48 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



HELIANTHUS 



" Stinflower" 



Superior people affect to despise Sunflowers, because they 

 are so commonly found in gardens, and though they grow 

 the perennial species they will not have the Annual. One does 

 not wish to quarrel with personal likes and dislikes ; but it 

 does seem strange that the smaller-growing Sunflowers of 

 the Stella or H. cucumerifolius group are not far more widely 

 cultivated. 



Helianthus anniius {Compositce) is the parent of our garden 

 varieties of annual Sunflowers, and though it is usually 6 feet 

 to 8 feet high, it sometimes ascends to lo feet or even 12 feet, 

 as the daily papers do not forget to tell us. Every one knows 

 the great golden-rayed flower heads, with the huge disk that 

 presently becomes studded with seeds arranged in a wonder- 

 fully regular pattern. The monster double sorts with the 

 disk florets developed so as to form a rounded head are also 

 fairly common, and they are fine for planting in big borders, 

 or near the margin of shrub and tree plantations, or near 

 water. Both the giant single and double forms are offered in 

 several shades of yellow. For the garden proper the varieties 

 of H. annuus cucumerifolius are best, as they grow from 2\ feet 

 to 4 feet high, and have a branching habit. Their flowers 

 are from 4 to 6 inches across, golden yellow, with dark brown 

 centre ; Apollo is golden, with maroon centre, and is very 

 dwarf ; Orion has revolute margins to its golden florets, and 

 thus it has the form of a Cactus Dahlia ; Primrose Stella has 

 soft primrose-yellow flowers ; Mars is golden yellow with 

 purplish centre ; Princess Ida is soft white, with pale yellow 

 band round the dark centre ; and Venus is cream-coloured 

 with yellow shading round the purplish centre. Perkeo is a 



