Hardy and Half-Hardy Annuals 



WITH hardy annuals it is surpris- 

 ing what interesting and beau- 

 tiful displays can be made. 

 , Sown so as to form ribbons, they are 



Roderick Cameron, Niagara Falls, Ontario 



large enough to handle they should be 

 thinned from time to time, but not all 

 at once. By having plenty of air and 

 sunshine they will be stouter and stron^- 



A Backyard that Became a Garden in One Season 



This little plot furnished fresh, crisp vegetables in abundance, better than money usually can buy. 

 A little work a few seeds, some fertilizer and lots of enthusiasm will produce wonders. This 

 phSraph was taken last spring at the residence of Mr. W. G. Rook, advertising 

 "^ * manager of The Canadian HoKTicuLTURiST. 



manager of 



very effective ; in clumps or patches, 

 I hey are also very attractive; and the 

 dwarf varieties make fine edgings. The 

 climbers are adapted to be used in a 

 vnriety of ways, and charming displays 



re often produced by them. In some 

 positions, sweet peas are among the 

 best, producing their deliciously frag- 

 rant blossoms in profusion. Often the 

 serious mistake is made in sowing them 

 too thickly. If they do come up thick- 

 Iv they should be thinned out so that 



ach plant may have room to grow and 

 liourish. If grown in this way, owing to 

 the increased vigor of the plant, a great- 



r quantity and better quality of bloom 



an be had. 



CULTURE OF HARDY ANNUALS 



For general purposes, hardy annuals 

 > should be sown as soon as the soil will 

 I work nicely. To know this state of the 

 j soil, take up a handful, press it in the 

 I hand as hard as possible with the one 

 j hand by closing the fist, then open the 

 ; hand ; if the .soil remains as pressed, it 



Sis not fit to work, particularly clay. I 

 always prefer sowing seeds when the soil 

 is on the dry side than wet. Sow them 

 at a depth that will insure a requisite 

 supply of moisture. The larger the 

 seeds, the deeper they should be sown. 

 Very small seeds should just have a mere 

 "overing. As soon as the plants are 



er. Many of the hardy annuals may be 

 sown in the autumn, and some of them 

 do better in this way, 

 but they are so few 

 that we will pass on 

 and recommend treat- 

 ing them in the 

 spring. 



To get the best re- 

 sults from sowing the 

 hardy annuals, the 

 ground should be 

 thoroughly prepared. 

 Use lots of well-rotted 

 manure; in fact, it 

 cannot be overdone in 

 this respect. Put it 

 on in the fall, dig it 

 in deeply, and leave 

 the soil on the surface 

 as rough as possible 

 during the winter. By 

 so doing it will work 

 up much better in the 

 spring, and will be 

 earlier. 



The border or bed 

 intended for these 

 plants or seeds should 

 be waving. Every 

 line would look better 

 if crooked. This 

 can be accomplish- 

 ed very easily by 



103 



commencing with a crooked grass mar- 

 gin. All the other lines in the bed will 

 be the same if measured or marked 

 evenly. Until the line fence is reached, 

 it is "Supposed to be straight. 



V^e will now begin to sow or plant this 

 border, and we will begin on the margin, 

 as follows: Alyssum Beuthomt compac- 

 tum, white, edge, four to six inches ; 

 Aspertda asurea, blue, edge, six to nine 

 inches; Brachyconie iberidifolia, blue, 

 edge, six to nine inches ; Calandrinia 

 speciosa, blue, edge, six to nine inches ; 

 Gypsophila elegans, lilac, edge, six to 

 twelve inches; Nemophila, mixed colors 

 from white to blue, edge, six to eight 

 inches ; Oxalis Valdiviensis, yellow edge, 

 six to eight inches ; Sanvitalia procum- 

 beus, double yellow, edge, six to eight 

 inches, and Tagetes pumila, yellow, 

 edge, six to eight inches. Any or as 

 many as desired of these may be plant- 

 ed on the front line, and this front line 

 should only be nine inches from the 

 grass margin. 



The following for the second line and 

 one foot from the first: Nigella, Miss 

 Jekyll, blue, twelve to fifteen inches, all 

 summer ; Phlox Drummondii, all colors, 

 12 inches, all summer; Torenia Four- 

 nieri, blue, ten inches, all summer, 

 (shoulcl be started in a hot bed or green- 

 house, very beautiful) ; Bartonia aurea, 



A Comer of Same Backyard Later in the Seaion 



This Dhologrnph was tak(Mi from another view point. The gai'dcn contained 

 toniiitoes, beans, peas, railislies, lettuce, beets, parsnips, pirrots, salsify, 

 onions and evcrytliing worth eating that can be grown in one season. 

 In the background (actually the front of the preniisos) was an ex- 

 cellent lawn with a flower hoi-der at the left. There is plenty 

 of profit in gardening and, better still, lots of fun. Just try. 



