SHOWY ANNUALS. 



ANY of the annuals that have 

 a place in seed catalogues 

 are so surprisingly beautiful 

 that a few of the best should 

 in all cases have a place in the mixed 

 border. With but a few exceptions, 

 they do not continue in bloom a suffi- 

 cient length of time in beds, but in the 

 mixed borders they are of great service 

 in maintaining their attractiveness at 

 midsummer, and are therefore especially 

 useful in gardens where there is an ob- 

 jection to the association of zonal pelar- 

 goniums and other of the tender bedders 

 with hardy plants. Some of the best of 

 the annuals for the flower gardens have 

 been already mentioned in these pages, 

 and we now purpose giving the names 

 of a few others that well deserve the 

 most widely extended cultivation. 



CALLIOPSIS. 



The Calliopsis, or Coreopsis as they 

 are sometimes designated, are much 

 hardier than the majority of the annuals 

 and bloom profusely for a considerable 

 period. Sown in the autumn they come 

 into bloom early in the summer, and 

 plants raised from springsown seed bloom 

 freely towards the end of the summer, 

 when their flowers are especially valu- 

 able. The seed should be sown where 

 the plants are to be grown, and 

 as overcrowding is very injurious, care 

 should be taken to thin the plants to 

 three or four inches in each group before 

 they have become drawn. A moderate- 

 ly rich soil is an advantage, but they are 

 not more exacting in their requirements 

 than the majority of the hardy annuals. 

 The average height is two feet, and they 

 should have a place in the second or 

 third row. 



CANDYTUFTS. 



ly useful when it is desired to produce a 

 good display of color in the shortest 

 possible space of time, as they grow 

 freely and quickly come into bloom. 

 They do not remain in flower for any 

 considerable period, but they are less 

 ephemeral than is generally supposed to 

 be the case when placed under favorable 

 conditions. As in the case of the calli- 

 opsis the seed should be sown where the 

 plants are to remain and the seedlings 

 be thinned to four or five in each patch. 

 Generally they are allowed to remain as 

 thick as " mustard and cress," with the 

 result that they not only last a short 

 time but fail to produce a good effect. 

 With an average height of twelve inches 

 they appear to best advantage in the 

 front row or along the margin. Car- 

 mine Dwarf Rose, Dark Purple, and 

 White Spiral are the finest kinds in cul- 

 tivation. 



CriRVSANTHEMUMS. 



The annual chrysanthemums arranged 

 in groups, consisting of about three 

 plants each, towards the back of the 

 border, are singularly effective. The 

 practice which gives the most satisfac- 

 tory results with the least possible ex- 

 penditure of time, is to sow the seed in 

 boxes, and place in a frame, where they 

 should remain until the plants are an 

 inch or so in height. The plants must 

 then be hardened off" and pricked out, 

 where they are to remain three in each 

 group. Atrococcineum, Carisiatum, W. 

 E. Gladstone, and Segetum comprise 

 some of the best. The last named is 

 especially useful for the supply of cut 

 flowers, but on light soils there is some 

 risk of its becoming a weed, unless self- 

 sown plants are kept under. 



CLARKIAS. 



The annual candytufts are particular- Although not very continuous in 



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