WHO'S WHO AMONG THE ANNUALS 203 



Verbena. 



These are best started indoors and set in their permanent places 

 in May. They come in several nice colours, the salmon-pink being 

 particularly pretty. If the branches are pegged down with wire 

 hairpins when they begin to "run," they will cover the ground 

 closely and bloom until killed by frost. Verbenas like a rich soil 

 and full sun and will thrive where many a more thirsty plant will 

 fail. 

 Zinnia, h. h. a., eighteen inches to two feet. Youth and Old Age. 



These are so often bought "mixed" and present so garish an 

 appearance that many people are ignorant of the really fine effects 

 to be gotten from seeds obtained in separate colours and planted in 

 harmonious groups. The blossoms have a curious lustreless quality 

 to their colours which is rather attractive and run into all sorts of 

 off shades which are useful. There is a pretty ashen pink sort, a 

 good bronzy yellow, a soft cream, a fine salmon, and a rich, dark red. 

 Plain food and full sun is all they require. 

 The Everlastings. 



One summer I tried in the nursery a number of these annual 

 flowers, which, on account of their strawlike texture and keeping 

 qualities, are called "everlasting." Many of them are quite pretty 

 enough for garden decoration even though one does not care for 

 the stiff bouquets for winter use. I am fond of these old-fashioned 

 posies and like always to have a few. The colours remain almost 

 undirnmed if the flowers are gathered just before they are fully 

 expanded and hung head downward in a dry cool place. I remem- 

 ber, when a little girl in Baltimore, that in the open-air markets for 

 which that city is justly famous there were always several stalls 

 devoted to the sale of Everlasting decorations. Many of these 

 were funeral wreathes and crosses, but others were the gayest of 

 elaborately arranged bouquets for the mantelpiece or centre table. 



Helichrysum is the Immortelle of the French, the favourite flower 

 for memorial emblems. It is very pretty indeed, being globular 

 in form with crisp, incurving petals. It comes in various colours, 

 scarlet, salmon, russet, yellow, and a good white called Silver Queen. 

 They self -sow in our garden so we are sure of one winter bouquet at 

 least. 



