1 1 6 How to Lay Out 



really natives of a far-distant land. If one had time to study 

 the life history of each flower it could be traced to some field 

 where it grew wild without the protecting care of man, 



We naturally divide the flowers into divisions according 

 to their nature of growth such as hardy and half-hardy, 

 annuals, and so forth. Annuals are plants that grow from 

 seed, flower, produce the seed and die the same year, thus 

 fulfilling the law of nature for reproduction. Plants with this 

 habit produce quick results in any garden and are depended 

 upon in special difficult situations, in the flower garden, in 

 the perennial garden, along shrubbery beds and many other 

 delightful uses. There are a great variety of annuals in almost 

 all colors, of many sizes and height: some are used for edging 

 of paths, others for making flower beds, while others -are useful 

 to form screens to hide some disagreeable object. Some annuals 

 are climbers and are used to cover arbors and serve as a screen. 



To raise annuals successfully it may be necessary to start 

 some kinds of seeds in boxes, pots or other receptacles to 

 enable the plants to reach their full maturity in one season, 

 this of course varies according to the part of the country in 

 which the home beautifier lives. To start plants indoors take 

 some boxes or flats, as they are called, and fill with a mixture of 

 equal parts of light soil, leaf mould, and sand. To secure 

 good drainage the ])Ottom of the box should have holes bored 

 through and be covered with broken flower-pot pieces, stones, 

 or other coarse material. After filhng with the soil, water the 

 flats for a day or two, so that the earth is firmly set. Then 

 hghtly stir the soil and scatter the seed evenly over the sur- 

 face but not too thickly, then cover the seeds varying in depth 

 according to the kind of seeds. The depth to plant the seetl 

 is usually marked upon the packages by the seedsmen as the 

 plants vary in their treatment. When the seed is sown keep 

 the flat in a sunny window near the glass in a temperature 

 varying from 60 to 70 degrees. Water should be given the 

 planting carefully when required, so as not to wash out the 



