CHAPTER XII 



HARDY ANNUALS 



IF hardy annuals are to be grown to perfection, as they may 

 well be by the most modest of amateur gardeners if he will 

 practise the virtues of care and patience, it is essential that 

 three cardinal principles be kept ever in mind. These are : 



I (1) Proper choice of aspect ; 

 (2) Thorough preparation of the soil ; 



; (3) Thin sowing and efficient thinning out of the seedlings. 



Hardy annuals, with few exceptions, thrive best in a sunny, 

 open situation. They are quick-growing plants which, as their 

 name implies, germinate their seed, flower, and produce seed 

 again all within the limits of one season. It is therefore useless 

 to attempt to grow them on a sunless border facing north, where 

 their growth must inevitably be retarded and their full develop- 

 ment checked. Neither must they be sown in positions that are 

 overhung or too heavily shaded by trees. 



The vast majority of hardy annuals may be sown with perfect 

 safety from the end of March onwards, and most of them will at 

 least germinate, even if they do not make much further progress, 

 no matter what the kind of soil in which they are placed. But 

 to ensure success the soil needs proper treatment, and it is 

 advisable to begin its preparation as early in the year as possible. 

 This should consist in the deep digging of the ground, thoroughly 

 turning it over and leaving it rough on the surface, and at the 

 same time incorporating with it plenty of well-decayed farmyard 

 or stable manure. The object to be attained in leaving the soil 

 rough on the surface is an important one. It will enable the frost 

 and the wind and the rain thoroughly to pulverise and refresh 

 the soil, so that when the time for seed-sowing arrives the 



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