NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 77 



Annuals. If properly grown and attended to will well 

 repay the trouble bestowed upon them. If allowed to grow 

 in masses, unthinned and uncared for, they soon become 

 untidy and unsightly. On the other hand, if they are sown 

 at proper times, and thinned out as they grow, they will 

 make robust flowering plants ; and the flowering season may 

 be prolonged by cutting off the seed-vessels as soon as they 

 appear. Such annuals as Godetia Lady Albemarle, Lupins, 

 Phlox Drummondii, cScc., may be kept blooming for a couple 

 of months longer than if allowed to ripen their seeds. 

 Mignonette may be kept flowering nearly all the year round 

 by adopting this treatment. 



Sowing. Hardy annuals may be sown any time from 

 the middle of August to the end of September, to be 

 followed by tenderer kinds, which may be sown up to the 

 end of November. A little rich compost, finely pulverised, 

 should be prepared for covering the seeds with a small rake ;. 

 draw a portion .of soil from the places where you intend to- 

 sow. Make as many of the hollows as you have varieties 

 of annuals to sow ; if the weather is dry at the time, give a 

 good soaking of water a few hours before sowing. Large 

 seeds, such as Sweet peas, Lupins, Convolvulus major, c., 

 should be placed at the back of the border amongst the shrubs 

 and herbaceous plants. Sow thinly, cover with a little fine 

 soil, and press firmly with the back of the spade, rake or 

 trowel. The quantity of covering must, in all cases, be regu- 

 lated by the size of the seed. Portulaca, for instance, does not 

 require any covering; a gentle beating with the back of the 

 spade will be sufficient. The following is a list of a few of the 

 many annuals which can be recommended for general pur- 

 poses: Bartonia aurea, yellow, one foot high; Tagetes signata 

 pumila, bright orange, nine inches; Clarkia integripetala, rose- 

 coloured flowers ; Dianthus of varieties, one foot ; Larkspurs, 

 in varieties, two feet ; Linum grandiflorum rubrum, scarlet, 

 one foot ; Marigold orange, African striped unique, and dwarf 

 yellow or pigmy, one foot ; Nemophila insignis, blue, 

 maculata, spotted, six inches ; Portulaca mixed ; these showy- 

 annuals (Portulaca), thrive best in light sandy soil ; scatter 

 the seed thinly, and beat gently with the back of the spade. 

 No other covering is necessary. This lovely little annual 

 will reproduce itself each year where the soil is warm and 



