PREFACE 



The life of a true Annual does not extend longer than one 

 season. Itself the produce of a seed, the plant produces 

 flowers, ripens its seed, and perishes in the same year. 



Annuals are not the weedy, short-lived things they appear 

 to many ; on the contrary, under proper treatment they 

 prove to be amongst the most floriferous and the brightest 

 plants in the whole flower garden. But often the beds are 

 planted as thickly as a clover field, and huddled together thus 

 the plants grow so weakly, that they lean on each other for 

 support, and are incapable of developing strong flower spikes. 

 When the proper principles of culture become better known, 

 the Mustard-and-cress-like groups will be abandoned for ever, 

 and Godetias, Clarkias, Mignonette, Marigolds, Salpiglossis, 

 Convolvuluses, Cornflowers, Larkspurs, Drummond's Phlox, 

 Ten-week Stocks and others that used to be the delight of 

 many an old garden will become popular features in the 

 modern parterre. Annuals have many qualities to recommend 

 them. Seeds can be purchased cheaply and any one can 

 raise the hardy sorts out-of-doors, whilst the tender kinds 

 may be purchased for next to nothing in the month of May, 

 or late sowings of most of them can be made out-of-doors in 

 the last fortnight of April and the first fortnight in May. 

 Those who have pits or heated frames can raise them in pots 

 or boxes and thus get an earlier start. Annuals can be used 

 to fill up gaps in the mixed border, and when the flowering 

 period is past their immediate removal leaves the border with 



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