76 VILLA GAEDENING PART i 



flowers are wet weather plants. The Asters, Violas, Marigolds, 

 Chinese Pinks, and Phlox Drummondi seem all the brighter for a 

 good washing, and iu wet seasons, when the scarlet Geraniums 

 have had all the brightness washed out of them, the annuals have 

 been glorious. Nothing in the shape of moisture seems to hurt 

 the Zinnias, and if flowers are required for cutting, the annuals 

 again come to the front. But many of the less prominent annuals 

 are very beautiful, and, if justice were done, they would be more 

 lasting than they generally are. Take, for instance, the Candy- 

 tufts ; there is quite a variety of colours in the family, now — car- 

 mine, crimson, purple, and white, and if sown thinly, and singled 

 out afterwards till each plant has a space of 8 inches square all to 

 itself, a lasting and really choice display will be obtained ; and 

 the same thing will occur with nearly all other annuals. If 

 the seeds are picked off as fast as they form, many of the best and 

 showiest annuals will continue to produce successions of blossoms 

 through the greater part of the summer. Take the case of Sweet 

 Peas : as a rule, when they begin to form seed pods, the flowers 

 cease to come, because the object of the plant's existence (namely, 

 perpetuation) has been accomplished ; but if the seeds are cut ott" 

 the plant puts forth crop after crop of blossoms until its strength 

 is quite exhausted ; and for this reason in cutting Sweet Peas for 

 the vases in the rooms, instead of cutting single trusses, I cut ott" 

 large sprays, which stimulates the plants to make new growth, 

 and so a life of continual activity is encouraged. 



Annuals for Mixed Borders. — The following are very 

 pretty for the mixed border, or for filling in anywhere : — Abronia 

 umbellata, Acroclinium roseuni, Sweet Alyssum, Bartonia aurea, 

 CoUiusia l)irolor, Clarkia, double purple, Candytuft, various, Calen- 

 dula meteor. Chrysanthemum coronarium, C. double golden. Con- 

 volvulus minor. Coreopsis Drummondi, Cyanus (Cornflowers) major 

 and minor, Devil-iu-a-bush (Nigella), Dianthus (Chinese Pinks) in 

 variety, Gilia, purple and white, Godetia The Bride, G. Princess 

 of Wales, and others. Gaillardia grandiflora, Gypsophila elegans, 

 Hawkweed, red and white, Kaulfussia ameloiiies, Leptosiphon 

 roseus, L. aureus, Lupins in variety. Larkspur in variety, Linaria 

 aureo- purpurea, Linum grandiflorum rubrum. Love-lies-bleeding, 

 Mignonette spiral, Nemopliila insignis, N. maculata. Nasturtium 

 Tom Thumb varieties, Papaver umbrosa. The double Poppies are 

 exceedingly showy, and if the seed pods are constantly removed, 

 a succession of flowers is kept up for some time. Portulaca, mixed — 

 very pretty for rockwork, Saponaria calabrica, S. alba. Sweet Peas, 

 Salpiglossis, various. Sunflower, tall double — very effective for back 

 of borders, Eschscholtzia mandarin, Sphaerogyne speciosa, Viscaria 



