54 



IRISH GARDENING 



Sl ATICI SIM A lA llNliRIn \ 



Some New Annuals. 



ANNUALS have only a short period of exisleiu'e. 

 _/~\^ so one slioulcl eiuleavoiir to give them a^i happv 

 a lime as possible. With few exceplioiis tliev 

 love the sun, so an open position, not overhung bv Irvcs. 

 slionUl be provided. Dig and mainne the earth so thai 

 il provides a deep feeding: gfround, and thin the plants 

 in the younaf state so that there is a free circulatioT\ of 

 .-lir round each plant, then yovu- plants will repay vou bv 

 the finest of (lowers over a lorig period of time. 



.'\mon.if the showiest of recent introductions is the 

 Orange Dais}' from .South .-Vfrica, called Dimorphotheca 

 aurantiaca. The gorgeous orange flowers are boine 

 freely on plants about a foot to fifteen inches high, and 

 il continues to bloom lor a long time. Its only fault 

 appears to be that the flowers close up on verv dull 

 days, so give to it the sunniest position possible. 

 Growing, as Mr. IJeamish of Oueenstown grows it, to 

 cover a sloping bank in full sun, it is a sight well worth 



■ieeing. The seed may be sown in the 

 open ground during April or raised in 

 a cold frame. As a pot plant it is useful 

 lor conservator}' decoration during the 

 early months of the year. 



Dimorphotheca aurantiaca hybrida. — 

 Inder this name are many beautiful 

 lixbrids like the parent in habit, growlli 

 and foliage, but with .a rich diversitv 

 in the colovu' of the flowers, var\'ing 

 from white, reddish and bluish-white 

 lints, yellow lo golden yellow and 

 salmon orange. 



Nemesia Blue Gem forms .a compact 

 bushy little pl.ant, about a foot high, 

 covered with pretty light blue flowers, 

 and is a distinct break from the other 

 more gaudy members of the family ; it 

 should be sown in pots and planted out 

 when large enough. 



Nigella Miss Jekyll is .m improved 

 form of Love-in the-MisI . The cle.u- 

 corn-flower blue flowers are set in .-i 

 delicate mist of foliage. It is extremelv- 

 hardy, and may be sown where it is 

 desired to flower. Autumn sown seed- 

 lings make fine plants. 



Petunia Rosy Jlorn is a first-rate 

 l>edding plant ; the flowers are a 

 medium size, of a good fresh pink, 

 and it stands outside far better than 

 Ihe heavy large flowered varieties. It 

 shdvild be sown in pols and pricked 

 out when large enough. 



The early flowering strains of 

 l.'osnios are a great advance on the 

 older kind, which usually produced 

 ordy a mass of feathery foliage v.'ith, 

 maybe, just a few flowers in autumn. 

 The flowers are like small Dahlias, 

 and very useful for cutting. .Sow 

 the seeds in heat, ami pl.iTil out 

 early in May in poor soil and full sun. tosmos 

 Crimson Ray is a new and bright form. 



The beautiful liltle blue Swan River Daisy is always 

 a great favourite. Il now has two colour varieties, a 

 pink and a while ; both are pretty and useful either foi- 

 an edging to a bed Of in front of a border. 



The Clarkias lake a leading place amongst llie 

 annuals of easy culture. If the seedlings aie ihimied 

 to nine c>r ten inches ap.'irl, the plants will fo?"ni line 

 branching specimens about two feet oi' more in height. 

 .Vmong the newer v;irielies are Clarkia .Scarlet Oueen. 

 with extremely double flowers of an intense orange 

 scai'let ; .Salmon Oueen, Delicate Pink, and X'esuvius. 



The .Stock-flowered Larkspurs are really varieties of 

 Delphinium C'onsolida. This ,'innual grows wild in 

 South Europe, and oflen makes ihe corn fields a blaze 

 of blue. The plants are quite hardy, so the seeds ma\ 

 be sown outside, but should be well thinned when large 

 enough. The usual height it reaches is .aboul three 

 feet, but if sown in autumn and transplanted to really 

 gootl g'round in spring, it will reach i\\'e feet high and 

 flower until cut down by frost. The Rosy Scarlet Lark- 



