At many leading horticultural displays in recent years masses of Schizanthus of extraordinary beauty have been exhibited with striking success.  In conservatories, greenhouses, and on dinner-tables the plants form conspicuous ornaments and they should be freely grown for general decorative purposes.  On special occasions the pots may be plunged to create a brilliant show of bloom as temporary beds and they are also extremely attractive in hanging-baskets.

The usual time for sowing seed to insure fine specimens is the end of August or early in September.  Either well-drained pots or shallow boxes, filled with a good potting compost, will answer for raising the seedlings.  Sow thinly, on a smooth surface, and cover the seeds with finely sifted soil.  When the young plants appear place the pots or boxes near the glass where they can have abundance of light and air, so that from the start the plants may be short and healthy.  Seedlings that are thin and drawn are never worth the space they occupy.  Immediately they are large enough to handle, transfer to shallow boxes, allowing a space of three inches to each plant.  The compost to consist of sound loam and leaf-soil in equal proportions, with the addition of sufficient coarse sand to render the mixture porous.  For two or three days keep the boxes in a frame, which must remain closed and be shaded from sunshine until the seedlings are established, but remove the shading whenever possible; then give air freely, and on attaining a height of three inches the first stopping may be done.  A fortnight later the plants will be ready for pots of the 60-size.  Treat them as nearly hardy as weather may permit.  Stop the shoots a second time when about six inches high, with the object of forming bushy plants capable of yielding a bountiful bloom.  When the 60-pots are filled with roots transfer to the 48-size, and in due time the final shift should be into pots of the 24-size.  Larger pots may, of course, be employed for very fine specimens.  The compost for this final shift ought to consist of two parts of rich loam, one part of leaf-soil, and one part of thoroughly decayed manure; the addition of sharp sand will be necessary.  The stems to be tied out to stakes in good time to prevent injury.  Just before the flowering period and while the plants are actually in bloom, weak liquid manure, instead of water, once or twice a week will be beneficial.  A high temperature is not required, even in the winter months, to maintain Schizanthus in healthy condition.  From 35 deg. to 40 deg. is all the heat they need; in fact, it is only requisite to keep frost at bay, and this near approach to hardy treatment will result in fine robust plants.

The Schizanthus may also be sown during March and April in pans placed in gentle heat, the seedlings being potted on for flowering in the conservatory or they may be put out in the open border.  Towards the end of April or in May seed may be sown out of doors.