soil, and need plenty of room from the commencement of their growth.
The first sowing may be made in February or March, on a gentle hotbed,
followed by others at about fourteen days' interval. The seeds are
best sown in shallow drills and lightly covered with soil, then
pressed down by a board. Prick out the seedlings 2 in. apart, and
plant them out about the middle of May in a deeply-manured bed. If
plant food be given it must be forked in lightly, as the Aster is very
shallow-rooting, and it should be discontinued when the buds appear.
For exhibition purposes remove the middle bud, mulch the ground with
some good rotten soil from an old turf heap, and occasionally give a
little manure water.

Astilbe.--Ornamental, hardy herbaceous perennials, with large handsome
foliage, and dense plumes of flowers, requiring a peaty soil for their
successful cultivation. They may be grown from seed sown in July or
August, or may be increased by division. They flower at the end of
July. The varieties vary in height, some growing as tall as 6 ft.

Astragalus Alpinus.--A hardy perennial bearing bluish-purple flowers.
It will grow in any decent soil, and can be propagated from seed sown
in spring or autumn, or by division. Height, 6 ft.

Astragalus Hypoglottis.--A hardy deciduous trailing plant, producing
purple flowers in July. Sow the seed early in spring on a moderate
hotbed, and plant out into any garden soil. Height, 3 in.

Astragalus Lotoides.--This pretty little trailer is of the same height
as A. Hypoglottis, and merely requires the same treatment. It flowers
in August.