annuals from 5>eeti 



varieties, as it does not pay to waste time with in- 

 ferior kinds. Really fine Balsams are well worth 

 cultivating, and are very effective in rows in front of 

 taller plants. The double white and shell pink are 

 valuable for floral designs for funerals and for other 

 decorative work. 



Probably no flower that has come into vogue of 

 late years has won more popularity than the Cosmos 

 certainly for cut flowers nothing can surpass it in 

 graceful beauty. The large pink and white Hibiscus, 

 with a generous handful of long-stemmed pink, crim- 

 son, and white Cosmos, makes an ideal bouquet for a 

 high glass vase. Placed in front of a large mirror 

 the effect in form and colour is hardly surpassed by the 

 choicest exotics. The graceful, fern-like foliage adds 

 greatly to the beauty of a well-grown clump in the 

 garden or lawn. They are at their best when seen 

 against a background of darker green, a shower of 

 crimson, pink, and white. 



Only the early flowering varieties should be grown 

 at the North, as the seasons are much too short for the 

 giant or California varieties; though if one has room 

 for both, the California may be grown as a back- 

 ground for the dwarf early flowering, as the foliage 

 is much superior and the late flowers very fine. If 

 started very early in flats in the house, pricked out 

 into pots, shifted and grown on until time to set in 

 the open ground, the season of bloom will be much 

 advanced. 



