For June, 1921 



605 



Blue, is used. This is one of the best of the Myosotes. 

 There are several varieties of forget-me-not that are prac- 

 tically useless for bedding because they grow so flat and 

 have no grace to them. Royal Blue grows to a good 

 height and is light and airy and the flowers are of a deep 

 indigo blue color. A mixed bed of tulips where the colors 

 harmonize well with mixed pansies makes a good ground- 

 work and an attractive bed. Beds of daf?odils I like 

 better without any combination of plants. However, the 

 Poet's Narcissus makes a delightful combination with 

 forget-me-nots or English daisies. Very fine beds can 

 be made, which are loved by all, with large masses of 

 forget-me-nots. English daisies makes a pleasing mass 

 of color. Viola cormita, both blue and white, makes good 

 beds. Self-colored pansies are charming and nothing is 

 more pleasing than the variety. Lord Beaconsfield. Silcne 

 penditla makes a very pleasing pink bed. 



Then the herbaceous border where bulbs are planted 

 for Spring effect requires annuals to fill up the gaps 

 when the bulbs die down and to help to carry on the 

 continuous bloom during the Sununer and Fall months. 

 At the back of the border where the tall plants grow, the 

 larger growing annuals should be used, such as cosmos, 

 pink and white, Nicotiana sylvcstris, Tagctcs, zinnias, 

 Salpiglossis, and many others ; for nearer the front of the 

 border such plants as asters, stocks, Broivallia, Torcnm, 

 candytuft, snapdragon, GypsophUa. Nigclla, Verbena, 

 Clarkia, and Godctla. Care should be taken that the 

 colors of the annual flowers will harmonize with those 

 nearer theiu. * 



Annu.^ls for Continuous Blossom in the Flower 



Garden 



This is a subject that really requires much more time 

 than I can give it now. However, it is astonishing the 

 brightness and quantity of blossoms annuals and biennials 

 give during the Summer and Fall months. In using 

 these annual plants care luust be taken in planting them 

 that those used should harmonize with the hardy peren- 

 nials which are used in the color scheme. For continu- 

 ous bloom I use three kinds of plants in clumps of about 

 two feet across. For an example, take Lilium candidiiin, 

 tall, white snapdragon and blue Ageratitm; further along 

 a clump of Canterbury Bells, pink shades, pink snap- 

 dragon and white Agcratum; and further along another 

 clump of foxgloves, probably with white flowers, pink 

 snapdragon and pink P'crbena. In the centre of the large 

 long beds in our garden last Summer we had great 

 success with sweet peas grown in clumps on birch 

 branches. They blossomed up to September by picking 

 the old blossoms and not letting them go to seed. The 

 kinds that gave the most satisfaction were Constance Hin- 

 ton, white; White Spencer; for pink, Edrom Beauty, 

 Hawlmark Pink ; Captain of the Blues Spencer, Lord 

 Nelson and Imperial Blue. These were planted so that 

 they would harmonize with the other tall plants in bloom 

 at that time. 



Canterbury Bells and foxgloves are the two best bien- 

 nials to use in Summer gardens and with them wonderful 

 effects can be produced. When these are over we replace 

 them with plants which have been grown in pots. Hy- 

 acinthus candicans, Lilimn aiiraluiii, L. speciosmn album 

 and regale make up combinations of annuals, whose 

 flowers will combine with the above plants. Then about 

 the beginning of September the plants in the reserve 

 garden are put into use and there are none better than 

 the China asters whose colors are so pleasing. Cosmos, 

 the white and pink flowered kinds, lift easily at this 

 time and are used to fill vacant spaces among the taller 

 plants. About the beginning of October single flowered 

 and pompon chrysanthemums of suitable colors, which 



are grown in pots, are used liberally. They will present 

 a fine show until November if there is no hard frost. 

 We had plenty of them up to November 12th last Fall. 



We use no red and very little yellow in our garden. 

 Blue colors we employ most; then, pink. White flowers 

 are used liberally. If one uses red and yellow sparingly, 

 color harmony is quite easy. One of the finest color 

 effects I saw last year was a wall covered with the rose, 

 Dorothy Perkins, and just in the spaces where the rose 

 plants joined there were tall spires of double pink holly- 

 hock and in front of these were lots of Lilium regale and 

 in front of the lilies, pink and white snapdragon, Nemesi- 

 as. Lobelia, pansies and Sweet Alyssum. 



There is no kind of beds or effects that are wanted 

 but can be produced with annual plants. For subtropi- 

 cal effects such fine foliage plants as Ricinus, Amaranthus 

 the various varieties. Cannabis gigantca, Cosmos, Helian- 

 thiis of different species. Nicotiana suaveolens, sylvestris 

 and tomeiitosa, Solanum atropitrpureum, pyraeantlntm 

 and IVarscczviczii, Malva crispa, Pennisetum longistyliiin 

 and Ruppcllianum, Zea gracillimn z'ariegafa, Japonica 

 zxiricgata. and many others that could be mentioned. 



At times one wants some cheap plant for a temporary 

 screen to hide something that is undesirable to look at. 

 There are no plants that grow as quickly as annuals and 

 if selected right they are quite satisfactory for this kind 

 of work. Probably there are no plants cultivated that 

 give such a beautiful hedge eft'ect as sweet peas. Ipomoea 

 purpurea is especially good for covering trellises and so 

 the are tall nasturtiums, Tropceolum majus. Cobcea 

 scandens has beautiful foliage and grows quickly and 

 covers a large space during the Summer months. Scarlet 

 runners are especially good for this kind of work ard 

 are both beautiful and useful. Gourds, especially those with 

 small fruits are well adapted for covering trellis work and 

 are always interesting. JMost of the kinds mentioned for 

 subtropical effects are good for temporary screens. 



Beds or masses of sweet scented annuals are alway.> 

 enjoyed in the garden. Most of these plants are more 

 fragrant in the evening and inany enjoy their gardens 

 at that time. Some of the most fragrant annuals are 

 stocks, mignonette, the white tobacco — -Nicotiana affinis, 

 which is a lovely plant, and no garden should be without 

 it. Sweet Alyssum is especially good. 



Best Kinds of Annuals for Cut Flowers 



If a large quantity of cut flowers is needed a separate 

 piece of ground should be laid aside for this purpose. 

 Such a piece of ground should be dug and well manured 

 in the Fall so that the ground will be in good shape for 

 planting the annuals in Spring. Just before planting the 

 ground should be dug over again and given a good liberal 

 coating of bone meal and this should be enough to carry 

 the plants through the Summer. 



Sweet peas are probably the most free flowering plants 

 grown and there are more of them grown than of any 

 other annual. They need a good deal more attention 

 and soil preparation than any of the other annuals, but 

 there are no plants that pay so liberally for the extra 

 care and work. China asters are also good, especially 

 all the long stemmed varieties. Other good kinds are 

 Centaurea cyanus, Centaurea impcrialis, snapdragons. 

 coreopsis, cosmos, mignonette, stocks, larkspur, lupins,, 

 poppies, Brotvallia, chrysanthemums, Gaillardiu, Helian- 

 thus (small flowered kinds), Hunnemannia, Schizanthus,, 

 Scabiosa, atropurpurca, candytuft, phlox acroclinium, 

 Helichrysum, Tropceolum and Zinnias. 



The man whom I call deserving the name is one whose 

 thoughts and exertions are for others rather than him- 

 self. — Sir Walter Scott. 



