November, 1 91 3 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



267 



Perennials Grown as Annuals from Seed 



Wm. Hunt, O.A.C., Guelph, Ont. 



THERE are a great many kinds of per- 

 ennial plants that can be grown from 

 seed, and give good flowering re- 

 turns the first summer. Many of them are 

 among the most effective summer flower- 

 ing plants we have. To secure the best 

 results, the seed should be sown early in- 

 doors in the greenhouse, hot bed or win- 

 dow. Unless the seed is sown earlier in 

 the season than it can be sown out of 

 doors, the plants do not flower until the 

 season is well advanced ; often not until 

 the early frosts mar the beauty of the 

 most tender kinds, so that it is very ne- 

 cessary to sow the seed early in the spring 

 indoors. 



Some of the best kinds that will help 

 to make the border gay and bright, and 

 that are easily grown from seed, are pe- 

 tunias, verbenas, antirrhinums (snap- 

 dragon), pentstemons, salvia, ageratum, 

 golden feather, centaurea gymnocarpa 

 (Dusty Miller), and lobelia. These are 

 all suitable for planting in masses, rows, 

 or groups in flower borders. Antirrhin- 

 ums, pentstemons and salvia grow from 

 two to three feet in height. Salvia splen- 

 dens will grow to a height of three feet 

 or more, while the variety "Zurich" or 

 "Bonfire" grows to only about half that 

 height. Petunias and verbenas are lower 

 growing, about twelve to fifteen inches, 

 while the four last named are dwarfed, 

 growing six to eight inches, and are 

 more suitable as edging plants for the 

 border. All of these plants named are 

 also suited for window or verandah boxes 

 or for hanging baskets, if they are not 

 placed in a too shaded position in sum- 

 mer. 



Salvias particularly like an open, sun- 



ny position to produce their long, bril- 

 liant, scarlet spikes in late summer and 

 early fall. The pentstemons are very at- 

 tractive border plants, the gloxinioides 

 type having long spikes on which grow 

 numerous large, bell shaped flowers, 

 beautifully marked in a variety of shades 

 and tints varying from almost pure white 

 to a deep purple. The beautiful flowers 

 of the pentstemons and their ease of cul- 

 ture, fully warrant their being grown 

 more extensively than they are at the 

 present time. The improved types of an- 

 tirrhinums that have been introduced of 

 recent years have also brought these old- 

 fasioned plants into great prominence as 

 bedding plants. These can be had in 

 tall and dwarf growing kinds, one foot 

 to nearly three feet in height. The dwarf 

 kinds make a beautiful massed bed of 

 themselves. 



The large flowering "Giant of Califor- 



nia" petunias have beautifully marked 

 flowers of immense size, the fringed type 

 of petunias are also very attractive. Some 

 of the smaller flowering compact grow- 

 ing petunias are also becoming very pop- 

 ular as bedding plants. There is pro- 

 bably no plant that will give a larger 

 quantity of flowers and more continuous 

 than the petunia. The large flowering 

 type of verbenas make a very effective 

 border plant. Their bright flowers can 

 often be found late in the autumn, long 

 after the other summer flowering plants 

 have been blackened and killed by frosts. 

 This makes the verbena doubly accept- 

 able as a summer bedding plant. 



The dwarf blue ageratums like a rather 

 sunny position, while the rich blue flow- 

 ers of the lobelia are produced best in a 

 not too sunny position. The Tom Thumb 

 or Crystal Palace type of lobelia is the 

 best for an edging plant, while the taller 

 loose growing kinds are better for the 

 front of windows or verandah boxes. 



The Culture of 



By H. F. East, 



Our popular flowering bulbs are ob- 

 tained from many lands. They are ex- 

 ceedingly diversified in character, and 

 they bloom at different periods of the 

 year. Each variety has a value of its 

 own, and answers to some special re- 

 quirement in its proper season under 

 glass or in the open ground. Not least 

 among the merits of Dutch bulbs is the 

 ease with which they can be forced into 

 flower at a period of the year when 

 bright blossoms are particularly pre- 

 cious. Bulbs endure treatment that 

 would be fatal to many other flowers. 

 They can be grown in small pots or be 

 packed together in boxes or seed pans. 



Flow^ering Bulbs 



Davisville, Ont. 



When near perfection they can be 

 shaken out, and have their roots wash- 

 ed for glasses, ferneries, or for a small 

 aquaria. 



Their hardiness, too, is an immense 

 advantage, and permits of their being 

 grown and flowered with the least aid 

 from artificial heat. Small beds and 

 borders may be made brilliant with these 

 flowers, and the number of bulbs that 

 can be planted in a very limited space 

 is somewhat astonishing to the novice. 

 Unlike many other subjects, bulbs may 

 be crowded without injury to individual 

 specimens. 



For the decoration of windows, no 



Some of the FloMrer*, Fruit and Vegetable* shown at the Ontario Horticultural Exhibition 1912. 



November 16th to 22nd. 



The Exhibition thi« year will be held 



