480 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



How to grow annuals. The annual flowers of the seedsmen are 

 those which give their best bloom in the very year in which the seeds 

 are sown. The true annuals are those plants which complete their 

 entire life-cycle in one season. Some of the so-called annual flowers 

 will continue to bloom the second and third years, but the bloom is 

 so poor and sparse after the first season that it does not pay to keep 

 them. 



Most annuals will bloom in the North if the seeds are sown in the 

 open ground when the weather becomes thoroughly settled. But 

 tnere are some kinds, as cosmos and moon-flowers, for which the sea- 

 son is commonly too short to give good bloom. These kinds may be 

 started early in the house or in hotbeds ; and similar treatment may 

 be given any plants of which it is desired to secure blooms before the 

 normal time. 



Prepare the ground thoroughly and deep. Annuals must make 

 a quick growth. See that the soil contains enough humus or vege- 

 table mold to make it rich and enable it to hold moisture. If the 

 ground is not naturally rich, spade in well-rotted manure or mold 

 from the woods. A little commercial fertilizer may help in starting 

 off the plants quickly. Prepare the land as early in spring as it is in 

 fit condition, and prevent evaporation by keeping the surface loose by 

 means of raking. 



If the flowers are to be grown about the edges of the lawn, make 

 sure that the grass roots do not run underneath them and rob them 

 of food and moisture. It is well to run a sharp spade deep into the 

 ground about the edges of the bed every two or three weeks for the 

 purpose of cutting off any grass roots which may have run into the 

 bed. If beds are made in the turf, see that they are three feet or more 

 wide, so that the grass roots will not undermine them. Against the 

 shrub borders, this precaution may not be necessary. In fact, it is de- 

 sirable that the flowers fill all the space between the overhanging 

 branches and the sod. 



Sow the seeds freely. Many will not germinate. Even if they 

 do all germinate, the combined strength of the rising plantlets will 

 break the crust on the hard soils ; and in the thinning which follows, 

 only strong and promising plants are allowed to remain. Better 

 effects are also often secured when the colors are in masses, especially 

 if the flowers are thrown into the bays of heavy shrub borders. 



Plants continue to bloom for a longer period if they are not 

 allowed to produce seeds. The flowers should be picked, if possible, 

 as soon as they begin to fade. 



The kinds of annuals. In the selection of the kinds of annuals, 

 one's personal preference must be the guide. Yet there are some 

 groups which may be considered to be standard or general-purpose 

 plants. They are easily grown almost anywhere and are sure to give 

 satisfaction. The remaining plants are mostly such as have second- 

 ary value, or are adapted to particular purposes or uses. 



The groups which make the strongest appeal as staple or general- 

 purpose types are the following: Petunias, phloxes, pinks or dian- 

 thuses, larkspurs or delphiniums, calliopsis or cereopsis, pot mari- 



