==Polyanthus==

==Primula (veris) elatior.  Hardy perennial==

A sowing in February or March in pans will produce strong specimens for flowering in the following year.  Or seed may be sown from May to July on a shady border.  Prick off the seedlings when large enough to handle.  The plants should never flag for want of water, and green fly must be kept down by syringing.  Some good solution will be necessary against red spider if through starvation in a dry situation it has been permitted to gain a footing.  All the varieties can be grown in a bed with a cool shaded aspect.  They do not require a rich soil; a strong and fibrous loam with a little leaf-mould is sufficient.  On passing out of flower the plants will split up into several heads, when they may be separated and potted singly.  Exquisite colour effects can be created by planting Polyanthus in association with beds of Tulips for flowering in April.

==Poppy==

==Papaver.  Hardy annual and hardy perennial==

The recent developments of this flower have brought it into great and deserved popularity, and it may be safely affirmed that few other subjects in our gardens afford a more imposing display of brilliant colouring during the blooming period.  The delicate beauty of the Shirley Poppies is alone sufficient to create a reputation for the entire class, and the huge flowers of the double varieties make a gorgeous show.  All the varieties are eminently adapted for enlivening shrubbery borders and the sides of carriage-drives.

Seeds of Annual Poppies should be sown where the plants are intended to flower, because it is difficult to transplant with any measure of success.  During March or April sow in lines or groups, =and thin to about a foot apart=.  Large clumps of some of the bolder colours should be sown in spots that are visible from a distance, and they will present glowing masses of flowers.

By sowing seeds of Perennial Poppies in pans in March, and putting out the seedlings when large enough, the plants will flower the same year.  The more general practice, however, is to sow very thinly on a well-prepared border any time from May to August.  Keep the seedlings free from weeds, and thin out if necessary.  The plants may be transferred to permanent quarters early in autumn or in the spring months.

==Portulaca==

==Purslane.  Half-hardy annual==

This is a splendid subject when the weather favours it.  In a dry hot season, and on a sandy soil, Portulacas can be grown as easily as Cress.  Sowings are sometimes made early in the year in greenhouses or frames; but as a rule it is a vain attempt.  Wait until May or June, when the weather appears settled; then put the seed into the open border, and the lighter the soil, and the hotter the season, the more brilliant will be the display of flowers.  Sow on raised beds, in rows six or nine inches apart, and cover the seed with sand or fine earth.  If the plants appear to be injuriously close they must be thinned.  Should a period of rain ensue, the raised beds have a distinct advantage over a flat surface, and rows afford opportunity for stirring the soil and keeping down weeds.