Hepatica
Anemone hepatica.
THERE is nothing gained by separating this old friend from its relatives the anemones, but at our own choice we may use the name given above, or we may designate it Hepatica triloba. The three-lobed leaf is a distinct peculiarity, but the flowers have a character of their own, and may always be recognised as representing a distinct section of the anemones. The double red variety here figured is one of the best of the series, but all are useful; and the amateur may with propriety secure a complete set, and may then find pleasure in keeping them. Strange to say, these hardy, thrifty, long-lived plants are often lost in gardens through various unpardonable accidents. A sure way of killing hepaticas is to transplant them frequently. But the grand slaughter of the innocents in the garden border is accomplished by indiscriminate digging, the evils of which course have frequently been referred to in these pages. The best soil for hepaticas is a deep loam. They will thrive in clay, and one condition of success is good drainage. The double varieties are multiplied by dividing the roots, but the amateur who has had but little experience in propagating and nursing plants may be advised to leave hepaticas alone, for they are amongst the cheapest of hardy plants, and it is likely to prove in the end cheaper to buy than to produce them. However, we must describe the process. The strongest clumps are to be lifted immediately after flowering and carefully divided into separate crowns, each division to have as many roots as can be secured to it. These are to be at once planted in fresh soil and carefully closed in, and lightly covered with some very fine earth. If the soil is well drained, they will in the course of the season become established. Care must be taken that they do not suffer through drought or long-continued sunshine before they have taken hold of their new position. They are thrifty things, but they will certainly perish if sorely distressed, and it is simply because they are not sufficiently looked after by novices that they so often fail, even though properly handled in the first instance. When growing wild the hepatica is a wood-side plant, and this fact should teach us that when punished by division of the root, the plant should not be further punished by exposure to drought and long-continued sunshine. Trade propagators pot the little pieces and nurse them in frames. This insures to them a cool moist atmosphere favourable to renewal of growth. It is better, however, to plant them out and give them a little special attention for a time.
To raise hepaticas from seed is quite a simple matter, and may be recommended to the amateur as a profitable proceeding. There is one precaution needful, and this being observed, the rest is easy. Sow the seed instantly on its becoming ripe. It must not be put away, or it is likely to perish. It is always safest to sow such seeds in large pans or shallow boxes, which should be filled with light rich sandy loam. Scatter the seed thinly, cover with a mere dusting of fine soil, and lay slates or tiles over to keep the soil moist without having to give water until the plants appear. Should watering become necessary--for the seed must never be quite dry--carefully dip the pans or boxes in a sufficiently large vessel filled with water, or leave them in it resting on a pot or brick a sufficient length of time to cause a complete moistening of the whole body of the soil, when they may be taken back to the frame. By this mode of action you avoid displacement of the seed; in fact, the surface soil must not be disturbed at all. Any weeds that rise under the covering slates must be carefully drawn out as soon as they are large enough to be taken hold of.
The germination of the seed is a slow process, but you may expect to see the young plants towards the end of September; if they do not appear, however, you must have patience. When they do appear the slates must be removed. The seed-boxes must remain in the frame for the winter, and be kept only moderately moist, for if really wet when cold weather prevails some of the young plants will damp off. They should have air frequently in mild weather, and advantage should be taken of a bright day to lift them out, dip them, take out weeds, clear the frame, and perhaps put down a fresh layer of clean coal-ashes, so as to make all sweet and safe against winter damp. From time to time more seedling plants will appear, and at the dawn of spring the boxes will be crowded.
Keep the seedlings in their seed-boxes freely ventilated, and in the month of April remove them to a sheltered shady border near at hand, and convenient for observation. As the little plants make their proper leaves, carefully lift them out with a thin slip of wood and plant them in a border prepared for the purpose; the soil must be sweet and sandy, without manure, and a little shaded. When located in this border, your work as regards the "raising" may be considered finished. You will now wait to see them flower, and they will be in no hurry to tell you what they are and what they mean. But they will pay you well for all proper patience, and as they come into flower you will form a judgment of their merits.