Gardening for Amateurs 



449 



with rose - pink flowers. 

 This is delightful in small 

 groups along the front of 

 the border, in small beds, 

 and in the rock garden. 

 Sow the seeds in March 

 or April, preferably where 

 the plants are to bloom. 



Scabiosa (Sweet Sca- 

 bious). Though really a 

 perennial, everyone treats 

 the varieties of Scabiosa 

 atropurpurea as annuals. 

 In the garden and for 

 cutting the flowers are 

 very valuable. The 

 colours are rich and 

 varied at least half a 

 dozen are sold separately, 

 viz., Black Prince (King 

 of the Blacks), Snow- 

 ball (white), Azure Fairy 

 (lavender or mauve), pink, 

 cherry - red, and creamy 

 yellow. The best results 

 are obtained by sowing 

 the seeds under glass dur- 

 ing March, though they 

 may also be sown outside 

 in April. A bed of these 

 plants forms a charming 

 feature from July to 

 September. 



Schizanthus (Butter- 

 fly Flower). So much 

 attention has been given to this beautiful 

 annual for growing in flower pots that 

 we are apt to overlook its value for the 

 outdoor garden. There are really three 

 kinds, S. Grahami, S. pinnatus, and S. 

 retusus, but the hybridist has been so busy 

 among them that the improved varieties 

 alone are now chiefly grown. These are 

 variously named as Wisetonensis, grandi- 

 florus hybrids, large-flowered hybrids, etc. 

 The finely cut or pinnate foliage helps 

 materially to enhance the beauty of the 

 prettily spotted flowers. The colours em- 

 brace white, pink, mauve, lilac, rosy-red and 

 crimson. Sow the seeds under glass during 

 March or outside in April for summer and 

 autumn bloom. As the stems are not very 

 stiff in growth, they should be supported 



The Petunia. 



with a few twigs from an old broom, these 

 may be placed in position when the plants 

 are a few inches high. The varieties vary 

 from 1 foot to 2 feet high. 



Schizopetalon Walkeri (Lace-flower). 

 A deliciously fragrant hardy annual, grow- 

 ing 9 inches to 1 foot high, and producing 

 quantities of prettily fringed white flowers. 

 Sow the seeds during April on a warm border 

 outside where the plants are to bloom, and 

 in the rock garden. 



Senecio elegans (Jacobaea). A free- 

 flowering half-hardy annual, noted for the 

 rich colour of its blossoms. There are two 

 strains, tall-growing, about 15 inches high, 

 and a dwarf compact-growing selection, 9 

 inches high, suitable for edgings, small beds 

 on the lawn, or as a groundwork for taller 



