ANNUALS 105 



Before deciding on annuals for temporary col- 

 onies in the hardy garden and borders, get a com- 

 prehensive idea of the height and spread of the 

 plant; frequently a seed catalogue will give the 

 one in print and the other in picture. Thus cosmos 

 is very tall and therefore, for the background, 

 save when used near a border edge to break a vista, 

 though its height may be reduced by the some- 

 what reprehensible practice of pinning down the 

 plant and letting the side shoots grow perpen- 

 dicularly. Low annuals, like Brachycome iberi- 

 difolia and godetia, are for the immediate fore- 

 ground or very open spaces between perennials 

 that are farther to the rear. 



In the placing of annuals among perennials a 

 point always to be considered is the freedom with 

 which they self-sow and thus become a nuisance 

 unless watched very closely. The cornflower, lark- 

 spur, coreopsis and Silene armeria are as much of 

 a pest as weeds if left entirely to their own way 

 of thinking what their share in the population of 

 the garden ought to be. These should have the 

 blossoms, as they fade, snipped off with scissors 

 not a burdensome task if the planting is not an 

 uncommonly large one and the work is done daily. 



Where the planting of a hardy garden or border 

 is delayed to afford time for accumulating a stock 

 of perennials in the home nursery, annuals may 

 serve two excellent purposes at once. Get the 

 ground in readiness for its eventual use and then 

 devote it to annuals entirely for one, two or three 



