plant 6 inches high, which bears double white blooms in summer. Seeds sown in fine soil in a frame in spring provide an easy method of propagation; the stock can also be increased by division in autumn or spring.