ANNUAL AND BIENNIAL PLANTS FOR THE FLOWER GARDEN. 113 



Mexican and Californian Poppies. Such handsome plants as the 

 varieties of Tropaeolum are also many of them beautiful annuals. 

 Among plants of, perhaps, less importance than some of the pre- 

 ceding, the following may be mentioned : Bartonia, Brachycome, 

 Calandrinia, Cosmidium, Nolana, Didiscus, Kaulfussia, Linum, Lobelia, 

 Martynia, Mesembryanthemum, Nycterinia, Platystemon, Saponaria, 

 Senecio, Stenactis,and Xeranthemum,as affording some good plants for 

 those interested in flower gardening with annual and biennial plants. 

 HALF-HARDY PLANTS TREATED AS ANNUALS. It is not every 

 one who has the means to winter a large number of tender bedding 



Bed of " China Asters," showing effect of well-grown annual plants in garden."] 



plants, and the keeping of a large stock involves much work, and 

 takes up space that might be better occupied. . But a garden may 

 be made very gay in summer with half-hardy plants raised from 

 seed, and without keeping a single plant over the winter in the 

 greenhouse. In seedlings there may be differences in habit and 

 colour, but this should be no objection. There are a few plants 

 which come from seed true to the type through many generations, 

 like Verbena venosa. Seedling Verbenas make a handsome bed, 

 and usually do much better so grown than from cuttings. Balsams, 

 again, are not half so much used for open-air decoration as they 

 deserve to be, and those who have only seen them starving in small 



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