.ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 51 



double forms are all pleasing and well worth growing, but we like 

 the single kinds best. For gracefulness, airiness of poise, and deli- 

 cacy there are no annuals that can outdo the poppies. They 

 make a most gorgeous show when they are grown liberally. ISIany 

 are good for cutting and not near as fugacious as Robert Burns 

 had them in his simile when he said, 



Pleasures are like Poppies spread, 



You seize the flower, the bloom is shed. 



To get good results thev must be sown out of doors whenever the 

 frost is out of the ground in spring. The seeds should be covered 

 very lightly. Thin out the plants well and give them room to 

 develop. They do not stand transplanting well. 



The marvel of Peru or four o'clock, is a perennial in its native 

 country but is grown here as an annual and will grow and flower 

 in any kind of soil or situation. It will do well under the shade of 

 trees. 



Petunias are very showy and easy to grow. For massing or 

 bedding we have n't anything better, and they flower continuously 

 from July to frost. They are not fastidious about soil and will 

 grow almost anywhere. The large-flowered variety called Ruffled 

 Giants is very fine with very large beautifully marked flowers. 

 Countess of Elsemere is a good bedding variety and, although the 

 flowers are not as large as some kinds, they are produced profusely 

 and are of a pleasing pink color. Almost any of the varieties are 

 good and can be recommended. 



Drummond phlox when sown in masses gives very brilliant 

 effects, and is easy to grow from seed and lasts a long time in bloom. 

 It contains almost all shades of color and is so compact in habit 

 that it adapts itself to many purposes. If given plenty of water 

 and if relieved of the seed pods when formed, the plants last in 

 flower a long time. They are much better for cutting than the 

 perennial kinds. The graiidifiora forms are by far the best; the 

 flowers are larger and better shaped than the old kinds. The 

 cuspidata varieties are pretty and interesting on account of their 

 star-shaped flowers. Sow out of doors early in May. 



The African and French marigolds, Tagetes, are natives of Mexico 

 and are so well known that w^e hardly need mention them. They 



