Show Divide Blue Root To Make l Many MallY New Nev Plants By MAUD CHEGWIDDEN Telegram Garden Editor The Italian alkanet italica italics provides masses of the most exquisite shade of or blue for the garden and if you are a lover of blue flowers you may increase your stock of this plant now If you have only a single p p p of you ou may get almost a dozen flowering lowering sized plants for tor next years year's bloom If you OU have more plants lants of course your increase will willbe willbe wille be e in proportion And the method of oC increase is by root division Dig up the entire root ro t of going joing down deep into info the soil so as aso asto asto to o get all aU of the long tap roots out Cut the top away and discard it I Put in Sandy Soil Have ready a box of sandy soil set et on the ground in a shady place or in a cold frame if you possess one Then cut the long root of the into lengths about an inch and a half halt or two inches to each piece Insert each section as you cut ut it it in the box of sandy soil with the he upper end upwards If you do doall doall doall all the cutting at once and then Insert in inert insert in- in sert ert all the pieces together you may get jet mixed up in this up and down business Dont Don't bury all the root cuttings but ut leave their upper surfaces just protruding from the soil Place them hem two inches apart each way Practically every piece of root will send send end out leaves in a sh short rt while and by late fall you can move them themo to o the places in which you wish them hem to bloom They will flower next June grows two feet tall taU or a little little more more and has quite a long period period pe pe- pe- pe nod of bloom Its buds open pink but quickly change to the richest heavenly blue The individual flowers are about half an inch across and they come in large sprays some opening continually as the others fade Their lovely color should make them welcome in every garden a and d the coarse texture of the foliage should be forgiven for forthe forthe forthe the same reason Plant toward the middle of a border border- in groups of five or seven plants more if the border is isan isan isan an unusually long one For companion companion com corn panion plants you may have the early daisies In front and the Oriental Oriental Ori Ori- poppy alongside This will give a brilliant color grouping Or you may combine with coreopsis or with tall golden helenI helen- helen I ium mm urn or with white petunias Any number of good neighbors will suggest suggest suggest sug sug- gest themselves to you I am sure For a border wh which ch is to have blue as the predominating color will vill pick up the color before before before be be- fore the delphiniums come into bloom and if it is cut back as it begins begins begins be be- gins to look ragged will frequently send up a second crop of flowering stems later in tho year I |