A GARDEN OF ANNUALS 15 



ins. high (and they grow rapidly if the weather is good), 

 bring out the sticks, and give the clumps a tie. Then 

 repeat giving ties, and if need be add a few more sticks 

 each week till the plants are fully grown. Thus you will 

 save yourself disappointment, and your annuals will be 

 worth seeing. 



Watering and Feeding : In dry summer weather hardy 

 annuals need regular watering, for many of them are 

 thirsty subjects. The watering recommended in the early 

 stages from a " fine rosed can " is now useless, except for 

 some of the more dwarf and delicate subjects. What they 

 need, especially the clumps, is a good soaking at the roots, 

 and this should be given every evening when the sun has 

 lost its power. Hardy annuals, if watered at all, must be 

 watered thoroughly, a drop to-day and more to-morrow is 

 a bad principle. Some people say that plants love to 

 have sprinklings in the evening. Yes, but these sprink- 

 lings are over the foliage and do not benefit the roots. 

 Water, lightly sprayed over the foliage, will freshen the 

 plants, but it will not make the roots less thirsty, nor does 

 it benefit the plants themselves to any great extent. 



Then as regards feeding. If the ground has been well 

 prepared and enriched with good manure and the clumps 

 are properly thinned and weeded and watered, no feeding 

 of any kind is necessary under ordinary circumstances. 

 I know very well that people are fond of feeding hardy 

 annuals, some even regard feeding as essential to success. 

 But as far as my experience goes, hardy annuals are better 

 without it, except in the case of " specimen " plants, 

 referred to later on. 



Cutting the Flowers : I shall speak about hardy 

 annuals in the chapter on Cut Flowers, but before leaving 

 the subject of their culture I must add that success depends 

 largely on the flowers being freely cut. Of course you wish 

 your border of hardy annuals to be gay with bloom all 

 the summer, and the best way to get it is to cut the flowers 

 freely. 



Amateur gardeners can seldom be persuaded to see this. 



