52 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The Cultivation of Hardy 

 Annuals. 



Bv John H. Cimmixc;. 



GARDENERS of the present day, amateur or 

 otherwise, are now fully awake to the amount of 

 pleasure and interest which this class of plant 

 will commend if properly treated. In many gardens, 

 where the labour is scarce and the requirements many, 

 much time cannot be devoted to the needs of all flower 

 subjects, and with this fact in mind I may confidently 

 assume that no class of plants will repay the small 

 amount of labour expended on them by growers, as a 

 well selected collection of hardy annuals. Their attrac- 

 tion also is enhanced by their adaplability to surroundings 

 not always congenial to the best and full development 

 of their beauty. The beds or borders for the reception 

 of flower seeds should in mild weather, during winter, 

 be deeplv dug and a moderate amount of well-decayed 

 farmyard manure dug in. Too liberal manuring is apt 

 to encourage rank growth in the foliage, to the loss of a 

 free flowering habit. 



At the beginning of .\pril fork over the soil, and make 

 it neat and level with a rake. If of a gravellv nature 

 a light treading with the feet, preparatory to the final 

 raking, will help to consolidate the soil, and thus prevent 

 too rapid evaporation during the early stages of the 

 plants' growth. 



If borders are to be sown with annuals, draw lines 

 fifteen inches apart and one inch deep, choosing the 

 tallest growing sorts for the back and the dwarfest for 

 the front, also endeavouring to mix the colours to con 

 trast or harmonise one with the other. Where beds are 

 the objects to be filled one distinct colour in each bed 

 should be sown ; the height will therefore be uniform, and 

 a mass of colour is more effective than a mixture, which 

 is seldom so attractive. 



Choose a drj', calm day when the soil is in good work- 

 ing order, and sow the seed thinly, covering the drills in 

 with the rake ; then use the same tool to give a finishing 

 touch, leaving the border with a neat and tidy appear- 

 ance. With flower beds sow the seed broadcast evenlv 

 over the surface, then a light coating of soil which has 

 passed through a half-inch riddle should be spread 

 over each bed. Rake over to make all level, as in 

 the case of the borders, and this stage of the work will 

 be complete. 



Where a continuance of flower till late autumn is 

 desired frequent sowings must be made to keep up a 

 succession. Many beautiful annuals only last a few 

 weeks in perfection, and where these are required for a 

 length of time, sowings at intervals of three weeks, 

 beginning in .April till the end of June, should be made. 



When the seedlings are grown large enough to handle 

 they should be thinned to a certain distance apart, 

 usually a few inches. This gives the young plants air 

 and freedom to develop a sturdy growth. Failing to 

 thin the plants when young is too often met with, and 

 poor results accrue from this neglect. Weeding, staking 

 and watering during dry weather are all needful to 

 obtain first class flowers, and during the flowering 

 season the removal of seed vessels and withered blooms 



is also important to prolong the display. In this paper 

 I shall confine myself principally to a few kinds that 

 continue long in flower and have proved of much use for 

 garden and house decoration. .\o other annual has 

 advanced so rapidly in popular estimation as the sweet 

 pea. Full details for their cultivation are given in last 

 month's issue of Irish G.\rden'ixg, and growers could 

 not do better than follow that advice. 



The tendency of late years among flower lovers has 

 been for a return to the more graceful and natural 

 simplicity of single flowers. 



For decorative purposes in a cut state, annual chrj'san- 

 themums fulfil this object in a striking degree. They 

 are alike useful for cutting, and make an excellent back 

 row line in a ribbon border where plants are desired 

 about two feet high. They have the additional recom- 

 mendation of lasting long into the autumn, and will 

 stand a few degrees of frost. 



Ciarkia pidcherrima^ red and while, and Collinsia 

 bicolor, purple and white, are both of easy culture, 

 growing a foot to eighteen inches high. The)- last long 

 in flower, and are popular for competition. Eschscholtzia 

 californica is another very fine annual — its rich, yellow 

 flowers being so gay and showy in sunshine. It should 

 be grown in rather poor soil, when it will bloom all the 

 freer. .Among tall aimuals cornflowers {cyanus) de- 

 serve a place. They grow about two feet high, and 

 are best in a bed. The blue variety is bright and pretty, 

 and lasts a long time cut. -Arranged with ornamental 

 grasses they suit admirably for dinner-table decoration, 

 and are alike useful for working out letters on wreaths 

 and crosses. 



Godetias make a bright display and take a high place 

 as cut flowers. The range of colour is from pure white 

 to dark crimson, and for lines or beds godetias are alike 

 suitable, the compact habit oi growth always maintain- 

 ing a neat appearance. 



Larkspur will prove a valuable and attractive hardy 

 annual. Growing a foot high, a lino may be sown near 

 the front of a border. Thin out to six inches apart 

 between the plants, when their full beauty will be 

 developed and seen to advantage. The foliage is dark 

 green and beautifully laciniated, the habit of growth 

 and shape of flowers being altogether of a distinctive 

 character. 



Competitors alw.ays find Linaria reticulata a useful 

 variety for competition. The flower spikes are a foot 

 high, and rise well above the foliage. It continues to 

 bloom well into the autumn, and is a well-known favourite 

 with amateurs. 



Lintim grandiflorum should be in every collection. 

 For massing in beds it is bright and pretl\', the brilliant 

 crimson flowers being very telling. The quaint and 

 beautiful Love-lies-Bleeding is an old-fashioned flower 

 that never fails to attract attention. It is a fine late 

 autumn bloomer, and will stand a degree or two oi 

 frost. For cutting purposes it is invaluable where large 

 vases require to be kept filled. For mi.xed planting in 

 front of shrubberies or the herbaceous border, a few- 

 plants of the diff'erent coloured lupins will be found 

 effective. Thev grow two feet high, revel in rich soil, 

 and are not impatient of a shady situation. 



Nemophilla is a splendid showy annual for beds or 

 edgings, growing six inches high. The blue variety 



