ANNUALS. 67 



I have got sweet-peas into very early blow by 

 bringing them up in pots in-doors, and transplanting 

 them carefully in April, without disturbing the 

 roots. In doing this, push your finger gently 

 through the orifice at the bottom of the flower-pot, 

 arid raise its contents " bodily." Then place the 

 ball of earth and plants into a hole trowelled out to 

 receive it; cover it round gently, and, if the weath- 

 er is dry, water it moderately. 



Ten-weeks' stock is a very pretty annual, and 

 continues a long time in bloom. Mignionette is 

 the very sweetest of all perfumes, and should be 

 sown in September for early blowing, and again in 

 March for a later crop. It is always more perfumy 

 and healthy, if dug into the ground in autumn to 

 sow itself. Venus' Looking-glass is a very pretty, 

 delicate flower. Indeed, every annual is lovely ; 

 and the different varieties give a gay and rich ap- 

 pearance to the flower-garden during the three 

 summer months. 



The Clarkias are very pretty annuals, with a 

 hundred other varieties lately introduced, and which 

 are all specified in Mrs. Loudon's new work upon 

 annuals. My plan is, to give a general idea of 

 their treatment only, under the classification of 

 hardy annuals, or those annuals which may be nur- 

 tured without a hot-bed. 



Keep your annuals from looking wild and disor- 

 derly in a garden, by allotting the smaller kinds 

 their separate patches of ground ; and trim the 

 larger annuals from branching among other flowers. 

 For instance, cut away the lowest branches of the 

 China-aster, the African marigold, &c., and train 

 the plant erect and neatly to a slight rod or stick ; 

 cut away the flowers as they droop, reserving one 



