Gardening for Amateurs 



433 



Cosmos (Gosmea). A tall-growing, 

 half-hardy annual, delightful for cutting and 

 border decoration. The dainty fern-like 

 foliage adds to the beauty of the plants. 

 There are two strains of Cosmos bipinnatus, 

 an early-flowering form growing 3 feet to 

 4 feet high, and a tall sort, 6 feet high, 

 flowering from August onwards. As a long 

 season of growth is necessary, sow the seeds 

 in warmth during Feb- 

 ruary, and when the 

 seedlings are large enough 

 pot off singly in small 

 pots. Seeds may be pur- 

 chased in mixture or sepa- 

 rately in three colours, 

 pink, crimson, and white. 



Delphinium Ajacis 

 (Annual Larkspur). 

 This is a very popular 

 hardy annual, in many 

 gardens coming up year 

 after year from self-sown 

 seeds. They thrive either 

 in sunny or half-shady 

 borders. Seeds should be 

 sown where the plants are 

 to bloom, as Larkspurs 

 do not transplant readily ; 

 they delight in a rich soil. 

 Varieties of the Stock- 

 flowered (Consolida) strain 

 branch freely, the plants 

 growing 2| feet to 3 feet 

 high ; the most distinct 

 colours are album, white ; 

 azureum, mauve or 

 la vender- blue ; caeruleum, 

 dark blue ; and rosy-scar- 

 let (the last-named is the 

 finest of ah 1 ). The nanum 

 or Ranunculus - flowered 

 varieties grow 18 inches high and have 

 pleasing spikes of double flowers similar 

 in colour to the tall sorts. For small beds 

 the Dwarf Rocket Larkspurs are the best ; 

 these grow 1 foot high and give compact 

 spikes of double flowers in nearly a dozen 

 shades of colour, including white, apple 

 blossom, delicate pink, rose, carmine-pink, 

 light blue, dark blue, mauve, purple and 

 rosy-red. 



Diascia Barberae. A half-hardy annual 

 28 



from South Africa. It grows 9 inches high, 

 and bears chamois-rose or coral-red flowers. 

 Sow under glass or on border outside from 

 the middle to the end of April. 



Dimorphotheca aurantiaca (Namaqua- 

 land Daisy). Though one of the newest 

 annuals this is already very popular. The 

 seeds may be sown under glass, but it is 

 preferable to sow on a sunny border in May 



Two good annuals for cutting Cosmos and Gilia. 



where the plants are to flower. The plants 

 commence to bloom in from seven to eight 

 weeks after sowing, and continue to do so 

 until autumn ; 12 inches is the average 

 height. Golden-orange perhaps best describes 

 the gorgeously coloured flowers. By crossing 

 this plant and D. pluvinlis, the Cape Marigold, 

 florists have given us a valuable race known 

 as aurantiaca hybrids ; the flowers are of 

 many pleasing shades of colour, including 

 primrose, salmon, buff, apricot and white. 



