86 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Flowers for Everybody's Garden. 



A. S. SWANSON, FLORIST, WAYZATA. 



Make a garden like this and buy, say, 50 cents worth of good 

 seeds to start with the first year, and the annuals I am going to 

 recommend will all ripen seeds here; and if you save just a very 

 few of the very best and most perfect flowers which first open 

 for seed and harvest them when ripe, you will have as good, or 

 perhaps better seeds than you can buy. 



There is no reasonable excuse why everybody's garden should 

 not have a wealth of beautiful flowers, just as good and charming 

 a setting for a home as has any millionaire, because happily the 

 best annuals are among the loveliest of flowers and will compare 

 in every respect with the choicest of the more tender species 

 which must be raised in greenhouses and given extra care and 

 attention if they are to amount to much. 



In the first place I would name Zinnea Elegans, the strong 

 growing strain. This splendid tropical looking, robust growing 

 plant with its rich, glossy green foliage grows to a height of 

 three feet, crowned on every branch with flowers four inches or 

 more across, and sometimes as much in height, in shades of all 

 colors except blue. This splendid plant is eminently fitted for 

 and worthy a place in everybody's garden, not only because of its 

 charm, but perhaps even more because of its sturdiness, whereby 

 it will take care of itself when once planted and will thrive under 

 most any conditions, though it must not be deprived of the sun- 

 light. 



Next in order I would put the African Marigold (Tagetes), 

 the Eldorado. It is a splendid, large-flowering, robust growing 

 plant, will grow three feet or more in height and give a wealth 

 of its golden and orange flowers through the summer until cut 

 down by frost. Next in order I would put Phlox Drummondi 

 Grandiflora. This charming plant is also of such robust habit 

 and strength it will almost care for itself after being planted, and 

 the wealth of flowers it will produce is really remarkable, and it 

 will produce them all through the summer if not allowed to bear 

 too much seed, in almost endless variety of colors, shadings and 

 markings of the flowers, which is one of its greatest charms. 



These three species of flowers should not be missing from 

 anybody's garden. I do not care how large or imposing or how 

 small or humble it is, they are just as much at home in one as 

 the other. While they may be raised from seed sown outdoors 



