==Zinnia.==—­A sowing in the open ground about the middle of the month will provide plants in gardens where there are no means of raising them artificially at an earlier date.  Even those who possess a stock will be wise to put a final sowing in the open.  If possible, choose a sunny border sloping to the south, and make the soil rich, fine, and rather firm.  Drop seeds in little groups of three or four at each spot, allowing fifteen or eighteen inches between the groups.  Cover lightly, and eventually thin the plants to one at each station.

==June==

The days are now at their longest, and plants in pits and houses should have the full benefit of it.  By opening the lights early, and shading in good time, the flowering period will be greatly prolonged.  Ply the syringe over plants infested with aphis until they are quite clean.  In some instances, it may even be wise to pinch off young shoots which are covered with the fly.

Keep Verbenas, Petunias, and the taller varieties of Phlox Drummondii pegged down; this furnishes the beds and helps to check evaporation.

Rain and watering alike tend to harden the ground; and as this condition does not favour growth, the surface should be frequently broken with the hoe.

==Anemone.==—­Those who grow this flower from seed should make another sowing now or in July, even if they have thrifty plants from the February sowing.  By this arrangement the flowering period is prolonged, and the finer blossoms will probably come from this month’s sowing.

==Aquilegia== seed will germinate now in the open ground, and the plants need no protection during winter.

==Balsam.==—­As a rule, it is unwise to put Balsams into beds or borders before the first week of this month.  The plant revels in warmth and light, and should have an open, sunny position.  Its succulent nature will indicate the necessity of giving abundant supplies of water.  For so fleshy and apparently fragile a plant, it is astonishing how well it stands in a strong wind.  From good strains the separate colours come so true that the design of a bed can be accurately arranged.  As pot plants Balsams need no support, provided they are kept dwarf and stout, and they make admirable decorative subjects.  But for indoor use it is easy to grow them in the open ground, and when well advanced they can be lifted with care and potted.  This procedure offers the advantages of a choice of colours even from mixed seed and a selection of the most robust plants.

==Begonia, Tuberous-rooted.==—­This has proved to be one of the most elegant and refined bedding subjects we possess, and it appears to become more popular every year.  The plant is also freely grown in the reserve border to produce flowers for cutting.  Employ specimens that are large enough to make a show at once, and select plants of the short-jointed class for outdoor work.  They must have unusually rich soil.