ANNUAL FLOWERS 55 



have seen, they will still be beautiful. It would be quite 

 possible to add many more annuals in shades of yellow, but 

 any reliable catalogue will supply a further choice. 



Crimson-Coloured Annuals could easily be found in a seed 

 catalogue. Among these the Coreopsis will be found most 

 enduring, likewise Linum grandiflorum coccineum and Vis- 

 caria cardinalis. In using these, however, I should, per- 

 sonally, be disposed to tone down the colour by using other 

 annuals with white flowers. For fences where rapid growth 

 is needed, nothing surpasses the Tropaeolums or so-called 

 Nasturtiums, from the Canary Creeper to T. lobbianum. 



Half-Hardy Annuals. The words "half-hardy" are used 

 to denote those kinds of tender growth ; and seeds must 

 either be sown quite early in the year, under glass, or late 

 in the spring when frosts are neither severe nor frequent. 

 The China Aster is typical of a half-hardy annual, and there 

 are many families as showy and as useful in the summer 

 garden. The amateur gardener will probably choose a simple 

 hot-bed for sowing the seeds upon, and with this warmth 

 many things may be raised with a small amount of trouble 

 and expense. Select for the seed a quite shallow pan or 

 pot, and always sow thinly, and usually not before late 

 February, and through March and April. It is useless to 

 sow very early in the year ; the plants appear in the dark 

 days, make little progress, and become miserably drawn 

 out and weedy. Only by a steady growth to ensure vigour 

 and "solidity," so to speak, is it possible to obtain a wealth 

 of flowers true in colour and in form. A mixture of loam, 

 well-decayed manure, leaf-mould, and sharp silver sand will 

 suffice for soil ; and in watering immerse the receptacle to 

 the rim, so as to allow the water to soak up through the hole 

 in the bottom. When the surface of the soil is watered, the 

 seed is frequently washed to one side of the receptacle. A 

 hot temperature is unnecessary, and the thermometer should 

 never go beyond 65 degrees. Of course the object of this is 

 to get strong growth, impossible in the stewing heat of a hot- 

 house. 



It is impossible in some gardens to afford artificial heat, 

 and in such cases sowing must be deferred until May outdoors. 

 This is not the proper course where means are available for 

 sowing under glass. 



A list of annuals, with their height, colour, and time of 

 flowering, is given in the tables on p. 542. 



