336 Poppies and Marigolds. 



It is a good plan to have both species in the same bed, as the one suc- 

 ceeds the other {P. somniferum and its varieties blooming later), and thus 

 a succession of bloom is kept up. 



The plants commonly known as Marigolds are, botanically, Caiendula 

 or Tagdcs. Of the former there are some twenty-five species, many being 

 greenhouse perennials. 



The flowers of all are yellow, orange, or white, and are very showy. The 

 best known species is C. officinalis, commonly called the " English marigold." 

 It is a pretty flower, and, in some of the improved double varieties, very 

 brilliant, and has the merit of being always in bloom. 



The culture is simply to sow the seed in good garden-soil, and to thin 

 out the plants. 



They bloom when very young, and continue to give flower until very 

 late in the autumn. While very desirable in the garden, they are not effec- 

 tive in the mass, as the foliage is so abundant as to detract much from the 

 effect of the flower. 



It is to Tagdcs we must turn for the most brilliant and effective flowers. 

 Of this genus there are about twenty species, mostly annuals ; but, of these, 

 only three are commonly cultivated. 



For a massj of yellow, there is no plant to compare with T. icnui/olia, 

 commonly sold under the name of T. signaia pumila. It is a low-growing, 

 bushy plant, with fine-cut foliage and a rank smell. The flowers are 

 small, single, orange-yellow, and produced in such profusion as to fairly 

 cover the plant. A single seed will give a bush covering a space two 

 feet in diameter, and the flowers last in perfection up to the first of 

 October. 



T. patula is the so-called French marigold, and T. erecta is the African ; 

 although both are natives of Mexico. 



The latter grows from one to two feet high, and produces immense 

 double flowers, varying in different plants fiom the lightest straw-color to 

 the deepest orange. 



The French marigold is most attractive, from the profusion and varied 

 color of the flowers, which are of every shade, from bright yellow to deep 

 brown, and are often beautifully variegated. 



